(A) All residential builders
must be licensed, and all residential specialty contractors must be
registered, by the commission for a period established by the
commission in regulation. Licensees and registrants must pay an
annual fee established by the department and based upon the
department’s costs in carrying out the provisions of this chapter.
(B) An applicant for a license or
certificate shall file with the commission a written application on
a form as may be prescribed by the commission. The application must be
accompanied by the payment of all applicable fees required by the
commission. A prerequisite for taking the examination for a
residential builder’s license is a minimum of one year of actual
experience under the supervision of a licensed residential builder,
or other appropriately licensed professional who is engaged in
residential building construction involving the trades or crafts for
which the license is desired, or other education or experience or
a combination of these as may be approved by the
commission.
The commission, in examining an
applicant, may consider the following qualifications of the
applicant:
(1) experience;
(2) ability;
(3) character;
(4) financial condition;
(5) equipment;
(6) workers’ compensation insurance; and
(7) other pertinent information the
commission may require.
(C) The commission shall issue a
residential builder’s license if, as a result of examination, the
commission finds that the applicant is qualified to engage in
residential building in South Carolina, and the applicant submits an
executed bond in the form and with a surety approved by the
commission in the sum of not less than fifteen thousand dollars or
proof of financial responsibility acceptable to the commission.