South Carolina HVAC Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

South Carolina licenses the contractor (the business and its qualifying individual), not individual HVAC technicians. PSI exam — verified from South Carolina Department of Labor.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR): Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial mechanical, over $10,000) and Residential Builders Commission (residential HVAC, over $500) (official site) and last verified July 24, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Two regimes, one trade: commercial (over $10,000) vs residential (over $500): South Carolina licenses HVAC as CONTRACTING at the state level, split by project size and building type. COMMERCIAL/larger work is licensed by the Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB): 'No entity or individual may practice as a contractor by performing or offering to perform contracting work for which the total cost of construction is greater than ... ten thousand dollars for mechanical contracting without a license' (S.C. Code 40-11-30; the threshold was raised from $5,000 to $10,000 by 2023 Act No. 69). RESIDENTIAL work is licensed by the Residential Builders Commission (RBC): a 'residential specialty contractor' - which by statute includes 'heating and air conditioning installers and repairers' - is 'an independent contractor who contracts ... to do construction work, repairs, improvement, or reimprovement ... when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars and are not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11' (S.C. Code 40-59-20(7); the residential threshold was raised from $200 to $500 by 2022 Act No. 186). Under both, it is the CONTRACTING party (entity or independent contractor) who must be licensed - an employed technician working for a licensed contractor does not hold a personal state license.
Commercial - who holds the license (the entity, through a qualifying party): For the commercial Mechanical Contractor license, the '"Licensee" means an entity that has been issued ... a mechanical contractor's license' (S.C. Code 40-11-20(14)), and the entity qualifies through a 'primary qualifying party' - an individual who passed the technical and SC law exams and has 'full-time [employment] for at least two years within the previous five years in the license classification or subclassification for which application is made,' serving 'in a responsible management position' (40-11-230). 'Licensees may utilize the services of unlicensed subcontractors to perform work within the limitations of the licensee's license ... provided, the licensee provides supervision' (40-11-270(E)). Mechanical contractors licensed in Air Conditioning, Heating, or Packaged Equipment must display the license at their principal place of business and on commercial vehicles and invoices (40-11-270(B)-(C)).
Residential - who holds the license, and the specialty-contractor scope limit: The residential HVAC credential is a Residential Specialty Contractor LICENSE (issued by examination). By statute, 'Plumbers, electricians, and heating and air conditioning installers and repairers must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination' (S.C. Code 40-59-20(7); note other trades receive registrations, not licenses). A residential specialty contractor 'is prohibited from undertaking work outside the scope of his license or registration, including employing, hiring, and contracting or subcontracting with others to perform such work on his behalf,' and 'is not authorized to construct additions to residential buildings or structures without supervision by a residential builder.' The RBC is 'the exclusive licensing and registration entity for persons who engage solely in residential building and in residential specialty contracting' (40-59-270).
The commercial/residential boundary - a Chapter 11 mechanical contractor covers residential too: The two regimes are mutually exclusive at the seam. S.C. Code 40-59-270: 'A mechanical contractor is exempt from this chapter relating to residential specialty contractors when engaged in contracting in the classification in which he is licensed to perform mechanical contracting,' and 'This chapter does not apply to a person licensed under Chapter 11 for the purpose of undertaking the construction ... of a building.' So a holder of the commercial CLB Mechanical Contractor license (AC/HT/PK/RF) does not also need the residential RBH license to do the same trade in a home. Conversely, the residential specialty definition applies only where the undertaking 'exceed[s] five hundred dollars and [is] not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11' (40-59-20(7)).
Commercial license groups (financial limits on job size): A commercial Mechanical Contractor is confined to a 'License Group' set by its finances (S.C. Code 40-11-260). An applicant performing mechanical work over $10,000 'must provide an acceptable financial statement with a balance sheet date no more than twelve months before the date of the ... application' meeting the group requirement - e.g., Group One: 'bids and jobs not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars per job; required net worth of seven thousand dollars or working capital of three thousand five hundred dollars.' Higher groups (Two through Five) permit progressively larger jobs on larger net worth/working capital. 'A licensee is confined to the limitations of the licensee's license group and license classifications or subclassifications' (40-11-270(A)).
Residential bond (when work for an owner exceeds $5,000): 'When the cost of an undertaking performed by a residential specialty contractor for an individual property owner exceeds five thousand dollars, the residential specialty contractor must obtain an executed bond with a surety in an amount approved by the commission' (S.C. Code 40-59-220(D) and 40-59-240(D)). The RBC application specifies a $10,000 surety bond, with the individual's name (not a company name) as principal, on file before performing such work.
Local business-license and permit rules still apply: State licensure does not displace municipal business-license ordinances. 'Residential specialty contractors are not exempt from complying with county and municipal business license ordinances or other regulatory ordinances. A county or municipality may require a residential specialty contractor to be examined and licensed in accordance with standards adopted by the county or municipality; however, if a residential specialty contractor has passed an examination in his area of contracting ... approved by the commission, no additional examination may be required by a county or municipality' (S.C. Code 40-59-240(C)). Building permits, where required, must be pulled in the licensed name (40-11-420; 40-59-280).
Federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification (separate and additional): Under the federal Clean Air Act and 40 CFR part 82, subpart F, a technician who maintains, services, repairs or disposes of equipment that could release refrigerant must hold EPA Section 608 certification (Type I, II, III, or Universal). This is a FEDERAL credential held by the individual technician; it is neither issued by LLR nor a substitute for the South Carolina commercial mechanical contractor license or the residential HVAC installer/repairer license. (The RBC application notes EPA/NATE certifications may be submitted to help document experience, but they do not replace the SC license.)

