01When does South Carolina require a commercial contractor license?+
For regulated general or mechanical contracting, the current statutory trigger is total construction cost greater than $10,000. The correct classification and license group still matter.
02What is the difference between Limited Building and Unlimited Building?+
Limited Building is restricted to three stories and Groups 1-3. Unlimited Building has no story-height limitation and may qualify for any of the five current group limits.
03What do the numbers after South Carolina contractor classifications mean?+
The number indicates the license group and corresponding bid/job dollar limitation. For example, a Group 3 general-contractor license currently carries a $1,000,000 per-job limit.
04What is the residential builder threshold?+
The Residential Builders Commission defines residential builder work as qualifying residential construction exceeding $5,000 within the statutory residential building limits.
05When does a residential specialty contractor need a license or registration?+
Residential specialty contracting generally becomes regulated when the undertaking exceeds $500. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing use licenses; several other listed trades use registrations.
06Does South Carolina separately register residential roofers?+
Yes. Roofing is one of the Residential Builders Commission specialty registration categories. Commercial roofing is handled through the RF commercial specialty classification.
07Does South Carolina license painting contractors?+
Painting/wallpaper is a residential specialty registration category. Standalone commercial painting is not one of the CLB technical classifications, but regulated portions of a broader commercial scope can still require licensing.
08What about commercial carpet installation?+
The Contractor's Licensing Board lists commercial carpet installation among work for which no specific CLB license is required, while regulated work embedded in the project can still trigger the appropriate license.
09How is concrete contracting handled?+
Concrete is a commercial General Contractor specialty classification (CT). The residential specialty-registration list does not contain a stand-alone concrete registration, so residential scope must be checked against builder, project-role and local requirements.
10How is framing handled?+
Commercial Structural Framing (SF) and Wood Frame Structures (WF) are CLB specialty classifications. Residential carpentry is an RBS registration category.
11Who licenses residential electricians?+
The South Carolina Residential Builders Commission licenses residential electricians; commercial Electrical (EL) licensing is handled by the Contractor's Licensing Board.
12Who licenses residential HVAC contractors?+
The South Carolina Residential Builders Commission licenses residential HVAC installers and repairers. Commercial mechanical classifications are handled by the Contractor's Licensing Board.
13Who licenses residential plumbers?+
The Residential Builders Commission issues the residential plumber license, while commercial Plumbing (PB) is a CLB mechanical classification.
14What experience is required for commercial qualifying parties?+
The CLB states that applicants generally must document at least two years of work experience within the past five years for the requested classification or subclassification, except approved waiver/reciprocity cases.
15What experience is required for residential builder licensing?+
The Residential Builders Commission requires at least one year of qualifying experience before examination eligibility.
16What is a Primary Qualifying Party?+
A PQP is the principal qualifying individual responsible for directing or reviewing the company's work in a particular commercial classification or subclassification.
17What are current general-contractor group limits?+
Current general-contractor bid/job limits are $100,000, $400,000, $1,000,000, $3,000,000 and Unlimited for Groups 1 through 5.
18What are current mechanical-contractor group limits?+
Current mechanical-contractor bid/job limits are $35,000, $100,000, $200,000, $400,000 and Unlimited for Groups 1 through 5.
19What building code is currently in effect?+
South Carolina currently identifies the 2021 South Carolina Building Codes, effective January 1, 2023, while the 2024 code-modification/adoption process is underway. Verify the Building Codes Council page before relying on an edition.
20Do local permits and business licenses still matter?+
Yes. State licensing does not replace county or municipal permits, business-license ordinances, inspections, zoning, utility approvals or local registration procedures.
21When is workers' compensation generally required?+
The South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission states that businesses regularly employing four or more employees are generally required to maintain coverage, subject to exemptions and contractor-specific statutory-employer rules.
22Does a permit mean the job is available to bid?+
No. A permit is a public project signal. Verify the owner, applicant, listed contractor, status, scope and whether outreach is appropriate before treating it as an opportunity.
