South Carolina plumbing license requirements and insurance

To work for yourself as a plumber in South Carolina, you need the Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board license. South Carolina has 2 plumbing license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. Workers' comp is required only once you cross both thresholds. A $10,000 bond is required.

Who it applies to

1Who needs a plumbing license in South Carolina? What is this?

Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board: any business that does, or bids on, plumbing work where the total cost of the whole project is more than $10,000. That includes commercial work and larger residential work

License	Who needs it	What it covers
Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board	Any business that does, or bids on, plumbing work where the total cost of the whole project is more than $10,000. That includes commercial work and larger residential work	Plumbing installation, replacement and repair on any building, up to the dollar limit of your license group (see the groups below)
Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission	Anyone who contracts for plumbing work on houses (up to three floors, up to 16 units per building) when the job is more than $500 and not already covered by the mechanical contractor rules above	Water and natural gas piping, sewage systems, water filter, purification and conditioning systems, and related fixtures, vents and devices in homes (Regulation 106-1(a))

License

Who needs it

What it covers

Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board

Any business that does, or bids on, plumbing work where the total cost of the whole project is more than $10,000. That includes commercial work and larger residential work

Plumbing installation, replacement and repair on any building, up to the dollar limit of your license group (see the groups below)

Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission

Anyone who contracts for plumbing work on houses (up to three floors, up to 16 units per building) when the job is more than $500 and not already covered by the mechanical contractor rules above

Water and natural gas piping, sewage systems, water filter, purification and conditioning systems, and related fixtures, vents and devices in homes (Regulation 106-1(a))

Who runs it

2Who issues plumber licenses in South Carolina? What is this?

South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB) for jobs over $10,000, and Residential Builders Commission (RBC) for house jobs from $500 up issues plumbing licenses in South Carolina.

See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state

Name	South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB) for jobs over $10,000, and Residential Builders Commission (RBC) for house jobs from $500 up
Website	llr.sc.gov
Website for home jobs	llr.sc.gov
Look up a license	verify.llronline.com
The law	SC Code Title 40 Chapter 11 (mechanical contractors) and Title 40 Chapter 59 (residential specialty contractors)
The rulebook	SC Code of Regulations Chapter 29 (Contractor's Licensing Board), Chapter 106 (Residential Builders Commission), and Chapter 10 (fees, regulations 10-10 and 10-38)

Checked by a person against the official page

·4 official pages

Getting licensed

3How to become a plumber in South Carolina What is this?

South Carolina has 2 licenses that matter to a plumber: Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board, Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission. Each is below, with what you need before you apply.

License	Experience required	Training required	Exam
Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board	Two years of full-time work in the classification you are applying for, within the last five years, shown on an affidavit from the employers you worked for. The board may accept other proof of experience instead	None required by the statute or rules read	Yes, a plumbing technical exam and a South Carolina law exam, both run by PSI. Pass mark is 70 percent. You may sit an exam twice in 12 months, then once every six months
Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission	Not stated in the statute or rules read	None found	Yes, plumbers must pass an exam before the commission licenses them (Regulation 106-2(b), in force since July 2004)

License

Experience required

Training required

Exam

Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board

Two years of full-time work in the classification you are applying for, within the last five years, shown on an affidavit from the employers you worked for. The board may accept other proof of experience instead

None required by the statute or rules read

Yes, a plumbing technical exam and a South Carolina law exam, both run by PSI. Pass mark is 70 percent. You may sit an exam twice in 12 months, then once every six months

Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission

Not stated in the statute or rules read

None found

Yes, plumbers must pass an exam before the commission licenses them (Regulation 106-2(b), in force since July 2004)

What it costs

4How much does a plumbing license cost in South Carolina? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about $355 in South Carolina. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

License	Application	Exam	First license	Renewal	Getting a lapsed license back	Late fee	Late renewal, 31 to 60 days late	Late renewal, 61 to 90 days late	Late renewal, up to 30 days late	Getting a lapsed license back, after 12 months	Renewal, every two years
Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board	—	null	$350	—	$350	—	$150	$200	$100	—	$135
Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission	$135	—	$220	$220	—	$50	—	—	—	$260	—

Added up

Government fees, added up	$355

Residential specialty plumber path, application $135 plus license $220. The mechanical contractor path is $350 for the license plus PSI exam fees not confirmed. Does not include the $10,000 bond premium, insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or city permits

Our estimate

Insurance

5How much plumbing insurance do you need in South Carolina? What is this?

