How we check listings
Written by the editor, dated, and kept current. Every number on this site traces back to one of the steps below.
1. Where the listings come from
I started with public business records for the swimming-pool-contractor category across South Carolina in October 2026: 192 businesses after removing duplicates (same phone and address), confirmed closures and listings whose records had not been touched in over a year and could not be re-confirmed. Businesses whose primary category is cleaning, repair, plastering, decking, covers or supply are shown in a separate "services near you" band on area pages.
2. Licensing — what South Carolina registers
South Carolina licenses pool construction through the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Since Act 69 of 2023, any pool job over $10,000 needs a Contractor’s license with the Swimming Pools classification or a Residential Builder license (Residential Builders Commission). The state publishes a per-company lookup but no bulk file, so for each business I recorded whether its own website states a license, and every profile links to the lookup. A listing shows "License stated" when the site says so; 25 of 192 builders carry it as of November 3, 2026. When the Commission’s licensee list arrives, profiles will show the matched license number instead.
3. Service facts from the company's own website
For each business with a website, I read the home page and up to six internal pages and recorded 16 yes/no facts — builds new pools, pool remodeling & resurfacing, spas & spools, gunite / shotcrete pools, fiberglass pools, water features, outdoor living (kitchens, fire, shade), decking & pavers, 3d design, financing offered, warranty stated, commercial pools, equipment & automation, license stated on site, also offers pool cleaning & maintenance, also repairs pools & equipment. "Yes" means the site describes it. "No" means the site rules it out. "Not confirmed" means the site did not say. 1,136 facts were resolved this way. The short description on each profile is written from the same pages and contains no claims the site does not make, no prices and no ratings.
4. What gets indexed
Profiles with fewer than five confirmed facts, no website, or a "No" on the core service stay visible but are marked for search engines not to index until the business verifies the listing. That keeps thin pages out of search results without hiding real businesses from readers.
Labels
| License stated | The company’s own website states a South Carolina contractor or residential builder license. Recorded, not verified — confirm on the LLR lookup. |
|---|---|
| Details confirmed | At least six service facts were confirmed on the company’s website, but no license statement was found. |
| License not stated | No license statement on the website, or no website on record. The company may still be licensed. |
| Verified by the business | Someone at the company confirmed the listing by email from a company address. |
| Premium | The business pays for an enhanced profile (photos, links, hours). It does not change position in the main list. |
| Sponsored band | Paid featured cards. Always labeled, always separate from the main list. |
| branch / owner-builder service | Context labels added where the records show a multi-location company or a design-only service. |
Corrections
Email editor@localguidepress.com or use the "Verify or correct" form on any profile. I reply within five business days and note material corrections on the profile. Refresh cadence: websites are re-read for the license statement quarterly; business records are re-pulled twice a year; a verified business can update its own facts at any time.