South Carolina Contractor License Classifications
South Carolina's 12 seeded classifications sit in two tracks and five credential families: the four General Contractor classifications and the Mechanical Contractor subclasses of the commercial CLB (S.C. Code § 40-11-410), then the Residential Builder licence and the residential specialty licence-vs-registration split of the RBC (§ 40-59-20(6)–(7)). There is no standalone solar credential and no category here that the statute does not name.
01 Two tracks, three thresholds
CLB: GC + MECHANICAL (> $10,000)|RBC: BUILDER (> $5,000)|SPECIALTY (> $500)
- Commercial threshold — no general or mechanical contracting where the total cost of construction is greater than $10,000 without a CLB licence (§ 40-11-30). S-SC-40-11
- Classification plus license group — the classification fixes the TYPE of work, the group (1–5) the financial ceiling per job; contracting beyond a group is disciplinary (§ 40-11-110(A)(21)). S-SC-40-11
- Residential builder threshold — over $5,000 on a building ≤3 floors and ≤16 units (§ 40-59-20(6)). S-SC-40-59
- The builder umbrella — an exam-licensed residential builder covers every specialty area without a separate credential (§ 40-59-20(7)). S-SC-40-59
- Specialty licence vs registration — plumbers, electricians and HVAC are licensed after exam; the other named areas are registered without one. S-SC-40-59
02 Track 1 — General Contractor classifications (CLB, commercial, over $10,000 total cost)
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC-HIGHWAY | General Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410 classification: Building, Highway, Public Utility or Specialty; entity licence qualified by a qualifying party who passed the technical + SC-law exams at 70%; net worth/working capital for one of five license groups or a surety bond in lieu; biennial renewal 10/31 in even-numbered years; 2 years experience within the past 5 years) | General Contractors — Highway (CLB) | § 40-11-410(2): 'General Contractors-Highway' includes the subclasses Bridges (incl. Boring and Tunneling, Concrete, Marine, Railroad Lines), Concrete Paving (incl. Grading), Asphalt Paving (incl. Grading), Grading (incl. Highway Incidental) and Highway Incidental (grooving, milling, guardrails, gutters, signs, pavement marking). | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(2) | S-SC-40-11 |
| GC-BUILDING | General Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410 classification: Building, Highway, Public Utility or Specialty; entity licence qualified by a qualifying party who passed the technical + SC-law exams at 70%; net worth/working capital for one of five license groups or a surety bond in lieu; biennial renewal 10/31 in even-numbered years; 2 years experience within the past 5 years) | General Contractors — Building (CLB) | § 40-11-410(1) verbatim: "'General Contractors-Building' which includes commercial, industrial, institutional, modular, and all other types of building construction, including residential structures. This license classification includes all work under the subclassifications of Wood Frame Structures, Nonstructural Renovation, Masonry, Pre-engineered Metal Buildings, Roofing, Structural Framing, and Miscellaneous Metals." Licensees may also perform ANCILLARY work from the Concrete, Concrete Paving, Asphalt Paving, Glass and Glazing, Grading, Public Electrical Utility and Highway Incidental subclasses when directly associated with their building, capped at 20% of total cost. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(1) | S-SC-40-11 |
| GC-PUBLIC-UTILITY | General Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410 classification: Building, Highway, Public Utility or Specialty; entity licence qualified by a qualifying party who passed the technical + SC-law exams at 70%; net worth/working capital for one of five license groups or a surety bond in lieu; biennial renewal 10/31 in even-numbered years; 2 years experience within the past 5 years) | General Contractors — Public Utility (CLB) | § 40-11-410(3): 'General Contractors-Public Utility' includes Pipe Lines (petroleum fuels, natural gas, chemicals, slurries), Water and Sewer Plants (water/wastewater treatment facilities) and Water and Sewer Lines (water mains, service lines, storage tanks, sewer mains, lift/pumping stations). Groups three, four and five may install fire-protection sprinkler underground mains to NFPA 24. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(3) | S-SC-40-11 |
