South Carolina · Roofing licensing · official-source guide
South Carolina regulates roofing through two boards under the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The Residential Builders Commission registers residential roofers, with no exam and a five thousand dollar bond above five thousand dollars of work. The Contractors' Licensing Board licenses commercial roofing as a general contractor subclassification for work over ten thousand dollars.
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-28. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
South Carolina does regulate roofing at the state level, but through two separate boards, and which one applies depends on the kind of work. Residential roofing falls under the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission, which sits inside the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Section 40-59-20 lists roofers among the residential specialty contractors the Commission oversees. Commercial, industrial and institutional roofing falls under the South Carolina Contractors' Licensing Board, which is part of the same department and operates under Title 40, Chapter 11. That chapter creates a Roofing subclassification of the general contractor license. The two boards keep separate applications, separate fee schedules and separate license lookups on the state's licensing site, so a roofer who works both sides of the market may hold credentials from each. Section 40-59-270 adds that the Residential Builders Commission is the exclusive licensing and registration entity for people who engage solely in residential building and residential specialty contracting. A person licensed under Chapter 11 is outside the residential chapter for building work. For a roofing company, the practical result is that there is no single statewide roofing license. There is a residential registration for roofers, a residential builder license that covers roofing along with other trades, and a commercial general contractor license with a Roofing subclassification. The sections below take each in turn, then cover storm work, advertising, penalties and verification.
Under Section 40-59-20, a residential specialty contractor is an independent contractor who does work requiring special skills and specialized trades, for undertakings above five hundred dollars that are not regulated by Chapter 11. Roofers appear in the statutory list. The statute says some trades get licenses after an exam, namely plumbers, electricians and heating and air conditioning installers, while others get registrations. Roofers are not named in either of those sentences, and the Commission's own page treats roofing as a trade classification available for registration, with no exam. The Commission defines roofers in Regulation 106-1 as the installation, alteration and repair of materials common to the residential building industry that form a watertight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks, including accessories, flashing, valleys, gravel stops and roof insulation panels above the roof deck. A registration is limited to three trade classifications. A contractor who needs more than three at once must become a licensed residential builder. A registered specialty contractor may not work outside the registered scope, and that includes hiring or subcontracting others to do the outside work. A registered roofer also may not build additions to residential structures without supervision by a residential builder or another appropriately licensed person. This means a roofing company that also frames, sides or paints for pay should check whether each of those trades appears on its registration.
The Commission's registration instructions, revised January 2026, set out what a roofer submits. The applicant files a work experience affidavit showing one year of residential work experience within the past five years for each requested trade classification. Notarized letters of reference can replace the affidavit if they describe the applicant's own work in detail and add up to at least one year. The applicant also submits a credit report dated no more than thirty days before the application, which follows from Section 40-59-250, and a notarized lawful presence form. If the applicant will operate under a company name, the applicant must own 51 percent of the company to list it on the registration. Otherwise the company applies for a Certificate of Authorization. An exam is not required for the registration. The Commission's fee table for residential specialty contractors shows a one hundred dollar application fee, a one hundred dollar renewal fee, a twenty dollar renewal late fee and a two hundred ninety dollar reinstatement fee. Section 40-59-230 says the Commission renews licenses annually and may require continuing education by regulation. The pages fetched for this file did not show a continuing education rule for roofers. An application stays good for one year from receipt, so an incomplete packet has to restart after that.
Registered roofers carry a surety bond once jobs get larger. Section 40-59-240 says that when the total cost of materials and labor for an undertaking for an individual property owner exceeds five thousand dollars, the residential specialty contractor must obtain an executed surety bond in an amount the Commission approves and furnish a signed original to the Commission. The Commission's registration package sets the figure for registrants at a five thousand dollar surety bond. It must have the power of attorney attached and must list the individual, not a company or business name, as principal. The applicant does not have to submit the bond with the application packet, but it must be on file before the contractor performs or offers to perform work above that threshold. Handwritten bonds and bonds signed through DocuSign are not accepted. A separate provision in Regulation 106-2 describes a bond of not less than ten thousand dollars for specialty classifications that must be licensed after examination, and it lists heating and air conditioning, plumbing and electrical. That rule is not written for roofers, so this page uses the five thousand dollar registrant figure from the Commission's current instructions. The Commission's instructions do not describe a general liability insurance minimum for registered roofers, so no insurance figure is given here. A roofer should still check what its customers, insurers and local building departments require.
