In South Carolina, most plumbing projects necessitate a license. You must procure a valid plumbing license by South Carolina in order to successfully perform handyman work in the region, even if you have a license issued by another state or experience as a plumber in another state. In South Carolina, two types of permits are necessary. The Domestic Professional Plumbing license is required for the majority of jobs. However, a Corporate Contractor license is essential for works worth $5,000 or more.
The process of being a licensed plumber in South Carolina is relatively simple. The first stage in the procedure is to ensure you already have most of the necessary expertise and paperwork to qualify for a license. You will get a notification of approval to take a test after your candidacy for a claim has been validated. This letter provides you with up to a year to complete your licensure examinations. The Business and Law test is the first one you’ll need to take, and the Residential Plumbing exam is the next. After passing your tests, you will be required to pay licensing costs before receiving your license.
Let’s study more about how to become a licensed plumber in South Carolina.
Table of Contents
Basics of acquiring a South Carolina plumbing license
In South Carolina, earning a plumbing license is pretty much the same thing, irrespective of the kind of license. Completing the registration is the initial stage, accompanied by attending the exams. The only requirement for applying for a license is one year of experience in the field performing basic maintenance under the supervision of qualified piping professional.
Even if you already have a license from some other state, you must get a South Carolina license. This implies you must take and pass the examinations, but you will not have to give proof of your prior experience.
What Is The Process Of Getting a Plumbing License In South Carolina?
What you’re truly looking for when you file for a license is the willingness to take the examinations. After submitting the relevant documents, you will receive a notice confirming your readiness to sit in the examinations. Other paperwork and costs, in addition to the application, must be submitted at the time of application.
- Make the $100 application fee payment to SCRBC with a notary stamp or cash payment.
- A duplicate of your driver’s license or another safe and reliable document
- a photocopy of your social security card
- Affidavit Written and signed (Signature Affidavit)
This is documentation that verifies your year of professional career, which is necessary in order to be licensed.
- Verification of Lawful Presence Form that has been completed and notarized.
- W2s and/or 1099s from the company that will be completing your competence declaration.
- Licensure, papers, portfolios, and any other proof of job experience in the trade are all required.
submitted an application for
- Confirmation of Licensing requirements from the states where you possess a plumbing license and duplicates of licenses from other states
- Provide any substantiation and any information on the topic for any “Yes” clarifications in the “General Info” portion of the request.
If you provide an affirmative answer or “Yes” to any of the inquiries about imprisonment and/or prosecution, you must submit a Nationwide Background Investigation Check from the county where the event took place, together with your reasoned explanation, in a sealed cover from the government entity.
You must hold on to your Letter of Exam Eligibility after submitting this request before scheduling your examinations.
Passing Your Plumbing Tests and Organizing Your Appointments
PSI Examinations administers and issues the contractor plumbing licensing tests in South Carolina. To get a plumber’s license in South Carolina, you must complete two exams.
The SC Domestic Business Management and Law test, which takes roughly 120 minutes to finish, is the first part of the assessment. This test covers the managerial and legal aspects of plumbing work in various parts of the state. Each question’s themes include, but are not limited to:
- Business Administration
- Procurement and Estimating
- Partnerships and Deals
- Management of Projects
- Building a relationship and Insurance
- Monitoring and updating on safety records
- Occupational Regulations and Labor Laws
- Accounting and Finance
- Laws Concerning Taxation
- Liens
- Environmental Restrictions and Laws
The SC Residential Plumbing test is the second part of the examination. This ‘s advanced test contains the market information needed for piping practice in South Carolina. This exam’s questions cover, but are not confined to, the following concepts:
- ADA Compatibility
- Plumbing Fundamentals Plumbing Rules and Regulations
- Machinery and Fittings
- Heaters for Water
- Water Transmission and Storage
- Preventing Backflow
- Cleanouts of Sanitary Sewage Pipes
- Direct and Circular Waste
- Captures and Interceptors for Sanitary Nitpicking
- Plumbing for Storm Piping Systems – Developed Length DWV Analytical Isometry (Isometric Based)
- Stands and Fasteners
- Alloys, Fittings, and Bearings
- Isometric Analysis of Water Supply
- Isokinetic Analysis of Roof Drains
- Valves for Pipe Assembly
- Oil And Gas Basic Combustion Understanding
- LP – Liquid Petroleum Gas
The cost of taking only one section of the test is $75. The price is $90 if you wish to take two parts of the test. You are excused from taking and passing the SC household piping test if you currently have an SC Mechanic Engineer license with a piping categorization OR if you have passed the Professional Plumbers examination with the South Carolina Municipality Association (MASC). The SC Residential Business Management and Law test, however, must still be taken and passed.
