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Your rights

South Carolina

South Carolina · home improvement

Your rights in South Carolina

Information, not legal adviceRules checked Oct 4, 2026

3 business days to cancel

If sold at your home on credit, a card or a loan

Cancel in writing by midnight of the third business day. Cash or check sales at home get the federal 3-day rule.

Some sales are excepted, such as emergency work you ask for in a signed waiver.

The 2 exceptions, in the rule's words
  • Emergency: you ask for the work without delay in a separate signed and dated statement (not a printed form) that describes an emergency threatening health, safety or your property, the seller has made a substantial start on the work before you cancel, and any goods cannot be returned in substantially as good condition.
  • Not covered: sales that follow earlier negotiations at the seller's fixed place of business, deals done entirely by mail or telephone, purchases on an existing revolving charge account with the seller, and sales covered by the federal Truth in Lending Act right to rescind.
Read the full rule

When it applies

A seller personally solicited the sale, you agreed to it at your home, and you are paying on credit from the seller, by credit card, or with a consumer loan tied to the sale. If you pay cash or by check, South Carolina's rule does not apply, but the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives a similar 3-business-day right for door-to-door sales of $25 or more made at your home.

If a seller came to your home, you signed there, and you are paying on credit, by credit card or with a loan tied to the sale, you can cancel in writing until midnight of the third business day after you sign. The seller must return your payments within 10 days of getting your notice. Cash or check sales of $25 or more made at your home get a similar 3-business-day right under the federal FTC rule.

S.C. Code Title 37, Ch. 2 · read on scstatehouse.gov · checked Oct 4, 2026 (official source, opens in a new tab)

License number

Check it before you sign

Jobs over $5,000 need a residential builder license. Specialty jobs over $500 need a state license or registration.

Read the full rule

South Carolina requires a residential builder license from the Residential Builders Commission for home building, repair or improvement jobs over $5,000. Specialty jobs over $500 need a state license (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) or a state registration (roofing, siding, carpentry, painting and other listed trades). Look the contractor up on the LLR licensee lookup before you sign.

Who needs one: Residential builders: anyone who builds, repairs or improves a residential building (up to three floors, and no more than 16 units in an apartment building) when the job costs more than $5,000 must hold a residential builder license. Specialty contractors hired by a residential builder, a general contractor or a property owner for specialty work over $500 must also be credentialed: plumbers, electricians and heating and air conditioning installers are licensed by exam; siding, insulation, roofing, floor covering, masonry, drywall, carpentry, stucco, painting and wallpapering, and solar panel installers are registered.

Who doesn't

  • General or mechanical contractors licensed by the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (S.C. Code Chapter 11), working within their license classification.
  • Property owners improving their own home for their own or their family's use (not for sale or rent, and not open to the public), doing the work themselves, with their own employees, or with licensed or registered contractors.
  • Property owners making listed minor improvements, such as fences up to seven feet high, sidewalks and driveways, small sheds and decks, and painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops.
  • Jobs at or below the state thresholds: $5,000 for residential building and $500 for specialty work. City or county business licenses may still apply.

Issued by: South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)

S.C. Code Title 40, Ch. 59 · read on scstatehouse.gov · checked Oct 4, 2026 (official source, opens in a new tab)

The contract must include

Source: SC law

No statute we read lists terms every contract needs. These apply only in the cases named.

An estimate isn't the contract. Ask for all 4 in writing before you sign.

  • Buyer's right to cancelIf sold at home on credit or a loan: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    If a seller came to your home and you signed there while paying on credit, by credit card or with a loan tied to the sale, you must sign a written agreement dated the day you actually sign it. It must carry a 'BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL' notice (or the federal FTC cancellation notice), and you must get a copy at signing that shows the date and the seller's name and mailing address.

  • 3-day cancel notice & formsDoor-to-door sales of $25 or more: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    For any door-to-door sale of $25 or more made at your home, including cash deals, federal law requires a completed copy of the contract in the same language as the sales pitch. It must show the date and the seller's name and address, put a bold cancellation statement next to your signature, and include two copies of a cancellation form.

  • Roofing: insurance cancel noticeIf insurance pays for the roof: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    If an insurance claim will pay for roof work, the contractor must give you a bold notice that you may cancel within five business days after your insurer tells you in writing that the claim is not covered. A detachable NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form, in two copies, must be attached to the contract.

  • Licensed name & license #If they hold a state contractor license: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    If the contractor holds a Contractor's Licensing Board license (general or mechanical contractor), it must contract in the exact name on that license. Mechanical contractors licensed for air conditioning, heating or packaged equipment must print their license number on every proposal and invoice.

On signing day

  • Keep a signed copy
  • Find the cancel notice
Sources18 official pages · checked Oct 4, 2026

