Hawaii to South Carolina: master plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina has no reciprocity agreement with Hawaii. Your Hawaii experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the South Carolina exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Licensure by examination with credit for out-of-state experience (states without a PB waiver exam)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
A plumbing contractor from a state (or classification) whose exam is not listed for PB on the Board's waiver list is told: 'you are not eligible for waiver/reciprocity. You will be required to take the SC exams.' The applicant passes the South Carolina Plumbing technical exam through PSI and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, then files the Qualifying Party application (Doc. 168) with proof of at least 2 years of full-time work experience performed within the past 5 years in the plumbing classification, which may have been earned in any state and should primarily reflect commercial work (a PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate covering plumbing is an alternative). The business files the Mechanical Contractor license application with the $350 licensure fee and a financial statement (or surety bond) meeting the group limit it wants. Section 40-11-290 separately allows the Board to exempt the technical exam for an applicant who verifies passing an essentially identical exam in another state even without a reciprocal agreement, but the Board's published waiver list and instructions do not describe a process for invoking it outside the listed exams. Ohio, Georgia and other states named on the cover of the 2019 waiver PDF are not treated as plumbing Reciprocity partners here because no PB exam mapping was recorded on the extract used for this file.
PSI exam fees are paid directly to PSI and are not published on LLR's pages. The Board's licensure page shows a $350 licensure fee but no separate qualifying-party application fee. The current Mechanical Group financial thresholds on the licensure page (Group 2: $100,000 per job, $10,000 working capital or $15,000 net worth, $15,000 bond) differ from the 2019 waiver document's table; the web page is treated as current. Typical timeline is an estimate; LLR publishes no processing time. Residential specialty plumber fees and exam-waiver states were not confirmed (resplumb.aspx blocked).
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- At least 2 years of full-time work experience in the plumbing classification, performed within the past 5 years, documented on Work Experience Affidavits (Doc. 167); out-of-state experience is accepted. A PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate (Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing) is an alternative listed on Doc. 168.
What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Carolina Plumbing (PB) technical examination through PSI, unless a listed waiver exam applies.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI), required of all applicants.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fees paid directly to PSI at registration (amounts not published by LLR).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee (license issued to the entity the qualifying party certifies).
- 5Other. Financial statement dated within 12 months showing working capital of $10,000 or net worth of $15,000 for Mechanical Group 2 (higher groups require more), or a surety bond in lieu.
- 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($15,000) (if applicable). Surety bond accepted in lieu of the financial statement for Mechanical Group 2 (larger bonds for higher groups).
- 7Other. Qualifying Party initial application (Doc. 168) with exam score sheets, Work Experience Affidavits, ID, Social Security card and notarized Verification of Lawful Presence.
- 8Other. SC Examination Waiver form completed by the origin board only if claiming a listed PB waiver exam; copies of licenses or exam results are not accepted.
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.
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $15,000 · if applicable
How South Carolina licenses master plumbers
South Carolina master plumber · “Mechanical Contractor, Plumbing (PB) classification - Qualifying Party certification”
Statewide license
South Carolina has no license titled 'master plumber'. The highest person-held plumbing credential is the Contractor's Licensing Board's Qualifying Party certification in the Plumbing (PB) classification of the Mechanical Contractor license. The individual passes the South Carolina plumbing technical exam through PSI (unless a listed waiver exam applies) and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, documents two years of full-time experience within the past five years in the classification (or a PHCC Academy of North Carolina plumbing apprenticeship certificate), and is certified as the qualifying party for a licensed entity (which may be a sole proprietorship). The certification stays with the person; Doc. 168 states the certified qualifying party 'is not a licensed contractor' and the entity holds the license. The license fee is $350, with a financial statement or surety bond sized by mechanical group (Group 2, jobs to $100,000: working capital $10,000 or net worth $15,000, or a $15,000 bond). Work over $10,000 requires this license under § 40-11-30. Licensees from other states take the South Carolina plumbing technical exam and the Business Management & Law exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the South Carolina master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Hawaii?
- Yes. South Carolina requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a South Carolina master plumber license from Hawaii?
- Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Hawaii work hours count in South Carolina?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
Sources
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. §§ 40-11-30, 40-11-290, 40-11-410 · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application, Doc. 168 (12/31/2025 v2.3) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Licensure (classifications, exams, waiver/reciprocity, fees) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements (Rev. 02/2019) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 16, 2026
- South Carolina Residential Builders Commission - home page · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.