How restaurant inspections work in South Carolina
Who inspects South Carolina's restaurants, how results are graded, and how to read them on CleanPlate.
South Carolina is one of the few states with a single, statewide, letter-graded system — and CleanPlate covers all 46 counties of it, from Charleston to the smallest county seat.
Who does the inspecting
The South Carolina Department of Public Health licenses and inspects retail food establishments statewide, so the same rules and grading apply in every county — no city-by-city patchwork.
How results are graded
Inspections deduct points and produce a posted letter grade: A, B, or C. An A means the establishment substantially complied; B and C reflect escalating violation totals, and follow-up inspections recheck cited items. Because grades are official statewide letters, CleanPlate shows them exactly as posted — no derivation needed.
Reading it on CleanPlate
Every South Carolina restaurant page on CleanPlate shows the establishment's current standing, its full inspection history with dates, and a link to the official agency behind the record. Grades are shown exactly as reported; where the source publishes no summary grade, the derived status is labeled as derived. Establishments with no inspection in over two years are treated as likely closed and excluded from search.