Commercial roofing work runs through Chapter 11. Section 40-11-30 says no entity or individual may practice as a contractor, by performing or offering to perform contracting work with a total cost of construction above ten thousand dollars, without a license under that chapter. Section 40-11-410(1)(h) defines the Roofing subclassification as the installation and repair of roofs and roof decking on commercial, industrial, residential and institutional structures, using materials that form a watertight and weather resistant surface. The definition names cedar, cement, clay tile and composition shingles, all types of metal coverings, wood shakes, single ply and built-up roofing, protective and reflective roof and deck coatings, sheet metal valleys, flashings, gravel stops, gutters and downspouts, and bituminous waterproofing. Section 40-11-410 also folds Roofing into the General Contractors-Building classification, so a licensed building contractor may do roofing without a separate subclassification. Licenses are held by an entity that names a primary qualifying party, and the qualifying party must hold a certificate. The entity must be a sole proprietorship, a general partnership, or a registered business entity, and a change of name, organizational status or federal employer identification number must be reported within fifteen days. Under the statute a licensee is confined to its license group and classifications, and a licensee can use unlicensed subcontractors only within those limits and with supervision. The licensee answers for their violations.
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A commercial general contractor license carries a group limit that caps the size of each bid or job, and each group has a financial threshold. Section 40-11-260 sets Group One at jobs up to one hundred thousand dollars with net worth of twenty thousand dollars or working capital of ten thousand dollars. Group Two allows jobs up to four hundred thousand dollars with net worth of sixty thousand dollars or working capital of forty thousand dollars. Group Three allows jobs up to one million dollars with net worth of one hundred fifty thousand dollars or working capital of one hundred thousand dollars. Group Four allows jobs up to three million dollars with net worth of two hundred fifty thousand dollars or working capital of one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars. Group Five is unlimited, with net worth of three hundred fifty thousand dollars or working capital of two hundred fifty thousand dollars. The financial statement must carry a balance sheet date within twelve months of the application. The statement standard rises with the group, from an owner-prepared statement with an affidavit at the low end to an audited balance sheet for Group Five on an initial application. Section 40-11-262 lets an applicant supply a continuous surety bond in the same amount as the required net worth instead of a financial statement, with the State of South Carolina as obligee. A roofer that bids above its group limit risks a board penalty.
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The Contractors' Licensing Board certifies qualifying parties by exam. Under Section 40-11-230, a qualifying party must score seventy percent or better on a technical exam where one is required for the classification or subclassification, and seventy percent or better on an exam on South Carolina law regulating general and mechanical contracting. The board's licensure page says exams are given through PSI, that no pre-approval is needed to schedule, and that applicants also pass the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam. Applicants must submit at least two years of work experience within the past five years in the requested classification or subclassification, except waiver and reciprocity applicants. The statute limits an individual to two attempts on an exam in a twelve-month period and one attempt every six months after that. The board's fee page lists a three hundred fifty dollar initial fee for a general or mechanical contractor license and a one hundred thirty-five dollar biennial renewal fee if postmarked by the October 31 deadline. Late renewals add a one hundred dollar late fee in November, one hundred fifty dollars in December and two hundred dollars in January, and reinstatement is three hundred fifty dollars. General contractor licenses expire October 31 of every even-numbered year, and the current general contractor renewal window closes October 31, 2026. The pages fetched showed no continuing education rule for general contractors.
