How Do You Get a Plumbing License in South Carolina?

South Carolina licenses plumbing work by the value of the job, and our research found no statewide journeyman plumber license.

Residential plumbing work exceeding $500 requires a license: the Residential Builders Commission (RBC) issues the Residential Plumber license for that work.

Commercial plumbing falls under the Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB), where a license is required for mechanical contracting when the total cost of construction is greater than $10,000, and Plumbing (PB) is one of the mechanical contractor subclassifications.

The state license you need therefore depends on the work's value.

Two statewide credentials cover plumbing.

The Residential Plumber license is issued by the RBC, and residential plumbing work exceeding $500 requires it.

The mechanical contractor license with the Plumbing (PB) subclassification is the CLB credential for commercial plumbing — the statute defines the Plumbing classification to include the installation, replacement, alteration and repair of all plumbing — and a CLB license is required for mechanical contracting when the total cost of construction is greater than $10,000.

Chapter 59 also writes in one shortcut: a residential builder who is licensed by examination is authorized to perform work in any of the areas of residential specialty contracting without separately obtaining a residential specialty contractor license.

We found no state journeyman or master plumber tier.

Work experience is part of the RBC process: experience must be verified and approved before you are made eligible for the exam, but the pages we read publish no hour total for the Residential Plumber license, so confirm the current experience requirement with the Commission before you apply.

The residential fee schedule shows $220 for the license, $220 to renew, a $50 renewal late fee and a $480 reinstatement fee.

For commercial plumbing, the CLB mechanical contractor license with the Plumbing (PB) classification carries a $350 initial fee, the same group limits, qualifying-party rules, PSI exams and odd-year October 31 expiry as the HVAC subclassifications.

The RBC Residential Plumber exam has two parts: the technical exam and the Business Management and Law portion.

You can obtain the license without the technical exam if you hold an SC mechanical Plumbing (PB) license issued by exam and held 1+ year, a Mississippi or North Carolina license held 1+ year by exam, or a MASC/CAGC Master (Residential) Plumber certification — but work experience requirements and the Business Management and Law portion of the exam are still applicable.

On the commercial side, CLB applicants sit the PSI exams for their classification.

Our research does not include the content outline for either exam, so ask the RBC or the CLB for the current candidate information before you book a test date.

Chapter 59 says the commission shall annually renew all licenses under the chapter, which covers residential specialty contractors; our research did not confirm the RBC's renewal cycle for the Residential Plumber license specifically, so ask the Commission before you plan work around a renewal date.

The money side is on the fee schedule: $220 to renew, a $50 late fee and $480 to reinstate.

If a license has been lapsed for more than three years, it is a new application, which requires reexamination.

We did not find a continuing-education requirement for the Residential Plumber license stated in the pages we read; check with the RBC rather than assuming either way.

For the residential license, partly: the RBC technical exam is waived for a license from Mississippi or North Carolina held 1+ year by exam, or an SC mechanical Plumbing (PB) license held 1+ year by exam.

The waiver skips the technical exam only — work experience requirements and the Business Management and Law portion still apply — so it is an exam waiver, not full license reciprocity.

On the commercial side, the CLB may grant a license to an applicant who holds one in good standing in another state whose requirements for licensure are equal to or greater than South Carolina's.

Ohio's board lists South Carolina as a reciprocity state for HVAC and plumbing, with the business-and-law exam still required; our research did not read the CLB's own waiver agreement list, so confirm with the CLB.

LLR's site links an online license verification at verify.llronline.com.

That address came from LLR's site navigation, and our research did not open the lookup page itself, so treat it as unconfirmed and reach it from llr.sc.gov if the link moves.

Check a South Carolina license there before you rely on its status, and take anything you cannot clear to LLR.

Local jurisdictions may examine and license residential specialty contractors, but state law limits double-testing: if a residential specialty contractor has passed an examination approved by the commission in the trade, no additional examination may be required by a county or municipality.

A local-certification track also exists: local trade certifications were issued by the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) through December 2025 and by Carolinas AGC from January 1, 2026, and the RBC accepts them for an exam waiver — for plumbing, the Master (Residential) Plumber certification.

Which cities and counties actually require these certifications was not established in our research, so check with the building or licensing department where the work is done.