How to Get an HVAC License in South Carolina (2026 Guide)

South Carolina licenses HVAC work through two boards inside the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), at two very different dollar thresholds, under four mechanical subclassifications whose scope lines decide what equipment you may legally touch. The residential license belongs to a person. The commercial license belongs to a company, and the company cannot hold it without a certified individual in management.

For the state's broader licensing framework, see South Carolina contractor licensing and the general contractor license guide.

At a glance

• Boards: Residential Builders Commission (RBC) and Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB), inside the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR)
• License trigger: Residential HVAC work over $500; commercial mechanical work over $10,000
• Experience: 1 year within the past 5 years for residential; 2 years within the past 5 years for the commercial PQP
• Exams: PSI, open book
• Initial state fees: $135 application and $220 license for residential; $350 license for commercial

South Carolina HVAC license at a glance

Notes:

• RBC is the Residential Builders Commission; CLB is the Contractor's Licensing Board. Both sit inside LLR.
• The commercial license belongs to the entity, but only through a certified Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) in a management role.
• The commercial scope cap is set by subclassification (AC, HT, PK, RG) and by license group.
• Residential pairs the Residential HVAC exam with Business Management and Law for Residential Builders. Commercial pairs a trade exam with S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors.
• The commercial financial requirement is a financial statement or a surety bond sized to the license group.

The thresholds: $500 residential, $10,000 commercial

Some guides still repeat $200 for residential and $5,000 for commercial. Neither is current.

• Residential HVAC work exceeding $500 requires a license. The RBC says so on its Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer page, and S.C. Code section 40-59-20(7) sets it; 2022 Act No. 186 raised it from $200.
• Commercial mechanical work exceeding $10,000 requires a license. S.C. Code section 40-11-30 sets it, and 2023 Act No. 69 (Bill H4115) raised it from $5,000 to $10,000, effective May 19, 2023. The CLB's own 2023 legislative notice to licensees confirms the new threshold and says the residential thresholds did not change.

On the residential side, a single condenser changeout clears $500.

The two agencies, and the name that confuses people

Residential Builders Commission (RBC) licenses the individual. The credential is the Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer License (RBH), which the statute and the Commission's own application package also call a residential specialty contractor license for heating and air conditioning.

Contractor's Licensing Board (CLB) licenses the business entity. The credential is a Mechanical Contractor license carrying one or more HVAC subclassifications: Air Conditioning (AC), Heating (HT), Packaged Equipment (PK), or Refrigeration (RG). Neither credential substitutes for the other, and the CLB's licensure page is explicit that residential construction, other than residential swimming pools, falls to the RBC instead.

The confusion comes from two kinds of residential specialty credentials. Section 40-59-20(7) says heating and air conditioning installers and repairers, like plumbers and electricians, "must be issued specialty contractor licenses after passing the required examination." Siding, insulation, roofing, floor covering, masonry, drywall, carpentry, stucco, painting and wallpapering, and solar panel installation get Residential Specialty Contractor Registrations, with no exam.

A residential specialty HVAC license is real, and it always requires an exam. Section 40-59-240(A) also caps a specialty contractor at three classifications; more than that requires a residential builder license.

Path one: Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer (RBH)

Scope and experience

The residential license limits the holder to air conditioning and heating equipment of five tons cooling and 175,000 BTU/hr heating per unit within a residence, including package units, ductwork, controls, gas furnaces, heat pumps, water and gas piping from service, and liquid fuel piping and tanks (except those used for liquid propane gas).

You need one year of residential HVAC experience within the past five years, backed by W-2s or 1099s and an Experience Affidavit from each supervisor or employer who was appropriately licensed during the dates of supervision. Experience must be verified and approved before you are made eligible for the exam; you cannot test first and document afterward. The Commission's own application instructions add that experience can come from any state or country, a degree does not replace the year of hands-on work, and applicants without W-2s or 1099s should expect a Commission appearance.

Exams

PSI administers both residential exams, and both are open book.

Eligibility lasts one year, with three attempts within twelve months to pass both portions; after three failures you wait twelve months before retesting. PSI's residential candidate bulletin (updated 10/9/2026) lists a $78 registration fee for the Residential HVAC exam.

