South Carolina Unlimited (NASCLA Accredited) Contractor License Information
The South Carolina Unlimited Building Contractor license classification covers commercial, industrial, institutional, modular, and residential construction along with remodeling or ancillary work. Unlimited also allows for work under many of the various sub classifications.
Requirements:
· Licensure will be required for the practice of contracting in South Carolina.
· Application fees must be submitted with your application as well as a financial statement, passing test scores, and experience affidavit.
· The South Carolina Business and Law exam is required.
The following financial statement requirements apply to initial applications:
Groups 1 and 2 - Submit a "self-prepared" financial statement - must be signed and notarized. You may generate a balance sheet from your accounting software or obtain a form from a bank. Call (888) 269-7646, and request document #172.
Groups 3 and 4 - Submit a “compiled” financial statement prepared by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Licensed Public Accountant (LPA). The financial statement must include a signed cover letter from the CPA or LPA stating it was “compiled”. It must be prepared in accordance with SSARS including all disclosures required by GAAP.
Group 5 - Submit an “audited” financial statement prepared by a CPA including all disclosures required by GAAP (no exceptions will be made). The financial statement must include a signed cover letter from the CPA. It must be prepared in accordance with SSARS including all disclosures required by GAAP.
Limit per Contract Net Worth Requirement
Group # 1 $30,000 $6,000
Group # 2 $100,000 $20,000
Group # 3 $350,000 $70,000
Group # 4 $750,000 $150,000
Group # 5 $Unlimited $250,000
South Carolina Contractors Testing Process:
1. Contact PSI 1-800-733-9267 to request the South Carolina Contractors Application Package.
2. Candidates must complete the appropriate registration form for both the Technical and Business Management/Law exam and submit it to PSI.
3. You will be receiving an eligibility letter from PSI, and then you can call them to schedule your exam. (Time to start ordering books & prep course!)
4. Once you have passed the exams, submit your completed application along with fees, financial statements, exam score sheets, experience affidavit (2 years commercial experience in last
5 years), Answer sheet and signature page from SC Code of Laws take home exam, and corporate registration. For more information please visit the South Carolina Contractors Licensing Board website.
Candidate Information Bulletin - Download the bulletin from PSI.
About the Exam
The NASCLA-Accredited Examination Program was designed to assist contractors who need to be licensed in multiple jurisdictions. Contractors who take the accredited examination can access NASCLA’s examination database (NED) and request that their results be sent to other jurisdictions that accept the examination, thereby reducing redundant licensing requirements. Please visit NASCLA’s website at http://www.nascla.org/exam.php for a listing of the states that provide this examination.
The South Carolina Unlimited Contractor Exam, the NASCLA Accredited Exam, has 115 questions and a time limit of 330 Minutes. A 70% is required to pass. Topics on the exam include Estimating, Bidding, and Preconstruction Services, Project Management, Project Construction, Project Closeout, and Business and Financial Management.
| Number of Questions |
115 |
| Passing Score |
70% 81 Questions |
| Time of Exam |
300 Minutes |
| (5) Hours |
| Subject Area |
Number of Questions |
|
| Planning and Estimating |
21 |
| Financial and Project Management |
21 |
| Safety |
19 |
| Site Construction |
15 |
| Concrete |
8 |
| Masonry |
3 |
| Metals |
5 |
| Wood Foundations and Framing |
5 |
| Thermal Moisture Protection |
4 |
| Doors, Windows, and Glazing |
5 |
| Finishes |
7 |
| Specialty Equipment and Conveyance Systems |
2 |
Also required is the Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors Exam. This exam is 50 questions and you will need to answer 35 correctly (70%) in order to pass with a time limit of 120 minutes.
Reference Books
The following reference books are permitted for the Unlimited Contractor (NASCLA Accredited) Exam:
- Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Basic, 10th Edition NASCLA
- ICC/ANSI A117.1-2009 Standard on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities
- Handling and Erection of Steel Joists and Joist Girders, 3rd Edition
- The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction
- PCI Erectors' Manual - Standards and Guidelines for the Erection of Precast Concrete Products
- Placing Reinforcing Bars CRSI, 9th Edition
- WTCA Building Component Safety Information BCSI, 2008 Edition (Wood Truss)
- 2010 OSHA Standard Construction 29 CFR Part 1926
- Carpentry & Building Construction, 2010 Edition
- Pipe & Excavation Contracting
- Training and Certification of Field Personnel For Unbonded Post-Tensioning, 3rd Edition
- Management of Construction Projects 2002
- The Gypsum Construction Handbook 6th Edition, 2009
- Roofing Construction and Estimating
- Modern Masonry - Brick, Block and Stone, 7th Edition
- Construction Jobsite Management, 3rd Edition
- Principles and Practices of Commercial Construction, 8th Edition
- Manual of Steel Deck
- Green Building Fundamentals
- International Building Code 2012
The following reference book is permitted for the Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors Exam:
· South Carolina, Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, 6th Edition, NASCLA
NOTE: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING, ANYWHERE IN YOUR BOOKS! The exam proctor will check your books prior to going to your testing station and will check them again when you are done with the exam. Only use approved tabs per the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin.
These books are available for purchase by clicking here: Contractor Bookstore
Exam Preparation Study Course
This is a difficult exam, with an enormous amount of reference material to cover. Therefore we have created this exam preparation course to provide you with an easy-to-use, in-depth review for the South Carolina Residential Contractor Exam through a home study and online course format. The program takes you through the major reference books that the exam is based on showing you what to highlight and stressing important points from the books and common test areas. This is accomplished with the following unique components: Audio CD’s to listen to when in the vehicle, online narrated and animated presentations/highlighting sessions, and with a study guide (that can be printed or viewed online). After your review of the materials, you can take as many practice exams as you would like with our software. There are hundreds of questions drawn from the reference books that are randomly generated to create each practice exam, mirroring the format of the actual state exam. The tests are timed and graded, and you can go back and review your results and study more on the areas you may have missed. Our study course covers the major trades’ books and includes the business, law & project management material.
To purchase the complete study course please click here:
SC Unlimited Commercial Contractors Exam Prep Course
