Will I Get Evicted?
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How long before eviction in South Carolina?

Tenant protection: Minimal4 of 9 checked

Tenant protection rating, from nine protections in South Carolina law. 5 not yet verified, and each counts as zero until it is. How the rating works.

Last verified 2026-09-23

From notice to removal

Each stage has its own timing. A landlord notice alone does not authorize removal.

  1. 01
    Notice

    5 days

  2. 02
    Court stage

    Timing not verified

  3. 03
    Writ wait

    1 days before execution

  4. 04
    Removal

    Enforcement follows a court order

At a glance

Grace period before a late fee
Not verified
Late fee cap
Not verified
Pay-or-quit notice
5 days
The five days run from the date the rent is due, not from the day a notice is delivered. The landlord must give written notice of the nonpayment and of the intent to end the lease if rent is not paid in that time. One such notice covers every later lease term, and the notice can be printed in the lease itself in conspicuous language. If the lease carries the notice, no separate notice is needed, even after the lease turns month to month. South Carolina law says time periods under the landlord and tenant chapter are counted under the state's Rules of Civil Procedure. No lease change to the five days, no first-time-late rule and no city rule changing this period was found.
Recorded court-stage timing
Not verified
Wait before the writ can be executed
1 day
Can paying stop it before judgment?
No
Can paying stop it after judgment?
Not verified
Lockouts without a court order banned?
Yes
A landlord who unlawfully removes or excludes a tenant, or wilfully cuts off essential services such as utilities, is liable to the tenant for the greater of three months' rent or twice the tenant's actual damages, plus attorney's fees. A separate section bars a landlord from taking or recovering possession by any means other than a court process, except in case of abandonment, surrender, or lawful termination under this chapter.
Record sealing available?
Not verified
Right to counsel
Not verified
Fastest lawful timeline
17 daysNot independently verified. Figure from the Eviction Research Network's state eviction timeframes dataset, as of 2026-07-13. We have not yet checked it against the statutes.
Not legal advice. This page reports what the state statute says as of the last-verified date. It does not describe how a particular court applies it, and it does not account for your lease, local ordinances, or the facts of your case. If you have received a notice or a court summons, contact a legal aid organization listed below.

Can I stop it by paying?

Before judgment: No. Once the eviction case starts, rent keeps building up, and the landlord can take rent without giving up the right to evict. The case is decided on the facts as they stood when the court issued its order to leave or show cause. If a tenant raises a defense, the tenant must pay the back rent claimed, or the amount the court sets if it is disputed, and all new rent as it comes due while the case goes on, or the court issues the eviction order. If the court finds less rent was owed than the landlord claimed and the tenant paid everything required, the court must rule for the tenant. Paying the rent does not on its own stop the case.

After judgment: Not verified.

Behind on utilities in South Carolina too? See South Carolina's shutoff protection rules.

Where to get help

Sources