Georgia Contractor License Classifications

Georgia issues 13 official license classifications across TWO chapters: four Chapter 41 contractor classes (each holdable as an Individual license, a Qualifying Agent license or a Company record) and nine Chapter 14 trade classes licensed by the State Construction Industry Licensing Board. Each row below carries the verbatim official scope text, the statutory citation, the credential that issues it and its source.

Verified 2026-10-0313 classifications4 credential shapesIndexation gate: passed

01 Two chapters, one page

CHAPTER 41 (general contractors)+CHAPTER 14 (trades)≠LOCAL PERMIT LAYER

Chapter 41 gates on price — residential only — residential licensure attaches above $2,500.00 (higher of value or compensation); commercial work has NO dollar threshold. S-GA-4341-PDF S-GA-4341-2
The general contractor may not self-perform trades — electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low voltage and utility work in a Ch.41 contract "shall only be performed by a person who is duly licensed … under Chapter 14". S-GA-4341-2
Chapter 14 has no dollar threshold at all — the trade license turns on the WORK (structure, capacity, building size), never on contract price. S-GA-CHART
The commercial tier lever — GC Limited Tier is capped at $1,000,000.00 per contract (change orders included); the unlimited tier has no project financial limits. S-GA-553-4

Naming divergence shown, never mapped — CONFLICT-GA-004 (OPEN)

GOALS fee schedules name the conditioned-air and plumbing credential families "Restricted / Non-Restricted" while the statute (Act 472 / SB 553, eff. 2026-07-01) says Class I / Class II. No official crosswalk exists, so this page uses the STATUTORY names and asserts no equivalence between the two naming systems.

02 Chapter 41 — Residential & Commercial General Contractors

Code	Credential	Category	Official scope (verbatim)	Citation	Source
GC-LIMITED-TIER	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	General Contractor Limited Tier	'There is established a limited tier general contractor license type that is limited as to any contract of no more than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00)' — and 'Any Change Orders as defined in O.C.G.A. § 36-91-2 may not exceed the maximum amount allowed per contract for a project to be completed.'	O.C.G.A. § 43-41-5(b)(8) (financial sub-classification); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 553-4-.05(8)(10)	S-GA-553-4
RESIDENTIAL-BASIC	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Residential Basic Contractor	'Residential-basic contractor' means and encompasses a person who performs contractor work or activity relative to detached one-family and two-family residences and one-family townhouses not over three stories in height and their accessory buildings and structures.	O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(10) (definition); § 43-41-6(b)	S-GA-CHART
RESIDENTIAL-LIGHT-COMMERCIAL	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Residential Light Commercial Contractor	'Residential-light commercial contractor' means and encompasses a person who performs any contractor work or activity performed by a residential-basic contractor and, additionally, shall include such contractor work or activity related to multifamily and multiuse light commercial buildings and structures, and their related accessory buildings and structures, which are less than four stories in height; less than 25,000 square feet in aggregate interior floor space, except as otherwise provided in this chapter; and are constructed of wood or light gauge metal frame, brick veneer, prefabricated, or manufactured type of construction; or are pre-engineered steel buildings not exceeding 50,000 square feet of interior floor space; provided that such buildings or structures are not of the type of building or structure that would constitute a special hazard to property or to the life and safety of persons as defined in subparagraphs (A), (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (G.1), (H), (I), and (J) and subparagraph (B), as it applies to a building of four or more stories, of paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 25-2-13.	O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(11) (definition); § 43-41-6(c)	S-GA-CHART
GENERAL-CONTRACTOR	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	General Contractor (unlimited)	'Commercial general contractor' means a contractor whose services are unlimited as to the type of work which he or she may do, subject to the financial limitations as may be imposed by a subclassification created pursuant to paragraph (8) of subsection (b) of Code Section 43-41-5, and who may contract for, undertake to perform, submit a bid or a proposal or otherwise offer to perform, and perform any activity or work as a contractor requiring licensure under this chapter including within its scope any work requiring licensure under Chapter 14 of this title; provided, however, that any work contractually undertaken by a general contractor in the nature of electrical contracting, plumbing, conditioned air contracting, low voltage contracting, or utility contracting which falls within the licensing requirements of Chapter 14 of this title may not be performed by the general contractor but shall only be performed by a person who is duly licensed to perform such work under Chapter 14 of this title. The construction of all private, commercial, institutional, industrial, public, and other buildings and structures under contract with or engagement directly by an owner shall be undertaken by a general contractor, except as otherwise expressly set forth in or excluded from operation of this chapter.	O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(3) (current definition, added by SB 503 eff. 2024-07-01; chart Rev. 06/22 cites the former § 43-41-2(5))	S-GA-CHART

