North Carolina to South Carolina: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
South Carolina has a reciprocity agreement with North Carolina: a North Carolina master HVAC technician can get a South Carolina license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Technical-exam waiver for North Carolina Heating Group 1, 2 and 3 licensees
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board's Technical Exam Waiver Agreement List (revised May 2026) accepts three North Carolina heating contractor exams, each for one South Carolina classification: Heating Group 1, Class 1 (H-1, hydronic heating) for Heating (HT), Heating Group 2 (H-2, forced-air heating and air conditioning) for Air Conditioning (AC), and Heating Group 3, Class 1 (H-3) for Packaged Equipment (PK). A North Carolina licensee who passed the matching exam and holds a current license in good standing (not grandfathered or waived in) has that South Carolina technical exam waived but must still pass the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam through PSI, have the North Carolina board complete the SC Examination Waiver form, document 2 years of experience within the past 5, and file the Qualifying Party application; the business then pays the $350 licensure fee and files its financial statement or bond. A classification not matched to the North Carolina license held, such as Refrigeration, still needs the South Carolina technical exam.
For residential-only work, the Residential Builders Commission separately waives the technical portion of its Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer exam for a North Carolina license obtained by examination and held for one year or longer (grandfathered licenses excluded). That route needs one year of residential HVAC experience within the past five, the residential Business Management and Law exam, a $135 application fee, a $220 license fee, a credit report dated within 30 days and a $10,000 surety bond before doing work over $5,000, and covers residential work only.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your North Carolina license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your North Carolina license must be active and in good standing.
- At least 2 years of full-time HVAC work experience within the past 5 years
What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina
- 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI).
- 2Other. SC Examination Waiver form completed by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee.
- 4Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility. Financial statement or surety bond for the license group applied for.
- 5Other. Hold EPA Section 608 technician certification to handle refrigerant; federal law requires it, but it is not a condition of this state license (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $350, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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.
- Law / code exam
- Other · if applicable
How South Carolina licenses master HVAC technicians
South Carolina master HVAC technician · “Mechanical Contractor, Air Conditioning (AC) / Heating (HT) / Refrigeration (RG) classification - Qualifying Party certification”
Statewide license
South Carolina has no 'master HVAC' license. The highest person-held HVAC credential is the Contractor's Licensing Board's Qualifying Party certification in the Air Conditioning (AC), Heating (HT), Refrigeration (RG) or Packaged Equipment (PK, up to 25 tons and 500,000 BTU per unit) classification of the Mechanical Contractor license: the individual passes the South Carolina technical exam for each classification through PSI and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, documents two years of experience within the past five (or a PHCC Academy of North Carolina heating and air-conditioning apprenticeship), and is certified as the qualifying party for a licensed entity (which may be a sole proprietorship); the certification stays with the person, who 'is not a licensed contractor' alone. The license itself is issued to the business, with a $350 licensure fee and a financial statement or surety bond sized by license group (Mechanical Group 2, jobs to $100,000: working capital $10,000 or net worth $15,000, or a $15,000 bond). A residential-only alternative is the Residential Builders Commission's Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license ($135 application, $220 license), issued to the individual after one year of residential HVAC experience and the residential technical plus Business Management and Law exams. South Carolina has technical-exam waiver agreements, listed in the Board's Technical Exam Waiver Agreement List (revised May 2026), covering HVAC classifications for Alabama (Heating and Air Conditioning, Refrigeration), Georgia (Unrestricted Conditioned Air), Louisiana (Statewide Mechanical), North Carolina (Heating Groups 1, 2 and 3), Ohio (HVAC, packaged equipment only), Tennessee (CMC and CMC-C), Texas (Class A and Class B air conditioning and refrigeration) and Utah (HVAC, warm air heating, refrigerated air conditioning and refrigeration exams passed before May 2017), plus the MASC/CAGC HARV Master Mechanical card. Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina licenses obtained by exam and held for a year also waive the technical exam for the residential license. Every waiver applicant must still pass the South Carolina Business Management & Law exam. Licensees from other states take the South Carolina technical exam. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the South Carolina master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in North Carolina?
- The trade exam is waived, but South Carolina requires a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a South Carolina master HVAC technician license from North Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my North Carolina work hours count in South Carolina?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from South Carolina to North Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Carolina to North Carolina, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements · 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F (Clean Air Act §608) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Other · verified September 15, 2026
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. Sections 40-11-30, 40-11-230, 40-11-260, 40-11-262, 40-11-290, 40-11-410 · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application (Doc. 168, 12/19/2025 v2.1) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Contractor’s Licensing Board - Licensure with the Board (application, qualifying parties, exams, group limits, financial statements, bonds) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Contractor’s Licensing Board - Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (as of May 2026, Revised 5/2026) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (as of May 2026) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Residential Builders Commission - Examinations and exam waivers · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Residential Builders Commission - Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer License · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.