What South Carolina requires you to carry before you work.

Minimum liability insurance	Not listed yet
Type of policy	None found. Neither Chapter 11, Chapter 59 nor the board regulations read for this record set a liability insurance minimum for plumbers
Who this applies to	Not applicable at state level. Cities, general contractors and customers usually ask for a certificate anyway
Who must be named on the certificate	None found
Workers' comp required?	Only once you cross both thresholds. You need cover when you regularly have four or more employees and your total payroll in the previous calendar year was $3,000 or more. Part-time workers and family members count toward the four
Who can opt out	Either threshold on its own exempts you. Fewer than four employees, or a payroll under $3,000 last year, and you are outside the law. You need both before cover is required. A sole proprietor or partner may choose to be covered as an employee and must tell the insurer. If you hire a subcontractor, you are treated as the employer of the subcontractor's injured workers if the subcontractor has no coverage (42-1-400 and 42-1-410)

Checked by a person against the official page

·3 official pages

Money checks

6Does South Carolina check your credit for a plumber license? What is this?

South Carolina does not check your credit for this license.

Credit score you need	None
Money check	For the mechanical contractor license you must show net worth or working capital that matches your group. Group One, $7,000 net worth or $3,500 working capital. Group Two, $15,000 or $10,000. Group Three, $30,000 or $20,000. Group Four, $60,000 or $40,000. Group Five, $300,000 or $200,000
Type of financial statement	Groups One and Two may use an owner-prepared statement on the board form with an affidavit. Groups Three, Four and Five need a CPA-compiled or audited statement for the first application, and may use an owner-prepared statement at renewal. The balance sheet must be dated within the last 12 months
If your score is lower	A surety bond for the same amount as the net worth for your group, filed with the application (40-11-262)
About home jobs	The Residential Builders Commission asks for proof of financial responsibility or a bond at each annual renewal (40-59-230)

Checked by a person against the official page

·3 official pages

Bonds

7Does a plumber need a bond in South Carolina? What is this?

South Carolina requires a bond of $10,000. A bond is a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish the job.

Does the state require a bond?	Yes
Amount	$10,000

Two separate rules. Residential specialty contractors must post a surety bond of at least $10,000 for any homeowner job over $5,000 (40-59-240(D), Regulation 106-2). Mechanical contractors may post a bond equal to their group's net worth figure instead of a financial statement (40-11-262); that one is optional. A bond is a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish the job

Checked by a person against the official page

·3 official pages

Showing your number

8Where must a South Carolina plumber show the license number? What is this?

In South Carolina: the Chapter 11 display rule (license at your office, number on vehicles in 2-inch letters, number on every invoice and proposal) is written for the air conditioning, heating and packaged equipment classifications. It does not name plumbing. The residential chapter's advertising rule (40-59-570) reads as a home inspector rule in the current text. No plumbing-specific display rule was found.

The rule	The Chapter 11 display rule (license at your office, number on vehicles in 2-inch letters, number on every invoice and proposal) is written for the air conditioning, heating and packaged equipment classifications. It does not name plumbing. The residential chapter's advertising rule (40-59-570) reads as a home inspector rule in the current text. No plumbing-specific display rule was found
If you forget	Administrative fines under 40-11-100 are up to $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for a second

Checked by software against the official page

·3 official pages

Tax

9Does a plumber charge sales tax on labor in South Carolina? What is this?

In South Carolina, no sales tax on your labor or on your bill to the customer for a plumbing job, because the tax was paid when you bought the materials. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states

Rule for contractors	You are the final consumer of everything you install. You pay sales or use tax when you buy pipe, fittings, water heaters, plumbing supplies and plumbing fixtures. The regulation lists plumbing supplies and plumbing fixtures by name as building materials
Labor	No sales tax on your labor or on your bill to the customer for a plumbing job, because the tax was paid when you bought the materials
Homes versus businesses	Same rule for homes and businesses. South Carolina does not tax contractor labor in either
Labor on new buildings	No sales tax
Selling and installing as two prices	If you run a showroom or sell fixtures to people who install them elsewhere, you are a retailer for those sales. You buy for resale tax-free and charge the customer tax on the sale price. Installation is not taxed if it is a separate, reasonable line on the bill
One-off sales	Selling a spare part to a customer now and then is an isolated sale and is not taxed, as long as you paid tax on it when you bought it
Buying from out of state	Materials bought in another state and used in South Carolina owe South Carolina use tax, with a credit for tax paid to the other state
Tax rate	6 percent state, plus local taxes collected by county. Local use tax is owed by the contractor where the materials are first used

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

Getting paid

10Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a South Carolina plumber What is this?

