**Exhibit 31.1**

 

Rule13a-14(a) Certification of the Principal Executive Officer.

 

----

 

 

| **Exhibit  31.1**                                                 |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                              |   |   |
| Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of the  Principal Executive Officer. |
|                                                              |   |   |
| I,  R. Arthur Seaver, Jr., certify that:                          |
|                                                              |   |   |
| 1.                                                                | I  have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Southern First  Bancshares, Inc.; |
|                                                              |   |   |
| 2.                                                                | Based on my knowledge, this quarterly  report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to  state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the  circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with  respect to the period covered by this report; |
|                                                              |   |   |
| 3.                                                                | Based on my knowledge, the financial  statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly  present in all material respects the financial condition, results of  operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods  presented in this report; |
|                                                              |   |   |
| 4.                        | The registrant’s other certifying  officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and  15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in  Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
|                                                              |   |   |
|                                                              | a) | Designed such disclosure controls and  procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed  under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the  registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by  others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this  report is being prepared; |
|                                                              |   |   |
|                                                              | b) | Designed such internal control over  financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting  to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance  regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of  financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally  accepted accounting principles; |
|                                                              |   |   |
|                                                              | c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s  disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our  conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures  as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;  and |
|                                                              |   |   |
|                                                              | d)  | Disclosed in this report any change in  the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred  during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth  fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected,  or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal  control over financial reporting; and |
|                                                              |   |   |
| 5.                                                                | The registrant’s other certifying  officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of  internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and  the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons  performing the equivalent functions): |
|                                                              |   |   |
|                                                              | a) | All significant deficiencies and  material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over  financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the  registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial  information; and |
|                                                              |   |   |
|                                                              | b)  | Any fraud, whether or not material,  that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in  the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
|                                                              |   |   |
| Date: May 7, 2009                                                 | By: | /s/ R. Arthur Seaver, Jr.                      |
|                                                              |   | R. Arthur Seaver, Jr. |
|                                                              |   | Chief Executive Officer |