All tests are open book, which means you are allowed to bring your technical manuals and other resources to the session.
More About Plumbing Licenses In South Carolina
You must submit your licensing money together with your exam impact assessment after you have passed your examinations. If the certificate is issued on or even between July 1 in an odd-numbered year and June 30 in an even-numbered year, the licensing costs are $160, and if the license is granted on or between July 1 in an even-numbered year and June 30 in an odd-numbered year, the license fees are $80.
You must also provide a typed surety bond in the amount of $10,000 if the job you are undertaking is $5,000 or more.
Plumbers’ Coverage in South Carolina
Plumbers are advised to buy insurance. If you work for an employer, your insurance will be covered; however, if you own a company, you will require insurance.
If you follow all of the safety precautions, plumbing is not risky. Also, discuss any potential immunizations you would require as a plumber with your physician
Reciprocity of Plumbing Licenses in South Carolina
For a range of crafts, South Carolina has reciprocity agreements with a lot of other states, however only Ohio and Tennessee have reciprocity for commercial plumbers. There are no reciprocal agreements between states for residential plumbers. However, if you’re transferring from one state to another, reciprocal agreements are a good investment of time and money as they prevent the user from needing to obtain a brand new plumbing license.
Reciprocity, on the other hand, only waives the technical section of the licensure exam in South Carolina; you must still pass a business law and management exam before you can begin to work.
Different Types Of Plumbing Licenses In South Carolina
Residential Plumbing License Contractor, Master Plumbing License, and Mechanical Contractor with a Plumbing Classification are the three categories of plumbing licenses available in South Carolina. A commercial license is required to perform commercial plumbing. As an apprentice, you are not obliged to have a license.
How to Get a Plumbing Apprenticeship for the First Time
If you live in South Carolina and are deciding to achieve the first plumbing apprenticeship, you must know the given points. Remember that apprenticeship does not require a plumbing license in SC.
College students might inquire about apprenticeship programs with their counselors.
- Job postings: Look through the job postings in your area.
- Local plumbers: Make a phone call to a local plumbing company.
The interviewing procedure is similar to that of other professional interviews. Bring your résumé as well as proper attire.
Here it is important to note and state that the plumbing license that is provided, validated, and issued by South Carolina is only applicable in this particular region of SC. You cannot use it in any other state of the US or any other part of the world.
South Carolina Residential Plumber Requirements
- Have at least 1 year of true experience in the last 5 years working under the supervision of a certified plumber.
- Send the RBC a completed application together with the processing fee.
- Has to wait for the Exam Eligibility Letter to arrive.
- Take the Residential Plumbing and Business & Law tests in South Carolina and pass them.
- To the RBC, send your licensing fee, test results, and proof of surety bond.
South Carolina Mechanical Commercial License Requirements
A mechanical contractor is defined as “an entity that executes or monitors or undertakes to conduct or monitor, technical construction” in the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 40, Chapter 11. One of the trades included in this definition is plumbing. You can work in both the industrial and residential sectors with a business license.
You should have at least two years of hands-on commercial plumbing experience and submit the following materials to the CLB to apply for your commercial plumbing license:
- Your original licencing application, which you have completed;
- The licencing fee, which fluctuates depending on when your license expires, in the form of a cheque or money order payable to the SCCLB;
- A financial statement or a surety bond may be required.
- Any supporting material that is relevant
South Carolina Plumbing License Renewal
After passing the SC plumbing exam, you must send your results together with a $10,000 bank guarantee and a check or money order made out to LLR-Residential Builders Commission.
You must also renew your license by June 30th of any odd-numbered year. In the month of April, the RBC will send you a renewal notice. You will be charged a late fee if you do not renew your license on time, and your license will expire.
What is the average salary of a plumber in South Carolina?
According to the US Bureau of labor statistics l, the annual salary of an expert or Master plumber in South Carolina is around $46,000 and it continues to increase with the increasing experience.
The hourly rate of an apprentice plumber is around $14 so he has room for making more than $5,000 in one year.
Journeyman plumbers make an average of $22.39 per hour and $10,331 in overtime per year in South Carolina.
This was our detailed article on how to become a licensed plumber in South Carolina and it contains all the vital information for the plumbing license aspirants.
