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How to become an HVAC technician in South Carolina
Technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants need the federal EPA Section 608 certification, except for an apprentice closely and continually supervised by a certified technician. South Carolina's Residential Builders Commission licenses residential HVAC installers and repairers: residential HVAC work over $500 requires its license unless the worker is a residential builder licensed by examination or a mechanical contractor in its classification. The license takes a year of residential HVAC experience within five years and passing both the Business Management and Law and the technical portions of PSI's exam (the technical portion is waived for some licensed applicants); for commercial work over $10,000 the Commission points to the Contractor's Licensing Board. The pages read do not say whether someone working under a licensee needs a license. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in South Carolina earned a median $56,610 a year in May 2025 ($27.22 an hour).
HVAC technician licensing in South Carolina
The licensing authority is South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA Section 608 Certification (federal) | Required nationwide for technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants, except apprentices closely and continually supervised by a certified technician: Type I (small appliances), Type II (high- and very-high-pressure, other than small appliances and motor-vehicle air conditioners), Type III (low-pressure) or Universal (all). Pass an EPA-approved test; the credential does not expire. | — | EPA-approved Section 608 test (Type I / II / III / Universal) | not published |
| Licensed Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer (Residential Builders Commission) | Required for residential HVAC work over $500, except for a residential builder licensed by examination or a mechanical contractor working in the classification it holds. The license covers air-conditioning equipment and systems of up to five tons of cooling and 175,000 BTU/HR of heating per unit. At least one year of residential HVAC experience within the past five years, verified on the Commission's experience affidavit by each employer or supervisor, who must have been appropriately licensed during the supervision and know the work directly (an applicant qualifying for the exam waiver through a license may self-report the experience under that license); then the Commission's required examination, administered by PSI: both the Business Management and Law and the Residential HVAC technical portions (exam fees are paid directly to PSI; eligibility lasts one year, with three attempts within 12 months; if both portions are not passed in that time you reapply, and after a third failure you wait 12 months). The technical portion is waived for a South Carolina mechanical contractor licensed by examination for at least a year in the Air Conditioning (AC) or Packaged Equipment (PK) classification and for holders of a current Alabama, Mississippi or North Carolina license obtained by examination and held one year or longer (not grandfathered), or a current HARV (master mechanical) certification issued by examination by the Municipal Association of South Carolina between September 7, 2013 and December 2025 or by Carolinas AGC after January 1, 2026; the experience and the Business Management and Law portion still apply. The application includes a credit report dated no more than 30 days before it. Fees: $135 application and $220 license. Before doing or offering work over $5,000 on a project, a $10,000 surety bond in the individual's own name must be on file with the Commission. | — | PSI: Business Management and Law, and Residential HVAC | $355 |
Renewal. Every other year, by June 30 of odd-numbered years ($220; $50 late fee).
Licensing sources: EPA Section 608 Technician Certification (retrieved 2026-09-24) · SC Residential Builders Commission: Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license (retrieved 2026-09-24) · SC Residential Builders Commission: Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license requirements and instructions (retrieved 2026-09-24) · SC Residential Builders Commission: Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer online application instructions (retrieved 2026-09-24) · South Carolina Code, Title 40, Chapter 59 (residential builders and specialty contractors) (retrieved 2026-09-24) · South Carolina Regulations, Chapter 106 (Residential Builders Commission) (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) before you act.
The steps in order, with exams, fees and renewal → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as an HVAC technician in South Carolina?
Technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants need the federal EPA Section 608 certification, except for an apprentice closely and continually supervised by a certified technician. South Carolina's Residential Builders Commission licenses residential HVAC installers and repairers: residential HVAC work over $500 requires its license unless the worker is a residential builder licensed by examination or a mechanical contractor in its classification. The license takes a year of residential HVAC experience within five years and passing both the Business Management and Law and the technical portions of PSI's exam (the technical portion is waived for some licensed applicants); for commercial work over $10,000 the Commission points to the Contractor's Licensing Board. The pages read do not say whether someone working under a licensee needs a license.
What does it cost to get licensed as an HVAC technician in South Carolina?
The published fee in the table above is $355. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top.
How long does it take to become an HVAC technician in South Carolina?
It depends on which credential you need and the training and testing each step takes; the full path is in the table above.
How much do HVAC technicians make in South Carolina?
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in South Carolina earned a median $56,610 a year in May 2025, $27.22 an hour. That median is 7% below the national figure of $61,010, and South Carolina ranks 42 of 51 by pay for this trade.
What HVAC technicians earn in South Carolina
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in South Carolina earned a median $56,610 a year in May 2025, $27.22 an hour. 6,920 people held the job, 3.0 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 7% below the national figure of $61,010, and South Carolina ranks 42 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in South Carolina
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.83 | $39,170 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.39 | $46,560 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $27.22 | $56,610 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $30.28 | $62,990 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $36.31 | $75,530 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $27.14 | $56,460 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in South Carolina
Charleston-North Charleston, SC employs the most HVAC technicians of the 8 metro areas based in South Carolina that BLS publishes, 1,270, at a median $58,410 a year. The best-paid is Florence, SC at $58,790.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 1,270 | $58,410 | $40,280 | $77,060 |
| Columbia, SC | 1,220 | $57,610 | $39,460 | $73,830 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 1,160 | $58,760 | $38,520 | $77,520 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 630 | $54,230 | $39,330 | $72,930 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 420 | $58,280 | $39,090 | $74,620 |
| Spartanburg, SC | 390 | $57,790 | $40,670 | $76,920 |
| Florence, SC | 180 | $58,790 | $36,670 | $81,420 |
| Sumter, SC | 110 | $49,880 | $36,190 | $73,990 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown. Listed under another state but reaching into South Carolina: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC and Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC.
South Carolina against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | Oklahoma | $57,560 | 5,650 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $57,260 | 15,230 |
| 41 | Florida | $56,670 | 39,160 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $56,610 | 6,920 |
| 43 | Georgia | $56,390 | 12,290 |
| 44 | Idaho | $56,240 | 4,550 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $55,490 | 9,740 |
The complete ranking is on the HVAC technicians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $56,610 | $61,010 |
| Median hourly | $27.22 | $29.33 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $39,170 | $40,050 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $75,530 | $95,210 |
| Employed | 6,920 | 409,670 |
Apprenticeships in South Carolina
U.S. Department of Labor records list 139 registered apprentices active in South Carolina in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 39 apprentices started; 34 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 14 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in South Carolina
Electricians ($58,740) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($53,940) · Welders ($49,980) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($51,130) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($76,870) · Elevator installers ($90,860) · Ironworkers ($50,750) · Sheet metal workers ($49,920) · Carpenters ($50,670) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($49,010) · Auto service technicians ($48,100) · Diesel mechanics ($59,330) · Heavy equipment operators ($48,940) · Machinists ($57,970)
See all 15 ranked by pay in South Carolina.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.