Legal basis

South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR): Contractor’s Licensing Board (commercial mechanical, over $10,000) and Residential Builders Commission (residential HVAC, over $500) administers HVAC contractor licensing in South Carolina. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

In South Carolina a ‘HVAC license’ is a CONTRACTOR license, and which one depends on the job. COMMERCIAL/larger work is a Mechanical Contractor license from the Contractor’s Licensing Board in the Air Conditioning (AC), Heating (HT), Packaged Equipment (PK), or Refrigeration (RF) subclassification - held by the business through a qualifying party. RESIDENTIAL work is a Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license (often abbreviated ‘RBH’) from the Residential Builders Commission - a residential specialty contractor license held by the person or firm that contracts to do the work. An employed HVAC technician working for a licensed contractor needs no personal state license. A search for a ‘South Carolina HVAC license,’ ‘AC license,’ ‘mechanical contractor license,’ or ‘HVAC contractor license’ maps to one of these two LLR credentials depending on project size ($10,000 commercial / $500 residential) and building type. Note that a ‘HARV’ or ‘Master Mechanical’ certification (issued historically by the Municipal Association of South Carolina, and after Jan. 1, 2026 by Carolinas AGC) is a trade certification that can waive the residential technical exam, not itself the state license. Separately, EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is a FEDERAL credential, not a South Carolina license.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Mechanical Contractor - Air Conditioning (AC) subclassification (COMMERCIAL, Contractor's Licensing Board; for work over $10,000)	The license is issued to the contracting ENTITY, which must designate a 'primary qualifying party' - an individual who has 'full-time [employment] for at least two years within the previous five years in the license classification or subclassification for which application is made' (or additional experience approved by the board) and who serves in a responsible management position for the applicant (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	The qualifying party must attain 'seventy percent or better on a technical examination' for the Air Conditioning subclassification AND 'seventy percent or better on an examination of South Carolina law regulating general and mechanical contracting' (S.C. Code 40-11-230). Exams are administered by PSI. An individual may take a classification exam only twice in a twelve-month period and thereafter once every six months.	General and Mechanical Contractor initial license fee $350; biennial license renewal $135 (if renewed/postmarked by 10/31; late fees run $235 / $285 / $335 for Nov / Dec / Jan); reinstatement $350 (LLR CLB fee schedule). Exam fees are paid separately to PSI. The applicant must also file an acceptable financial statement meeting the net-worth/working-capital requirement for its license Group (Group One = bids not to exceed $35,000 per job, net worth $7,000 or working capital $3,500; higher groups allow larger jobs) - S.C. Code 40-11-260. Scope (S.C. Code 40-11-410(5)(a)): 'the installation, replacement, alteration, and repair of air conditioning equipment and systems which consist of a number of components necessary to produce conditioned air for environmental heating or cooling, or both, within buildings. Hot water or steam heating systems or components are not included under this classification. This subclassification also includes work under the subclassifications of Packaged Equipment and Refrigeration.'