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A roofer that wants to do more than three trades, or to build or remodel whole houses, moves up to the residential builder license. Section 40-59-20 defines a residential builder as one who constructs, superintends or offers to construct or superintend the construction, repair, improvement or reimprovement of a residential building of no more than three floors and no more than sixteen units in any single apartment building, when the cost exceeds five thousand dollars. The same section says a residential builder licensed by examination in South Carolina may perform work in any of the residential specialty areas without a separate specialty license or registration, which includes roofing. The Commission's builder page says applicants apply first, and the Commission verifies work experience before it makes an applicant eligible for the exam. An exam waiver route exists for applicants who meet stated requirements, though the details are outside the pages checked for this file. Section 40-59-270 says a residential builder licensed under Chapter 59 does not also need a general contractor or mechanical contractor license to do residential building. The residential builder page sends anyone who wants to perform regulated commercial construction above ten thousand dollars to the Contractors' Licensing Board. A roofing company that stays on houses and small multifamily buildings can therefore choose between three routes: a registration, a builder license, or a Chapter 11 license.
South Carolina wrote a roofing-specific consumer rule into Section 40-59-25, effective July 1, 2013. It covers a written contract for goods or services related to a roofing system with a party who will be paid from a property and casualty insurance claim. If the insurer sends written notice that all or part of the claim or contract is not a covered loss, the insured may cancel until midnight on the fifth business day after receiving that notice. The section applies to licensed residential builders, registered residential specialty contractors, and anyone who offers this work without the required license or registration. Roof system means roof covering, sheathing, weatherproofing, framing, ventilation or insulation. Before signing, the contractor must give the insured a boldface statement of at least ten points explaining the cancellation right, and must attach a detachable form in duplicate captioned NOTICE OF CANCELLATION, also in ten point boldface. The statute sets out the required wording for both. Notice by mail is effective when deposited, postage prepaid and properly addressed, and it need not follow a particular form. During the five day period the contractor cannot require any payment, except that emergency services acknowledged in writing as necessary to prevent damage may be collected when rendered. Contract terms requiring a fee for anything except emergency services are unenforceable against an insured who cancels.
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Section 40-59-25 also draws two lines that matter for any roofer who markets after hail or wind events. First, subsection (D) says a builder or contractor shall not represent or negotiate, or offer or advertise to represent or negotiate, on behalf of an owner or possessor of residential real estate on any insurance claim in connection with the repair or replacement of roof systems. A roofing company therefore cannot act as the homeowner's claim representative, and it cannot advertise claim negotiation as a service. The statute does protect one thing: an owner may consult a builder, contractor or other person of his choice for an evaluation of the roof system and use that evaluation in the owner's own negotiation. Second, subsection (E) bars a builder or contractor from advertising or promising to pay or rebate all or part of an insurance deductible as an inducement to sell goods or services. The statute defines promising to pay or rebate broadly, covering any allowance or discount against fees, including a discount for displaying a yard sign, and any payment of compensation, gift, prize, bonus, coupon, credit or referral fee to the insured or anyone connected to the property. A violation is a misdemeanor and grounds for suspending or revoking licenses issued under the chapter. Section 40-59-110 also lists a violation of Section 40-59-25 as misconduct that can lead to discipline.
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The advertising rules depend on which license the company holds. For Chapter 11 licensees, Section 40-11-370 makes it unlawful to use the term licensed contractor, or to perform or offer to perform general or mechanical construction, without a license. It also makes it unlawful to engage in construction under any name other than the exact name on the license, and it defines engaging in construction to include marketing, advertising, using site signs and submitting contracts. Vehicle advertising may use an abbreviated version of the licensed name if it is not misleading. Chapter 11 also lists false, misleading or deceptive advertising that could mislead and injure the public as a ground for discipline. The fetched text of the mandatory license number display rule in Chapter 11 applies to mechanical contractors in air conditioning, heating and packaged equipment, so it does not reach roofers. Chapter 59 sets its own advertisement definition and content rule for home inspectors only. The pages checked for this file did not show a state rule requiring a registration or license number on roofing advertisements, vehicles or estimates. A roofer should not describe a residential registration as a general contractor license, and should not claim a license class it does not hold. Every roofing ad also has to stay clear of the deductible rebate language covered in the storm work sections.
