South Carolina Contractors' Licensing Board

How to Apply for a General and Mechanical License

Applying for a License by Examinations

See Examinations to determine if a technical exam is required.

1. Contact Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI) at (800) 733-9267 and request: "The South Carolina Contractors Application Package". You may also visit their Web site at www.psiexams.com. If you apply online, be sure to make the same request as stated above. You will receive the following:

  • PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin,

  • S.C. contractor's application, Doc #165, and,

  • S.C. Code of Laws Take Home exam, Doc #170, and booklet.

2. When you receive the application package, submit to PSI the registration form for the technical exam and the Business Management/Law exam (see the Candidate Information Bulletin for additional information). A listing of reference materials and testing sites are included.

3. You will receive an Eligibility Letter from PSI. Call the number at the bottom of the letter and schedule an appointment at the testing site of your choice.

4. After you have passed the technical and Business Management/Law exams, submit your completed application, Doc# 165, for licensing to the S.C. Contractors’ Licensing Board and include all of the following:

How to Apply for a License by Waiver

A technical examination must have been passed with one of the participating state's listed below. The applicant must not have any outstanding complaints with any other licensing agency and all applicants must be currently licensed in good standing.

Alabama: AL Electrical = S.C. Electrical

Georgia: GA Unrestricted Electrical = S.C. Electrical; GA Unrestricted Conditioned Air (if exam was passed after 6/30/1980) = S.C. Heating & S.C. Air Conditioning

Louisiana: LA Building Construction=S.C. Building; LA Earthwork/LA Drainage/LA Levees (3 exams) = S.C. Grading; LA Concrete/LA Steel/LA Wood Bridges (3 exams) = S.C. Bridges; LA Asphalt Hot & Cold Plant Mix/LA Asphalt Surface Treatment (2 exams) = S.C. Asphalt Paving; LA Paved Highways/LA Concrete & Soil Treatment (2 exams) = S.C. Concrete Paving; LA Transmission Pipeline = S.C. Pipelines; LA Tunnels = S.C. Boring & Tunneling; LA Sewer/LA Storm Drains & Waterlines (2 exams) = S.C. Water & Sewer Lines; LA Filter Plants & Water Purification = S.C. Water & Sewer Plants; LA Industrial Piping = S.C. Pressure & Process Piping

Mississippi: MS Building = S.C. Building; MS Electrical = S.C. Electrical

North Carolina: NC Intermediate or Unlimited Electrical = S.C. Electrical; NC Building = S.C. Building; NC Water & Sewer Lines = S.C. Water & Sewer Lines; NC Water & Sewer Plants = S.C. Water & Sewer Plants; NC Grading = S.C. Grading; NC Highway (if exam passed prior to 4/1/1999) = S.C. Highway; NC Roofing = S.C. Roofing

Pennsylvania: PA Mechanical/Electrical (from Reading, PA ONLY) = S.C. Electrical

Tennessee: TN BC-b, BC-C = S.C. Limited Building; TN BC, BC-B, BC-BC = S.C. Unlimited Building; TN CMC/Mechanical = S.C. Air Conditioning & S.C. Refrigeration & S.C. Plumbing; TN CMC-A = S.C. Plumbing; TN CMC-C = S.C. Air Conditioning & S.C. Refrigeration; TN CE = S.C. Electrical

Texas: TX Class A Air Conditioning/Refrigeration or Class A Air Conditioning = S.C. Air Conditioning & S.C. Heating; TX Class B Air Conditioning/Refrigeration or Class B Air Conditioning = S.C. Packaged Equipment; TX Class A Refrigeration

Utah: Building, Glass & Glazing, Concrete, General Roofing, Grading, Structural Framing, Swimming Pools, Water & Sewer Lines, Air Conditioning, Packaged Equipment, Heating, Refrigeration, Electrical

Municipal Association Of South Carolina (MASC): Master Electrical or Master Plumber (exams passed after January 1, 1990)

You must pass the South Carolina Code of Laws Take Home Exam in addition to submitting the items listed items listed below.

1. Contact Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI) at (800) 733-9267 and request a South Carolina General and Mechanical Contractors Application Package for "waivers".

2. Request a Letter of Verification from your state licensing board. The letter must include licensee name, license number, license issue date, license expiration date, name of exam qualifier and social security number, name of exam passed and date exam passed.

3. Submit the completed application, Doc# 165, to the S.C. Contractors’ Licensing Board and include all of the following:

How to Apply for a Burglar/Fire Alarm License

1. Contact Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI) at (800) 733-9267 and request a South Carolina Burglar/Fire Alarm Application Package.

2. When you receive the application package, submit the registration form for your technical and Code of Law exams to PSI (see the Candidate Information Bulletin). A listing of reference materials and testing sites will be included.

3. You will receive an Eligibility Letter from PSI. Call the number at the bottom of the letter and schedule an appointment at the testing site of your choice.

4. After you have passed the technical and Code of Law exams, submit your completed application, Doc#130, for license to the S.C. Contractors’ Licensing Board and include all of the following:

  • Fee
  • Certificate of Liability Insurance*
  • Technical and Code of Law Score Sheets
  • Criminal background check on the entity's principal officers and all qualifying parties
  • Verification of NTS Level I certification (burglar alarm)
  • Verification of NTS Level I certification or NICET Level II (fire alarm)

*The name on the certificate of liability insurance must read the same as the licensee and have the same address. The insurers affording coverage must be licensed to write insurance policies in South Carolina. The S.C. Contractors' Licensing Board must be listed as the certificate holder.

**Call the S.C. Alarm Association for testing information on NTS Level I at (803) 252-0580

How to Apply for a Fire Sprinkler License

1. Contact the S.C. Contractors' Licensing Board (803) 896-4686 and request a South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Application Package.

2. All qualifiers must be certified NICET Level III or above. After you have obtained the NICET Level III or above, submit your completed application, Doc#145 for license to the S.C. Contractors’ Licensing Board and include all of the following:

  • Fee
  • Certificate of Liability Insurance*
  • Verification of NICET Level III or above**

*The name on the certificate of liability insurance must read the same as the licensee and have the same address. The insurers affording coverage must be licensed to write insurance policies in South Carolina. The S.C. Contractors' Licensing Board must be listed as the certificate holder.

**Go to the NICET Web site www.nicet.org or call (888) 476-4238 for NICET Level III certification information.

The S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is pleased to provide various publications in portable document format (PDF).
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