Garage door rules & licensing in South Carolina

South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation - Residential Builders Commission (residential) and Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial) — official site

A current SC licence or registration is required to engage in residential building, specialty contracting or home inspecting. A 'residential builder' is one who constructs/repairs/improves a residential building when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $5,000; a 'residential specialty contractor' is an independent contractor doing work requiring specialised trades when the undertaking exceeds $500. Separately, no entity may perform contracting work where the total cost of construction is greater than $10,000 for general contracting (or greater than $10,000 for mechanical contracting) without a Contractor's Licensing Board licence. There is no garage-door-specific classification in either scheme.

$500 (residential specialty contractor registration), $5,000 (residential builder licence), $10,000 total cost of construction (commercial general or mechanical contractor licence)

Residential builders must submit an executed bond with approved surety 'in the sum of not less than fifteen thousand dollars'. A residential specialty contractor must obtain an executed bond, in an amount approved by the commission, when the cost of an undertaking performed for an individual property owner exceeds $5,000.

Building codes are adopted statewide by the SC Building Codes Council and 'must be enforced by every South Carolina municipality and county' (S.C. Code Ann. 6-9-50). The current mandatory residential code is the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code (2021 IRC with SC modifications), adopted 10/6/2021 with an implementation date of 1/1/2023. Permit administration, fees and procedures are set by each local jurisdiction by ordinance.

South Carolina enforces the 2021 South Carolina Residential Code (the 2021 International Residential Code with South Carolina modifications). The SC Building Codes Council adopted it on October 6, 2021 under S.C. Code Ann. Section 6-9-50, "to be enforced by all municipalities and counties in South Carolina," with an implementation date for local jurisdictions of January 1, 2023; "only the modifications approved and listed on the Council’s website are valid for use in the State." SC Regulation 8-1202 replaces IRC Section R301.2.1 Wind Design criteria and names garage doors expressly: "Buildings and portions thereof shall be constructed in accordance with the previously published maps by the South Carolina Building Codes Council. The local building official may delineate the wind design category within their jurisdiction provided that it does not surpass those provided on the Applied Technology Council (ATC) website. ... Where not otherwise specified the wind loads listed in Table R301.2.1(1) adjusted for height and exposure using Table R301.2.1(2) shall be used to determine design load performance requirements for wall coverings, curtain walls, roof coverings, exterior windows, skylights, garage doors and exterior doors. ... A continuous load path shall be provided to transmit the applicable uplift forces in Section R802.11 from the roof assembly to the foundation. Where ultimate design wind speeds in Figure 301.2(2) are less than the lowest wind speed indicated in the prescriptive provisions of this code, the lowest wind speed indicated in the prescriptive provisions of this code shall be used."