South Carolina reclamation bonds.
From $100.
No South Carolina mining operating permit takes effect until you deposit a reclamation bond with the state, under the Mining Act (S.C. Code § 48-20-110). The amount is tiered to your affected acreage. Pricing starts from $100 — priced at 5% of your bond amount, $100 minimum — with one soft credit pull that never affects your score.
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How much does a South Carolina reclamation bond cost?
5% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Apply to filed in a few steps.
Enter your acreage-tier amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with the department. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, operating permit number, the bond amount your acreage tier requires, and the effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with SCDES
Receive the executed bond, ready to deposit with the department so your operating permit can take effect. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the reclamation bond actually covers
The South Carolina Mining Act (S.C. Code Title 48, Chapter 20) requires anyone conducting mining or related exploration to hold an operating permit, and no permit takes effect until an acceptable reclamation bond or other security is deposited with the state under § 48-20-110.
The bond guarantees that you reclaim the land you disturb — restoring the affected area as the permit and the Mining Act require. If you fail to, the state can draw on the bond to fund reclamation. The amount is tiered to affected acreage: $10,000 under 10 acres, $15,000 from 10 to under 15, $25,000 at 15 acres or more, and the department may require more above 25 acres if needed to ensure reclamation.
The bond runs in favor of the State of South Carolina, is continuous, and the surety can cancel only on 60 days’ written notice. As of the agency reorganization on July 1, 2024, the mining program sits with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), successor to DHEC. We issue the amount your permit requires with pricing from $100 and one soft credit pull.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with SCDES. Receive the executed bond, ready to deposit with the department so your operating permit can take effect. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, one soft pull.
Submit the application with your acreage-tier amount and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull — your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Reclamation bond, issued in days.
Pricing from $100, soft pull only. Enter your acreage tier and file with SCDES.