How to get an HVAC license in South Carolina

Licensing office South Carolina Residential Builders Commission and Contractor's Licensing Board (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) · (803) 896-4696 [1][2]

The license pathway in South Carolina

1. 1

   HVAC helper or apprentice (no state card)

   South Carolina has no HVAC apprentice or helper registration. The residential license is for independent contractors, and commercial licenses go to the contracting business. If you handle refrigerant, you need EPA 608 (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's refrigerant rule) certification. [2][4][5]

2. 2

   Journeyman Unlimited A/C certification (CAGC)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: CAGC Foundation exam through PROV, online or in person
   • $35 application

   A certification formerly issued by the Municipal Association of South Carolina. You need 2 years (4,000 hours) of full-time heating and air installation experience under a journeyman or master; a two-year technical college degree counts as one year. It isn't a state license. [15][16][17]

3. 3

   Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: Residential HVAC (80 questions, 65% to pass, 240 minutes) plus Business Management and Law (50 questions), open book, PSI
   • $135 application, $220 license
   • Every 2 years by June 30 of odd years; $220

   Needed to contract for residential HVAC work over $500, on equipment up to five tons cooling and 175,000 BTU/HR heating per unit. You need one year of residential HVAC experience within the past five years; jobs over $5,000 also need a $10,000 surety bond. [1][6][9][10][11][12]

4. 4

   HARV (Master Mechanical) certification (CAGC)

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: CAGC Foundation exam through PROV
   • $35 application

   A master-level certification: a certified journeyman with at least four years (8,000 hours) in the trade, two of them under a master. A HARV certification issued by exam lets you skip the technical exam for the residential HVAC license and the commercial Air Conditioning and Heating classifications. [1][3][16]

5. 5

   Mechanical Contractor: Air Conditioning, Heating, Packaged Equipment or Refrigeration (commercial)

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes: technical exam for each classification (Air Conditioning: 80 questions, 56 correct, 4 hours, $60) plus Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors ($75), open book, PSI
   • $350 initial license
   • Every 2 years (expires October 31 of odd years); $135

   Needed for commercial HVAC work over $10,000. The license belongs to the business, which names a Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) who passed the exams and has at least two years of full-time experience within the past five. Air Conditioning includes Packaged Equipment and Refrigeration work. [2][3][7][13][14]

Who needs a license in South Carolina

South Carolina licenses HVAC work at two levels, through two boards in the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR).

• Residential: heating and air conditioning installers and repairers who contract for residential work over $500 need a residential specialty contractor license, issued after passing the exam. The license covers equipment up to five tons cooling and 175,000 BTU/HR heating per unit, plus ductwork, controls and related piping.
• Commercial: no business may do mechanical contracting (which includes heating and air conditioning) where the total cost of construction is over $10,000 without a license from the Contractor's Licensing Board.

A licensed mechanical contractor doesn't also need the residential license for work in its classification. Commercial Air Conditioning, Heating and Packaged Equipment licensees must display their license number on their business vehicles, invoices and proposals.

Recent change: a 2023 law (Act 69, H.4115) raised the commercial threshold from $5,000 to more than $10,000. The residential thresholds didn't change. [1][5][6][7][8]

The residential HVAC license

To qualify for the exam you need at least one year of residential HVAC experience within the past five years. Each supervisor or employer fills out an Experience Affidavit and must have been appropriately licensed while supervising you. Experience from any state or country counts.

The Residential HVAC exam has 80 questions; you need 52 correct (65%) and get 240 minutes. You also pass the 50-question Business Management and Law exam. Both are open book at PSI. Your eligibility lasts one year with three attempts.

After passing, you pay the $220 license fee. Licenses renew every two years by June 30 of odd-numbered years. State law (S.C. Code § 40-59-230) still says the Commission renews licenses annually, while the Commission's current FAQ (frequently asked questions) describes two-year renewals; confirm with the Commission. [5][9][10][11][12]

Commercial classifications

The Contractor's Licensing Board has several HVAC-related mechanical classifications, each with its own PSI technical exam:

• Air Conditioning: equipment and systems that produce conditioned air in buildings; includes Packaged Equipment and Refrigeration work. Exam: 80 questions, 56 correct, 4 hours.
• Heating: steam and hot-water heating systems, including boilers. Exam: 50 questions, 35 correct, 3 hours.
• Packaged Equipment: packaged heating and air units up to 25 tons cooling and 500,000 BTU/HR heating per unit, plus ventilation and duct work.
• Refrigeration.

