How to Get a Contractor License in Georgia

Georgia is two state boards, not one

A residential remodeler in Marietta told me he spent six weeks studying for the wrong exam because the prep course he bought was titled "Georgia Contractor License" and he assumed there was only one. There are two separate state boards, two separate exam tracks, and two separate license types that people lump together as "the Georgia contractor license." Pick the wrong one and you end up unable to pull permits for the work you actually do.

General and residential contractors in Georgia are licensed by the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (SLBRGC). Electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, low-voltage, and utility contractors are licensed by the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) in a separate division of the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards. Both boards live under the Georgia Secretary of State, but they share nothing operationally. Different exams, different application portals, different renewal cycles, different continuing education rules.

SLBRGC: general and residential contractors

The State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (SLBRGC) issues three license classes. Pick exactly one based on the scope of work you actually do.

Residential-Basic Contractor (RBC): single-family detached homes, duplexes, and townhouses up to 3 stories
Residential-Light Commercial Contractor (RLCC): everything an RBC can do, plus light commercial up to 3 stories and 25,000 sq ft
General Contractor (GC): unlimited residential, commercial, and industrial scope, no height or square-footage cap

An RBC cannot frame a 4-story townhouse. An RLCC cannot build a 4-story office. A GC can do anything but pays the highest insurance and bonding costs. Most small remodelers and home builders are RBCs. Most mid-size commercial firms are GCs. The middle tier (RLCC) is for builders who want commercial scope without the GC paperwork burden.

SLBRGC license requirements

Experience: 2 years for RBC, 4 years for RLCC, 4 years for GC, all documented under a licensed contractor or as a licensed tradesperson
Exam: pass a trade exam (NASCLA-administered) and a Georgia business and law exam, both through PSI
Age: 21+
Net worth requirement: $25,000 net worth for RBC and RLCC, $150,000 net worth for GC, verified by signed financial statement
Insurance: $300,000 general liability minimum for RBC and RLCC, $500,000 for GC
Application fee: $200
Initial license fee: $200 once approved
Renewal: every 2 years, $100 renewal fee, plus 3 hours of continuing education annually (6 hours per renewal cycle)
Term: 2 years, all licenses expire June 30 of the renewal year regardless of when issued

The license attaches to a "qualifying agent" individual, not the company. Your business has to designate a qualifying agent who personally meets the experience, exam, and net-worth requirements. If your qualifying agent leaves, you have 60 days to designate a new one or the company's license is suspended automatically. Plan succession before you lose someone.

NASCLA reciprocity

SLBRGC accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. If you've already passed the NASCLA exam in another state, Georgia waives the trade portion of the GC exam. You still sit for the Georgia business and law exam. Coming from Florida or North Carolina, both NASCLA states, this saves a month of exam prep. Coming from California, your CSLB license does not transfer because California does not use NASCLA. Coming from Texas, you have no transferable credentials because Texas does not license general contractors at the state level.

CILB: the trade licenses

The Construction Industry Licensing Board issues licenses for the trades that SLBRGC doesn't touch. Five separate divisions, each with its own exam and renewal cycle:

Electrical Contractors: Class I (residential, single-family up to 200A) and Class II (unrestricted commercial and industrial)
Plumbing Contractors: Class I (single-family residential and 4-unit multifamily) and Class II (unrestricted commercial)
Conditioned Air Contractors: Class I (residential, up to 175,000 BTU/hr cooling) and Class II (unrestricted commercial HVAC)
Utility Contractors: water, sewer, gas, and storm drainage installation
Low-Voltage Contractors: alarm systems, telecommunications, structured cabling, all under 50V

CILB licenses are statewide. Once you hold one, you can work anywhere in Georgia for that trade. CILB also accepts limited reciprocity for Electrical (with Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi) if your home-state license is current and you passed a comparable exam. Plumbing and HVAC reciprocity are narrower or nonexistent.

CILB license requirements (typical)

Experience: 4 years as a journeyman or equivalent for Class II, 2 to 3 years for Class I
Exam: trade-specific exam plus a business and law exam, both through PSI
Insurance: $500,000 general liability minimum for Class II contractors
Application fee: $30
Initial license fee: $75
Renewal: every 2 years, $75 renewal fee, plus 4 hours of continuing education per cycle
Term: 2 years, all CILB licenses expire November 30 of the renewal year (different from SLBRGC's June 30)

The two state boards renew on different cycles on purpose, but if you hold both an SLBRGC GC license and a CILB Conditioned Air Class II license, your two state-level renewals are five months apart. Most contractors miss one of the two at least once because they assume both renew together.

