South Carolina Board of Nursing
Message To LLR Stakeholders About Regulatory Review Process
License Renewal and Reinstatement
License Renewal
The license of every person licensed under the provisions of the South Carolina Nurse Practice Act to practice as a registered nurse (RN) or as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in the state must be renewed biennially by April 30.
Pursuant to the South Carolina Nurse Practice Act, renewal notices are mailed to every person whose license was renewed during the current year. The licensee shall complete the renewal before April 30. (Those after April 30 will be considered lapsed and must be reinstated.)
Upon processing the renewal, the Board shall issue a renewed license for the current year. Due to the high volume of renewals during the renewal season (February - April), please allow 4-6 weeks for processing of the renewal and license.
Some employers may require that the RN and/or LPN have their renewal license in hand on or before April 30. If so, the licensee should keep in mind the 4-6 week processing time for renewals and renew their license in a timely manner to meet this requirement.
License Reinstatement
If a licensee allows his/her license to lapse by failing to renew the license, he/she may be reinstated by the Board upon receipt of the completed reinstatement application, payment of the reinstatement fee and the demonstration of nursing competence as defined in the regulations of the Board. The Board may deny reinstatement based on evidence of unlawful acts, incompetence, unprofessional conduct, or other misconduct. A person practicing as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse during the time his/her license has lapsed is considered an illegal practitioner and is subject to penalties.