Three ways to hold any Ch.41 class

Board Licensure Comparison Chart 'License Type' (applies to Residential Basic, Residential Light Commercial, General Contractor and General Contractor Limited Tier): INDIVIDUAL — 'An individual person seeking issuance of a license in his or her own name … in his or her own name or doing business as an individual in a trade name as a sole proprietorship. Please be aware that an individual license will NOT give you the ability to perform work on behalf of ANY business organization. This includes limited liability companies (LLC) and corporations (INC), even if you are the only owner of the business organization. All financial and insurance requirements for licensure must be in the individual's own name.' QUALIFYING AGENT — 'An individual person affiliated by ownership or employment seeking to engage in the profession of residential or general contracting in the name of the business organization. The qualifying agent must have final approval authority for all construction work performed by the business organization or entity within the State of Georgia … All financial and insurance requirements for licensure must be in the business organization's name.' GOALS additionally lists separate '… Company' license types with their own roster fees ($75.00 active / $25.00 inactive). S-GA-CHART

O.C.G.A. § 43-41-9(a): the application 'must be submitted by and through an individual qualifying agent for such business organization … the license shall be issued to the individual qualifying agent and to the affiliated business organization or entity on whose behalf the application was made.' The organization must employ at least one currently licensed individual as its qualifying agent, 'actually engaged by ownership or employment in the practice … on a full-time basis' providing adequate supervision. A qualifying agent may qualify more than one organization (each requires its own application and fee — § 43-41-9(g); rule 553-4-.03(6)). All qualifying agents are 'jointly and equally responsible for supervision' (§ 43-41-9(h)); a joint venture must be licensed in its own name or through licensed members (§ 43-41-9(c)); changes must be reported within 45 days (§ 43-41-9(d)). S-GA-4341-9

03 Chapter 14 — State Construction Industry Licensing Board trades

Code	Credential	Category	Official scope (verbatim)	Citation	Source
ELECTRICAL-II	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Electrical Contractor Class II	…to perform work as an electrical contractor without restriction…	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(11) (definition); § 43-14-8	S-GA-1402
CONDITIONED-AIR-II	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Conditioned Air Contractor Class II	…to conduct business as a residential and commercial entity, without limitations or restrictions on project size or equipment types, except for the installation of boilers, which is licensed under the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire.	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(6) (definition); § 43-14-14	S-GA-1402
MASTER-PLUMBER-I	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Master Plumber Class I	…authorized to perform plumbing work and contract for on residential single-family dwellings, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings, including duplexes, hotels, motels, and apartment buildings, not exceeding three stories in height, and on commercial buildings not exceeding 20,000 square feet in total building area.	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(24) (definition); § 43-14-13 (licensing)	S-GA-1402
MASTER-PLUMBER-II	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Master Plumber Class II	…authorized to perform work and contract for all scopes of plumbing work, without limitation, as defined in the state minimum standard plumbing code and the state minimum standard fuel gas code.	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(25) (definition); § 43-14-13	S-GA-1402
JOURNEYMAN-PLUMBER	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Journeyman Plumber	A journeyman plumber works under the direction of a plumbing contractor; the scope expressly includes water heaters and fuel-gas piping on the outlet side of tanks and gas meters (§ 43-14-2(15)). 'Such term shall not include a licensed journeyman plumber' — a journeyman is NOT the plumbing contracting credential (§ 43-14-2(27)).	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(15) (definition); § 43-14-13	S-GA-1402
LOW-VOLTAGE	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Low Voltage Contractor	Low voltage contracting is 'the installation, alteration, service, or repair of a power limited or signal based system that utilizes low voltage wiring and components to transmit information, control devices, or monitor conditions. Such term shall not include electrical power distribution systems.' A low voltage contractor is an individual licensed by the Division of Low Voltage Contractors.	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(17)(18) (definitions); § 43-14-9	S-GA-1402
UTILITY	Company / Business Organization License (the organization's own license record; requires at least one licensed qualifying agent — GOALS license types; O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(30) for utility contractors)	Utility Contractor	'Utility contractor' means a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation licensed under this chapter by the Division of Utility Contractors — supported by individual utility manager and utility foreman certifications (§ 43-14-2(31)(32)). 'Utility system' means, in part, 'Any system at least five feet underground, when installed or accessed by trenching, open cut, cut and cover, or other similar construction methods…' (§ 43-14-2(33)).	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(30) (definition); §§ 43-14-10/.11/.12	S-GA-1402
CONDITIONED-AIR-I	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Conditioned Air Contractor Class I	…to conduct business as a Residential and Light Commercial entity for air conditioning and heat pump systems of 60,000 BTUs of cooling or less, and for gas heating systems of 175,000 BTUs or less. The scope of practice … shall include, but is not limited to, the business of permitting jobs, bidding on projects, and performing maintenance, service, and repairs of equipment and components, as well as installing new equipment and components, including ductwork, refrigerant lines, gas piping, controls, and accessories.	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(5) (definition); § 43-14-14 (licensing)	S-GA-1402
ELECTRICAL-I	Individual License (issued to a person in their own name or as a sole proprietorship — O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6(a)(1))	Electrical Contractor Class I	…to perform work as an electrical contractor on residential multifamily structures of not more than two levels or single-family dwellings of up to three levels, provided that structures shall have single-phase electrical installations which do not exceed 400 amperes at the service drop or the service lateral.	O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(10) (definition); § 43-14-8 (licensing)	S-GA-1402

