Bathroom Remodel — South Carolina license requirements
01 The project
The starting point is the work itself — Bathroom Remodel in South Carolina. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.
| Component | Trade |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | Plumbing |
| Electrical | Electrical |
| Tile | Tile |
| Framing | Framing |
| Drywall | Drywall |
| Painting | Painting |
02 Jurisdiction
This project is evaluated for South Carolina — the two-track, three-threshold state. The CLB commercial track licenses general and mechanical contractors above $10,000 total cost of construction (S.C. Code § 40-11-30), through an entity qualified by a 70%-pass qualifying party, backed by the license group's net worth or a surety bond in lieu, renewed biennially. The RBC residential track licenses a residential builder above $5,000 (≤3 floors, ≤16 units) and issues residential specialty credentials above $500 — a licence after exam for plumbers/electricians/HVAC, a no-exam registration for the rest. South Carolina jurisdiction page.
www.llr.sc.gov returned a 20-second timeout to this project's fetcher and to a real browser render, so the CLB and RBC fee figures, the 10/31 renewal dates and the residential bond amounts were surfaced from Google's index of those official URLs rather than machine-read (flagged reported). The statute behind every threshold and classification was read in full from scstatehouse.gov. Permit fees, local construction rules and any municipal business-licence rate were not researched and remain LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED. The residential/commercial overlap on buildings is CONFLICT-SC-001, resolved by scope with both statements published side by side. State requirements are not the complete story for any locality.
03 Trade → license
Relations below are recorded per state — only this jurisdiction's classifications are shown.
Trades involved: Plumbing, Electrical, Tile, Framing, Drywall, Painting.
- May require RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER — Residential Builder License / RBB (RBC) confirmed S-SC-40-59 rule SC-RBC-BUILDERA residential bathroom remodel over $5,000 (repair/improvement of a residential structure) triggers the RESIDENTIAL BUILDER licence under § 40-59-20(6) (rule SC-RBC-BUILDER).
- Component basis RES-SPECIALTY-PLUMBER — Residential Specialty Contractor — Plumbing (RBC licence) confirmed S-SC-40-59 rule SC-RBC-LICENSED-SPECIALTYThe plumbing portion is a RESIDENTIAL SPECIALTY — plumbers 'must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination' (§ 40-59-20(7)), over $500 — unless the residential builder does it (rule SC-RBC-LICENSED-SPECIALTY).
- Alternative path MECH-PLUMBING — Mechanical Contractors — Plumbing (CLB) confirmed S-SC-40-11 rule SC-CLB-THRESHOLDA COMMERCIAL bathroom/mechanical plumbing job over $10,000 instead needs the CLB Mechanical — Plumbing licence (§ 40-11-410(5)(f)) — the two tracks do not overlap (rule SC-CLB-THRESHOLD).
04 Scope
What the official sources say about the work involved — typed assertions, never a boolean "covers". Interpretations are marked as such.
- Officially included RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER Residential Building Under 3 Floors 16 Units Over 5000 (may_perform) S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(6) S-SC-40-59 The residential builder's licensed envelope (rule SC-RBC-BUILDER).
- Officially included RESIDENTIAL-BUILDER Any Residential Specialty Area Without Separate Credential (may_perform) S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) S-SC-40-59 The umbrella rule — an exam-licensed residential builder subsumes the specialty areas (rule SC-RBC-BUILDER-SCOPE).
- Requires another classification RES-SPECIALTY-PLUMBER Commercial Work Over 10000 Moves To Clb Track (requires) S.C. Code Ann. §§ 40-59-20(7), 40-11-30 S-SC-40-59 The 'not regulated by Chapter 11' carve-out keeps commercial-over-$10k work on the CLB track — the two tracks do not overlap.