Notes from our check

  • Deposit: no statute or regulation was found that caps the deposit or down payment on residential home improvement contracts in South Carolina. Checked: S.C. Code Title 40 Ch. 59 (Residential Builders), Title 40 Ch. 11 (Contractors), Regs. Ch. 106 (Residential Builders Commission), Title 37 Ch. 2 (consumer credit sales and home solicitation sales) and Title 39 Ch. 5 (Unfair Trade Practices). depositCap is null, so the app must not state a South Carolina cap or borrow one from another state.
  • Roofing paid by insurance (S.C. Code 40-59-25), a trade-specific rule that is NOT a deposit cap: the homeowner may cancel until midnight of the fifth business day after receiving the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered. The builder or contractor 'shall not require any payments from an insured until the five-day cancellation period has expired,' except for emergency services the insured acknowledged in writing. The same section bars contractors from negotiating the insurance claim for the owner and from advertising or promising to pay or rebate the deductible (a misdemeanor). Source: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c059.php
  • Cancellation scope: South Carolina's own home solicitation right (S.C. Code 37-2-501 to 37-2-506) covers only 'consumer credit sales'. Under 37-2-104, credit must be granted by a seller who regularly extends credit, the debt must be payable in installments or carry a credit service charge, and the purchase must be for personal, family or household use. Sales paid by credit card, or by a consumer loan whose lender is subject to claims arising from the sale, are brought in by the last sentence of 37-2-501. The amount-financed ceiling in 37-2-104(1)(e) reads $25,000 in the statute but is indexed under 37-1-109. SCDCA's 2026 notice lists $135,000 for 7/1/2026 to 6/30/2028.
  • Cash and check door-to-door sales fall under the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule (16 CFR Part 429), not the state rule. eCFR says it covers sales of $25 or more at the buyer's home and $130 or more at other places such as temporary locations; the task brief said $25 for both, but the eCFR text was used. Other FTC terms: cancel by midnight of the third business day; refund within 10 business days; 'business day' means every day except Sunday and federal holidays. Exclusions include sales after prior negotiations at the seller's permanent retail location, a buyer-initiated bona fide emergency with a handwritten waiver, and buyer-requested repair of personal property.
  • South Carolina's refund rule (37-2-504) says 'within ten days' and does not say business days. 'Business day' is not defined in the Title 37 parts read. Under 37-2-506 a seller may comply with the FTC rule instead, whose refund deadline is 10 business days. Until the seller gives the required notice, the buyer may cancel by any means (37-2-503(3)).
  • Registration: Chapter 59 does not require a residential builder's or specialty contractor's license or registration number on contracts or advertising. Only home inspectors' advertisements must show a license number (40-59-570). numberMustAppearOn is therefore empty. Building officials must refuse a permit unless the applicant shows licensure, registration or an exemption (40-59-280). Separately, Chapter 11 mechanical contractors licensed for air conditioning, heating or packaged equipment must show their license number on vehicles, invoices and proposals (40-11-270(C)).
  • A builder or specialty contractor who was required to be licensed or registered and was not cannot file a mechanics' lien or sue to enforce the contract (40-59-30(B)). Residential builders must post a $15,000 bond or proof of financial responsibility (40-59-220(C)). Specialty contractors on jobs over $5,000 for an individual property owner must carry a surety bond (40-59-240(D)). Specialty registrations are limited to three classifications; more requires a residential builder license (40-59-240(A)).
  • Thresholds: the specialty contractor threshold was raised from $200 to $500 by 2022 Act No. 186, and LLR's electrician, plumber and HVAC pages say work 'exceeding $500' requires a license. The Chapter 11 general and mechanical contractor threshold was raised from $5,000 to $10,000 by 2023 Act No. 69. The residential builder threshold remains 'exceeds five thousand dollars' (40-59-20(6)). For pools, LLR's page says the license is needed when the cost 'meets' $10,000, while 40-11-30 says 'greater than ten thousand dollars'; the app should say 'about $10,000'.
  • Under S.C. Code 40-59-20(7), a residential builder licensed by examination may do work in any residential specialty trade without a separate specialty credential. LLR's residential builder page says a builder licensed by exam waiver may not do the mechanical trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) and must subcontract them. Under Reg. 106-1(m), roof-mounting of solar panels must be done by a residential builder, a registered roofer or a licensed roofing contractor, and the wiring by a residential builder, a licensed residential electrician or a licensed electrical contractor.
  • LLR's specialty registration page repeats the painters text under 'Solar Panel Installers' (a website error). The regulation text (Reg. 106-1(m), scstatehouse.gov) was used instead.
  • Trades not classified in tradeCoverage: windows_doors, fencing, foundation-waterproofing, garage-doors, chimney-fireplace, handyman, water-treatment and the other slugs. The residential builder license covers any 'construction, repair, improvement, or reimprovement' of a residential building over $5,000, so larger jobs in these trades may also need a licensed builder, but no statute names them. Reg. 106-1(a) puts water filter, purification and conditioning systems in the plumber classification, but water-treatment was left unclassified to avoid over-claiming. notCoveredTrades is empty because South Carolina law does not explicitly exempt any listed trade from the contractor credential; the exemptions found (40-59-265) apply to property owners, not contractors.
  • Before suing a contractor over a construction defect in a dwelling (a house, duplex or multifamily building of up to 16 units and three stories), the homeowner must serve a written notice of claim at least 90 days before filing. The contractor then has 30 days to inspect, offer to fix or settle, or deny the claim (South Carolina Notice and Opportunity to Cure Construction Dwelling Defects Act, S.C. Code 40-59-810 to 40-59-860). This is a step before a lawsuit, not a contract term. Source: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c059.php
  • SCDCA's consumer guidance (not law) says to put all details in a written contract and get a completed copy, not to pay in full before the work is finished, and to be cautious of cash-only contractors. This is advice, not a legal requirement.
  • Independent verification on 2026-10-04: every statute, regulation and agency page above was downloaded directly from its official URL and read in full text (scstatehouse.gov, llr.sc.gov, consumer.sc.gov; 16 CFR Part 429 was read through the official eCFR renderer). Web search was unavailable (session search budget exhausted), so the deposit finding rests on a review of the chapters named in the first note, not on a search of the whole Code.

General information from official South Carolina sources. For your situation, ask the state's consumer protection office or a lawyer.

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