The penalties differ by chapter but are real under both. Under Section 40-59-30, a person or firm that engages in or offers residential building or residential specialty contracting without the required registration or license, or knowingly gives the Commission false information, commits a misdemeanor. The fine ranges from five hundred to ten thousand dollars, or imprisonment for at least thirty days, or both. An unregistered contractor also may not file a mechanics' lien or bring an action to enforce a residential contract signed in violation of the chapter. The Commission may petition an administrative law judge for a temporary restraining order. Section 40-59-105 lets the department issue administrative citations, including to unlicensed persons, with a first offense penalty of not more than five hundred dollars and a cap of two thousand five hundred dollars per day, and a second offense in five years goes to the Commission. Under Chapter 11, Section 40-11-200 makes unlicensed practice a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine of up to five thousand dollars. That section also makes it a violation for an owner, contractor or awarding authority to consider a bid, sign a contract or allow work to begin without the required license. Section 40-11-370 bars an unlicensed entity from suing to enforce a contract. Building officials must refuse permits to applicants who lack the required credentials.
State registration does not replace local requirements. Section 40-59-240(C) says residential specialty contractors are not exempt from county and municipal business license ordinances or other regulatory ordinances. A county or municipality may require a residential specialty contractor to be examined and licensed under its own standards, but if the contractor has passed a Commission-approved exam in the trade, no additional exam may be required. Section 40-59-280 and Section 40-11-350 tell building officials to refuse a permit unless the applicant shows the required state license or registration, and to report suspected violators to the department. A roofer should expect to show its credential when it pulls a roofing permit, and to hold a business license in each city or county where it works. The pages checked for this file did not include the business license rules or fees of individual South Carolina cities or counties, so those are not stated here. To verify a roofer, a customer can use the state's licensee lookup, which lists the Contractors board and a Residential Builders lookup, and check the name, class and status. The Residential Builders Commission can be reached at (803) 896-4696 and the Contractors' Licensing Board at (803) 896-4686. Reciprocity for Chapter 11 licensees depends on an exam waiver agreement between the board and the other state.
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These are common details other guides publish about South Carolina, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Only on small jobs. A residential roofer needs a registration for work above five hundred dollars that Chapter 11 does not regulate, and Chapter 11 requires a license above ten thousand dollars.
No. The Residential Builders Commission states that an exam is not required to become a registered specialty contractor. It requires an experience affidavit, a credit report and a bond for larger jobs.
One year of residential work experience within the past five years for each requested trade, shown by a notarized affidavit or notarized letters of reference describing the applicant's own work.
The Commission requires a five thousand dollar surety bond for jobs above five thousand dollars, in the individual's name. The premium is set by the surety, and no premium figure is given here.
Three. A specialty registration is limited to three trade classifications, and a contractor needing more must become a licensed residential builder by examination.
When total cost of construction exceeds ten thousand dollars. The license carries a Roofing subclassification or comes through the General Contractors-Building classification, with a group limit on job size.
A roofing contract paid from an insurance claim can be canceled until midnight on the fifth business day after the owner receives the insurer's written denial of all or part of the claim.
No. Section 40-59-25 bars builders and contractors from representing or negotiating, or advertising that they will, on a homeowner's roof insurance claim. An owner may still use a roof evaluation.
No. Advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of a deductible is a misdemeanor and grounds for suspension or revocation, and it includes discounts for yard signs and referral fees.
Under Section 40-59-30 an unregistered person may not file a mechanics' lien or sue to enforce a residential contract signed in violation, and Chapter 11 has a matching bar.
On the state's licensee lookup at verify.llronline.com, which has separate entries for Contractors and Residential Builders. Check the exact name, classification and status.
Yes. State registration does not exempt a roofer from county and municipal business license ordinances, and permit offices must ask for proof of the state credential.
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