South Carolina ownership & cpom for med spas

Ownership & corporate practice of medicine in South Carolina

South Carolina limits who may hold shares in a professional corporation to individuals authorized to render the professional service the corporation was formed for, together with qualifying partnerships and professional corporations, and lets the licensing authority for a profession restrict that further where it considers this necessary to prevent violation of the profession’s ethical standards.

• A professional corporation may issue shares, fractional shares, and rights or options to purchase shares only to individuals who are authorized by law in this or another state to render a professional service described in the corporation’s articles of incorporation; general partnerships in which all the partners are qualified persons with respect to the professional corporation and in which at least one partner is authorized by law in this state to render such a professional service; and professional corporations, domestic or foreign, authorized by law in this State to render such a professional service.

  S.C. Code §33-19-200(a) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• If a licensing authority with jurisdiction over a profession considers it necessary to prevent violation of the ethical standards of the profession, the authority by rule may restrict or condition, or revoke in part, the authority of professional corporations to issue shares.

  S.C. Code §33-19-200(b) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• Professional service means a service that may be rendered lawfully only by a person licensed or otherwise authorized by a licensing authority in this State to render the service and that may not be lawfully rendered by a corporation under chapters 1 through 17 of this title.

  S.C. Code §33-19-103(7) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• ⚠️ SOUTH CAROLINA STATES NO FEE-SPLITTING PROHIBITION IN THE CHAPTERS THAT WOULD CARRY ONE. A survey of the Board of Medical Examiners' enumerated misconduct grounds (§40-47-110(B), read in full), the definitions section of the Medical Practice Act (§40-47-20), the Professional Association Act (Chapter 19 of Title 33) and the Cosmetology chapter (Chapter 13 of Title 40) returns no provision on fee-splitting, dividing a fee, rebates, kickbacks, or paying a commission for a referral. South Carolina restricts WHO MAY OWN a professional corporation and does not separately regulate how revenue is shared with a non-clinical manager. An operator should read this as an absence in these four chapters, not as permission: §40-47-110(B)(9) still reaches "dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct", which the board applies case by case.

  S.C. Code §40-47-110(B) (surveyed), §40-47-20 (surveyed), S.C. Code Title 33 ch. 19 (surveyed), S.C. Code Title 40 ch. 13 (surveyed) · verified Sep 7, 2026

Recent South Carolina changes

• SC S0046: Healthcare contractsJan 14, 2025
• SC H4084: Dental administration of neuromodulatorsMar 7, 2023