| GC-SPECIALTY | General Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410 classification: Building, Highway, Public Utility or Specialty; entity licence qualified by a qualifying party who passed the technical + SC-law exams at 70%; net worth/working capital for one of five license groups or a surety bond in lieu; biennial renewal 10/31 in even-numbered years; 2 years experience within the past 5 years) | General Contractors — Specialty (CLB) | § 40-11-410(4): 'General Contractors-Specialty' includes Boring and Tunneling, Concrete, Nonstructural Renovation, Marine, Masonry, Pre-engineered Metal Buildings, Railroad Lines, Roofing, Structural Framing, Miscellaneous Metals, Swimming Pools, Wood Frame Structures, Public Electrical Utility, Boiler Installation and Glass and Glazing. Solar panels are built under Miscellaneous Metals: 'Roof mounting of solar panels only may be performed by a licensed General Contractor with the Roofing or Building subclassification. Wiring and connections only may be performed by a licensed Mechanical Contractor with the Electrical subclassification.' 'Fences not over seven feet high do not require licensure under this subclassification.' | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(4) | S-SC-40-11 |
Four classifications, one 20% ancillary rule
Building covers building construction including residential structures, with ancillary work from other Building subclasses capped at 20% of total cost; Specialty carries 15 subclasses — including Miscellaneous Metals, where commercial solar panel work lives, and Roofing for a commercial roof — and fences 7 feet or less need no licence under it. The Building + residential overlap with chapter 59 is CONFLICT-SC-001, resolved by scope and published on the hub. S-SC-40-11
03 Track 1 — Mechanical Contractor subclasses (CLB, commercial)
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MECH-ELECTRICAL | Mechanical Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410(5) Mechanical subclass: Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, Packaged Equipment, Refrigeration, Lightning Protection, Pressure & Process Piping; its own license-group financial ceiling; biennial renewal 10/31 in odd-numbered years) | Mechanical Contractors — Electrical (CLB) | § 40-11-410(5)(d): 'Electrical' covers installation, alteration or repair of wiring-related electrical material and equipment for generating, transmitting or utilizing electrical energy LESS THAN SIX HUNDRED VOLTS, incl. overhead wiring on public rights-of-way and underground distribution under 600 V. 'A contract that contains electrical work above fifty volts must be performed by a contractor licensed under this subclassification or a licensed public electrical utility contractor.' Also covers fire alarm systems. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(5)(d) | S-SC-40-11 |
| MECH-PLUMBING | Mechanical Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410(5) Mechanical subclass: Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, Packaged Equipment, Refrigeration, Lightning Protection, Pressure & Process Piping; its own license-group financial ceiling; biennial renewal 10/31 in odd-numbered years) | Mechanical Contractors — Plumbing (CLB) | § 40-11-410(5)(f): 'Plumbing' covers installation, replacement, alteration and repair of all plumbing including solar water heating within property lines — water supply piping/fixtures/appliances, venting and sanitary drainage for fluid/semi-fluid/organic wastes, roof leaders, water-conditioning equipment and swimming-pool piping. Gas-fired equipment's gas lines may be installed under this subclassification. Groups three, four and five need no Chapter 45 Title 23 licence for standpipe systems that do not supply automatic fire sprinklers. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(5)(f) | S-SC-40-11 |
| MECH-HVAC | Mechanical Contractor License (SC Contractor's Licensing Board, ch. 11 — commercial regulated work over $10,000 in a § 40-11-410(5) Mechanical subclass: Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, Packaged Equipment, Refrigeration, Lightning Protection, Pressure & Process Piping; its own license-group financial ceiling; biennial renewal 10/31 in odd-numbered years) | Mechanical Contractors — Heating / Air Conditioning (CLB) | § 40-11-410(5): 'Air Conditioning' covers A/C equipment and systems for conditioned air for heating or cooling (incl. Packaged Equipment and Refrigeration subclasses); 'Heating' covers high/low-pressure steam, hot-water systems, boilers and gas lines for gas-fired equipment; 'Packaged Equipment' is A/C-heating packaged equipment limited to 25 tons cooling and 500,000 BTU/HR heating per unit. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(5)(a)–(c) | S-SC-40-11 |
