Two credentials from two bodies
Two bodies in the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation license contractors. The Contractor's Licensing Board issues the general contractor's license, and the Residential Builders Commission issues the residential builder's license.
The contractor licensing chapter requires a license for general or mechanical contracting work where the total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars [1].
A residential builder, in the statute's terms, builds or superintends, or offers to, the construction, repair or improvement of a residential building or structure 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 [2]. All residential builders must be licensed by the commission [2].
Groups, classifications and qualifying parties
The General Contractors-Building classification reaches commercial, industrial, institutional, modular and all other types of building construction, including residential structures [1]. The statute's license groups set the size of bids and jobs, from Group One, with bids and jobs not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars per job, to Group Five, where bids and jobs are unlimited [1].
For applicants doing work where the total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars, the group also sets the financial statement; Group One calls for net worth of twenty thousand dollars or working capital of ten thousand dollars [1]. In lieu of the financial statement, an applicant may provide a surety bond in the same amount as the net worth for its license group [1].
Exams attach to the qualifying party, who needs seventy percent or better on a technical examination where one is required for the classification and on an examination of South Carolina law on general and mechanical contracting [1]. The statute matches the limited building contractor and unlimited general contractor examinations to license groups, and a primary qualifying party also documents at least two years of full-time work within the previous five years in that classification, or other experience the board approves [1].
On the residential side, taking the examination requires at least one year of actual experience under a licensed residential builder or other appropriately licensed professional, or other education or experience the commission approves [2]. The commission issues the license when the examination shows the applicant qualified and the applicant submits an executed bond of not less than fifteen thousand dollars or proof of financial responsibility acceptable to the commission [2].
Cost and the two renewal calendars
As of June 13, 2026, the general and mechanical contractor initial license fee is $350 per license [3]. As of April 15, 2026, the residential builder license fee is $220 per license [4].
Contractor's Licensing Board licenses may be renewed biennially [1], and the board's fee page says general contractor licenses expire October 31 of every even-numbered year [3]. The residential builder's license is renewable every two years, before June 30 of each even year [5], and the commission may require continuing education by regulation as a condition of renewal [2].
Penalties under each chapter
Practicing or offering to practice in violation of the contractor licensing chapter, or knowingly submitting false information to obtain a license, is a misdemeanor; upon conviction, the penalty is imprisonment of not more than one year or a fine of not more than five thousand dollars [1].
Under the residential chapter, engaging or offering to engage in residential building without a license from the commission that has not expired or been revoked, suspended or restricted, or knowingly giving it false information to obtain one, is a misdemeanor. Upon conviction, the fine is not less than five hundred dollars or more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisonment is for not less than thirty days, or both [2]. A person or firm required to hold that license that has not procured one may not file a mechanics' lien or bring an action to enforce a residential building contract entered into in violation of the chapter [2].