DNA Testing in South Carolina: Legal Collection & At-Home Kits

You can test at GameDay DNA collection sites or use an at‑home cheek‑swab kit for private peace of mind. For court or child‑support cases, many families work with the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS), and DSS’s page on establishing paternity and its Parenting Opportunity Program brochure Paternity Establishment Through Genetic Testing explain that Child Support Services can provide a no‑cost, court‑admissible DNA test and help obtain a paternity order through family court.

South Carolina law allows paternity to be established through a voluntary acknowledgment or through genetic testing ordered by DSS or the family court. The South Carolina Code section on paternity testing authorizes the Child Support Services Division to subpoena an alleged father for genetic testing when there is reasonable probability of intercourse during the conception period, while § 63‑17‑30 on genetic tests and costs requires courts in Title IV‑D child‑support cases to order genetic testing of the child and parties upon request, and fatherhood‑advocacy guides on legal paternity actions in South Carolina note that DSS‑ordered tests with at least a 95% probability can be used to certify legal paternity and move forward with support orders.

Most legal paternity tests in South Carolina use buccal‑swab (cheek‑swab) DNA samples from the child and the alleged father, and often the mother. A South Carolina paternity overview, Paternity in South Carolina, explains that today “a DNA test requires that the child, mother, and father have the inside of their cheeks swabbed” and that the samples are then sent to a laboratory for analysis, while DSS’s Parenting Opportunity materials on paternity establishment describe no‑cost, court‑admissible DNA tests offered through Child Support Services using standard cheek‑swab collection.

For at‑home kits, use the sterile swabs in your kit, rub firmly along the inside of each cheek for the full time listed in the instructions, let the swabs air‑dry, and seal them in labeled envelopes before mailing. Legal and hospital resources, such as Beaufort Memorial’s guide on establishing paternity and statewide fatherhood materials on legal paternity actions, caution that if either parent is not 100% sure of paternity they should delay signing an acknowledgment and instead use a DSS‑coordinated or court‑ordered cheek‑swab DNA test, since only documented, chain‑of‑custody tests are accepted as legal proof.

GameDay DNA provides results by secure online portal or encrypted email, with printed reports available for legal tests. When testing is arranged through Child Support Services, DSS resources on establishing paternity and the Parenting Opportunity brochure Paternity Establishment Through Genetic Testing explain that CSSD provides a no‑cost, court‑admissible paternity test, receives the lab report, and then uses those results in an administrative process or court hearing to establish legal paternity and child support, with parents notified through DSS correspondence and family‑court orders rather than directly by the lab.

Yes—South Carolina statutes specifically govern the use of genetic tests in paternity cases. The provision on genetic tests and costs requires courts in both IV‑D and non‑IV‑D child‑support cases to order genetic testing upon request, subject to limited good‑cause exceptions, and the section on paternity testing authorizes the Child Support Services Division to compel testing when there is reasonable cause, while judicial training materials on paternity summarize that family courts may order genetic testing on their own motion or a party’s motion and rely on certified results as key evidence in deciding parentage.

Either parent, the child (through a representative), or the South Carolina Department of Social Services can be involved in establishing paternity. Advocacy guides on legal paternity actions in South Carolina explain that a father can independently apply for DSS Child Support Services and request DNA testing, a mother can seek paternity through DSS or directly in family court, and DSS itself may initiate administrative or court actions when families receive child‑support services, while legal summaries such as Establishing a child’s legal parentage in South Carolina describe how voluntary acknowledgments, DSS cases, and private actions all lead to enforceable paternity and support orders.

In complex situations—such as when an alleged father is deceased or cannot be tested—South Carolina courts may still order genetic testing and consider other evidence to determine parentage. The Code section on paternity testing allows the Child Support Services Division to seek a court order compelling genetic testing when the rights of others and the interests of justice require it, and judicial benchbook guidance on paternity notes that courts may order testing of other potential fathers or relevant witnesses and weigh genetic results together with presumptions and testimony when resolving disputed parentage.