Mechanical — including the 50-volt electrical line
The Electrical subclassification covers work under 600 volts, and work above 50 volts needs the Electrical (or Public Electrical Utility) subclassification; Packaged Equipment is capped at 25 tons / 500,000 BTU per hour. The same section routes the wiring inside commercial solar to a licensed Mechanical Contractor with the Electrical subclassification. S-SC-40-11
04 Track 2 — the residential families (RBC): builder, licensed specialty, registered specialty
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER | Residential Builder License / RBB (SC Residential Builders Commission, ch. 59 — construct or superintend a residential building not over three floors and not more than sixteen units when the cost exceeds $5,000; Business & Law + residential-builder exams; $135 application + $220 licence; $220 renewal) | Residential Builder License / RBB (RBC) | § 40-59-20(6) verbatim: "'Residential builder' means one who constructs, superintends, or offers to construct or superintend the construction, repair, improvement, or reimprovement of a residential building or structure which is not over three floors in height and which does not have more than sixteen units in any single apartment building, when the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars. Anyone who engages or offers to engage in such undertaking in this State is considered to have engaged in the business of residential building." | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(6) | S-SC-40-59 |
| RES-SPECIALTY-PLUMBER | Residential Specialty Contractor — LICENSE (SC Residential Builders Commission, ch. 59 § 40-59-20(7) — plumbers, electricians and HVAC installers/repairers, issued after the required examination when the undertaking exceeds $500 and is not regulated by ch. 11; a $10,000 surety bond applies at $5,000+ of work) | Residential Specialty Contractor — Plumbing (RBC licence) | § 40-59-20(7): a residential specialty contractor is an independent contractor doing special-skills work requiring specialized trades 'when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars and are not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11', and 'Plumbers, electricians, and heating and air conditioning installers and repairers must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination, if the other requirements of this article are met.' | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) | S-SC-40-59 |
| RES-SPECIALTY-ELECTRICIAN | Residential Specialty Contractor — LICENSE (SC Residential Builders Commission, ch. 59 § 40-59-20(7) — plumbers, electricians and HVAC installers/repairers, issued after the required examination when the undertaking exceeds $500 and is not regulated by ch. 11; a $10,000 surety bond applies at $5,000+ of work) | Residential Specialty Contractor — Electrical (RBC licence) | § 40-59-20(7): 'Plumbers, electricians, and heating and air conditioning installers and repairers must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination.' The undertaking must exceed $500 and not be regulated by ch. 11 (i.e. not commercial work over $10,000). | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) | S-SC-40-59 |
| RES-SPECIALTY-HVAC | Residential Specialty Contractor — LICENSE (SC Residential Builders Commission, ch. 59 § 40-59-20(7) — plumbers, electricians and HVAC installers/repairers, issued after the required examination when the undertaking exceeds $500 and is not regulated by ch. 11; a $10,000 surety bond applies at $5,000+ of work) | Residential Specialty Contractor — Heating & Air Conditioning (RBC licence) | § 40-59-20(7): 'Plumbers, electricians, and heating and air conditioning installers and repairers must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination.' The undertaking must exceed $500 and not be regulated by ch. 11. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) | S-SC-40-59 |
