What is worrying you: who to call and what they need

Who to call and what they need

In South Carolina, plumbers taking on work above $500 must be licensed or registered as residential specialty contractors under Title 40, Chapter 59¹. That is the statute as read, not legal advice, so confirm with the SC LLR Residential Builders Commission and your local building office.

Start at the kitchen table with your water bill, and note where on the lot the trouble is.

Updated November 4, 2026, Midlands House Walk

Bright new copper lines climbing a gray concrete block wall — New copper water pipes running up a block wall. In Columbia Water’s area, pipe past the meter is the homeowner’s, and so is choosing who works on it.

Small metal plate marked water meter set into a concrete walk, seen from above — A metal lid marked WATER METER set in a sidewalk box. At or before this point, start with the utility, not a plumber.

At the meter or the street

Look for: Check whether the trouble is at the meter box or out toward the street, and read the name on your bill. The name decides who you call.
What it tells you: In Columbia Water’s area, the city keeps the main, the service line to the meter, the box and the meter². Its customer care runs 24 hours³.

Close view of a threaded sewer cap in lawn grass beside pine straw — A cleanout cap in a lawn. Trouble on this side of the property line usually means a plumber, and the cap helps them start. AI-generated picture.

Past the meter or on your lot

Look for: Work out which stretch it is: the yard water line, or the sewer line.
What it tells you: Columbia Water says it cannot repair private lines², so these go to a plumber. Ask who pulls any permit. The statute says officials must refuse permits without a license or exemption¹.

Row of small colored flags running across a front lawn toward a street — A line of locate flags across a lawn. Anything that needs a hole starts with this step, including jobs you plan to hire out. AI-generated picture.

Anything that means digging

Look for: Know where the hole will go before you file or hire. Your plumber should know too.
What it tells you: SC811 is free and wants at least three business days⁴. Ask who files, you or the contractor, and ask whether private lines get marked.

Green drilling truck with a folded derrick parked in tall grass — A well-drilling truck with its derrick folded down, photographed by USDA NRCS in Texas, not here. Well trouble needs a well or pump contractor.

Wells

Look for: Find out whether your question is about the water or the equipment. Testing a private well comes first for water.
What it tells you: Well owners are responsible for testing, through the SC DES Private Well Program or labs. Clemson lists coliform at $20 with results in 10 to 15 days, and minerals and metals at $50 in 6 to 8 weeks, as read November 4, 2026⁵.

Green round lid, closed, in sandy soil and thin grass with pines behind — A closed green septic lid in a sandy yard, with nobody near it. That’s how it should stay until a licensed contractor arrives. AI-generated picture.

Septic

Look for: Note the signs you can see from a distance, and leave the lid shut.
What it tells you: Licensed contractors do inspections, repairs and pump-outs, and Clemson says not to do these yourself⁶. Septic rules now sit with SC DES, and Clemson’s pages may still say DHEC.

What does the statute say about doing it yourself?

Section 40-59-260 exempts an owner improving their own residential property for their own sole occupancy, doing the work themselves, with their own employees or with licensed contractors. The owner signs the permit and a notice gets filed, and a sale or rental within 2 years is prima facie evidence otherwise. Section 40-59-265 lists minor work, including stopping leaks in drains, water, soil, waste or vent pipe¹. Not legal advice. Confirm with the Commission and your building office.

Who issues plumbing permits?

It depends where the house is. Lexington County’s FAQ, as extracted from a search result, says a permit is needed any time you construct, enlarge, renovate or move a building, plumbing work included, and that a homeowner can obtain one for their own residence if it isn’t offered for sale or rent for two years⁹. Confirm it with that office. Elsewhere, ask the town or county.

Who to start with, by where the trouble is
Trouble	Start with	Have ready
Whole-house pressure drop or street leak	The utility on your bill	Address, cross streets, when it began
Leak between meter and house	A licensed plumber	Meter readings two hours apart
Sewage on the ground near the street	The utility on your bill, right away	Address or cross streets
Slow drains or backup in the house	A licensed plumber	Cleanout location, which drains
Septic odors, soggy field	A licensed septic contractor	Tank location, last pump-out
Flooded well	A well or pump contractor	Age and depth of the well, if known

Yours to do

Have ready the name on your bill, the address, a meter reading and photos.
Check a license at the Commission’s page⁷ before you agree to anything.
Ask who pulls the permit and whose name goes on it.
Know where your shutoff is, and say so when you call.

For a licensed pro

Licensed plumbers for private lines and pipes in the house.
The local building office for permit questions. Towns may run their own, so ask⁸.
Well or pump contractors and licensed septic contractors for those systems.

Stops for this worry

Who owns the sewer line under your yard?

AI pictureWho fixes the water line under your front yard?

Before you dig near a line: SC811

AI pictureTesting a private well in South Carolina