A residential roofer in South Carolina registers with the Residential Builders Commission as a residential specialty contractor before taking any job over $500, and the registration needs no exam. Commercial roofing over $10,000 needs a license from the Contractor’s Licensing Board, and that license needs a qualifier who has passed two exams.
The Commission works under Title 40, Chapter 59 and the Board under Chapter 11. Chapter 59 makes the Commission “the exclusive licensing and registration entity for persons who engage solely in residential building and in residential specialty contracting.” No LLR page says outright whether a homes-only roofer on a job over the Board’s line also needs the Board license, so ask the Commission before you bid one. For how other states handle licensing and qualifiers, see Roofing License Requirements by State, and How Qualifiers Work.
Residential roofers register with the Commission and skip the exam
Roofers are on the statute’s list of specialty trades, which must register before contracting with a builder, a general contractor or a homeowner “when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars.” A 2022 law raised that line from $200, so older guides still quote the lower figure.
LLR’s registration page says “An examination is not required to become a registered specialty contractor.” The statute names plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors as the trades that must test, and roofers are not among them. The page also mentions “experience requirements,” so if you are new to the trade, ask the Commission what experience it accepts before you apply.
Applicants “must submit to a credit report,” and the Commission may weigh a “reputation for the prompt payment of labor and material bills.” Every application and renewal lists judgments against you or your companies from the past five years, so clear up old supplier judgments before you file.
The application costs $100 and renewal costs $100 a year. Renew on time, because reinstating a lapsed registration costs $290.
One registration covers no more than three trades, and you can change them only at renewal. You may not work outside the trades you listed, even by hiring a sub to do it. Pick your trades when you apply, with roofing among them.
Any more trades than that takes the residential builder license, which does require an exam and lets you roof without a separate registration. It applies to jobs over $5,000 and requires at least one year of experience under a licensed builder plus a $15,000 bond or proof of financial responsibility.
Homeowner jobs over $5,000 and company names each need a bond
When materials and labor on a job for a homeowner come to more than $5,000, the specialty contractor “shall obtain an executed bond with a surety in an amount approved by the commission” and send the signed original to the Commission. The statute leaves the amount to the Commission, so ask for the figure before you sign your first job that size.
A roofing company that works as a firm or under a trade name also needs a residential business certificate of authorization. That means a licensee in charge of each office, a $15,000 surety bond, and a $100 fee at the start and every year after. You are exempt if you work in your own name, or if you own at least 51% of the firm and are its only resident licensee.
The registration belongs to you, and the firm can’t hold it. If a company name goes on the truck, file for the certificate along with your registration.
Commercial roofing over $10,000 needs a Contractor’s Licensing Board license
Chapter 11 bars anyone from doing or offering general contracting where “the total cost of construction is greater than ten thousand dollars” without a Board license. The line was $5,000 until a 2023 law raised it, so older guides are out of date here too.
The Chapter 11 Roofing subclassification covers roofs and roof decking “on commercial, industrial, residential, and institutional structures,” from shingles, metal and tile to single-ply, built-up roofing, coatings and gutters. A General Contractors-Building license includes roofing too, and among Board licenses only Roofing and Building allow roof-mounted solar.
The license is held through a qualifying party, who needs an employer affidavit showing full-time work in the classification “for at least two years within the previous five years.” The qualifier must also hold a management role and be “actively involved in management, supervision, and operations.” A qualifier may serve only one licensee, apart from one exception in the statute, so read section 40-11-230(C) before you borrow one from another company.
The first Board license costs $350, and renewal costs $135 every two years.
Licenses expire on October 31 of every even-numbered year. This cycle’s renewal window is open, so file before the deadline if you already hold one.
The qualifier has to pass a roofing exam and a state law exam
The qualifier must score 70% or better on the technical exam for the classification and on an exam covering South Carolina contracting law.
Each exam can be taken twice in 12 months, and after that once every six months.
A roofer on r/RoofingSales with ten years in the trade asked whether a prep course for “the roofing and or business law exam” was “really necessary.” Those are the two Chapter 11 exams, and the residential registration needs neither. Book both at test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon, the PSI site LLR points to, and budget PSI’s exam fee on top of the Board’s license fee.
The license group caps the biggest job you can bid
Each Board license falls into a group with a job-size limit and a net worth or working capital floor:
| Group | Largest job | Net worth | Or working capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | $20,000 | $10,000 |
| 2 | $400,000 | $60,000 | $40,000 |
| 3 | $1 million | $150,000 | $100,000 |
| 4 | $3 million | $250,000 | $175,000 |
| 5 | Unlimited | $350,000 | $250,000 |
Groups 1 and 2 accept a financial statement the owner prepares. From Group 3 up, the first application needs a statement compiled or audited by a CPA. You can skip the statement by posting a surety bond equal to the net worth for your group. Bidding over your group’s limit is grounds for discipline, so pick the group that covers the largest job you expect to bid.
Insurance roofs carry a five-day cancellation right and a deductible ban
These rules cover every roofer in the state, registered or not. On an insurance roof, the homeowner can cancel your contract until midnight on the fifth business day after receiving a written coverage denial. Your contract has to include a boldface “NOTICE OF CANCELLATION” form, and you can’t collect payment until that window closes, except for emergency work the homeowner acknowledged in writing.
You may not represent or negotiate for a homeowner on a roof claim, or advertise that you will, though the homeowner can still use your roof evaluation in their own negotiation with the carrier. You also can’t advertise or promise to pay or rebate any part of the deductible, and that includes discounts for displaying your sign and referral fees. A deductible violation is a misdemeanor and grounds to suspend or revoke your registration.
For other states, see What a Roofer Can Legally Do on an Insurance Claim, From Deductibles to Contingency Agreements. Before you work a South Carolina storm, pull any yard-sign discount from your ads and signs.
An unregistered roofer can’t pull a permit or sue to get paid
Local building officials “shall refuse to issue a permit” for work that needs Commission licensure or registration unless the applicant shows a license, a registration or an exemption, and they report suspected unlicensed contractors to the Commission.
An unregistered contractor “may not file a mechanics’ lien or bring an action at law or in equity” to enforce the contract, so if a homeowner doesn’t pay, you have no lien and no lawsuit. Contracting without a registration is also a misdemeanor, with a fine of $500 to $10,000, at least 30 days in jail, or both.
The Commission can also fine a registered roofer up to $2,500 per offense. On the Chapter 11 side, a violation is a misdemeanor carrying up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $5,000, and the Board can add a civil penalty of the same size per violation and order an unlicensed contractor to stop work. Carry your registration number to every permit office and keep it current.
Check these before your first South Carolina roof
- Homes only: register as a residential specialty contractor, with roofing among your three trades.
- Company name on the truck: get the certificate of authorization and its bond.
- Homeowner job over $5,000: ask the Commission for the bond amount and file the signed original.
- Commercial job over $10,000: line up a qualifier, book both PSI exams and pick a license group.
- Insurance work: attach the cancellation notice and pull every deductible offer from your ads and signs.
- Google Local Services Ads: Google asks roofers for state-level business and owner licenses “where applicable by local law,” and one remodeler on r/smallbusiness reported a suspension after sending new licensing late. Send yours on time, and see Google Local Services Ads for Roofers: Budget, Cost per Lead and Disputes.
With the paperwork in order, the next question is whether homeowners near you can find the company. Run the free Google Maps heatmap: pick your Google profile and a search, and in a few minutes you’ll see your rank at 49 points around your office.