Exam waiver

The technical portion can be waived (experience and the Business Management and Law exam still apply) if you:

• Are a currently licensed SC Mechanical Contractor with the AC or PK classification, in good standing, active a year or longer, obtained by examination; or
• Hold a current license by examination, held a year or longer, in Alabama, Mississippi, or North Carolina; grandfathered licensees do not qualify; or
• Hold a current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification issued by examination between September 7, 2013 and December 2025 by MASC, or after January 1, 2026 by Carolinas AGC (CAGC).

A detail that trips people who hold both trades: the HVAC waiver list has three states, while the RBC's residential plumber list has two, Mississippi and North Carolina. Alabama counts for HVAC and not for plumbing.

Fees

An application is good for one year from receipt; PSI exam fees are separate and paid directly to PSI. A returned check fee of up to $30 may apply, and all fees are non-refundable.

The credit report and the conditional bond

The RBC requires a credit report dated no more than 30 days before the application (TransUnion, Equifax or Experian), reviewed for liens and outstanding judgments under section 40-59-250. It also requires a $10,000 surety bond in the individual's own name, not a company name, on file before performing or offering work exceeding $5,000 total cost of construction (labor and materials combined) on a project. Handwritten and DocuSign-signed bonds are not accepted. A flat, unconditional "$10,000 bond requirement" overstates it; the trigger is project size, and you are not required to submit the bond with the application itself, only before you cross the threshold.

To list a company on your license you must own at least 51 percent of it, and provide a Certificate of Existence or Authority from the SC Secretary of State plus proof of ownership. Otherwise the company needs a Certificate of Authorization (COA) with a resident licensee in responsible charge who spends most of each normal workday at that office.

Renewal and lapse rules

Residential HVAC licenses renew June 30 of every odd-numbered year (2025, 2027, 2029). A license lapsed less than three years can be reinstated. Lapsed more than three years, and you apply as a new applicant, which means retesting.

Section 40-59-230(A) draws the same three-year line for a license held in inactive status, and the Commission mails a courtesy renewal notice each spring. The three-year cliff is a costly detail to miss on the residential side.

Path two: Mechanical Contractor and its subclassification scopes

The subclassification you hold decides what equipment you may install. Section 40-11-410(5) defines each one, and the CLB amended several of these definitions in 2023.

Notes:

• AC is the broadest comfort classification because its definition specifically includes PK and RG work.
• PK is capped at 25 tons cooling and 500,000 BTU/hr heating per unit.
• HT licensees can also take Boiler Installation work, per CLB board meeting minutes; the 2023 update folded boilers directly into the Heating definition.
• RG also covers testing and balancing for its systems.
• Watch the abbreviation: on CLB licenses, RF means Roofing, not Refrigeration.

Two practical consequences follow. A contractor holding only PK cannot lawfully take a 40-ton rooftop unit; that is AC work. A contractor holding only AC cannot take a steam or hot water boiler job; that is Heating. The same logic answers the "chiller license" search: there is no chiller license, so comfort cooling above the PK cap points to AC, and process refrigeration points to RG.

The electrical crossover. The Electrical (EL) definition lets an electrical contractor install window or through-the-wall air conditioning units not to exceed three horsepower or three tons, where no piping is necessary. Above that, or with refrigerant piping, it is mechanical work.

Commercial exams

Each qualifying party passes a PSI trade exam (or qualifies by waiver) plus the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam, with 70 percent as the passing grade under section 40-11-230(A). All are open book.

A trade exam may be taken twice in twelve months, then once every six months; the Business Management and Law exam for commercial contractors may be taken on an unlimited basis over a 12-month period. No board pre-approval is needed; PSI schedules directly at (855) 340-3701.

What the entity must submit

Under section 40-11-240 the entity must be a properly registered business form and must have a certified qualifying party in a responsible management position. Then:

• Doc 165 application and the $350 license fee
• Secretary of State verification that the entity may do business in South Carolina (not required for sole proprietorships)
• A financial statement or surety bond establishing the license group
• Doc 168 (initial, or inactive more than four years) or Doc 181 (transfer) for each qualifying party, who must pass the required exams before the application is submitted
• PSI pass sheets for the technical exam and the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam

A change of entity name, organizational status or federal employer ID must be reported through a new Doc 165 application if the change happened more than 15 days in the past; more routine address or group-limit changes use the Doc 180 revision form instead.