Every applicant also passes the Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam. The business names a Primary Qualifying Party with at least 2 years of experience in the past 5 years. The license group sets the largest job: Group 1 $35,000 up to Group 5 unlimited. The initial license fee is $350, and licenses renew every two years for $135. [3][7][13][14]

Certifications: journeyman and master mechanical

The Mechanical Trades Certification Program, run by the Municipal Association of South Carolina from 1965 and by Carolinas AGC (Associated General Contractors) since January 1, 2026, offers Journeyman Unlimited A/C, Journeyman Sheet Metal, Master Sheet Metal and HARV (Master Mechanical) cards. Journeyman cards need 2 years (4,000 hours) under a journeyman or master; master cards need four years (8,000 hours) as a certified journeyman, two under a master.

The CAGC Foundation says the card isn't a license. A HARV certification earned by exam does let you skip the technical exam for the state residential HVAC license and the commercial Air Conditioning and Heating classifications. [1][3][15][16][17]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

UA Local 421 represents HVAC-R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) service techs, plumbers and pipefitters in North and South Carolina, and its Mechanical Trades Carolina centers teach HVAC, brazing and certifications. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED, a North or South Carolina driver's license and residence, and an ACT (ACT college admissions test) Career Readiness Certificate at Silver or higher.

Apprenticeship Carolina helps employers register apprenticeships; you apply to the employer. Registered apprentices are paid and earn a U.S. Department of Labor Journeyworker credential when they finish. See how to get an apprenticeship and helper jobs. [18][19][20]

If you're licensed in another state

Residential: the Commission waives the technical exam if you've held an Alabama, Mississippi or North Carolina license obtained by exam for at least a year, or a HARV certification by exam. You still need the experience and the Business Management and Law exam.

Commercial: the Board's exam waiver list (as of May 2026) accepts HVAC exams from Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, and Utah exams passed before May 2017, each matched to specific SC classifications. Georgia is listed but marked as no longer accepting SC waiver applicants. You must pass the SC business and law exam.

See our license reciprocity guide and reciprocity map. [1][11][21]

Steps to get licensed in South Carolina

1. Get EPA 608 certified and hired

   Pass an EPA-approved Section 608 test for the equipment you'll work on, and get hired by an HVAC contractor or apprenticeship. Keep W-2s or 1099s and the names of your licensed supervisors. [4][9]

2. Apply for the residential HVAC license

   With one year of residential HVAC experience in the past five years, apply on the Commission's HVAC page with the $135 application fee. Experience must be approved before you can test. [1][9]

3. Pass both PSI exams

   After approval you have one year and three attempts to pass the Residential HVAC exam and the Business Management and Law exam, booked through PSI. Fail three times and you wait 12 months. [5][10]

4. Get licensed and renew

   Send your PSI results and the $220 license fee (plus a $10,000 bond if you'll take jobs over $5,000). The license renews every two years by June 30 of odd-numbered years. [6][10]

5. For commercial work, qualify a mechanical contractor license

   With 2 years of experience in the past 5, pass the PSI technical exam for your classification and the commercial business and law exam, then apply to the Contractor's Licensing Board with the $350 fee and a financial statement or bond. [3][13][14]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train HVAC technicians in or for South Carolina, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  UA Local 421 apprenticeship (Mechanical Trades Carolina)

  The union for plumbers, pipefitters, welders and HVAC-R service techs in the Carolinas. Mechanical Trades Carolina trains its members in plumbing, pipefitting and HVAC at four centers, including North Charleston. [18][19]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Carolina registered apprenticeships

  Apprenticeship Carolina, a division of the SC Technical College System, helps employers register apprenticeships. Its pre-apprenticeship list includes an HVAC simulator training program run by South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation. [20][22]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask