South Carolina — electrical code & licensing
Verified
The code
| Edition in force | 2020 NEC (NFPA 70) with South Carolina modifications (2021 South Carolina mandatory code cycle) |
| Edition structure | One statewide edition |
| Effective date | 2023-01-01 |
| Date as recorded | 2023-01-01 (statewide implementation; Building Codes Council adoption 2021-10-06) |
| Adopted by | South Carolina Building Codes Council (S.C. Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), under S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 6-9-50 |
| Adoption source | https://llr.sc.gov/bcc/PDFfiles/10-6-21 Modification Index.pdf |
| State amendments | Amendments ride in the adoption document itself — https://llr.sc.gov/bcc/PDFfiles/10-6-21 Modification Index.pdf |
Licensing
| Model | State licensing of electrical contracting, split by market: commercial work over $10,000 requires a Contractor's Licensing Board license (Mechanical Contractor, Electrical classification) held by the business through an exam-qualified Primary Qualifying Party; residential electrical work over $500 requires a Residential Electrician license from the Residential Builders Commission. No state journeyman/master license class exists; individuals qualify as qualifying parties by examination or by recognized Master Electrician certification (MASC through 2025; Carolinas AGC from 2026-01-01). |
| Authority | SC Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial) and SC Residential Builders Commission (residential), both SC LLR |
| Licensing source | https://llr.sc.gov/clb/clb_licensure.aspx |
| License classes | https://llr.sc.gov/res/reselectric.aspx |
Permits & inspections
The mandatory state codes must be enforced by every municipality and county; permits and inspections are local. No state-issued electrical permit system was established.
Things to watch for
- A code-cycle change is in motion (noticed or in legislative process). Check the adoption watch below before bidding long work.
How this record was verified
| Adoption | Verified |
| Amendments | Verified |
| Licensing | Verified |
| Permits & inspections | Verified |
On the adoption watch
next adoption → 2023 NEC
Council has noticed adoption of the 2023 NEC. A reported 2027-01-01 implementation date was not confirmed officially and is not coded as a date.
Working notes
PENDING CYCLE - NOT IN FORCE, recorded per steering: the Council has noticed intention (State Register Vol. 49, Issue 5, May 23, 2025) to modify and adopt the 2024 I-Codes and the 2023 NEC; the NEC regulation (Regulation Document 5418) is before the General Assembly as joint resolution S.1077 (introduced 2026-03-31). Secondary reporting gives a 2027-01-01 statewide implementation date; that date was NOT confirmed on an official page this pass, and the in-force edition remains the 2020 NEC until the new cycle takes effect. Data-quality flag: a City of Charleston notice captured earlier in this pass mislabels the in-force code as the '2021 National Electrical Code'; the Council's own adoption documents and State Register notices say 2020 NEC, which is the figure recorded. Charleston caution sourced (read firsthand 2026-10-25): the caution above traces to the City of Charleston's official 'Notice to Construction Industry' page, https://www.charleston-sc.gov/1466/Notice-to-Construction-Industry , which lists '2021 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) with SC modifications' among the codes effective Jan. 1, 2023 - the city page's own mislabel; a second city notice (DocumentCenter) correctly lists '2020 NFPA 70'.
Reference only. Compiled from the cited official sources as of the date shown; adoptions and rules change. Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before designing or permitting work.