04 How each credential is earned

Eligibility (Chapter 41) — age 21 or over plus class-specific experience and project proofs; every class has its own route. S-GA-CHART
Exams (Chapter 41) — the Georgia class exam OR the NASCLA accredited exam, plus the Georgia Business & Law Exam for every class. S-GA-CHART
Exams (Chapter 14) — board-approved exams with a minimum score of 70 and a sworn experience affidavit; the rewritten chapter applies from 2026-07-01. S-GA-1408
Electrical experience routes — Class I: three years, or a recognized program plus two years; Class II: four years including two years of three-phase work. S-GA-1408

05 Deterministic scope limits

georgia:residential-basic — detached one and two family residences townhouses up to 3 stories and accessory structures (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(10); threshold § 43-41-2(9)) S-GA-CHART
The definition IS the scope — anything outside these structures belongs to Residential Light Commercial or the commercial division. Ch.14 trade scopes are carved out of it by statute (REQ-GA-CH14-SELFPERFORM-001).
georgia:gc-unlimited — all types of commercial institutional industrial public and private construction at any price (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(3)) S-GA-CHART
No commercial dollar threshold exists (REQ-GA-THRESHOLD-COM-001) — the only numeric bound on the commercial side is the Limited Tier cap.
georgia:gc-unlimited — self performing electrical plumbing conditioned air low voltage or utility work (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(3) proviso (same for residential at § 43-41-2(9))) S-GA-CHART
Recorded per class so each Ch.41 classification row carries the no-self-perform evidence. Encoded by rule GA-CH14-SELF-PERFORM; residential classes carry the identical proviso via § 43-41-2(9).
georgia:gc-limited-tier — contracts up to 1 000 000 inclusive of change orders (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 553-4-.05(8)(10); § 43-41-5(b)(8)) S-GA-553-4
Encoded by rule GA-LIMITED-TIER-CAP (contract_value + change_orders_value facts; over the cap → the unlimited General Contractor tier is required).
georgia:master-plumber-class-i — residential up to 3 stories and commercial up to 20000 sqft plumbing (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(24)) S-GA-1402
Two structure gates (stories and building area) — rule GA-PLUMBING-CLASS.
georgia:journeyman-plumber — direction by a licensed plumbing contractor master plumber (O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-2(15), 43-14-2(27), 43-14-13) S-GA-1402
The journeyman performs the work; the MASTER PLUMBER (Class I/II) contracts and pulls permits. Water heaters are expressly in the journeyman's scope — the evidence chain behind the water-heater project page's component row.
georgia:utility-contractor — utility system work statewide without a chapter 41 license (O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-2(30)(33), 43-14-19(g)) S-GA-1402
The entity credential of Chapter 14 — stamped ga:company_license on the classification row — carrying a statewide bid privilege no Ch.41 license confers.
georgia:master-plumber-class-ii — plumbing from the property line to within 5 feet of a structure (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-13(c)) S-GA-1413
The five-foot line is the plumbing state/local-adjacent boundary: outside it, Master Plumbers and utility companies are qualified; inside it only a Ch.14 plumbing licensee may work — published with both zones.
georgia:electrical-class-ii — electrical contracting without restriction (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(11)) S-GA-1402
