Georgia Electrical Contractor License Cost & Requirements (2026)
Georgia licenses electrical contractors through the Division of Electrical Contractors of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, and it issues two classes that are divided by the electrical system, not by money. Class I (Restricted) covers single-phase systems of 200 amperes or less. Class II (Unrestricted) covers everything. There is no state journeyman license beneath them: the contractor license, held by an individual and worked through a business, is the credential the state issues.
This page was rebuilt in October 2026 from the board's fee schedule effective June 1, 2025, the PSI examination structure and Rule 121-4. Georgia raised its licensing fees in 2025, and older guides quoting a $30 application or a $75 renewal are working from the retired schedule. The current figures are a $110 application in total and a $288 examination, which this page uses throughout.
Georgia Electrical Contractor Fee Estimator
Regulatory fee breakdown for Electrical Contractor, Class I (Restricted) or Class II (Unrestricted)
Itemized Fee Schedule
State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (Georgia Secretary of State)
All applications and exams must be registered directly with this board.
Fee figures on this page were checked against Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board — Division of Electrical Contractors; fee schedule effective June 1, 2025 on October 30, 2026. View the official source
Regulatory & Licensing Requirements Summary
| Official License Classification | Electrical Contractor, Class I (Restricted) or Class II (Unrestricted) |
| Minimum Experience | 4 Years (Journeyman / Field Supervisor) |
| Mandatory State Surety Bond | Not required at state level (Local permits may apply) |
| General Liability Insurance | $500,000 for General Contractor Division licenses; $300,000 per occurrence for Residential-Basic (GA Rules Ch. 553). |
| Estimated Application Processing Time | Not published by the board |
| Renewal Cycle & CE Requirement | Every 2 year(s) with 4 hours of Continuing Education |
Warning: Unlicensed Contracting Penalties in Georgia
Misdemeanor: a fine of not less than $1,000 and/or up to 3 months' imprisonment per offense (§43-41-12(a)). A contract with an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable by the contractor, including mechanic's lien and bond claims (§43-41-17(a)).
Note: In many states, unlicensed contractors also lose the ability to file mechanic's liens or sue for non-payment in civil courts.
Special Statutory Notes for Georgia
Georgia divides its electrical contractor licenses by the system, not by the value of the work. The Division of Electrical Contractors of the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board (Secretary of State) issues Class I (Restricted), covering single-phase electrical systems of 200 amperes or less, and Class II (Unrestricted), covering all electrical work.
Applicants must be at least 21, document four years (about 8,000 hours) of primary electrical experience, give three references (at least one from a licensed electrical contractor), pass a background check and file an affidavit of citizenship. The PSI examination is a single registration in two parts: Technical Functions (110 questions) and Regulations, Laws and Administrative Functions (30 questions), plus pre-test questions, over 8 hours with a break. Open-book, 70% to pass, fee $288.
Fees follow the board's fee schedule effective June 1, 2025: application $100 plus $10 processing ($110 in total), on-time renewal $110, late renewal $210, reinstatement of a lapsed license $310 in total. Guides still quoting a $30 application or a $75 renewal are using the pre-June-2025 schedule. Continuing education is 4 hours per year under board Rule 121-4, reported through CE Broker from January 1, 2026. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.
At a first renewal, licensees of one year or less owe no continuing education, and those between one and two years owe 4 hours. There is no surety bond for this license. Reciprocity covers electrical contractors from Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
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.
Class I or Class II: the 200-ampere line
The restricted class is defined by the system: single-phase, 200 amperes or less, which in practice means ordinary houses and small services. Anything beyond it, three-phase work, larger services, commercial and industrial installations, requires Class II, and Class II applicants must document experience on the larger systems the class covers.
Both classes ask the same foundations: at least 21 years old, four years (about 8,000 hours) of primary electrical experience, three references of which at least one must come from a licensed electrical contractor, a background check, and an affidavit of citizenship or immigration documentation.
The application is $110 in total under the June 2025 schedule, a $100 fee plus $10 processing, paid to the board, which reviews the experience evidence before authorizing the examination. Georgia's electrical license is personal: companies do not hold it, their licensed individuals do, which is why the references and the background check attach to the person.
One examination, two sittings' worth of questions
The PSI examination is a single registration taken in two parts across a long day: Technical Functions, 110 questions, and Regulations, Laws and Administrative Functions, 30 questions, with additional pre-test questions mixed in. Each part is allowed four hours with a break between them. It is open-book and multiple choice, 70% is required to pass, and the fee is $288, the highest of Georgia's construction examinations, reflecting the two-part structure. Results are reported at the testing center.
