Massage License Requirements in South Carolina
Verified against South Carolina Board of Massage/Bodywork Therapy · 2026-07-25 · verified by agent
South Carolina's 650-hour training requirement is sourced from S.C. Code of Regulations, Chapter 77 — Massage Therapy Board (education, endorsement, CE provider standards), verified 2026-07-25. Its required exam — FSMTB examination (MBLEx) — comes from the same source.
Compiled and verified against primary state-board sources by GetMassageLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
South Carolina requires a state-issued massage therapy license from the South Carolina Board of Massage/Bodywork Therapy, part of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), before anyone may practice massage therapy for compensation. A 2023 regulatory overhaul raised the education requirement to 650 hours — including a notably large 45-hour minimum in professional ethics instruction — and applicants must pass an FSMTB (or other Board-approved) national exam. Licenses renew every two years and require 12 hours of continuing education.
South Carolina Massage License Requirements
| Licensing Authority | South Carolina Board of Massage/Bodywork Therapy (LLR) |
| Titles | Massage Therapist, MT, LMT |
| Training Hours | 650 hours — Board-approved massage therapy education program (school affidavit required; Board may request an official transcript) |
| Exam | FSMTB examination (MBLEx) (Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)) Alternatives accepted: Other Board-approved national examination (S.C. Code §40-30-110(A)(3), which governs standard initial licensure, does not name specific alternatives); NCBTMB examination taken prior to November 1, 2014 — named explicitly, but only for licensure-by-endorsement applicants under S.C. Code §40-30-117 |
| Renewal Period | 2 years |
Fee Breakdown
| Initial License Fee | $150 |
| Renewal Fee (every 2 years) | $75 |
Related & additional fees
Separate or situational costs — not part of the standard initial application.
| Endorsement application | $200 |
| Reinstatement (from lapsed status) | $210 |
| Duplicate license | $10 |
Recommended MBLEx exam prep
Formal prep pays for itself against a $265 retake. These are the resources we point candidates to for the MBLEx (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination). Read the full MBLEx exam-prep guide for what the exam covers, what it costs, and how to schedule it.
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Mometrix · SponsoredMBLEx Secrets Study GuideFull-length practice tests and step-by-step review for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination.See the study guide →
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Mometrix · SponsoredMBLEx Online Prep CourseA guided video course with instructor-led lessons, quizzes, and a study plan for the MBLEx — a subscription option for a more structured review.See the course →Continuing Education
12 hours every 2 years, confirmed with no dedicated ethics-hour carve-out.
S.C. Code §40-30-190 caps the Board's continuing-education requirement at 'not to exceed twelve hours per biennium,' and the Board's own FAQ confirms the current requirement is 12 hours, beginning with a licensee's second renewal cycle (licensing period runs July 1 of even years through June 30 of even years). Neither §40-30-190 nor S.C. Code Regs. Chapter 77 (§77-120, governing CE provider approval) carve out a specific ethics-hour requirement within that 12-hour renewal total — the 45-hour ethics component only applies to the initial 650-hour education program, not to ongoing CE.
Starting your own practice in South Carolina?
Working for yourself usually means a business entity. An LLC keeps your personal assets separate from the practice and is the name your business bank account, lease and liability policy go under. Northwest forms it and acts as your registered agent in South Carolina — a flat fee, no upsell funnel.
Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Form an LLC with Northwest →Licensure by Endorsement
S.C. Code §40-30-117 (the statutory endorsement provision) authorizes the Board to grant a license by endorsement to an applicant holding an active, good-standing massage therapist license from another state, DC, or a US territory, if the Board finds that jurisdiction's licensing standards 'at least substantially equivalent' to South Carolina's; the statute explicitly names an NCBTMB exam taken before November 1, 2014 as acceptable. S.C. Code Regs. 77-106 implements this pathway procedurally, requiring a Board-approved application with a $200 fee (S.C. Code §40-30-80) and SLED/FBI fingerprint-based criminal history checks.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: S.C. Code of Regulations, Chapter 77 — Massage Therapy Board (education, endorsement, CE provider standards)