Mechanical Contractor - Heating (HT) subclassification (COMMERCIAL, CLB; over $10,000)	Same as AC: an entity license with a primary qualifying party who has two years of full-time experience within the previous five years in the Heating subclassification (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	Technical Heating exam (70%) + South Carolina law exam (70%), administered by PSI (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	$350 initial license / $135 biennial renewal / $350 reinstatement (CLB fee schedule), plus PSI exam fees and the license-group financial statement. Scope (40-11-410(5)(b)): 'installation, replacement, alteration, and repair of heating equipment and systems in buildings which require the use of high or low pressure steam vapor or hot water including all piping, ducts, and mechanical equipment, including boilers, within, adjacent to, or connected with a building and the installation of necessary gas lines if any of this equipment is gas-fired.'
Mechanical Contractor - Packaged Equipment (PK) subclassification (COMMERCIAL, CLB; over $10,000)	Entity license with a two-year (within five years) qualifying party (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	Technical Packaged Equipment exam (70%) + South Carolina law exam (70%), via PSI (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	$350 initial / $135 biennial renewal / $350 reinstatement, plus PSI exam fees and the group financial statement. Scope (40-11-410(5)(c)): 'air conditioning-heating packaged equipment limited to twenty-five tons cooling and five hundred thousand BTU/HR heating per unit' - includes any-size package units, ventilation and duct work, kitchen exhaust and hood systems, controls, gas-fired furnaces and space heaters, split-type direct expansion equipment and heat pumps; 'does not include installing, replacing, altering, or repairing hot water or steam heating systems or components.'
Mechanical Contractor - Refrigeration (RF) subclassification (COMMERCIAL, CLB; over $10,000)	Entity license with a two-year (within five years) qualifying party (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	Technical Refrigeration exam (70%) + South Carolina law exam (70%), via PSI (S.C. Code 40-11-230).	$350 initial / $135 biennial renewal / $350 reinstatement, plus PSI exam fees and the group financial statement. Scope (40-11-410(5)(h)): refrigeration equipment and systems 'used for processing, storage, and display of food products and other perishable commodities and commercial, industrial, and manufacturing processes requiring refrigeration, excluding comfort air conditioning' - i.e., process/commercial refrigeration, not comfort cooling (which is the AC subclassification).
Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer License (RBH) (RESIDENTIAL, Residential Builders Commission; for residential work over $500)	'An applicant must show a minimum of one year of residential HVAC experience performed within the past five (5) years,' verified by a Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer Experience Affidavit completed by each supervisor/employer, with W-2s and/or 1099s (RBC application requirements, Rev. 01/2026).	The SC Residential HVAC examination is administered by PSI and has two parts: 'the Business Management and Law and the Residential HVAC technical portions.' Both must be passed within a twelve-month eligibility window (three attempts). The TECHNICAL portion may be waived (the Business Management and Law portion and the experience requirement still apply) for an applicant who is (a) a currently licensed SC Mechanical Contractor with the Air Conditioning (AC) or Packaged Equipment (PK) classification, active and by examination for one year or longer; (b) currently licensed by examination for one year or longer in an eligible state - Alabama, Mississippi, or North Carolina (grandfathered licensees do not qualify); or (c) a holder of a current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification (issued by exam by the Municipal Association of South Carolina between Sept. 7, 2013 and Dec. 2025, or by Carolinas AGC after Jan. 1, 2026).	Application fee $135; license fee $220; renewal fee $220; renewal late fee $50; reinstatement fee $480 (LLR Residential Builders Commission RBH fee schedule). Exam fees are paid separately to PSI. If the work exceeds $5,000 total cost of construction, a $10,000 surety bond, with the individual's name (not a company name) listed as principal, must be on file with the Commission before performing or offering to perform such work (S.C. Code 40-59-220(D); RBC application requirements).