Mechanical contractor license groups

Meet either net worth or working capital. Under section 40-11-262, a surety bond used in place of a financial statement is now equal to the required net worth; 2023 Act No. 69 changed it from two times the net worth, so guides still doubling those figures are out of date. The CLB does not accept a bond payable to the RBC. On an initial application, Groups 1 and 2 may use the owner-prepared statement (Doc 172) or a bond, Groups 3 and 4 need a CPA-compiled statement under GAAP or a bond, and Group 5 needs a CPA-audited statement under GAAP or a bond, dated within twelve months; Group 5 renewals step down to a CPA-reviewed statement.

Mechanical Group 1 tops out at $35,000, well below the general contractor Group 1 ceiling of $100,000 on the same CLB schedule. An HVAC business selling $60,000 changeout packages needs mechanical Group 2 at minimum, and bidding above your group is a disciplinary ground under section 40-11-110(A)(21).

Renewal, and the date people mix up

Mechanical renewal is biennial, and the CLB says the 2027 to 2029 cycle opens in August 2027; the current general contractor cycle runs 2026 to 2028, with the 2026 renewal due by October 31, 2026. Under section 40-11-250(B), a lapsed license may be renewed within 90 days of expiration with late fees, retroactive to the expiration date; past that, the entity applies as a new applicant (the CLB lists a $350 reinstatement fee). June 30 is right for the residential license and wrong for the commercial one.

Step by step: how to get an HVAC license in South Carolina

Residential (RBC):

1. Confirm the work is residential, within 5 tons and 175,000 BTU/hr per unit, and over $500.
2. Document one year of experience from the past five years, with W-2s or 1099s and supervisor affidavits.
3. Pull a full credit report no more than 30 days old, apply online, and pay the $135 fee.
4. After approval, pass the PSI Residential HVAC and business law exams.
5. Send the results and the $220 license fee, and file the $10,000 bond before any project over $5,000.
6. Renew by June 30 of each odd-numbered year.

Commercial (CLB):

1. Pick the subclassifications (AC, HT, PK, RG) and the group your largest job needs.
2. The Primary Qualifying Party passes the PSI trade and commercial business law exams, or qualifies by waiver, and documents two years of experience from the past five.
3. Register the entity with the Secretary of State and prepare the financial statement or bond.
4. File Doc 165 with the $350 fee, qualifying party documents and pass sheets.
5. Put the license number on trucks, invoices and proposals; renew by October 31 of odd-numbered years.

Reciprocity for commercial HVAC

The CLB's Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (as of May 2026) accept HVAC-related exams from Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, among others, each mapped to a specific South Carolina classification; Utah's mechanical mappings only apply to exams passed before May 2017. Pennsylvania (Reading) is on the same waiver list, but its exam maps to the Electrical classification, not HVAC. Georgia is listed for electrical and conditioned air, but no longer accepts South Carolina waiver applicants. You still must pass the South Carolina business and law exam, and a license obtained by waiver or grandfathering does not qualify as the basis for a further waiver.

Two HVAC-only rules in South Carolina statute

These apply to mechanical contractors licensed in Air Conditioning, Heating, or Packaged Equipment.

Display the license. Section 40-11-270(B) requires the license to be displayed conspicuously at the principal place of business.

Mark the trucks, and the paperwork. Section 40-11-270(C) requires that all commercial vehicles used exclusively in daily operations prominently display the mechanical contractor license number, and that each invoice and proposal form also contain the license number.

Section 40-11-370(B) also requires you to work under the exact name on the license (including marketing, site signs and contracts, though vehicle advertising may use an abbreviated name if it is not misleading), and section 40-11-270(E) lets a licensee use unlicensed subcontractors only under its own supervision and full responsibility.

Federal layer: EPA Section 608

Federal law requires technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants to hold EPA Section 608 certification under 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F. LLR does not issue it and it satisfies no state requirement, but you need it, and the state license does not substitute for it. See EPA 608 certification versus an HVAC license.

The 2026 change: trade certification moved from MASC to Carolinas AGC

The Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) managed the SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program, including the HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification, since 1965. As of January 1, 2026, Carolinas AGC (CAGC) took over full management, including issuing new certifications and processing renewals; MASC cards stay valid until their printed expiration.