05 Requirements
| Requirement | Kind | Statement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential builder licence required when the cost exceeds $5,000 S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(6) (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) | license | S.C. Code Ann. § 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-SC-40-59Source S-SC-40-59 — South Carolina General Assembly — Code of Laws Title 40 (Professions and Occupations), Chapter 11 (Contractors) and Chapter 59 (Residential Home Builders)S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 59 — Residential Home Builders (Residential Builders Commission), official unannotated text — S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(6) (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c059.php Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Read IN FULL 2026-10-05 directly from the official www.scstatehouse.gov host (status 200). Key sections credited: § 40-59-10 (Residential Builders Commission created; eight members — two consumers, four active residential builders, one residential specialty contractor); § 40-59-20(6) ('residential builder' — constructs/superintends a residential building NOT over three floors and NOT more than sixteen units in any single apartment building, 'when the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars'); § 40-59-20(7) ('residential specialty contractor' — special-skills work 'when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars and are not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11'; CANNOT construct additions without supervision by a residential builder; thirteen named areas — plumbers, electricians, HVAC, siding, insulation, roofers, floor covering, masons, drywall, carpenters, stucco, painters/wallpaperers, solar panel installers; plumbers/electricians/HVAC get LICENSES after exam, the rest get REGISTRATIONS; a residential builder licensed by exam may do any specialty area without a separate credential); § 40-59-25 (roofing-contract 5-business-day cancellation after a claim denial; deductible rebate is a misdemeanor); § 40-59-30 (unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor, fine $500–$10,000 and/or 30 days; an unlicensed firm cannot file a mechanics' lien or sue to enforce the contract). |
| Plumbers, electricians and HVAC specialists need a LICENSE after passing the required exam S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) | exam | S.C. Code Ann. § 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, if the other requirements of this article are met.' | S-SC-40-59Source S-SC-40-59 — South Carolina General Assembly — Code of Laws Title 40 (Professions and Occupations), Chapter 11 (Contractors) and Chapter 59 (Residential Home Builders)S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 59 — Residential Home Builders (Residential Builders Commission), official unannotated text — S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c059.php Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Read IN FULL 2026-10-05 directly from the official www.scstatehouse.gov host (status 200). Key sections credited: § 40-59-10 (Residential Builders Commission created; eight members — two consumers, four active residential builders, one residential specialty contractor); § 40-59-20(6) ('residential builder' — constructs/superintends a residential building NOT over three floors and NOT more than sixteen units in any single apartment building, 'when the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars'); § 40-59-20(7) ('residential specialty contractor' — special-skills work 'when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars and are not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11'; CANNOT construct additions without supervision by a residential builder; thirteen named areas — plumbers, electricians, HVAC, siding, insulation, roofers, floor covering, masons, drywall, carpenters, stucco, painters/wallpaperers, solar panel installers; plumbers/electricians/HVAC get LICENSES after exam, the rest get REGISTRATIONS; a residential builder licensed by exam may do any specialty area without a separate credential); § 40-59-25 (roofing-contract 5-business-day cancellation after a claim denial; deductible rebate is a misdemeanor); § 40-59-30 (unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor, fine $500–$10,000 and/or 30 days; an unlicensed firm cannot file a mechanics' lien or sue to enforce the contract). |
| A residential builder licensed by exam may perform any specialty area without a separate credential S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) | exemption | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7): 'The provisions of this chapter do not preclude a licensed residential builder from also obtaining licensure or registration as a residential specialty contractor … In addition, a residential builder, who is licensed by examination in this State, is authorized to perform work in any of the areas of residential specialty contracting without separately obtaining a residential specialty contractor license or registration.' | S-SC-40-59Source S-SC-40-59 — South Carolina General Assembly — Code of Laws Title 40 (Professions and Occupations), Chapter 11 (Contractors) and Chapter 59 (Residential Home Builders)S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 59 — Residential Home Builders (Residential Builders Commission), official unannotated text — S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7) (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c059.php Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Read IN FULL 2026-10-05 directly from the official www.scstatehouse.gov host (status 200). Key sections credited: § 40-59-10 (Residential Builders Commission created; eight members — two consumers, four active residential builders, one residential specialty contractor); § 40-59-20(6) ('residential builder' — constructs/superintends a residential building NOT over three floors and NOT more than sixteen units in any single apartment building, 'when the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars'); § 40-59-20(7) ('residential specialty contractor' — special-skills work 'when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars and are not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11'; CANNOT construct additions without supervision by a residential builder; thirteen named areas — plumbers, electricians, HVAC, siding, insulation, roofers, floor covering, masons, drywall, carpenters, stucco, painters/wallpaperers, solar panel installers; plumbers/electricians/HVAC get LICENSES after exam, the rest get REGISTRATIONS; a residential builder licensed by exam may do any specialty area without a separate credential); § 40-59-25 (roofing-contract 5-business-day cancellation after a claim denial; deductible rebate is a misdemeanor); § 40-59-30 (unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor, fine $500–$10,000 and/or 30 days; an unlicensed firm cannot file a mechanics' lien or sue to enforce the contract). |