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

South Carolina licenses HVAC as CONTRACTING through two boards, so the exemptions come from both chapters. THRESHOLD (the de facto small-job exemption): commercial mechanical work is unlicensed at or under $10,000 total cost of construction (S.C. Code 40-11-30), and residential HVAC work is a licensable ‘residential specialty’ only where ’the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars and are not regulated by the provisions of Chapter 11’ (40-59-20(7)). COMMERCIAL exemptions (S.C. Code 40-11-360, ‘This chapter does not apply to’): (2) ’the installation of finished products, materials, or articles of merchandise that are not fabricated into and do not become a permanent fixed part of the structure’ (work requiring licensure must still be installed by a licensed contractor); (5) ‘an owner of residential property who improves the property or who builds or improves structures … if he does the work himself, with his own employees, or with licensed contractors; provided that the structure … [is] intended for the owner’s sole occupancy or occupancy by the owner’s family and [is] not intended for sale or rent’ (sale or rent within two years is prima facie evidence the project was for sale/rent); (6) ‘an owner of nonowner-occupied property who improves the property or who builds or improves structures of less than five thousand square feet … if all structural and mechanical work is performed by licensed contractors if the work to be performed meets the threshold amount in Section 40-11-30 and if the property is not sold for two years’; (7) ‘an owner constructing a farm building or portable storage building with less than five thousand square feet … used only for livestock or storage’; plus (1) fire-sprinkler/alarm entities licensed elsewhere, (3) federal-land work, (4) SCDOT-prequalified work, (8) public owners within Group 3 GC / Group 4 Mechanical limits, (9) SC Dept. of Corrections own-force work, (10) the Public Service Authority’s maintenance, and (11) sign/billboard work (an electrical license is still required for the final branch-circuit connection). RESIDENTIAL exemptions (Chapter 59): 40-59-260 exempts ‘an owner of residential property who improves the property’ for the owner’s sole occupancy and not for sale or rent - but the owner must personally sign the permit application, receive a statutory disclosure statement, and file a notice with the register of deeds stating the structure was owner-built (failure to file ‘revokes the statutory exemption’), and the section ‘does not exempt a person who is employed by the owner and who acts in the capacity of a builder or a specialty contractor of any kind’; 40-59-265 exempts specified minor improvements from both permit and license, including MECHANICAL ‘(a) portable heating appliances; (b) portable ventilation appliances; (c) portable[] cooling units’ and GAS ‘(a) portable heating, cooking or clothes drying appliances’; and 40-59-270 exempts ‘a person licensed under Chapter 11’ and provides that ‘a mechanical contractor is exempt from this chapter relating to residential specialty contractors when engaged in contracting in the classification in which he is licensed.’ Not an exemption from licensure, but a limit on local re-testing: once a residential specialty contractor passes a commission-approved exam, ’no additional examination may be required by a county or municipality’ (40-59-240(C)) - though local business-license ordinances still apply.

Fees

COMMERCIAL (LLR Contractor’s Licensing Board): General and Mechanical Contractor initial license fee $350; biennial license renewal $135 (renewed/postmarked by 10/31; otherwise late totals of $235 in November, $285 in December, $335 in January); reinstatement $350; replacement certificate $10; replacement license $5. On top of the license fee, the qualifying party pays PSI exam fees, and the applicant files a financial statement meeting its license-group net-worth/working-capital requirement. RESIDENTIAL (LLR Residential Builders Commission, Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer ‘RBH’): application fee $135; license fee $220; renewal fee $220; renewal late fee $50; reinstatement fee $480; plus PSI exam fees and, for work over $5,000 for an owner, a $10,000 surety bond. EPA Section 608 certification (federal) carries its own separate cost paid to an approved certifying organization.

Exam

COMMERCIAL (CLB): the entity’s qualifying party must attain ‘a grade of seventy percent or better on a technical examination … for each classification or subclassification of licensure applied for’ (Air Conditioning, Heating, Packaged Equipment, or Refrigeration) AND ‘a grade of seventy percent or better on an examination of South Carolina law regulating general and mechanical contracting’ (S.C. Code 40-11-230). Exams are delivered by PSI; a classification exam may be taken only twice in a twelve-month period and thereafter once every six months, and a qualifying party not certified for four or more consecutive years must retake the technical and/or law exam. RESIDENTIAL (RBC): the SC Residential HVAC exam, administered by PSI, has two portions - ’the Business Management and Law and the Residential HVAC technical portions’ - both to be passed within a one-year eligibility window (three attempts, then a twelve-month wait). The technical portion is waivable for a current SC Mechanical Contractor with the AC or PK classification (active by exam one year or longer), for a current AL/MS/NC licensee (by exam, one year or longer; not grandfathered), or for a holder of a current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification - but the Business Management and Law portion and the one-year experience requirement still apply.

Renewal & continuing education

COMMERCIAL: ‘All licenses may be renewed biennially’ (S.C. Code 40-11-250). ‘Mechanical Contractor Licenses expire 10/31/every odd-numbered year’ (a lapsed license may be renewed within ninety days on payment of renewal and late fees; a license lapsed beyond that requires a fresh application meeting all initial qualifications). RESIDENTIAL: the Residential Builders Commission ‘shall annually renew all licenses upon the applicant’s submission … [of] the completed renewal application, proof of financial responsibility or bond … and payment of all applicable fees’ (S.C. Code 40-59-230(A)); a residential HVAC license lapsed less than three years may be reinstated, and one lapsed more than three years requires re-application and re-examination. COMMERCIAL: Chapter 11 imposes NO continuing-education requirement on general or mechanical contractors (the statute provides only an optional voluntary contribution to construction-education programs, not a CE mandate). RESIDENTIAL: S.C. Code 40-59-230(B) authorizes but does not itself mandate CE - ‘As a condition of license renewal, the commission MAY require by regulation a licensee to satisfactorily complete continuing education’ - and the Commission’s published Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license requirements and renewal materials do not state a continuing-education condition. No CE hour figure is asserted here; confirm any current CE requirement directly with the Residential Builders Commission before renewal.

