The legal set
Terms of use
The terms for using this website and the Register, in plain words. The most important part is how far a record can be relied on, so it comes first.
Effective October 15, 2026
Who we are, and which terms apply
This website, halalcommunitycouncil.com, is run by Halal Community Council ("HCC"), a South Carolina nonprofit in formation. By using the site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use it.
Some relationships with HCC have their own written terms. Where one of them says something more specific, it governs that relationship, and these terms govern the website:
- A business that applies to be checked, or carries the seal, signs the Check and Membership Agreement, which includes the Seal Use Rules.
- HCC Services are sold under the HCC Services Terms.
- A directory, map or app that shows HCC status does so under the HCC Status Feed License.
- How HCC handles personal information is set out in the privacy policy.
The full text of the Check and Membership Agreement, the HCC Services Terms and the HCC Status Feed License is published on this site before HCC accepts anything under it: the first application, the first services order or the first directory license. Nobody is asked to accept a document they cannot read first.
What a record says, and how far to rely on it
A record on the Register says what HCC checked at one location, at one level, on the dates shown, within the scope written on the record. Every fact on a record carries its basis:
- Seen: HCC examined a document.
- Observed: HCC saw it on a visit.
- Stated: the business told HCC, and HCC reports it as the business's statement.
A record covers its scope, and nothing more. Each record says what the check covers and what it does not cover. Unless the record lists them, a check does not cover items outside its scope, sealed packages sold as packed, other locations of the same business, or catering and events.
A record reports what HCC checked, as of its dates and within its scope. Facts marked Stated are the business's own statements, reported as such. A check examines documents for a period and visits on the dates the record shows. It does not see every delivery or every day, and Keystone's unannounced visits sample the year without seeing all of it. Suppliers, menus, staff and practices can change after a check. Read the "Checked" and "Good through" dates. After the good-through date, the record reads "Not currently verified", and the seal is no longer current.
The live record is the current one. A screenshot, a printed page, a photo of a decal or a copy on another website may be out of date. Scan the QR code on a decal, or open the record on this site, to see its status today.
A record is not a guarantee. HCC does not promise that every item, delivery or interaction is free of error. A record is not a halal certification. HCC does not say that any food is halal, and it does not rule on religion. It does not check food safety: cleanliness, temperatures, allergens and illness belong to the health department. It does not rate service, price, quality or taste.
What "Not currently verified" means. A record that reads "Not currently verified" gives the date and one of three reasons: renewal not completed, closed or moved, or withdrawn after notice and appeal. It states HCC's status for that location on that date. It is not a finding about the food served there. A place that is not on the Register at all has not been checked by HCC; that says nothing about the place.
Your own judgment comes first. Use a record as one source of facts. Ask at the counter, read any certificate, and decide for yourself with the scholars you trust. If what you see does not match the record, tell us.
Guides, laws and links to other sites
The guides, the state law summaries and the certifier list give facts with their sources and the dates they were checked. They are not legal advice and not religious rulings. Laws, certifier lists and certificates change, so follow the link to the official source before you rely on one. If you find a mistake, write to [email protected] with a source. We check it, correct the page if we were wrong, and date the correction.
Links to other websites, such as certifiers, government agencies and the text of laws, are there for your information. HCC does not control those sites and is not responsible for what they say. HCC takes no referral fees.
HCC's name, the seal, and reusing what you read
The name "Halal Community Council", the short name "HCC", the HCC seal at every level, the HC mark and the logo are used by HCC under license from their current owner until the donation of them to HCC is signed. A business may show the seal only as the Seal Use Rules allow, only at the location on its record, and only while that record says Verified. No one else may use HCC's name, seal or logo, or anything confusingly similar, without HCC's written permission. A seal shown at a place without a current Verified record is misuse; please report it.
You are welcome to link to any page or record on this site. You may quote a record, or a short passage from a page, if you link to it and give the date you read it. Please do not copy whole pages, change what a record says, or present HCC's records or guides as your own.
A directory, map or app that wants to show HCC status uses the HCC Status Feed License. It is free, the same for everyone, and keeps the status exact and current. Write to [email protected] to ask for it.
What you send us
When you share a concern, apply, suggest a place or ask a question, tell us what you know as honestly as you can. You do not need perfect words, and you do not need evidence to be heard. What you send is handled as the privacy policy describes.
- A concern is never published. HCC never names you to a business without your permission. HCC cannot keep a name private when a court, a regulator or the law requires it.
- Please share other people's private details only when they are needed to explain what happened.
- Do not use the site to send a report you know is false, or to harass a business or a person. HCC may decline to act on a report it finds was made in bad faith.
- Everything in an application must be true and complete. A business that gives HCC a false or altered document is declined, and may apply again only after 12 months.
Accounts
Anyone can read the Register and the rest of this site without an account. You can share a concern without an account too, but then we cannot write back to you.
Business owners and managers sign in to use the business portal, and HCC's own people sign in to use the council desk. If you have an account, keep your sign-in details to yourself, and tell us at once if you think someone else has used them. You are responsible for what is done through your account. HCC may suspend an account to protect the site, a record, a case or another person, and will tell the account holder why.
Using the site fairly
Please do not:
- try to reach parts of the site, or files, you are not allowed to reach;
- test the site's security without our written permission, or try to overload it;
- collect records in bulk by automated means (the Status Feed License exists for that);
- upload anything harmful, or anything you do not have the right to share; or
- pretend to be HCC, a member of its council, or someone else.
If you find a security problem, tell us at [email protected] and give us a fair chance to fix it before you tell anyone else.
Prices and payments
Prices, refunds and renewals for a check and membership are on the Membership page and in the Check and Membership Agreement. Prices for HCC Services are on the Services page and in the HCC Services Terms. Payment never changes the outcome of a check.
Mistakes, and the limits of our responsibility
HCC works to keep this site accurate and available, but it can sometimes be unavailable or contain a mistake. When HCC learns that a fact on a record is wrong, it corrects it right away, and the record shows the date of the correction. When a status changes, the record and every live seal change with it.
To the extent the law allows, HCC is not responsible for loss that comes from relying on a record for more than it says: past its dates, outside its scope, or about something a check does not cover, such as food safety or a religious ruling. Nothing in these terms limits a right that the law gives you and does not allow anyone to take away.
Changes to these terms
When these terms change, this page changes, and the date at the top changes with it. The terms in place on the day you use the site are the ones that apply.
The law that applies
South Carolina law governs these terms.
How to reach us
- Questions about these terms, the site or a record: [email protected].
- A concern about a business, or a seal that looks wrong: Share a concern.
- Your personal information: [email protected].
- A concern about HCC itself: a line of its own opens when HCC's independent directors are seated, before the first check.
Read the record, then decide.
Every record gives the level, the dates, and what the check does and does not cover.