STATE LICENSE
RequiredSC LLR — Residential Builders Commission …
On houses, roofers are residential specialty contractors: anyone contracting with a builder, general contractor, or property owner for specialty work over $500 must be registered with the Residential Builders Commission (S.C. Code §§ 40-59-20(7), 40-59-220(A)). Registration needs no exam — one year of residential experience in the past five years per classification, a credit report, and a $100 fee — but each registration covers at most three trades.
The bond trigger is separate: when a single job for an individual property owner exceeds $5,000 in labor and materials, the registrant must have a $5,000 surety bond on file (§ 40-59-240(D)). On commercial, industrial, and institutional roofs over $10,000, the Contractor's Licensing Board's Roofing subclassification applies, with a PSI technical exam and a group bid limit.
Storm season has its own rule: after a governor-declared emergency, LLR may issue emergency registrations to out-of-state specialty contractors — limited to $35,000 per project, the declared area, and the emergency's duration (Reg. 106-5).
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.
Registration has no exam; the Commission reviews a full credit report and outstanding judgments for a reputation for paying labor and material bills (§ 40-59-250).
A registration covers at most three classifications, changeable only at renewal. More than three requires a residential builder license (§ 40-59-240(A)).
Roof-mounting solar panels on homes is limited to residential builders, registered roofers, or CLB Roofing/General Roofing licensees; wiring belongs to licensed electricians.
A practical sequence for a new roofing 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.
Engaging in residential specialty contracting without registration is a misdemeanor.
An unregistered contractor may not file a mechanics' lien or sue to enforce a residential contract entered in violation of the chapter.
The Commission may fine registrants for misconduct, including a pattern of failing to pay labor or material bills.
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: RBC specialty registration renewal fee amount (not published on the pages reviewed) · Whether any South Carolina jurisdiction exempts re-roofing from permits — permit triggers are set by local code · 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.