Georgia Contractor & Trade Licensing Costs (2026)
Georgia licenses contractors through the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors, in four categories: Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial, General Contractor, and General Contractor Limited Tier. Specialty trades such as electrical, plumbing and conditioned air are licensed by separate boards. Select a trade classification below to calculate application fees, PSI examination costs, surety bond minimums, and renewal schedules.
Georgia runs contractor licensing out of the Secretary of State's licensing boards division, but underneath that umbrella sit two systems that share almost nothing. One board licenses general contractors in four tiers. A second board, the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, licenses the trades through its own divisions: electrical, plumbing and conditioned air. The other four trades on this page have no state license at all.
The two systems have opposite habits. The contractor board asks for net worth instead of a bond and requires no continuing education. The trade divisions share one fee schedule, rewritten on June 1, 2025, keep three different renewal calendars, and owe four hours of education a year.
This page covers the four contractor tiers and their first-time costs, the three licensed trades, and the unlicensed four, including the licensed edges hiding inside two of them. Every figure matches the verified schedule on the linked trade page, checked against the licensing authority on October 30, 2026. Our Georgia general contractor license guide works through the tier decision and the $376 first-time bill in full.
One umbrella, two systems that run on different rules
The State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors works under Title 43, Chapter 41 of the Georgia code and issues only contractor licenses. The State Construction Industry Licensing Board works under Chapter 14 and licenses trades through separate divisions, one each for electrical contractors, master and journeyman plumbers, and conditioned air contractors, with low voltage and utility divisions alongside them. The Secretary of State administers both boards.
General contracting: four tiers divided by scope and one dollar cap
The tiers divide by the work. Residential-Basic covers one- and two-family homes; Residential-Light Commercial adds multifamily and light commercial buildings; the General Contractor tier is unrestricted; and the Limited Tier carries the same scope with a ceiling of $1,000,000 per contract. Contracting building work above $2,500 in project value requires one of these licenses. A business applies through a qualifying agent, an individual licensee with final authority over the company's Georgia construction work, contracts and finances.
Every tier sits two PSI examinations: a Georgia Business and Law exam ($60) and a trade exam for the tier, $72 at the residential tiers.
For the general tiers the board accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors ($106) in place of the Georgia trade portion, which is why the general contractor page prices the route at $166 of examinations on a $200 application, $376 all in. The experience gate is four years in the industry, at least two of them with or for a licensed general contractor.
Net worth instead of a bond, and the bonds that do exist
Georgia's contractor board never asks for a license bond. A General Contractor applicant proves financial responsibility with a minimum net worth of $150,000, attested by a certified public accountant, plus a $50,000 line of credit. The Limited Tier and the residential tiers work to $25,000, but the residential tiers let the applicant choose how to show it: a surety bond, a line or letter of credit, a bank credit reference, or an affirmation of net worth. The bond survives only as one option among four, at the residential level.
Two genuine bonds sit elsewhere. Conditioned air contractors file a $10,000 surety or cash bond in the county where they work. The Department of Revenue adds a layer: contracts over $10,000 must be registered with it, and out-of-state contractors post a bond equal to 10% of the contract value. Insurance is conventional: liability of at least $500,000 per occurrence for the General Contractor, Limited Tier and Residential-Light Commercial licenses, $300,000 for Residential-Basic, and workers' compensation at three or more employees.
The trade divisions: one fee schedule since June 2025, three different licenses
On June 1, 2025 the Construction Industry Licensing Board replaced its old fee schedule with a single one covering every division: application $110 in total ($100 plus $10 processing), renewal the same $110, late renewal $210, reinstatement $310. First-time totals then differ only by the examination.
An electrical contractor pays $288 for its two-part PSI examination, $398 all in. A master plumber pays $207, $317 all in. A conditioned air contractor pays $267, $377 all in, plus the county bond above. Guides quoting a $30 application or $75 renewal use the retired schedule.
The licenses themselves share nothing else. The electrical classes split at the system rather than the contract: Class I covers single-phase work of 200 amperes or less, Class II everything, both on four years of experience. Plumbing licenses the person rather than the business: every individual performing plumbing work, employees included, holds a journeyman or master license, and a master is built from two years as a licensed journeyman inside five years of experience. Conditioned air prescribes what its experience years must contain, rather than simply counting them.
Three renewal calendars, and one education rule
Georgia's licenses expire on different dates. General contractor and electrical licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years. Plumbing licenses expire November 30 of even-numbered years. Conditioned air licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years, the only odd-year cycle in the system. A firm working to a single renewal date will eventually lapse one of them.
Continuing education follows the same divide. The three trade divisions each require four hours per year under Rule 121-4, eight hours across the cycle, and from January 1, 2026 electrical contractors must also report their hours through CE Broker. The contractor board requires no continuing education for any of its four tiers.
Four trades with no license, and the licensed edges inside them
Roofing, painting, landscaping and carpentry sit on the Licensing Board's list of traditional specialty contractor scopes, and the Attorney General's consumer guidance names roofers and painters among the occupations Georgia does not license. A specialty contractor may contract directly with an owner inside that scope without a GC license. The boundary is the whole project: contracting to run building work above $2,500 as the principal is the licensed contractor's role, and structural work such as rebuilding trusses leaves the roofing scope entirely.
