# Medical malpractice · South Carolina — Civil statute of limitations by state and type of claim

For Medical malpractice · South Carolina, limitation period is three years; when the clock starts is from the date of the treatment, omission, or operation giving rise to the cause of action; section is 15-3-545; how the statute describes it is to recover damages for injury to the person arising out of any medical, surgical, or dental treatment, omission, or operation by any licensed health care provider, verified against its source on 2026-08-25.

- **Type of claim:** Medical malpractice _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **State:** South Carolina _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Limitation period:** three years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **How the statute describes it:** to recover damages for injury to the person arising out of any medical, surgical, or dental treatment, omission, or operation by any licensed health care provider _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **When the clock starts:** from the date of the treatment, omission, or operation giving rise to the cause of action _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Section:** 15-3-545 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> SECTION 15-3-545. Actions for medical malpractice. (A) In any action, other than actions controlled by subsection (B), to recover damages for injury to the person arising out of any medical, surgical, or dental treatment, omission, or operation by any licensed health care provider as defined in Article 5, Chapter 79, Title 38 acting within the scope of his profession must be commenced within three years from the date of the treatment, omission, or operation giving rise to the cause of action or three years from date of discovery or when it reasonably ought to have been discovered, not to exceed six years from date of occurrence, or as tolled by this section.

## Source

- https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t15c003.php

Last verified: 2026-08-25. Review by: 2027-08-25.
Part of [Civil statute of limitations by state and type of claim](https://referencesource.org/state-civil-statute-of-limitations/).