LLR accepts a HARV Certification issued by examination between September 7, 2013 and December 2025 by MASC, or after January 1, 2026 by CAGC, and the CLB maps it to the Air Conditioning and Heating classifications. Holders who need a verification letter now contact CAGC, not MASC.

Local requirements, and permits, still apply

The CLB states that cities and counties may add their own licensing and permitting, each with its own rules and fees, on top of the state license. A mechanical permit for a new install, a condenser or air handler swap, or duct work generally comes from the local building department, not LLR, so confirm whether a job site is inside city limits or in unincorporated county, then call that jurisdiction's Business License or Building Permit office before starting work. Under section 40-59-240(C), a local government may license residential specialty contractors but may not require another exam once you have passed the Commission's. See state versus local contractor licensing.

Penalties for unlicensed HVAC work

Administrative: section 40-11-100 allows citations against anyone, including unlicensed contractors, up to $500 for a first violation of a provision, up to $1,000 for a second of the same or substantially similar provision within five years, capped at $2,500 per day against any one entity or individual.

Criminal: section 40-11-200 makes practicing in violation of the chapter, or knowingly submitting false information to obtain a license, a misdemeanor carrying up to one year imprisonment or a fine of up to $5,000.

Board civil penalty: section 40-11-110(C) permits up to $5,000 per violation.

Payment bar: section 40-11-370(C) provides that an unlicensed entity "may not bring an action either at law or in equity to enforce the provisions of a contract", and the same bar applies to an entity that contracted under a name other than the exact name on its license.

Residential: section 40-59-30 makes unlicensed residential specialty contracting a misdemeanor with a fine of $500 to $10,000 or at least 30 days in jail, or both, and bars a mechanics' lien or suit on the contract.

Section 40-11-110(A)(9) also makes it grounds for discipline to aid or abet an unlicensed entity in evading the chapter, to combine or conspire with one, or to act as its agent, partner, or associate.

The qualifier angle: the credential the business actually needs

An HVAC business does not get a commercial mechanical license by being competent. It gets one by having a certified qualifying party in a responsible management position; section 40-11-240(A)(2) states it as a flat condition of licensure.

Under section 40-11-230(B), that Primary Qualifying Party must hold a valid certificate, prove full-time employment for at least two years within the previous five in the classification, and serve in a management capacity, actively involved in management, supervision, and operations. The PQP must be "an integral party of the applicant's business" and may not take "other employment that would conflict with the duties as primary qualifying party or diminish the ability to adequately supervise work performed by the licensee."

When that person leaves: 15 days to notify LLR in writing, 90 days of continued good standing, then suspension if no replacement is designated. One person may qualify two companies only under section 40-11-230(C): same physical location, daily involvement and livelihood from both, and ownership in both with at least 50 percent of one. Details are in South Carolina's primary qualifying party rules. On the residential side, a firm needing a Certificate of Authorization must have a resident licensee in responsible charge who is an officer, principal owner, or employee working from that office most of each workday.

Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, the founders of The Licensing Company, built the firm around exactly this rule. If your company has the crews and the customers but not the certified individual, the lawful answer is a qualified person inside your business as a full-time W-2 employee in management who actually supervises the work. That is what a qualifying agent does; start at hire a qualifying agent, or see our contractor qualifier services if you need help finding and vetting that person.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get an HVAC license in SC?

For residential work over $500, apply to the RBC with one year of experience, pass the two PSI residential exams, and pay the $220 license fee. For commercial work over $10,000, a qualifying party passes the PSI trade and business law exams and the company files Doc 165 with the CLB.

How much does an HVAC license cost in South Carolina?

Residential: $135 application plus $220 license fee, PSI fees ($78 for the Residential HVAC exam), a credit report, and a premium on the $10,000 bond if you take projects over $5,000. Commercial: $350 license fee, PSI fees, Secretary of State filings, and a financial statement or bond sized to your group.

Does South Carolina require an HVAC license for residential work?

Yes, above $500, through the RBC's Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license.

Do you need a license to be an HVAC technician?

Neither Chapter 59 nor Chapter 11 creates a separate state license for an HVAC technician. Section 40-59-20(7) defines a residential specialty contractor as an independent contractor, so the RBC license attaches to the person contracting for residential work over $500, and each person doing the work must hold their own license rather than sharing one. The CAGC SC Trade Certification card is a different credential and is not a license. Anyone handling refrigerant needs EPA 608.