Two of the four carry licensed edges. Georgia runs its own EPA-authorized lead Renovation, Repair and Painting program, so painters, and carpenters replacing windows and trim, who disturb paint in pre-1978 homes need certified firms and renovators under the state program rather than the federal one.
Landscaping's edge is chemical: applying any pesticide for a fee requires a commercial applicator license from the Department of Agriculture in Category 24, Ornamental and Turf, the business needs its own pesticide contractor license on top, and selling live plants takes a Live Plant Dealer license.
What unlicensed contracting costs in Georgia
For work on the licensed side of the line, Georgia's penalties include one most states do not have. Contracting without a required license is a misdemeanor under section 43-41-12: a fine of not less than $1,000 and up to three months' imprisonment per offense.
Under section 43-41-17, a contract made by an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable by that contractor, mechanic's lien and bond claims included, so an unlicensed builder who is not paid has no legal route to the money. Homeowners can verify GCs, electricians, plumbers and conditioned air contractors in the Secretary of State's license search; the four specialty trades return nothing there, and that is expected.
Trade License Categories in Georgia
General Contractor
Oversees residential and commercial construction, manages subcontractors, pulls building permits, and coordinates turnkey building projects.
Electrical Contractor
Installs, maintains, and repairs electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and industrial factories.
Plumbing Contractor
Installs and repairs water supply lines, waste disposal systems, gas piping, and related appliances and fixtures.
HVAC / Mechanical Contractor
Installs and services heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, adhering to EPA Section 608 refrigerant compliance.
Roofing Contractor
Repairs and installs commercial and residential roofs using shingles, tile, metal, and waterproofing membranes.
Painting Contractor
Applies paints, stains, wall coverings, and protective coatings to interior and exterior surfaces of structures.
Landscape Contractor
Designs, installs, and maintains outdoor living spaces, hardscaping, irrigation lines, and pesticide applications.
Carpentry & Framing Contractor
Constructs, erects, installs, and repairs structures and fixtures made of wood, steel studs, and composite materials.
Mistakes that cost Georgia applicants time and money
- Shopping for a Georgia general contractor license bond: the tiers prove financial responsibility with net worth. A bond is only one of four ways to make the $25,000 residential showing.
- Pricing a trade application from an old guide: every CILB division moved to a $110 application and $110 renewal on June 1, 2025. The $30 and $75 figures are retired.
- Putting unlicensed helpers on plumbing work: Georgia licenses every person who performs plumbing work, employees included, as a journeyman or master.
- Renewing everything on one date: conditioned air expires November 30 of odd years, plumbing November 30 of even years, electrical and contractor licenses June 30 of even years.
- Counting conditioned air years instead of composing them: the board prescribes lead mechanic, service and supervisory years in a set structure, plus a design course.
- Drifting out of a specialty scope: a roofer or carpenter who contracts to run a whole project above $2,500 has stepped into the licensed contractor's role.
Georgia Contractor Licensing FAQ
How much does a Georgia contractor license cost?
It depends which system issues it. The General Contractor route costs $376 all in: a $200 application plus $10 processing, the $60 Business and Law exam and the $106 NASCLA trade exam, renewing at $100 plus $10 processing every two years. The trade divisions share the June 2025 schedule, a $110 application and $110 renewal, so their first-time totals are set by the examination: $398 electrical, $317 for a master plumber, $377 for conditioned air plus its $10,000 county bond.
Does a Georgia general contractor need a surety bond?
Not for the license. The General Contractor tier proves financial responsibility with a CPA-attested net worth of at least $150,000 plus a $50,000 line of credit; the Limited Tier uses a $25,000 threshold. At the residential tiers the $25,000 showing can be made by bond, credit line, bank credit reference or net-worth affirmation. Bonds appear only at the edges: the conditioned air $10,000 county bond, and the Department of Revenue bond of 10% of contract value for out-of-state contractors.
Which construction trades does Georgia actually license?
General contractors in four tiers, and three trades through the Construction Industry Licensing Board: electrical contractors, master and journeyman plumbers, and conditioned air contractors, with low voltage and utility divisions alongside. Roofing, painting, landscaping and carpentry have no state license, though pesticide application inside landscaping and lead-paint work inside painting and carpentry carry licenses and certifications of their own.
Do plumbing employees need their own licenses in Georgia?
Yes. Georgia licenses the individual for plumbing: every person performing plumbing work, employees included, must personally hold a Journeyman or Master Plumber license, and journeymen work under a master's supervision. The master license requires five years of experience, at least two of them as a licensed journeyman. It is stricter than states where only the business is licensed.
How much continuing education does a Georgia contractor need?
The trade divisions require four hours per year under Rule 121-4, and electrical contractors must report their hours through CE Broker from January 1, 2026. The Residential and General Contractors board requires none: its four tiers renew on insurance, the qualifying agent and the fee.
What happens if you contract in Georgia without a license?
Two things. The criminal side is a misdemeanor under section 43-41-12: a fine of not less than $1,000, up to three months' imprisonment, or both, per offense. The commercial side is usually worse: under section 43-41-17 the contract is unenforceable by the unlicensed contractor, lien and bond claims included, so a contractor who is not paid cannot use the courts to collect.
Fee figures on this page match the board-verified schedules on each trade page above, checked against State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (Georgia Secretary of State) sources in October 2026. Renewal fees vary by entity type and are shown on each trade page.