Atlanta: city-level requirements on top of the state

Atlanta does not issue contractor licenses (the state preempts city contractor licensing for trades and GCs). What Atlanta does require is a City of Atlanta Business License (also called the General Business License or Occupation Tax Certificate) for any contractor whose principal office is within Atlanta city limits, and Atlanta-specific permit requirements for any project inside the city.

City of Atlanta Business License: $75 base fee, plus an occupation tax based on number of employees and gross receipts (typical small contractor: $150 to $400 annually)
Renewal: annual, due March 31, late penalties begin April 1
Atlanta Office of Buildings: permit applications require copy of state contractor license, certificate of insurance naming the City of Atlanta as additional insured, and a Section 1 affidavit (lien waiver compliance) on every permit pull
Special: Atlanta Tree Conservation Commission review for any project disturbing protected trees, $100 to $500 application fee plus mitigation costs

Atlanta's permit desk verifies SLBRGC and CILB license status in real time against the Secretary of State's database. A license that's expired by even one day will block your permit application that morning. Atlanta is also one of the few Georgia cities that requires you to list your qualifying agent's individual license number on every permit, not just the company name.

Other major Georgia jurisdictions

Outside Atlanta, the licensing structure is mostly state-only, but local business licenses (occupation tax certificates) are required by every city and most counties for any contractor whose principal office is in that jurisdiction.

Savannah: Occupation Tax Certificate, $50 base plus per-employee fee, renewed annually March 31. Savannah Historic District Board of Review approval required for any work on a historic property (no fee, but adds 4 to 8 weeks).
Augusta-Richmond County: consolidated city-county business license, $75 base plus gross-receipts component, renewed annually December 31
Columbus: Occupation Tax Certificate, $50 base, renewed annually February 28
Macon-Bibb County: Occupation Tax, $50 base plus revenue tier, renewed annually April 1
Athens-Clarke County: consolidated business license, $75 base plus per-employee fee, renewed annually December 31

The pattern across Georgia is consistent: one state license (SLBRGC or CILB), one local business license per jurisdiction where you have an office, and project-specific permits at every job site. The state license is the heavy lift; the local business licenses are paperwork but easy to forget.

Home Improvement Contractor: Georgia has no separate registration

Unlike Pennsylvania's HICPA or New York City's HIC, Georgia has no statewide home improvement contractor registration. The SLBRGC RBC license covers home improvement work; nothing additional is required at the state level for residential remodeling.

Where Georgia does have consumer protection teeth is the Fair Business Practices Act, enforced by the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. The FBPA requires written contracts for home improvement work over $2,500, with specific disclosures about the contractor's license number, project scope, payment schedule, and a 3-day right of rescission for door-to-door solicitations. Missing the disclosures voids the contract and gives the homeowner a complete defense in collection actions, plus statutory damages of up to $5,000 per violation and attorney's fees.

Workers' compensation

Georgia requires workers' compensation insurance for any business with 3 or more employees, including the owner. Sole proprietors with no employees are exempt. The State Board of Workers' Compensation enforces this, and SLBRGC and CILB both verify workers' comp at renewal. A lapsed workers' comp policy will trigger a renewal hold within 30 days of the lapse notification reaching the boards.

Subcontractors are tricky in Georgia: under the Georgia Workers' Compensation Act, an unlicensed or uninsured subcontractor's workers can claim coverage from the GC's workers' comp policy under the "statutory employer" doctrine. This means a GC who hires a 1099 framer with no workers' comp is functionally responsible for that framer's injuries. Verify subcontractor insurance certificates in writing, every job, and keep them on file for 7 years.

Penalties for working unlicensed in Georgia

SLBRGC unlicensed contracting: first offense is a misdemeanor, $1,000 to $5,000 fine; second offense is a high and aggravated misdemeanor, $5,000 to $10,000 fine and possible jail time. Contracts entered into without a license are unenforceable: you cannot sue to collect payment, even for completed work.
CILB unlicensed trade work: misdemeanor, $1,000 to $5,000 per violation. Each separate job site can be charged as a separate violation. Cease-and-desist orders attach to the individual, not just the company.
Atlanta unlicensed business: $500 per day until a Business License is in place, plus stop-work orders on active permits
FBPA violation: $5,000 statutory damages per violation, plus actual damages, plus attorney's fees, plus the contract itself becomes voidable by the homeowner
Working with an expired license: SLBRGC treats this as unlicensed contracting. The 60-day grace period after expiration that some states offer does not exist in Georgia. Day one of expiration is day one of unlicensed status.

SLBRGC's enforcement does not run on routine inspections the way some states do. Most cases come from competitor complaints, customer complaints, or permit-desk verification flagging an expired license. Once a complaint is filed, SLBRGC issues a sworn investigator to the job site and the case moves quickly.

