South Carolina: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Jul 2026·Laws as cited·Not in the Sep 2026 verification pass
Public recordSC LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see South Carolina chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified more recently than this matrix.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in South Carolina?
#stove-installLICENSE- Credential
- No hearth/solid-fuel category exists anywhere in the SC scheme — Reg. 106-1 (fetched in full) lists 13 residential specialty classifications with no stove/hearth/chimney entry, and the HVAC specialty scope is 'components necessary to produce conditioned air for environmental heating or cooling' (gas furnaces/space heaters named, solid fuel absent) — wood/pellet stoves sit OUTSIDE the exam-gated HVAC specialty (the CT pattern: gas hearth exam-licensed, wood hearth not); the operative gate is the generalist layer: undertakings >$5,000 require the Residential Builder license (exam); masonry fireplace construction rides the Masons registration >$500 (no exam); permits under 2021 SC Residential Code (2021 IRC, eff. 1/1/2023; 2024 SC codes in adoption — modifications published in State Register 5/22/2026, effective date not yet set)
- Issuing body
- SC Residential Builders Commission (LLR)
- Statute
- S.C. Code §§ 40-59-20, 40-59-30; S.C. Reg. 106-1, 106-2 (fetched)
- Dollar threshold
- $5,000 (Residential Builder license); $500 (specialty registrations)
- Exam
- y (RB exam; specialty registrations no exam)
- Local overlay
- y — § 40-59-240(C) municipal exam option (per Pass 1)
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-22
- Sources
Chimney flashing: is a credential required in South Carolina?
#chimney-flashingREGISTRATION- Credential
- Residential Specialty Contractor — Roofers registration: Reg. 106-1(f) (fetched) names FLASHING verbatim — 'materials... that form a water tight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks, including all accessories, flashing, valleys, gravel stops and roof insulation panels' — so standalone chimney flashing/leak repair >$500 on a residence is registered-Roofer work; NO exam (Roofers is not among the three exam-licensed specialties in Reg. 106-2: HVAC, plumbers, electricians); homeowner-protective specialty bond rides along on owner jobs >$5,000 ($5,000 registered-specialty bond, per Pass 4); commercial >$10,000 = CLB license with roofing-capable subclassification (per Pass 1 structure)
- Issuing body
- SC Residential Builders Commission (LLR)
- Statute
- S.C. Reg. 106-1(f), 106-2 (fetched); S.C. Code § 40-59-20(7)
- Dollar threshold
- $500 (registration); $5,000 (bond trigger)
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-22
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in South Carolina?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Three-way split: RESIDENTIAL NG = RBC Residential Specialty LICENSE (exam) as HVAC installer/repairer ('gas piping from service... including gas fired furnaces and space heaters' — but liquid-fuel scope EXCEPTS liquid propane) or Plumber ('natural gas piping systems') per Reg. 106-1; LP ANYWHERE = LP Gas Board license (S.C. Code 40-82-30: unlawful without license to install/service/repair/adjust/connect appliances to LP systems; Dealer + 'Installer of appliances and equipment' classes; exam-passed qualifier per location) — the residential HVAC scope expressly carves LP out to the LP Board; COMMERCIAL >$10,000 = CLB Mechanical license (Heating/Packaged Equipment/Plumbing subclassifications carry gas-line privileges, 40-11-410(5); threshold raised from $5,000 by 2023 Act 69); MISMATCH: masonry = no-exam registration >$500 while the log set inside is gated by three separate exam regimes
- Issuing body
- SC LLR — Residential Builders Commission (residential NG specialties); Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial); LP Gas Board (LLR, admin support from Office of State Fire Marshal)
- Statute
- S.C. Code Title 40 ch. 82 (§§ 40-82-10, -20, -30, -220); Title 40 ch. 59 (§ 40-59-20(7) exam-vs-registration split); Reg. 106-1; Title 40 ch. 11 (§§ 40-11-30, 40-11-410(5))
- Dollar threshold
- $500 residential specialty / $5,000 residential builder / $10,000 commercial CLB; LP Gas Board license has NO dollar floor
- Exam
- y (RBC HVAC/plumber specialty exams via PSI; CLB qualifying-party exams; LP Gas Board qualifier exam)
- Local overlay
- y — 40-59-240(C): counties/municipalities may require their own exam/license unless the contractor passed a commission-approved exam; MASC municipal Masters License recognized as exam substitute
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
What insurance does South Carolina require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- registration >$500 / license >$5,000 residential (RBC); license >$10,000 commercial (CLB); LP Gas Board license at $0
- Liability minimum
- LP GAS BOARD licensees: $500,000 GL incl. contractor's and products liability from an SC-licensed company (§ 40-82-250) — the CARRIER certifies the COI to the Board via the Office of State Fire Marshal, and cancellation requires 30 days' REGISTERED-MAIL notice to the Board = the strongest state-verified insurance artifact in the South batch; CLB (general/mechanical): NONE (ch. 40-11 fetched — exam + financial statement only; the $100k GL on the CLB site belongs to ALARM businesses, Title 40 ch. 79 — do not conflate); RBC: NONE mandated (commission 'may consider' WC among application factors, § 40-59-220(B)(6))
- Bond
- RBC homeowner-protective bonds: Residential BUILDER $15,000 executed bond OR acceptable proof of financial responsibility (§ 40-59-220(C) — in lieu of the solvency showing, NOT in lieu of the exam); SPECIALTY contractors: surety bond required whenever a job for an owner exceeds $5,000 (§§ 40-59-220(D)/240(D)) — $10,000 licensed specialty (HVAC/plumber/electrician) / $5,000 registered specialty (masons etc.), per-license-year aggregate, 8-year claim window, benefits the Commission and any homeowner sustaining loss (official bond form); CLB: optional bond = required net worth amount in lieu of financial statement (§ 40-11-262; mechanical net-worth ladder $7,000–$300,000 by group)
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — no recovery/guaranty fund anywhere in ch. 40-11 or 40-59 (both fetched in full); the RBC bonds are the functional substitute; plus § 40-59-30(B): unlicensed contractors get no mechanic's lien and cannot sue on the contract
- Workers' comp threshold
- 4+ employees — exempt if 'regularly employed in service less than four employees in the same business' OR total annual payroll under $3,000 in the previous calendar year (§ 42-1-360(2)); sole-prop/partner election + officer-exemption artifacts UNVERIFIED
- How to verify
- insurance: active LP Gas Board license = state-verified $500k GL (scope it to LP work in any badge wording); RBC/CLB status is NOT an insurance proxy — bond status is the checkable instrument; license lookups llr.sc.gov (AUTOMATED); WC: SC WCC Verify Coverage (wcc.sc.gov/insurance-carriers-third-party-administrators/verify-coverage) + NCCI POC
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states
Before anyone goes on your roof
What should you ask a chimney company in South Carolina?
- Is your company a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG)?
- Does the technician coming to my home hold an individual NCSG certification, and which one?
- Does the technician hold a National Fireplace Institute (NFI) certification — and for which fuel: wood, gas, or pellet?
- What other certifications does the technician hold (for example, CSIA), and can I check them on the issuer's own roster?
- What state or local license or registration covers this work here, and what is the number?
- Will you send a certificate of insurance, dated and naming your company, before work starts?
- Which NFPA 211 inspection level — Level 1, 2, or 3 — are you performing, and why that level?
- Will you show me what you found — photos or video of the flue — in writing?
We take no fee from any certification body, guild, or contractor, and are not paid to mention anyone named.