Contractor License Limits

Failure to Comply

Any individual who is engaging the services of a contractor must make sure that the contractor does indeed have a current South Carolina State license in the given discipline, and the license limit either meets or exceeds the contractual agreement.

If you are unsure as to your contractors’ license limit, please visit South Carolina’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation website for contractor licensing limitations and further information.

Failure to meet these requirements will result in fines being imposed on the owner and contractor. This fine will include all court costs.

General Contractor Limits

Contractor license limits for General Contractors:

Commercial Sub-Contractor Limits

Contractor license limits for Mechanical Contractors:

Residential Contractor Limits

While there is no limit imposed on a South Carolina State licensed residential contractor, a residential contractor can only engage in residential work.

Specialty Contractors

Specialty contractors’ license limit is $5,000 with the exception of a specialty contractor licensed in carpentry who has posted a $10,000 assurance bond. 

These contractors can only engage in carpentry work, and this does not entitle them to oversee overall job completion.

Grandfathered Contractors

These contractors are not licensed by examination. They had been performing their trade prior to the State of South Carolina requiring contractor’s licenses. 

The limit of these type of contractors license is $5,000.

Commercial Plan Review

Multi-Family, Commercial and Industrial Requirements

State Requirements

Commercial Plan Review guidelines:

• All design professionals are required to be licensed in the State of South Carolina.
• All multi-family and commercial projects will require a professionally engineered site plan sealed by a SC State licensed land surveyor.
• Architects and engineers are not authorized to perform design services outside their area of expertise, nor are they authorized to seal work performed by others not under the design professional’s supervision.
• Professionally sealed engineered plans are required when constructing any or all of the following:
  1. All buildings of assembly, regardless of size. Assembly uses include, but are not limited to movie theaters, banquet halls, nightclubs, restaurants, art galleries, churches, courtrooms, funeral parlors, libraries, museums, and stadiums.
  2. All educational facilities regardless of size. Educational facilities include day care facilities for more than five children older than 2 ½ years of age, structures used by six or more persons for educational purposes through the 12th grade.
  3. All institutional buildings, regardless of size. Institutional buildings include, but are not limited to residential boarding and care facilities, assisted living facilities, halfway houses, group homes, congregate care facilities, social rehabilitation facilities, alcohol and drug centers, hospitals, nursing homes, mental hospitals, jails, adult day care, and day care facilities for more than five children younger than 2 ½ years of age.
  4. All hazardous uses facilities, regardless of size.
  5. Residential buildings that house more than two families, hotels, apartment houses, townhouses, convents, dormitories, fraternity/sorority houses, and monasteries.
  6. Buildings in excess of 5,000 square feet. Structures more than three stories in height, will require an architect and engineered structural plans, electrical, mechanical, plumbing plans to include all riser details.
  7. Construction projects involving the services of professional design personnel shall require special inspections. Certified third party testing agencies shall accomplish inspections and reporting. Reports shall be forward to the Building Official as they become available.