STATE LICENSE
ConditionalSC LLR — Contractor's Licensing Board
2023 Act No. 69 rewrote the Swimming Pools subclassification to cover 'construction, service, and repair of all residential, commercial, and institutional swimming pools and spas' — decks, coping, pumps, filters, chemical feeders, gas and water lines from the point of service, wiring to the first disconnect, and backflow devices (S.C. Code § 40-11-410(4)(k)). It is the one residential trade the Contractor's Licensing Board, not the Residential Builders Commission, regulates.
The trigger is the $10,000 total-cost threshold: below it, routine service and small repairs need no state contractor license; above it, a GC–Swimming Pools license (PSI Swimming Pools exam plus Business Management and Law, $350) or a Residential Builder license is required. Temporary licenses issued to pre-2023 pool builders all expired June 30, 2024.
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.
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 classification expressly covers service and repair. An equipment replacement or renovation over $10,000 total cost is licensed work.
Temporary Swimming Pools licenses issued in 2023 to existing pool businesses all expired June 30, 2024; only permanent licenses remain.
Owners installing prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep on their own residential property need no permit or license (§ 40-59-265(A)(1)(g)).
A practical sequence for a new pool service 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.
Pool work over $10,000 without the required license is a misdemeanor.
An unlicensed entity may not sue at law or in equity to enforce the contract.
The CLB may impose civil penalties and issue cease-and-desist orders to unlicensed contractors.
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: State operator-certification rules for public and semi-public pools (SC Department of Environmental Services) were not researched for this record · Whether adding algaecides to client pools for hire requires a Clemson DPR commercial applicator license (Category 5, Aquatic, covers pesticides applied to standing water) · Whether residential pool work between $5,000 and $10,000 triggers the residential builder threshold in § 40-59-20(6); the CLB states $10,000 as the pool threshold · 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.