STATE LICENSE
RequiredSC LLR — Residential Builders Commission …
Residential heating and air conditioning installers and repairers are a licensed (not merely registered) specialty: they must pass a PSI technical exam and the Business Management and Law exam (S.C. Code § 40-59-20(7); Reg. 106-2). The residential license is capped by equipment size — five tons of cooling and 175,000 BTU/hr of heating per unit (Reg. 106-1(c)).
Commercial HVAC is mechanical contracting under the Contractor's Licensing Board: Air Conditioning, Heating, Packaged Equipment (to 25 tons and 500,000 BTU/hr per unit) and Refrigeration subclassifications, each with a mechanical group cap starting at $35,000 per job. HVAC mechanical licensees must display the license at their place of business, print the license number on every commercial vehicle, and put it on every invoice and proposal (§ 40-11-270(B)–(C)).
Since January 1, 2026, Carolinas AGC — not the Municipal Association — runs the SC Mechanical Trades Certification program whose Master HARV certificate can substitute for the CLB technical exam.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
South Carolina turns every permit desk into a licensing checkpoint: a city or county building official must refuse a permit unless the applicant shows the required state license or an exemption, and must report suspected violators to LLR (S.C. Code § 40-11-350 for Contractor's Licensing Board work; § 40-59-280 for residential work). Local business licenses are a separate tax layer standardized by § 6-1-400: the license year runs May 1 – April 30, and a license issued on a construction contract may instead expire when the project is completed. Whether the job sits inside the City of Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, or Myrtle Beach — or in unincorporated Charleston, Richland, Greenville, or Horry County — the state credential is the same; what changes is which desk issues the permit and which jurisdiction collects the business license tax. For residential specialty trades, § 40-59-240(C) adds a twist: counties and municipalities may require their own examination and license, but may not re-examine a contractor who already passed a Commission-approved exam in that trade.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every South Carolina county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
The residential HVAC license stops at 5 tons cooling and 175,000 BTU/hr heating per unit; bigger equipment is CLB mechanical work.
A SC Mechanical Contractor with an HVAC classification, or a holder of the MASC Master Heating and Air license by exam, can get the residential license without the residential technical exam — but must still pass Business Management and Law.
Residential HVAC licenses renew June 30 of odd years; CLB mechanical licenses expire October 31 of odd years.
A practical sequence for a new HVAC contractor in South Carolina. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Residential specialty contracting without the required license is a misdemeanor.
Commercial mechanical work over $10,000 without a CLB license is a misdemeanor.
Unlicensed contractors cannot enforce the contract; residential contractors also lose mechanics' lien rights.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Residential HVAC exam-waiver states: the RBC HVAC FAQ names Alabama in one answer and Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi in another · Residential HVAC fees ($100 + $160) differ from the electrical and plumbing FAQs ($135 + $220); figures are as published in the HVAC FAQ · PSI exam fees (paid to PSI) · Jurisdiction-specific business license rates and any local trade-license overlays in Charleston, Columbia/Richland County, Greenville, and Horry County/Myrtle Beach were not researched for this record — see the local office records
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.