| RES-SPECIALTY-REGISTRATION | Residential Specialty Contractor — REGISTRATION (SC Residential Builders Commission, ch. 59 § 40-59-20(7) — vinyl/aluminum siding, insulation, roofers, floor covering, masons, drywall, carpenters, stucco, painters/wallpaperers and solar panel installers; a REGISTRATION (no exam) when the undertaking exceeds $500; a $5,000 surety bond applies at $5,000+ of work; cannot build additions without a residential builder's supervision) | Residential Specialty Contractor — Registration (RBC, no exam) | § 40-59-20(7): the thirteen named specialty areas are plumbers, electricians, HVAC, vinyl/aluminum siding, insulation, roofers, floor covering, masons, drywall, carpenters, stucco, painters/wallpaperers and solar panel installers. 'Vinyl and aluminum siding installers, masons, dry wall installers, carpenters, stucco installers, painters and wall paperers, and solar panel installers must be issued specialty contractor registrations, if the other requirements of this article are met.' A specialty contractor 'is not authorized to construct additions to residential buildings or structures without supervision by a residential builder or other appropriately licensed person or entity.' | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) | S-SC-40-59 |
Residential — licence, registration, umbrella
The Residential Builder licence (RBB) is the umbrella: a builder licensed by exam may perform every listed specialty area without a separate credential. A specialty contractor without that umbrella may work only within its own area — and may not construct additions at all without a residential builder over them (§ 40-59-20(7)). S-SC-40-59
05 Deterministic scope limits
- sc:gc-building — commercial construction over 10000 (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-30) S-SC-40-11The commercial GC licence is triggered by TOTAL COST > $10,000 (rule SC-CLB-THRESHOLD).
- sc:gc-building — no clb licence required at or under 10000 (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-30) S-SC-40-11Small commercial jobs fall BELOW the CLB trigger (no state licence needed), though a municipal permit may still apply (C_not_determined locally).
- sc:mech-electrical — electrical work above 50 volts needs electrical subclassification (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(5)(d)) S-SC-40-11Above 50 volts the ELECTRICAL subclassification is mandatory — a general building licence alone does not cover it.
- sc:residential-builder — residential building under 3 floors 16 units over 5000 (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(6)) S-SC-40-59The residential builder's licensed envelope (rule SC-RBC-BUILDER).
- sc:residential-builder — any residential specialty area without separate credential (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7)) S-SC-40-59The umbrella rule — an exam-licensed residential builder subsumes the specialty areas (rule SC-RBC-BUILDER-SCOPE).
- sc:res-specialty-registered — construct additions without residential builder supervision (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7)) S-SC-40-59The home-addition boundary: a specialty tradesperson doing an ADDITION needs a residential builder over them (rule SC-RBC-ADDITION).
- sc:res-specialty-plumber — commercial work over 10000 moves to clb track (S.C. Code Ann. §§ 40-59-20(7), 40-11-30) S-SC-40-59The 'not regulated by Chapter 11' carve-out keeps commercial-over-$10k work on the CLB track — the two tracks do not overlap.
- sc:gc-specialty — solar roof mount and wiring split across two subclassifications (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(4)(j)) S-SC-40-11Commercial solar is SPLIT across existing subclassifications — no credential titled 'solar' exists (rule SC-NO-SOLAR).
- sc:res-specialty-registered — residential solar panel installation by registration (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7)) S-SC-40-59Residential solar rides the NO-EXAM specialty registration — again no standalone solar credential (rule SC-NO-SOLAR).
- sc:gc-specialty — fences not over seven feet need no licence under misc metals (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-410(4)(j)) S-SC-40-11A hard statutory limit — a ≤7-ft fence needs no Misc Metals licence (a useful minor-work boundary).
These limits feed the deterministic rules (SC-CLB-THRESHOLD, SC-RBC-BUILDER, SC-RBC-SPECIALTY, SC-NO-SOLAR, SC-ELECTRICAL-50V) that project pages evaluate — missing facts return NOT_DETERMINED, never a forced answer. The registered specialty branch: S-SC-40-59
06 Sources
S-SC-40-11statute
S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 11 — Contractors (Contractor's Licensing Board), official unannotated text
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c011.phpS-SC-40-59statute
S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 59 — Residential Home Builders (Residential Builders Commission), official unannotated text
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c059.php