Realistic timeline to be licensed and working in Georgia

SLBRGC RBC license (no NASCLA reciprocity): 4 to 6 months from application to license in hand, mostly because financial statement verification and PSI exam scheduling each take 4 to 8 weeks
SLBRGC GC license with NASCLA reciprocity: 6 to 10 weeks, since the trade exam is waived and only the business and law exam plus financial statement are pending
CILB Class II Conditioned Air license: 3 to 5 months, similar pacing to SLBRGC, dominated by exam scheduling
City of Atlanta Business License: 1 to 2 weeks after state license is in place
Other Georgia city Occupation Tax Certificates: 1 to 3 weeks each, can run in parallel

Total ramp for a residential GC working in Atlanta: 4 to 6 months and roughly $700 to $1,200 in fees, before exam prep, insurance, and bond costs. File the SLBRGC application first because it's the long pole. Schedule the PSI exams as soon as the application is accepted (not after, since slots fill 4 to 6 weeks out). Order the financial statement preparation before you submit; it's the single most common cause of application rejection.

Insurance, bond, and net worth requirements

Georgia is unusual in that it requires a net worth statement rather than a surety bond for the SLBRGC license. Net worth is verified by a signed financial statement (not a CPA-audited statement for RBC and RLCC, which is a relief, but for GC the SLBRGC will request supporting documentation if anything looks off). Personal assets count, but you cannot pledge your primary residence's full value because Georgia's homestead exemption protects it from contractor claims.

SLBRGC RBC: $25,000 net worth, $300,000 GL, workers' comp if 3+ employees
SLBRGC RLCC: $25,000 net worth, $300,000 GL, workers' comp if 3+ employees
SLBRGC GC: $150,000 net worth, $500,000 GL, workers' comp if 3+ employees, $500,000 to $1,000,000 GL on commercial jobs
CILB Class I (any trade): $25,000 net worth, $300,000 GL, workers' comp if 3+ employees
CILB Class II (any trade): $50,000 net worth, $500,000 GL, workers' comp if 3+ employees

For Atlanta projects specifically, the city often requires a $10,000 to $25,000 surety bond in addition to the state license, depending on the trade and project value. This is a city-level requirement, separate from any state requirement, and shows up at the permit desk rather than during licensing.

Quick cost summary: SLBRGC GC working primarily in Atlanta

SLBRGC GC application: $200 one-time
SLBRGC GC initial license: $200 once approved
PSI exam fees: approximately $135 trade exam + $135 business and law (waived if NASCLA)
SLBRGC GC renewal: $100 every 2 years
City of Atlanta Business License: $150 to $400 annual depending on size
$500,000 GL policy: $1,500 to $3,500 annually for a small GC
Workers' comp: varies by payroll and class code, $1,200+ typical annual minimum
Continuing education: 3 hours annually, $50 to $150 per cycle online

Year-one out of pocket: roughly $900 in state and city fees plus $2,700 to $5,000 in insurance premiums, before bond costs on Atlanta jobs. Add 4 to 6 months of exam and application lead time and the financial statement is the single document that decides whether you make it through SLBRGC review or get sent back to redo it.

Check every permit your Georgia project needs

Georgia contractor licensing is two state boards stacked on top of city-level business licenses and project-specific permits. A residential GC working out of Atlanta is juggling an SLBRGC license that renews June 30, an Atlanta Business License that renews March 31, a workers' comp policy that the State Board can lapse without telling SLBRGC for 30 days, an annual continuing education requirement, and an FBPA disclosure obligation on every contract over $2,500. An HVAC contractor working both residential and commercial across Atlanta and Savannah is doing all of that plus a CILB license that renews November 30 and a Savannah Occupation Tax Certificate. Miss any piece and the next permit application bounces.

Use the free permit checker to see every license, registration, and permit required for your Georgia construction project. Enter your project address and trade, and get the full agency list with fees, renewal periods, and the actual URLs for SLBRGC, CILB, the City of Atlanta Office of Revenue, and the major county and city permit offices.

Related reading: how to get a contractor license in California (single statewide board, the cleanest comparison to Georgia's SLBRGC), how to get a contractor license in Texas (no state license at all, the opposite extreme), how to get a contractor license in New York, how to get a contractor license in Illinois, how to get a contractor license in Pennsylvania, how to get a contractor license in Ohio (also splits state and trade boards, similar shape to Georgia), how to get a contractor license in Florida (NASCLA reciprocity sibling), contractor license requirements by state, and what happens when your contractor license expires. Tracking an SLBRGC GC renewal, a CILB trade renewal, an Atlanta Business License, a Savannah Occupation Tax, a workers' comp policy, a general liability certificate, and 3 hours of continuing education by hand is how Georgia contractors end up accidentally expired in July and finding out at the Atlanta permit desk in August. The PermitDue dashboard puts every deadline in one place and sends reminders at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days so no single renewal can quietly fall off the list.