Contractor licensing · SC

Contractor licensing in South Carolina

The agencies that license the work, set the workers compensation trigger and register the business, with a link to each one.

Checked 2026-07-28

An Arkansas contractor taking work in South Carolina deals with the same four questions everywhere: who licenses the trade, when a licence is actually required, when workers compensation kicks in, and where the business registers. Below is South Carolina's answer to each, with the agency's own link.

Licensing

SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: Contractor's Licensing Board and Residential Builders Commission

Contractor's Licensing Board: general and mechanical license required when commercial job cost exceeds $10,000 (raised from $5,000 by 2023 Act 69). Residential Builders Commission: builder license over $5,000; residential specialty registration over $500.

https://llr.sc.gov/clb/

Workers compensation

South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission

Coverage required with four or more regular employees; exempt if fewer than four employees or prior-year payroll under $3,000 (SC Code 42-1-360).

https://wcc.sc.gov/

Business registration

South Carolina Secretary of State

https://businessfilings.sc.gov/

Tax registration

South Carolina Department of Revenue

https://dor.sc.gov/tax/registration

New hire reporting

Most states require newly hired employees to be reported within a short window of their start date.

https://newhire.sc.gov/

Still to confirm. newhire.sc.gov content is script-rendered; site confirmed official via SC DSS employer resources page.
These are pointers to each state's own agencies, checked on the date shown, not legal advice and not a substitute for asking the board directly. Rules change and thresholds move. The agency link is always the authority.

Rhode Island · All fifty states · South Dakota

Starting or running the business itself is covered in the contractor business guide. Arkansas licence records for Benton and Washington counties are in the contractor directory.

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