If you are not paid in South Carolina, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: no fixed deadline for a preliminary notice. The lien itself must be served on the owner within 90 days of your last day on the job (last day March 1 means serve and file by May 30).

The order things have to happen in, counted in days

Day 0
Your first day on the job
The clock starts here.
Day 90
Send your notice
No fixed deadline for a preliminary notice. The lien itself must be served on the owner within 90 days of your last day on the job (last day March 1 means serve and file by May 30)
Day 90
File your lien
File the lien statement with the county register of deeds or clerk of court, and serve it on the owner, within 90 days after you last did work or supplied materials (last day March 1 means by May 30). Then sue to enforce it within six months of that last day or the lien is dissolved

Each day count is counted from the day the rule beside it names, which is not always the same day. Read the sentence under each one.

Who has to send a notice	Contractors hired by the owner do not send a preliminary notice. Subcontractors hired by the contractor do not either. Only a sub-subcontractor, or a supplier to a subcontractor, must send a Notice of Furnishing by certified mail to the contractor. That applies only if the owner filed a Notice of Project Commencement with the county within 15 days of the job starting. Without that notice, the sub-subcontractor's lien is capped at what the contractor still owes the subcontractor
Send your notice by	No fixed deadline for a preliminary notice. The lien itself must be served on the owner within 90 days of your last day on the job (last day March 1 means serve and file by May 30)
File your lien by	File the lien statement with the county register of deeds or clerk of court, and serve it on the owner, within 90 days after you last did work or supplied materials (last day March 1 means by May 30). Then sue to enforce it within six months of that last day or the lien is dissolved
What the owner can argue back	Your lien can never exceed what the owner still owes on the contract. If the owner already paid the contractor in full, there may be nothing left to lien

Checked by a person against the official page·scstatehouse.gov

Keeping it

11How do you renew a plumbing license in South Carolina? What is this?

The Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board renews every two years. There is no common expiry date for everyone. Your own license carries its date, and the board renews in two-year blocks. The board's site was showing the 2026 to 2028 block open for renewal in September 2026. No training hours are required.

License	Renewal	Training hours each year
Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board	Every two years. There is no common expiry date for everyone. Your own license carries its date, and the board renews in two-year blocks. The board's site was showing the 2026 to 2028 block open for renewal in September 2026	—
Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission	Annual	—

License

Renewal

Training hours each year

Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board

Every two years. There is no common expiry date for everyone. Your own license carries its date, and the board renews in two-year blocks. The board's site was showing the 2026 to 2028 block open for renewal in September 2026

—

Licensed Residential Specialty Contractor, Plumber, Residential Builders Commission

Annual

—

Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.

Watch out

12What catches people out in South Carolina What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about South Carolina, in a few sentences.

South Carolina has two plumbing licenses from two boards. A residential specialty license from the Residential Builders Commission covers house jobs over $500. A mechanical contractor license from the Contractor's Licensing Board is needed once a job costs more than $10,000. Many websites still say $5,000. That figure changed in May 2023.
The state does not set a minimum liability insurance amount for plumbers in the statute or the board rules read for this record. Instead it asks for proof of money. A Group One mechanical license needs a net worth of $7,000, and you can post a $7,000 bond instead.
The rule that puts a license number on every truck, invoice and proposal applies to heating and air conditioning contractors, not to the plumbing classification. Check your city before you assume you are exempt.
You pay sales tax when you buy pipe, fittings, water heaters and fixtures. You do not charge the customer sales tax on a plumbing job. If you also sell fixtures over the counter, that part is a retail sale and is taxed.
Workers' comp becomes mandatory at four employees, or once last year's payroll reached $3,000. Part-time workers and family members count.
A lien must be both served on the owner and filed with the county within 90 days of your last day on the job, and you must sue within six months or the lien dies.

Still being checked

·6 official pages

13Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.