'…to perform work as an electrical contractor without restriction…' — the alternative outcome of rule GA-ELEC-CLASS.
georgia:conditioned-air-class-i — cooling up to 60000 btu and gas heating up to 175000 btu plus permitting bidding service and installation (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(5)) S-GA-1402
Georgia's HVAC numeric gate (the analogue of Texas's ACR class limits): 60,000 BTU cooling AND 175,000 BTU gas heating — rule GA-HVAC-CLASS.
georgia:conditioned-air-class-ii — unlimited conditioned air work except boilers (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(6)) S-GA-1402
The boiler carve-out is part of the statutory scope and is never dropped (research §F.3).
georgia:master-plumber-class-ii — all scopes of plumbing work without limitation (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(25)) S-GA-1402
georgia:residential-light-commercial — residential basic scope plus multifamily and multiuse light commercial inside the published envelope (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(11)) S-GA-CHART
A ENVELOPE, not a price: RLC is bounded by building size/height/type (§ 43-41-2(11)) — the monetary threshold applies the same as Residential Basic (§ 43-41-2(9)).
georgia:electrical-class-i — multifamily up to 2 levels single family up to 3 levels single phase service up to 400A (O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(10)) S-GA-1402
Three numeric limits, ALL of which must hold for Class I — encoded by rule GA-ELEC-CLASS (any exceeded → Class II).
georgia:residential-basic — a current full time qualifying agent when contracting for a business organization (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-9(a)(e)(1); § 43-41-2(7)) S-GA-4341-9
The qualifying-agent bridge: an organization's license exists only THROUGH a licensed QA (rule GA-QA-BUSINESS). Recorded on the residential class as the representative row; the same bridge applies to every Ch.41 class (§ 43-41-9 applies chapter-wide).

These limits feed the deterministic rules (GA-LICENSE-REQUIRED, GA-SPECIALTY-EXEMPT, GA-CH14-SELF-PERFORM, GA-ELEC-CLASS, GA-HVAC-CLASS, GA-PLUMBING-CLASS, GA-LIMITED-TIER-CAP) that project pages evaluate first.

06 Conflicts on this page

Open conflictCONFLICT-GA-004Credential names: GOALS fee-schedule 'Restricted / Non-Restricted' vs statutory 'Class I / Class II' (Chapter 14)

Source AS-GA-1402

Statute (Act 472/SB 553, eff. 2026-07-01): Conditioned Air Contractor Class I / Class II (§ 43-14-2(5)(6)); Master Plumber Class I / Class II (§ 43-14-2(24)(25)); Electrical Contractor Class I / Class II (§ 43-14-2(10)(11)).

O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2 — Chapter 14 definitions (current text)

retrieved 2026-10-03

Source BS-GA-GOALS-FEES

retrieved 2026-10-03

Statusneither value published

OPEN — the fee system's license-type names do not match the post-SB 553 statutory class names, and NO official source publishes the mapping (Restricted↔Class I is plausible but UNSUPPORTED). HANDLING: classifications use the STATUTORY class names; GOALS fee rows are attached under their PUBLISHED GOALS names as fee subjects (labels say so); no equivalence between the two naming systems is ever asserted.

Analysis notes

Detected 2026-10-03 while seeding the conditioned-air and plumbing fee rows. A future official crosswalk would resolve it; until then the fees page shows the naming caveat wherever GOALS names appear.

07 Sources

S-GA-553-4regulation

Georgia Rules and Regulations (rules.sos.ga.gov)

Chapter 553-4 — General Contractors | Georgia Rules

https://rules.sos.ga.gov/GAC/553-4

verified 2026-10-03retrieved 2026-10-03

S-GA-1402statute