Georgia contractor license requirements
What you need before your first paid job in Georgia, one page for each trade. The license, the least insurance you must carry, whether the state asks for a bond, when you charge sales tax, and the deadlines that protect your right to be paid.
Plumbing in Georgia
- License you need
- Journeyman Plumber Renew Every two years, by November 30 of even-numbered years (late renewal December 1 to 31)
- Workers' comp
- Required as soon as you hire anyone
- Credit score
- None. The board rules and the licensing law do not ask for a credit check, net worth, or a financial statement for a plumbing license. or take a 14-hour course
- Georgia licenses the person, not the company. The board does not register plumbing businesses. Only a Master Plumber may own one, and a licensed Master Plumber must work there full time and supervise the jobs.
- A Class I Master Plumber license stops at single-family homes, one-level homes for up to two families, and commercial buildings up to 10,000 square feet. Class II has no limit, but you must show commercial or industrial plumbing experience to get it.
HVAC in Georgia
- License you need
- Conditioned Air Contractor Class I (restricted) Renew Every two years, by November 30 of odd-numbered years (renewal window September to November, late renewal December 1 to 31)
- Workers' comp
- Required as soon as you hire anyone
- Credit score
- None. The board rules and the licensing law do not ask for a credit check, net worth, or a financial statement for a conditioned air license. or take a 14-hour course
- Georgia calls the trade "conditioned air contracting". A Class I license stops at 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling (5 tons), and each complete system in one installation counts as its own job for that limit.
- EPA Section 608 certification is written into the state experience rule. You must show it in your license application, not just carry it on the job.
Not finished yet for Georgia: Electrical. A page only appears once a person has checked every figure on it.
Across states
Sales tax on labor for plumbers and HVAC contractors by state. Which states tax the work itself, which tax only the parts, and how a repair differs from a new install.