Georgia Contractor License Requirements
A tiered statewide system with specific, confirmed insurance minimums and a documented reciprocity program.
License Requirement
Licensing body: State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State — sos.ga.gov
Georgia requires a statewide license through the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors. Classification tiers are Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial, General Contractor (Full Tier, unlimited contract value), and General Contractor-Limited Tier (capped around $1,000,000 per contract).
Exam
Administered by PSI, confirmed via the Georgia Secretary of State's site and cross-verified by secondary sources.
Bonding
Sources gave conflicting information on whether a bond is mandated by the board itself versus commonly obtained for other reasons — this was not resolved during research. Treat any bond requirement as varying by classification and confirm directly with the board.
Continuing Education
Renewal is biennial, expiring June 30 of even-numbered years (confirmed via the board's site). Specific CE hour counts (commonly cited as 3 hours/year for Residential-Basic, 6 hours/year for Residential-Light Commercial) are sourced from secondary guides and were not independently reconfirmed.
Experience Requirements
4 years of aggregate construction experience, including at least 2 years working as or under a general contractor — consistent across multiple independent sources.
Reciprocity
Georgia's own site confirms reciprocity agreements exist with certain states ("you may apply by Reciprocity if Georgia has an agreement with your state"). A specific list of reciprocal states appeared only in secondary sources and is not published here as confirmed.
Licensing requirements change and vary by locality within a state. Always verify current requirements with your state's contractor licensing board before applying. This page is an independent informational reference — it is not legal advice, and ContractorLicense.org is not a government agency and is not affiliated with any state licensing board.
Research note: Statewide requirement, classification tiers, exam vendor (PSI), general liability insurance minimums ($300,000/occurrence for Residential-Basic, $500,000/occurrence for Residential-Light Commercial and GC tiers), renewal cycle, and the existence of reciprocity are confirmed via the board's own site. Bond requirement, exact CE hours, and the specific reciprocal-state list are not fully confirmed — verify directly.
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