Bathroom Remodel — Georgia license requirements

01 The project

The starting point is the work itself — Bathroom Remodel in Georgia. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.

02 Jurisdiction

This project is evaluated for Georgia — a state that has required a statewide contractor license since 2004, but on its own architecture: the Chapter 41 license issues to a qualifying agent AND their affiliated business together (§ 43-41-9(a)), residential work is gated at $2,500.00 with no commercial threshold, the trades run through a separate statewide Chapter 14 that a general contractor may not self-perform, and the state license number gates the LOCAL permit (§ 43-41-14). Georgia jurisdiction page.

03 Trade → license

Relations below are recorded per state — only this jurisdiction's classifications are shown.

Trades involved: Plumbing, Electrical, Tile, Framing, Drywall, Painting.

• May require RESIDENTIAL-BASIC — Residential Basic Contractor confirmed S-GA-4341-PDF rule GA-LICENSE-REQUIRED
  Whole-project credential above $2,500.00 (residential). The general contractor may NOT self-perform the trade portions: electrical, plumbing and conditioned-air work 'may not be performed by the [contractor] but shall only be performed by a person who is duly licensed … under Chapter 14' (§ 43-41-2(9) proviso — rule GA-CH14-SELF-PERFORM).
• May require MASTER-PLUMBER-I — Master Plumber Class I confirmed S-GA-1413 rule GA-PLUMBING-CLASS
  The plumbing portions require plumbing contracting by a Master Plumber Class I (residential ≤3 stories — the usual bathroom case) or Class II (§ 43-14-13(b); class selection rule GA-PLUMBING-CLASS), with a journeyman plumber performing under the contractor's direction (§ 43-14-2(15)). Homeowner trade exemption (§ 43-14-19(d)(1)) is the state-level alternative (rule GA-TRADE-HOMEOWNER). The state license number gates the local building permit (§ 43-41-14 — rule GA-PERMIT-LICENSE-NUMBER).
• May require ELECTRICAL-I — Electrical Contractor Class I confirmed S-GA-1408 rule GA-ELEC-CLASS
  Electrical components of the remodel require an electrical contractor license (§ 43-14-8(b)(1)); Class I covers single-family dwellings up to three levels with single-phase service ≤400A — the typical residential case (rule GA-ELEC-CLASS; any exceeded limit → Class II). Homeowner exemption applies only in the dwelling the individual owns or occupies.

04 Scope

What the official sources say about the work involved — typed assertions, never a boolean "covers". Interpretations are marked as such.

• Officially included RESIDENTIAL-BASIC Detached One And Two Family Residences Townhouses Up To 3 Stories And Accessory Structures (may_perform) 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).
• Requires another classification RESIDENTIAL-BASIC A Current Full Time Qualifying Agent When Contracting For A Business Organization (requires) 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).
• Officially included ELECTRICAL-I Multifamily Up To 2 Levels Single Family Up To 3 Levels Single Phase Service Up To 400A (may_perform) 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).
• Officially included MASTER-PLUMBER-I Residential Up To 3 Stories And Commercial Up To 20000 Sqft Plumbing (may_perform) O.C.G.A. § 43-14-2(24) S-GA-1402
  Two structure gates (stories and building area) — rule GA-PLUMBING-CLASS.

05 Requirements

06 Rule: GA-LICENSE-REQUIRED

Statewide licensing decision: residential work requires a Georgia license when the HIGHER of total value or compensation exceeds $2,500.00 (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2(9)); commercial general contracting requires a license at ANY price (no commercial threshold exists — § 43-41-2(3)). Missing category or value facts yield NOT_DETERMINED. Specialty/repair/owner exemptions are SEPARATE rules (GA-SPECIALTY-EXEMPT, GA-REPAIR-EXEMPT, GA-OWNER-BUILDER) and were not evaluated here.

Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-GA-4341-PDFS-GA-4341-2S-GA-FAQ

07 Rule: GA-PLUMBING-CLASS

Master Plumber class by project size (§ 43-14-2(24)(25)): Class I covers residential structures not exceeding three stories and commercial buildings not exceeding 20,000 square feet of total building area; anything beyond requires Class II (all scopes without limitation). Facts: structure_type, stories, building_area_sqft. Missing facts yield NOT_DETERMINED — no default class.

Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-GA-1402S-GA-1413

08 Rule: GA-ELEC-CLASS

Electrical Contractor class by structure limits (§ 43-14-2(10)(11)): Class I covers multifamily structures of not more than two levels or single-family dwellings up to three levels with single-phase installations not exceeding 400 amperes at the service drop/lateral; ANY exceeded limit requires Class II ('without restriction'). Facts: structure_type, levels, phase, service_amps. Missing facts yield NOT_DETERMINED — no default class.

Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-GA-1402S-GA-1408

09 Rule: GA-CH14-SELF-PERFORM

Two-chapter rule: electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low voltage and utility work 'may not be performed by the [Chapter 41 contractor] but shall only be performed by a person who is duly licensed … under Chapter 14' (§ 43-41-2(9)/(3) provisos). A Chapter 41 holder (any class) with one of the five trade types must engage a Chapter 14 licensee. Missing facts yield NOT_DETERMINED.

Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-GA-4341-2S-GA-1402S-GA-1419

10 Rule: GA-PERMIT-LICENSE-NUMBER

State/local dependency (§ 43-41-14): a local building inspector may not issue a permit for work requiring a licensed residential/general contractor until the applicant furnishes the state license number; an inspector knowingly issuing to an unlicensed person commits a misdemeanor (fine ≤ $500.00). Facts: permit_applied, work_requires_state_license, state_license_number_furnished. Missing facts yield NOT_DETERMINED.

Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-GA-4341-14S-GA-4341-17

11 One project, two chapters — the general contractor may not self-perform

Above $2,500.00 the remodel needs its Chapter 41 license — but the trade portions are statutorily off-limits to that contractor. § 43-41-2(9)/(3) proviso: work "in the nature of electrical contracting, plumbing, conditioned air contracting, low voltage contracting, or utility contracting … may not be performed by the general contractor but shall only be performed by a person who is duly licensed … under Chapter 14." S-GA-4341-2

A Chapter 14 licensee contracting directly with an owner for otherwise Ch.41 work has its own path (§ 43-41-17(e)) with the same greater-of $10,000-or-25% cap on other work — recorded as an exemption requirement, not assumed here.

12 Local permit layer

The state decides WHO MAY CONTRACT and gates the permit; the local authority decides permits, plan review, inspections, permit fees, timelines and any local business license. § 43-41-14: a county or municipal building inspector may not issue a permit for licensed work until the applicant furnishes the state contractor license number, and an inspector who knowingly issues it anyway is guilty of a misdemeanor (fine not more than $500.00). S-GA-4341-14

The researched local example is the City of Atlanta (LOCAL EXAMPLE — NOT STATEWIDE): permits are submitted online via Accela (Express permits in person), the minimum permit costs $150 plus a $25 technology fee, all trade permits and inspections must pass before a Certificate of Occupancy, homeowner permits exist, and a business license is required to operate within city limits. S-GA-ATL-PERMIT

Verify the credential that actually applies on the official lookup before relying on any outcome here: GOALS Licensee Search (Georgia One Stop) S-GA-GOALS-LOOKUP

Evidence

Verification