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 once you have employees. A $10,000 bond is required.

Checked by the Trades by State editor on 2026-09-16 Based on 15 official pages, listed at the bottom Something wrong? Tell us

License you need: Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board Renew 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
Workers' comp: Required as soon as you hire anyone
Credit score: None or take a 14-hour course
To protect your pay, send 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)

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1 What stands out in South Carolina for a plumber 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.

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2 Who 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.

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	https://llr.sc.gov/clb/
Website for home jobs	https://llr.sc.gov/res/
Look up a license	https://verify.llronline.com/LicLookup/
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)

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3 South Carolina plumber license requirements and fees What is this?

South Carolina has 2 license types that matter to a plumber. The Mechanical Contractor, plumbing classification (PB), Contractor's Licensing Board needs 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.

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

What you can work on

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

License groups

Group One, jobs up to $35,000.
Group Two, up to $100,000.
Group Three, up to $200,000.
Group Four, up to $400,000.
Group Five, no limit.
The group depends on the money check in the financial_responsibility section

Experience required

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

Training required

None required by the statute or rules read

Exam

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

Fees

First license	$350
Renewal, every two years	$135
Getting a lapsed license back	$350
Late renewal, up to 30 days late	$100
Late renewal, 31 to 60 days late	$150
Late renewal, 61 to 90 days late	$200
Exam	Not listed yet

Renewal

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

Training hours each year

About training hours

No continuing education found in Chapter 11 or Chapter 29

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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

What you can work on

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))

Experience required

Not stated in the statute or rules read

Training required

None found

Exam

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

Fees

Application	$135
First license	$220
Renewal	$220
Late fee	50
Getting a lapsed license back, after 12 months	$260

Renewal

Annual

Training hours each year

About training hours

The commission may require continuing education by regulation. None was found in Chapter 106

Bond

A surety bond of at least $10,000 whenever a single job for a homeowner costs more than $5,000 in labor and materials

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4 How much insurance does a plumber 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)

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5 Does 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)

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6 Does 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

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7 Where 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

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8 Does 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: Sales tax on labor for plumbers and HVAC contractors by state

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

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9 Getting 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).

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

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10 How much does it cost to become a plumber 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.

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

11Where these numbers come from

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