| Licence required for general or mechanical contracting over $10,000 S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-30 (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) | license | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-30 verbatim: 'No entity or individual may practice as a contractor by performing or offering to perform contracting work for which the total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars for general contracting or greater than ten thousand dollars for mechanical contracting without a license issued in accordance with this chapter.' The $10,000 figure was raised from $5,000 by 2023 Act No. 69 (H.4115) § 3, effective 2023-05-19. | S-SC-40-11Source S-SC-40-11 — South Carolina General Assembly — Code of Laws Title 40 (Professions and Occupations), Chapter 11 (Contractors) and Chapter 59 (Residential Home Builders)S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 11 — Contractors (Contractor's Licensing Board), official unannotated text — S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-30 (scstatehouse.gov, read 2026-10-05) https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c011.php Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Read IN FULL 2026-10-05 directly from the official www.scstatehouse.gov host (status 200). Key sections credited: § 40-11-10 (board created under LLR; nine members, seven licensed contractors + two consumers); § 40-11-20 (definitions — 'contractor', 'general contractor', 'mechanical contractor', 'mechanical construction', 'license classification', 'license group', 'qualifying party', 'total cost of construction', 'net worth', 'working capital'); § 40-11-30 (LICENSING REQUIREMENT — 'No entity or individual may practice as a contractor … for which the total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars for general contracting or greater than ten thousand dollars for mechanical contracting without a license', raised from $5,000 by 2023 Act No. 69 eff. 2023-05-19); § 40-11-100 (administrative penalties ≤$500 first / ≤$1,000 second / ≤$2,500 per day); § 40-11-110 (discipline, incl. (15) failure to maintain net worth/working capital/surety bond and (21) contracting beyond a group or outside a classification); § 40-11-200 (unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor ≤1 year and/or ≤$5,000; no bid or contract without a licence); § 40-11-230 (qualifying party: 70%+ technical exam + 70%+ SC-law exam; primary qualifying party needs 2 years full-time experience within the previous 5 years); § 40-11-240 (entity licensure); § 40-11-250 (ALL licences renew BIENNUALLY, 90-day retroactive grace); § 40-11-260 (net worth/working capital by license group for General AND Mechanical); § 40-11-262 (SURETY BOND in lieu of a financial statement, in the net-worth amount for the group, State of South Carolina as obligee); § 40-11-410 (license classifications — the four General Contractor classifications and the Mechanical subclasses). |
| Residential Builder (RBB): $135 application + $220 licence + $220 renewal SC RBC licensure page (surfaced, not machine-read; llr.sc.gov timeout) | fee | SC RBC licensure page (surfaced from the official llr.sc.gov host, 2026-10-05): 'License type, Fee Type, Current Fee Amount ; Residential Builder License (RBB), RBB Application Fee, $135.00 ; RBB License Fee, $220.00 ; RBB Renewal Fee, $220.00.' The RBC residential-builder page repeats: 'Application Fee, $135 ; License Fee, $220 ; Renewal Fee, $220.' | S-SC-RBC-LICENSURESource S-SC-RBC-LICENSURE — South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (RBC) — under LLRSC Residential Builders Commission — Licensure (RBB fee schedule, official) — SC RBC licensure page (surfaced, not machine-read; llr.sc.gov timeout) https://llr.sc.gov/res/licensure.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 OFFICIAL page but NOT machine-read (llr.sc.gov/res 20s timeout to fetcher + browser, 2026-10-05); indexed content read via Google. Verbatim from the official URL: 'License type, Fee Type, Current Fee Amount ; Residential Builder License (RBB), RBB Application Fee, $135.00 ; RBB License Fee, $220.00 ; RBB Renewal Fee, $220.00.' Also references the Residential Specialty Contractor Electrical Licence by examination. Whole-dollar figures. Backs FEE-SC-RBB-APPLICATION-001 / -LICENSE-001 / -RENEWAL-001. |
| CLB initial licence fee $350 (general and mechanical) SC CLB fee page (surfaced, not machine-read; llr.sc.gov timeout) | fee | SC CLB fee schedule (surfaced from the official llr.sc.gov host, 2026-10-05): 'General and Mechanical Contractor Initial License Fee $350.' The CLB licensure page likewise states 'Licensure Fee ($350)'. | S-SC-CLB-FEESSource S-SC-CLB-FEES — South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB) — under LLRSC Contractor's Licensing Board — Fees (official fee schedule) — SC CLB fee page (surfaced, not machine-read; llr.sc.gov timeout) https://llr.sc.gov/clb/clb_fees.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 OFFICIAL fee schedule but NOT machine-read (llr.sc.gov 20s timeout, 2026-10-05); indexed content read via Google. Verbatim from the official URL: 'General and Mechanical Contractor Initial License Fee $350'; 'General Contractor Licenses expire 10/31/every even-numbered year; Mechanical Contractor …' Whole-dollar figures (schema-compatible). Backs FEE-SC-CLB-INITIAL-001 and the 10/31 renewal dates. The late-renewal tiers were surfaced only from a secondary index and are marked reported, not confirmed. |
06 Rule: SC-RBC-BUILDER
S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(6): a 'residential builder' is one who constructs, superintends or offers to construct/superintend the construction, repair, improvement or reimprovement of a residential building 'not over three floors in height' with 'not more than sixteen units in any single apartment building, when the cost of the undertaking exceeds five thousand dollars.' Missing facts (floors, units, cost) yield NOT_DETERMINED — the size limits are part of the definition, never assumed.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| residential-over-five-thousand | sc_residential_builder_license_required |
|
| residential-at-or-below-five-thousand | sc_residential_builder_license_not_triggered | — |
| building-outside-the-chapter-59-envelope | sc_outside_chapter_59_envelope | — |
| commercial-track-work | sc_chapter_59_not_applicable | — |
07 Rule: SC-RBC-LICENSED-SPECIALTY
S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7): among the residential specialty areas, plumbers, electricians and HVAC 'must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination' — a LICENCE (exam-based), unlike the registration branch. A residential builder licensed by exam covers these areas without a separate credential (SC-RBC-BUILDER-SCOPE).
