Plumber License from North Carolina to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between North Carolina and South Carolina

Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into South Carolina. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.

Route, each way

North Carolina to South Carolina (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

South Carolina to North Carolina (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from North Carolina matter?

North Carolina gets South Carolina's most common result: 41 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.

The others get: no state license to transfer (9).

Application fee

South Carolina lists $135–$355 for an out-of-state applicant and North Carolina lists $30–$150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Processing time

South Carolina lists 3–6 weeks; North Carolina lists 4–6 weeks for the reverse move.

The longest listed wait is the same in both states.

Exam rules on record

South Carolina and North Carolina carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.

• South Carolina (this move): South Carolina waives only the technical (Residential Plumbing) portion of its exam for an applicant who holds a residential plumbing license obtained BY EXAMINATION, current and in good standing, in North Carolina or Mississippi — the only two states with a residential-plumbing Exam Waiver Agreement (grandfathered or waived-in licensees do not qualify); every applicant, including waiver applicants, must still pass the South Carolina Business Management and Law exam, and all others must pass both the Residential Plumbing technical exam and the Business/Law exam
• North Carolina (the reverse move): North Carolina has no license reciprocity; every applicant must meet the NC experience requirement and pass the NC business/law exam section. Under a Technical Examination Waiver Agreement it waives ONLY the technical exam section for South Carolina plumbing contractors who passed the SC technical exam (SC Residential Plumbing maps to NC Plumbing Class II; SC Commercial Mechanical Plumbing (PB) maps to NC Plumbing Class I). Separately, under G.S. 87-21(g) the Board may, at its discretion, license an out-of-state contractor of the same or equivalent class without written examination if its standards are found substantially equivalent.

What changes, North Carolina → South Carolina

The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

1. Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation — Residential Builders Commission website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation — Residential Builders Commission (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
4. Document one year of hands-on residential plumbing experience under a licensed residential plumber (or appropriately licensed professional), gained within the preceding five years.
5. Pass the South Carolina Residential Business Management and Law exam (PSI) — required even when the technical exam is waived.
6. For the exam waiver, hold a residential plumbing license obtained by examination in North Carolina or Mississippi and submit an out-of-state license verification.
7. Submit a full credit report; post a $10,000 surety bond if performing work exceeding $5,000 (labor plus materials).
8. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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