How to apply

Applications are handled by South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR): Contractor’s Licensing Board (commercial mechanical, over $10,000) and Residential Builders Commission (residential HVAC, over $500). Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Does South Carolina require an HVAC license?

Yes - and which license depends on the job. For COMMERCIAL/larger mechanical work over $10,000, you need a Mechanical Contractor license from the Contractor’s Licensing Board (CLB) in the appropriate subclassification: Air Conditioning, Heating, Packaged Equipment, or Refrigeration (S.C. Code 40-11-30). For RESIDENTIAL HVAC work over $500, you need a Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license from the Residential Builders Commission (RBC) (S.C. Code 40-59-20(7)). Both license the CONTRACTING party - the commercial license is held by the business through a qualifying party, and the residential license is held by the person or firm that contracts to do the work; an employed technician working for a licensed contractor does not need a personal state license.

Which South Carolina HVAC license do I need - commercial or residential?

Use the dollar amount and building type. Residential HVAC work exceeding $500 that is ’not regulated by … Chapter 11’ falls under the RBC’s Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license. Mechanical work whose total cost of construction exceeds $10,000 falls under the CLB’s commercial Mechanical Contractor license. The two do not stack for the same trade: ‘A mechanical contractor is exempt from [the residential-specialty chapter] when engaged in contracting in the classification in which he is licensed’ (40-59-270), so a CLB Mechanical Contractor (AC or PK) can also do residential HVAC without a separate RBC license - and, in fact, holding the CLB AC or PK license waives the technical portion of the residential exam.

What does the commercial Mechanical Contractor license cost, and what are the exams?

The General and Mechanical Contractor initial license fee is $350, with a $135 biennial renewal (Mechanical Contractor licenses expire October 31 of every odd-numbered year) and a $350 reinstatement (LLR CLB fee schedule). Exam fees are paid separately to PSI. The entity qualifies through a primary qualifying party who scores 70% or better on the technical exam for the subclassification (Air Conditioning, Heating, Packaged Equipment, or Refrigeration) and 70% or better on the South Carolina contracting law exam, and who has at least two years of full-time experience in that subclassification within the previous five years. The applicant also files a financial statement matching its license Group, which sets the maximum job size.

What does the residential HVAC license require in South Carolina?

The Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license (RBH) requires a minimum of one year of residential HVAC experience within the past five years (documented by an Experience Affidavit and W-2s/1099s) and passing the PSI exam’s two portions - Business Management and Law plus the Residential HVAC technical portion. Fees are $135 application + $220 license, with a $220 renewal (LLR RBC fee schedule); a $10,000 surety bond is required if a job for an owner exceeds $5,000. The technical portion can be waived if you already hold the SC commercial Mechanical Contractor AC or PK license, hold a current license by examination in Alabama, Mississippi, or North Carolina, or hold a current HARV (Master Mechanical) certification - the Business Management and Law portion and the experience requirement still apply.

Who is exempt from needing an HVAC contractor license in South Carolina?

The clearest exemption is size: commercial mechanical work at or under $10,000 (40-11-30) and residential HVAC work at or under $500 (40-59-20(7)) fall below the licensing thresholds. Beyond that, an owner-occupant who does or contracts work on a home intended for the owner’s sole occupancy and not for sale or rent is exempt (40-11-360(5); 40-59-260, which requires a signed disclosure statement and a filing with the register of deeds). South Carolina also exempts specified minor/portable work - portable heating, ventilation, and cooling appliances, and portable gas heating/cooking/drying appliances (40-59-265). Employed technicians need no personal license because the license is held by the contracting entity or independent contractor, not each worker.

Is EPA 608 the same as a South Carolina HVAC license?

No. EPA Section 608 certification is a FEDERAL credential under the Clean Air Act (40 CFR part 82, subpart F) that a technician needs to handle refrigerants anywhere in the country. It is held by the individual technician and is separate from South Carolina’s commercial Mechanical Contractor license and residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license. The RBC will accept EPA/NATE certifications as supporting evidence of experience, but they do not replace the state license. You may need both.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in South Carolina.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 24, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.