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| licensed-trade-without-exam | sc_specialty_license_exam_required | — |
| licensed-trade-with-exam | sc_specialty_license_authorized | — |
| not-an-exam-trade | sc_not_an_exam_specialty_trade | — |
08 Rule: SC-CLB-THRESHOLD
S.C. Code Ann. § 40-11-30: 'No entity or individual may practice as a contractor … for which the total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars for general contracting or greater than ten thousand dollars for mechanical contracting without a license issued in accordance with this chapter.' The figure was raised from $5,000 by 2023 Act No. 69 § 3 (eff. 2023-05-19). Work AT OR UNDER $10,000 needs no CLB licence; the residential track is a separate question (SC-RBC-BUILDER).
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| commercial-above-threshold | sc_clb_license_required |
|
| commercial-at-or-below-threshold | sc_clb_license_not_required | — |
| residential-track | sc_clb_not_the_residential_track | — |
09 Rule: SC-RBC-BUILDER-SCOPE
S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-20(7): a residential builder licensed BY EXAMINATION 'may perform any of the specialty areas without obtaining a separate specialty credential' — the exam-licensed builder subsumes every listed residential specialty area (the umbrella rule). A builder whose licence was NOT obtained by exam keeps the specialty limits.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| builder-licensed-by-exam | sc_builder_covers_specialty_areas |
|
| no-builder-licence | sc_specialty_credential_needed | — |
10 Rule: SC-RBC-FEE
SC RBC licensure page (official llr.sc.gov URL, surfaced — the host timed out for the fetcher AND the browser on 2026-10-05) verbatim: 'Residential Builder License (RBB), RBB Application Fee, $135.00 ; RBB License Fee, $220.00 ; RBB Renewal Fee, $220.00.' The RBC renewal TERM in months is NOT_VERIFIED, so no renewal row is seeded.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| application-fee | sc_rbb_application_fee | — |
| licence-fee | sc_rbb_license_fee | — |
| renewal-fee | sc_rbb_renewal_fee |
|
11 Rule: SC-CLB-FEE
SC CLB fee pages (official llr.sc.gov URLs, surfaced — the host timed out for the fetcher AND the browser on 2026-10-05): 'General and Mechanical Contractor Initial License Fee $350' and 'Renewal Fees … on or before October 31, 2026: Fee is $135.' Late-renewal tiers were surfaced only from a secondary index and stay 'reported'.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| initial-licence-fee | sc_clb_initial_fee | — |
| renewal-fee | sc_clb_renewal_fee | — |
13 Fees and the credential boundary
| Question | South Carolina answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CLB initial / renewal fee | $350 initial, $135 on-time renewal, biennial on 10/31 (surfaced from llr.sc.gov) — rule SC-CLB-FEE | S-SC-CLB-FEES |
| RBB application / licence / renewal | $135 / $220 / $220 — rule SC-RBC-FEE | S-SC-RBC-LICENSURE |
| Residential specialty credential? | licence after exam (plumber/electrician/HVAC) or no-exam registration — rule SC-RBC-SPECIALTY | S-SC-40-59 |
| Is there a standalone solar credential? | no — verified absence (rule SC-NO-SOLAR) | S-SC-40-11 |