LicensebyState

Moving to South Carolina as a home inspector: every state's rule

South Carolina has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

South Carolina home inspector · “Residential Home Inspector”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)

South Carolina licenses home inspectors statewide, and the regulator is the same board that licenses residential builders and residential specialty contractors: the Residential Builders Commission at the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Article 5 of Title 40, Chapter 59 makes the license necessary before anyone transacts home inspection business or holds out as a home inspector, and it applies to residences of no more than three floors and sixteen units. The license is personal. The Commission will not issue one to a partnership, corporation, firm or group, although a licensed inspector may inspect for a company or contract through one, and a firm in which the licensee owns less than 51 percent needs its own certificate of authorization. There is one tier and no apprentice, associate or trainee grade beneath it, so an experienced inspector arriving from another state applies for the full license directly. Code enforcement officials, licensed architects, engineers, general contractors and residential builders, and CL100 wood infestation inspectors are exempt within their own scope, but the article's conduct rules still bind them when they inspect. South Carolina requires no insurance, no surety bond and no continuing education of a licensed home inspector, which sets it apart from the builder side of the same Commission.

Every origin state

Endorsement 36No credit 14
Every state's path into South Carolina
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-17
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-17
ArizonaEndorsement2026-09-17
ArkansasEndorsement2026-09-17
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
ColoradoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-17
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-17
District of ColumbiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
FloridaEndorsement2026-09-17
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
HawaiiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
IdahoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
IllinoisEndorsement2026-09-17
IndianaEndorsement2026-09-17
IowaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-17
LouisianaEndorsement2026-09-17
MaineNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-17
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-17
MichiganNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MinnesotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MississippiEndorsement2026-09-17
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-17
NebraskaEndorsement2026-09-17
NevadaEndorsement2026-09-17
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-17
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-17
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-17
New YorkEndorsement2026-09-17
North CarolinaEndorsement2026-09-17
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-17
OhioEndorsement2026-09-17
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-17
OregonEndorsement2026-09-17
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-17
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-17
TennesseeEndorsement2026-09-17
TexasEndorsement2026-09-17
UtahEndorsement2026-09-17
VermontEndorsement2026-09-17
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-17
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-17
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-17
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-17
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17

Getting licensed in South Carolina from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how South Carolina issues a home inspector license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Licensure by SC Technical Exam

South Carolina licenses a new home inspector who has either a year of supervised home inspection experience or a Commission-approved home inspection course of at least 120 hours, and who then passes a two-part examination given by PSI. You apply to the Residential Builders Commission first; once it approves your experience or course, it issues an Examination Eligibility Letter and you schedule with PSI. The two parts are the South Carolina Home Inspector technical examination and the Business Management and Law for Home Inspectors examination, both open book. A National Home Inspector Examination pass from the last three years can replace the technical part, but the Business Management and Law part is required on every route. There is no apprentice or associate tier, and the state requires no insurance, bond or continuing education.

The technical examination has 100 questions, needs 70 correct and allows 150 minutes; you may bring the ASHI Standard of Practice for Home Inspections, Regulations Chapter 106 and Title 40, Chapter 59 of the South Carolina Code. The Business Management and Law examination has 50 questions, needs 34 correct (68 percent) and allows 120 minutes, with the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management for South Carolina Residential Builders as the permitted reference. Your examination eligibility lasts one year and allows three attempts within twelve months; after a third failure you wait twelve months from that date before testing again. The application itself stays open for one year from receipt. The Commission charges no separate license issuance fee, and it does not publish a processing time. A company can be named on your license only if you own at least 51 percent of it; otherwise the company needs its own certificate of authorization. Questions go to the Commission at (803) 896-4696 or [email protected].

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
None required

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 1 year of qualifying work experience.At least one year of experience as a home inspector under the direction and direct supervision of a licensed home inspector, residential builder, general contractor, engineer or architect. Each supervisor or employer completes a notarized Home Inspector Experience Affidavit, and you attach copies of your W-2s or 1099s from them. The supervisor must have been licensed during the whole period they attest to.
  • Verification of lawful presence in the United States on the Department's notarized affidavit, as S.C. Code section 8-29-10 requires before any professional license is issued.The Department states that DACA status recipients are not eligible to receive a professional license in South Carolina.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Commission-approved home inspection course of at least 120 hours

Instead of a year of supervised experience, you may qualify for the examination by completing a single Commission-approved home inspection course of at least 120 hours. Several shorter courses that add up to 120 hours are not accepted. The completion certificate is valid for three years and must match your legal name. The Commission lists approved course providers on its home inspector page.

  • Complete at least 120 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • Verification of lawful presence in the United States on the Department's notarized affidavit, as S.C. Code section 8-29-10 requires before any professional license is issued.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The South Carolina Home Inspector technical examination, 100 multiple-choice questions, open book, passed with 70 correct answers, delivered by PSI. In place of it you may use the National Home Inspector Examination: if you passed it within the last three years, apply on the Commission's NHIE track and send your passing score report with the application, and you then sit only the Business Management and Law paper..
  2. 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. The Business Management and Law for Home Inspectors examination, 50 multiple-choice questions, open book, passed with 34 correct answers (68 percent), delivered by PSI. Every applicant must pass it, including those who hold a National Home Inspector Examination pass..
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($94). PSI fee for both portions, paid directly to PSI when you register and again for each retake. It is not refundable or transferable and is valid for one year. A candidate sitting only the Business Management and Law portion pays $78. A National Home Inspector Examination taken separately has its own fee, paid to its test vendor..
  4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($80). Application fee for the Residential Home Inspector license, paid at the end of the online application or by check or money order payable to the SC Residential Builders Commission. It is not refundable, and there is no separate license issuance fee..
  5. 5Background check. Complete a background check. The application asks personal history questions about criminal convictions, discipline, license denials and similar matters instead of requiring fingerprints from everyone. A yes answer needs an Explanatory Statement form with supporting documents, and for criminal matters a background report from the State Law Enforcement Division or your own state's equivalent. The Commission does not publish a fee for this; the reporting agency sets its own charge..

Published fees on this path total $174, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with no continuing education required and a $160 renewal fee.

South Carolina requires no continuing education for home inspectors. Neither the statute, the Commission's regulations nor the renewal application asks for any.

Home inspector licenses renew every two years on the same cycle as residential builder licenses, with the renewal deadline on June 30. Renewing within a year after the deadline costs the $160 renewal fee plus a $90 late fee. After that the license must be reinstated for $360, and a license lapsed or inactive for more than three years requires a new application and the examination again. No insurance certificate or bond is needed at renewal.

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Trade exam
  • Law / code exam
  • Exam fee · $94

Sources for this section

  1. National Home Inspector Examination - Exam Overview Packet · Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  2. S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 59, Article 5 - Licensing of Home Inspectors · S.C. Code 40-59-500 through 40-59-620 · South Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Examinations - South Carolina Residential Builders Commission · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Home Inspector License Application Requirements and Instructions - SC Residential Builders Commission · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  5. 2026-2028 Home Inspectors Biennial Renewal Application - SC Residential Builders Commission · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Home Inspector License - South Carolina Residential Builders Commission · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Licensure and Fees - South Carolina Residential Builders Commission · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Renew My License - South Carolina Residential Builders Commission · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  9. Home Inspector Examination Candidate Information Bulletin - South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (PSI) · PSI Services LLC for the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  10. S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 106 - South Carolina Residential Builders Commission · S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 106-4 · South Carolina General Assembly / SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026

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