- Pre-approval from the state is required to sit for the examination.
- Please note that passing the Georgia Business and Law exam is also required to obtain your contractor’s license.
- Licensure will be required for the practice of contracting in Georgia for any job over $2,500.
- Applicants must be a minimum of 21 years old.
Applicants must affirm a net worth of at least $150,000. If they cannot do that, then they can apply for a Limited Tier General Contractor license by affirming a net worth of at least $25,000, with all other license requirements remaining the same. A Limited Tier General Contractor can only perform individual projects of $1,000,000 or less. $500,000.00 In GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE is REQUIRED. If you have more than 3 employees you must also have Workers Compensation Insurance.
Experience Requirements:
-
Applicants can meet the experience requirements either through a combination of formal education and practical experience or through practical experience alone. One of the following must be applicable:
(1) Applicant has received a 4-year degree from an accredited college or university in the field of engineering, architecture, construction management, building construction, or other field acceptable to the division and has at least 1-year proven experience working as or in the employment of a general contractor, or other proven experience deemed substantially similar by the division, OR
(2) Applicant has a combination acceptable to the division or academic credits from any accredited college-level courses and proven practical experience working as or in the employment of a general contractor, or other proven experience deemed substantially similar by the division equaling at least 4-years in the aggregate, OR
(3) Applicant has a total of at least 4-years of proven active experience working in a construction industry related field, at least 2 of which shall have been as or in the employment of a general contractor, or other proven experience deemed acceptable by the division, and at least 1 of which shall have been in or relating to administration, marketing, accounting, estimating, drafting, engineering, supervision, or project management, or functions deemed substantially similar by the division.
IN ADDITION, all applicants must have had significant responsibility for the successful performance and completion of at least 1 commercial project in the 4 years immediately preceding application where you, as supervisor, had general oversight and primary management responsibility for its successful performance. An affidavit must be completed for this project and will need to be signed by the Architect or Engineer of record on the project or by the building inspector.
Applicants using education for your experience must upload an official transcript, diploma, or certification from accredited college, university or technical school to their application.
- Frequently Asked Questions
A General Contractor is unlimited as to the type of work they may do. It also does not limit them as to what type of contracts they are eligible to bid on. It provides for private, commercial, institutional, industrial, public, and other buildings and structures. This does NOT include HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Low Voltage, or Utility Contracting. There are no limitations on project size.
To apply, contact the state of Georgia at (478) 207-2440.
Construction Industry Licensing Board 237 Coliseum Drive Macon, GA 31217 Phone (404) 424-9966 Applications must be completed online via the GA Secretary of State's GOALS system. You can create your account for online applications by going to https://goals.sos.ga.gov
A nonrefundable fee of $210.00 must be submitted with application.
Important Contacts
Georgia has reciprocity agreements for the General Contractor license with Louisiana and Mississippi.
Reciprocity applicants must have held an active license with a Building Construction classification for the past three years that was issued on the basis of examination and that has not been penalized for violations of the law for the past three years. Reciprocity applicants must still take and pass the Georgia Business and Law exam. Reciprocity does not apply for Limited Tier applicants.
NASCLA Accredited license is accepted in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia & the Virgin Islands.
West Virginia will accept the NASCLA exam scores for the West Virginia General Contractor, provided the NASCLA exam was passed after 11/1/2013.
Nevada is also accepting the NASCLA exam scores if the exam was passed after 12/1/2013. This is for the same classification. As of 8/1/2017, Arizona began accepting this examination in lieu trade examinations for the B-1 and B-2 General Commercial Contracting Classifications. As of 11/21/2017 Arizona also began administering the NASCLA exam.
As of 3/1/2019, Florida is accepting the NASCLA exam. Scores from the NASCLA exam are now acceptable for the Residential, Building, or General Contractor classifications. Applicants using the NASCLA exam will still be required to pass the Florida Business and Finance exams and meet all other application requirements.
Currently, there is no continuing education for this license.
- The fee for the exam is $106.
- The NASCLA Accredited exam for has 115 questions and a time limit of 300 minutes.
- A 70% is required to pass.
-
Exam Content
1. Planning and Estimating (21)
2. Financial and Project Management (21)
3. Safety (19)
4. Site Construction (15)
5. Concrete (8)
6. Masonry (3)
7. Metals (5)
8. Wood Foundations and Framing (5)
9. Thermal Moisture Protection (4)
10. Doors, Windows, and Glazing (5)
11. Finishes (7)
12. Specialty Equipment and Conveyance Systems (2)
To schedule your exam, you must first obtain pre-approval by submitting experience and education information to the testing company, PSI. Once approved, schedule exams by contacting PSI at (800) 733-9267.
- All eligibility's are valid for 1-year from the date that the application is received by the Board. If you do not pass the examination within the 1-year period, you must reapply with the Board.
- You must pass both the Business and Law and the Trade examinations within the 1-year period. If you fail one examination, and pass the other examination, you will only need to retake the failed examination.
- If you fail the examination 3 times within the 1-year eligibility period your application becomes void. You will need to reapply to the Board, for both examinations, regardless if you had passed one during the 1-year period. You may reapply after the original 1 year eligibility period expires.
American Contractors holds a two-day General Contractor Seminar with Business Law that guarantees that you will pass the NASCLA Accredited Contractor license exam and the Georgia Business Law exam. American Contractors has been holding Seminars to help contractors pass their exam for over 22 years. Sign up today for the Georgia Exam Preparation Seminar!