Can a general contractor do HVAC work?

A CLB general contractor license does not include the mechanical subclassifications; mechanical work needs its own license or a properly classified contractor. A residential builder licensed by exam may perform residential HVAC work without a separate specialty license (section 40-59-20(7)).

Do I need a mechanical license to run an HVAC LLC in SC?

For commercial work over $10,000, yes; the LLC holds the Mechanical Contractor license through a certified PQP. For residential work the license is personal, and the LLC needs a Certificate of Authorization unless the licensee owns at least 51 percent and is its sole resident licensee.

What is the difference between Air Conditioning and Packaged Equipment?

Packaged Equipment is capped at 25 tons cooling and 500,000 BTU/hr heating per unit; Air Conditioning has no such cap and includes PK and Refrigeration work. Neither covers hot water or steam heating; that is Heating.

Do I need both a residential and a commercial license?

Only if you do both kinds of work above both thresholds. A Mechanical Contractor license with AC or PK, obtained by exam and active in good standing a year or longer, does waive the technical portion of the residential exam.

Is there continuing education?

Section 40-59-230(B) lets the Commission require it by regulation, but its current regulations set none for residential HVAC licensees. On the commercial side, Chapter 11 sets no continuing education, and the CLB's renewal requirements are a financial statement or bond and a qualifying party in management.

Can my company hold a commercial license if I am not the certified individual?

Yes. The license belongs to the entity, and the certified individual serves as its Primary Qualifying Party, employed full time, in management, and supervising the work. If you need that person, see hire a qualifying agent.

What should I ask an HVAC contractor before hiring them in Aiken or elsewhere in SC?

Ask for the license number and check it on LLR's licensee lookup: RBC for residential work over $500, CLB with the right subclassification and group for commercial work over $10,000. Look for the number on the truck and the proposal, and on a residential job over $5,000 ask whether the $10,000 bond is on file.

Bottom line

Entry requirements are light: one year of experience for residential, two for the commercial qualifying party. The structure is not: a 5-ton residential cap, four mechanical subclassifications, a 25-ton and 500,000 BTU cap on Packaged Equipment, license numbers on work trucks, invoices and proposals, two renewal dates, a certification provider change on January 1, 2026, and a commercial license that cannot exist without a qualified individual in management.

Related guides: South Carolina contractor licensing, South Carolina plumbing license, South Carolina electrician license, South Carolina general contractor license, the HVAC contractor license overview, the contractor license guide, and all state guides.

Talk to us about your South Carolina HVAC license

If you are weighing which subclassification and group your jobs need, or your company needs a certified Primary Qualifying Party in management, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 or start at hire a qualifying agent.

Verified against the statute, regulations, boards and PSI bulletins on October 16, 2026. Fees can change. This guide is not legal advice.

Sources

• SC LLR RBC, Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer License (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• RBC Residential HVAC application requirements and instructions (Rev. 01/2026) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• RBC Residential HVAC FAQ (retrieved 2026-10-16; fee figures in this document are superseded by the live RBC fee page and the Rev. 01/2026 application package, used instead)
• RBC Certificate of Authorization (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• RBC Residential Plumber license page (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 59, SC Statehouse (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• S.C. Code of Regulations, Chapter 106 (Reg. 106-1(c), 106-2), SC Statehouse (retrieved 2026-10-16; confirms the 5-ton/175,000-BTU-per-unit scope cap and the licensure-by-exam rule word for word)
• SC LLR CLB, Licensure with the Board (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CLB General Information (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CLB Fees (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CLB Renew My License (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CLB Classification Abbreviations and Group Dollar Limitations (Rev. 01/2025) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CLB Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (rev. 5/2026) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• CLB 2023 Legislative Update (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 11, SC Statehouse (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• PSI bulletin, SC Residential Builders Commission (updated 10/9/2026) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• PSI bulletin, SC Contractor's Licensing Board (updated 8/27/2026) (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• MASC Trades Certification (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• Carolinas AGC SC Trades Certification Program (retrieved 2026-10-16)
• US EPA, Section 608 Technician Certification (retrieved 2026-10-16)