Reciprocity offers the alternative door for experienced contractors: Georgia maintains arrangements recognizing electrical licenses from Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, under which the Georgia examination may be waived or its results transferred according to the agreement with the state concerned. The board's recognition is exam-based: what transfers is a license earned by examination in the other state, documented with a certification letter from that board.
Renewal: June 30, eight hours, and CE Broker
Licenses expire on June 30 of even-numbered years. Renewal is $110 in total under the current schedule; a late renewal costs $210 in total, and reinstatement of a lapsed license $310, figures worth knowing because the pre-2025 guides still in circulation quote gentler numbers.
Continuing education is four hours per year under Rule 121-4, eight hours across the cycle, in courses run by a college, a vocational-technical school, a trade association, a utility or an equipment manufacturer. From January 1, 2026, the hours must also be reported into CE Broker, the board's tracking system; the education and the reporting of it are now separate duties.
New licensees get measured relief at the first renewal: no continuing education is required if you have been licensed for one year or less, and four hours if you have been licensed for more than one year but less than two. There is no surety bond for the Georgia electrical contractor license, and no separate license fee after the examination: the $110 application and the $288 examination are the whole of the state's charges for a first license, $398 in total.
Mistakes that delay a Georgia Electrician application
- Using an old guide's fees: the application rose to $110 in total and renewal to $110 in total on June 1, 2025. The $30 application and $75 renewal figures are retired.
- Reading Class I as a dollar limit: the restriction is the system, single-phase and 200 amperes or less. A large contract on small systems can be Class I work; a small contract on a three-phase service cannot.
- Budgeting for one exam sitting: the $288 covers a two-part examination day, 140 scored questions across technical and regulatory parts, each allowed four hours.
- Doing the continuing education but not reporting it: from January 1, 2026, Georgia electrical hours must be entered into CE Broker as well as completed.
- Missing June 30 of an even year: late renewal is $210 in total, and reinstatement after lapse is $310, under the current schedule.
- Assuming the company holds the license: in Georgia the electrical contractor license belongs to the individual, and a business operates through its licensed people.
Georgia Electrician Licensing FAQ
What does a Georgia electrical contractor license cost in total?
In state and exam charges, $398: the application at $110 in total ($100 fee plus $10 processing, under the fee schedule effective June 1, 2025) and the two-part PSI examination at $288. There is no further license fee on passing. Renewal every two years is $110 in total, with late renewal at $210 and reinstatement at $310 under the current schedule.
What is the difference between Class I and Class II electrical licenses in Georgia?
The electrical system, not the contract value. Class I (Restricted) covers single-phase systems of 200 amperes or less. Class II (Unrestricted) covers all electrical work, including three-phase and commercial or industrial installations, and its applicants must document experience on those larger systems. Both classes require four years of primary experience, three references and the same two-part examination structure.
How much continuing education does a Georgia electrician need?
Four hours per year under Rule 121-4, eight hours across the two-year cycle, from approved providers such as colleges, technical schools, trade associations, utilities and equipment manufacturers. From January 1, 2026 the hours must also be reported into CE Broker. At a first renewal, licensees of one year or less owe none, and those licensed between one and two years owe four hours.
Does Georgia have a journeyman electrician license?
No state journeyman license exists in Georgia. The Division of Electrical Contractors issues the Class I and Class II contractor licenses to individuals, and electricians build the four years of primary experience the application requires by working in the trade, typically under licensed contractors, before applying in their own right.
Can an out-of-state electrician transfer a license to Georgia?
Georgia maintains reciprocity arrangements for electrical contractors with Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, under which a license earned by examination in one of those states, documented by a certification letter from its board, may be recognized without the full Georgia examination. Contractors from other states follow the standard route: application, experience evidence and the PSI examination.
When does the Georgia electrical license expire?
June 30 of even-numbered years, for both classes. Renewal is $110 in total and requires the continuing education for the cycle (eight hours, four per year) to be complete and, from 2026, reported into CE Broker. Late renewal and reinstatement are priced in the current fee schedule at $210 and $310 in total.
How much does a Electrical Contractor license cost in Georgia?
The filing and licensing fees on the Georgia Electrical Contractor schedule total approximately $398. This consists of a $110 application fee, a $288 examination fee, and a $0 initial license fee.
How long does it take to get a Electrical Contractor license in Georgia?
State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (Georgia Secretary of State) does not publish a fixed end-to-end processing time for this license.
What are the penalties for working as an unlicensed Electrician in Georgia?
Misdemeanor: a fine of not less than $1,000 and/or up to 3 months' imprisonment per offense (§43-41-12(a)). A contract with an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable by the contractor, including mechanic's lien and bond claims (§43-41-17(a)).
How often do you need to renew a Electrician license in Georgia?
Licenses must be renewed every 2 year(s) with a renewal fee of $110. You must also complete 4 hours of approved Continuing Education (CE).