Hosting a ticketed dinner in Charleston: the checklist

Not legal advice. This is a starting checklist, checked 2026-09-25. Rules change and differ by county and city. Talk to a lawyer and confirm with SCDA before you sell a ticket or open your space.

At a glance

• Home-based food law covers your biscuits, not your supper club. Meals, plated service and ticketed dinners are out. SCDA
• Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. Many Charleston pop-ups run inside bars like the Pour House (anecdotal). City Paper
• Biggest risk: your home kitchen can't be permitted. Only a separate second kitchen can. SCDA

Quick answers

Can I sell tickets to a dinner I cook at home in Charleston? No. Your home kitchen can't be permitted, and home-based food law leaves out ticketed dinners. Only a separate second kitchen can. SCDA

What is the simplest legal way to host a ticketed dinner in Charleston? Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. Its permit may not cover you. Reg 61-25

Can I include wine in a dinner ticket in Charleston? Usually no. Keep drinks out of your ticket; a licensed venue sells them to guests directly. Caterers can't sell alcohol here. Exception here: beer and wine only, under your own $10-a-day permit. SCDOR SCDOR permit ABL rules

Start here: one dish, free, at home

Already hosting? Skip to your routes.

• Cook one dish (one protein, one plate) for a few friends at home. Free: no ticket, no donation jar, no public post.
• Let a friend bring a friend. Still free, still invite-only.
• What turns it into a regulated sale in Charleston: tickets, or when it's advertised to the public, charge or not. Reg 61-25 Drinks: donations count as sales too. SCDOR
• When guests start asking to pay, pick a route below.

Your routes, cheapest first

Steps, in order

Already done some of these? Skip them.

• 1. Talk to a lawyer before you charge anyone.
• 2. Ask SCDA which food safety training your permit needs.
• 3. Get a Charleston business licence. Food service is $37 for the first $2,000, plus $1.95 per $1,000 after. Charleston
• 4. Register for 6% sales tax and get a $50 retail licence. SCDOR SCDOR licence
• 5. Get your own SCDA permit in a shared-use kitchen. Reg 61-25
• 6. Get personal chef or event liability cover. FLIP
• 7. Put the venue's fee, deposit, permit cover and drinks plan in writing.
• 8. List your night.

Drinks

• Keep drinks out of your ticket; a licensed venue sells them to guests directly. Caterers can't sell alcohol here. ABL rules
• Exception here: beer and wine in your ticket, under your own $10-a-day Beer and Wine Special Event Permit. A drink in the ticket is a sale. SCDOR ABL rules
• It needs your retail licence, a SLED check within 90 days, 30 days' SC residence or registration, licensed wholesaler stock (not Costco), and $500,000 liquor liability cover after 5pm. SCDOR 61-4-550
• Each night: apply 3 days ahead, have the Charleston police chief (sheriff outside the city) sign ABL-100, email SLED 24 hours ahead. SCDOR
• A caterer licence bill (H.5281) is stuck in committee; restaurant licences don't travel. Cocktails need a licensed bar selling every ticket and drink itself. ABL rules
• BYOB: beer or wine, nothing in the ticket (unverified). Guests' spirits: homes or one-off private gatherings only. Hired bartenders: flat fee, no selling or delivering. City permit: public property only. 61-6-4710 ABL rules Charleston

Watch-outs

• Insurance: homeowners policies exclude activity "engaged in for money." Some policies exempt small side income; get it in writing from your insurer. ISO HO-3
• Permits carry a minimum: 15 days in a row a year, or weekly for 15 weeks. Reg 61-25
• From people who've done it: a pop-up inside a restaurant still needs its own graded food licence (anecdotal, unverified). Facebook

Learn more

• SCDA retail food FAQ
• SCDOR special event permits

Cost your micro hospitality night before you set a price: try the free Planner.

Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and SCDA before you act.