Maine to South Carolina: general contractor license reciprocity

1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). South Carolina Limited Building or Unlimited Building technical examination through PSI, registered at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon. It is required unless the qualifying party brings the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors or an accepted examination from a jurisdiction on the Technical Exam Waiver Agreements list. The limited building contractor examination or the unlimited general contractor examination qualifies a Group 1, 2 or 3 license and the unlimited examination is required for Groups 4 and 5; structures built under a limited building examination are restricted to three stories in height..
2. 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination, administered by PSI. Every individual must pass it before the Board will certify them as a qualifying party, no matter which route they use to satisfy the technical examination. Register at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon. S.C. Code Section 40-11-230 requires a grade of 70 percent or better, and an individual may sit a given examination only twice in a twelve-month period and once every six months after that..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fees are paid directly to PSI when the examination is scheduled. The Board does not publish the amounts; the current fees are in PSI’s South Carolina candidate information bulletin at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon, or call PSI at (855) 746-8173..
4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Non-refundable $350 licensure fee, paid by check or money order to SCCLB with the General and Mechanical Contractor Application for Licensure (Doc. 165). No cash is accepted and a returned-check fee of up to $30 may be charged. General Contractor licenses expire on October 31 in even-numbered years..
5. 5Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility of at least $10,000. Financial statement for the entity that will hold the license, sized by the license group it wants, with a balance sheet dated no more than twelve months before the application. For General Contractors the groups are: Group 1, bids and jobs up to $100,000, working capital $10,000 or net worth $20,000; Group 2, up to $400,000, $40,000 or $60,000; Group 3, up to $1,000,000, $100,000 or $150,000; Group 4, up to $3,000,000, $175,000 or $250,000; Group 5, unlimited, $250,000 or $350,000. Only one of working capital or net worth has to be met. Groups 1 and 2 may file the owner-prepared statement with an affidavit of accuracy (Doc. 172); Groups 3 and 4 need a statement compiled by a licensed CPA in accordance with GAAP; Group 5 needs an audited balance sheet from a licensed CPA. The figure shown is the Group 1 working capital minimum (S.C. Code Section 40-11-260)..
6. 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($20,000) (if applicable). Optional alternative to the financial statement under S.C. Code Section 40-11-262: a surety bond in the same amount as the net worth required for the license group, so $20,000 for Group 1, $60,000 for Group 2, $150,000 for Group 3, $250,000 for Group 4 and $350,000 for Group 5. The surety must be authorized to transact surety business in South Carolina, the bond is continuous, lists the State of South Carolina as obligee, and stays in force until the licensee files a financial statement meeting its group. The original must carry the surety’s signature, the principal’s signature, a visible surety company seal and the attached power of attorney; DocuSign is not accepted, and a bond payable to the Residential Builders Commission is not accepted by this Board. The figure shown is the Group 1 bond..
7. 7Business license. Obtain a business license. The license is issued to the business, so the entity must be able to conduct business in South Carolina. Attach a Certificate of Existence (or Good Standing) from the SC Secretary of State if the company was incorporated in South Carolina, or a Certificate of Authority if it was incorporated in another state, together with the articles of incorporation or organization and documentation of each owner’s percentage. This is not required for a sole proprietorship..
8. 8Other. Primary Qualifying Party / Qualifying Party Initial Application (Doc. 168) for each qualifying party who is not already certified or has been inactive more than four years, with a copy of a driver’s license, state-issued ID, passport or military ID, a copy of the Social Security card, a notarized Verification of Lawful Presence form, the PQP/QP Company Acknowledgement Affidavit (Doc. 190), examination score sheets, and official license verifications from every other state where you are or have been licensed..

Published fees on this path total $350, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.