Georgia Residential Basic Contractor Exam Prep

About the Georgia Residential Basic Contractor license

Georgia licenses contractors through the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors, which operates under the Georgia Secretary of State (O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 41). The Residential-Basic Contractor classification authorizes work on detached one-family and two-family residences and one-family townhouses not over three stories in height, plus their accessory buildings and structures — it does not authorize commercial building (that is the General Contractor classification) and does not authorize electrical, plumbing, conditioned-air, low-voltage, or utility work, which must be performed by a separately licensed trade under O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14. A licensed residential contractor enters into the prime contract, pulls the building permit, and is responsible for the whole project — scheduling and coordinating the subcontractors and trades, means and methods, jobsite safety, and delivering work that passes inspection and meets the contract. A contractor license is required once the residential work is valued at $2,500 or more; commercial general-contractor licensure is triggered at higher thresholds.

Your technical exam is built on the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes, which adopt the International Residential Code (IRC) for one- and two-family dwellings (confirm the edition and the full reference list on the bulletin). Know these scope facts cold: the license is held by the qualifying individual/entity; most work requires a permit and inspections at defined milestones (footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation, final); you must work within the classification and monetary limits you hold; and unlicensed or out-of-scope contracting is a violation that can void contracts, forfeit the right to collect payment, and carry penalties.

How Georgia licensing works

• Experience: Georgia requires at least two years of proven experience as, or employed by, a residential contractor predominantly in the residential-basic category, including significant responsibility for completing at least two qualifying projects, verified by references or a qualifying party.
• Financial responsibility: the applicant must affirm a net worth of at least $25,000; if that cannot be affirmed, the alternative is a $25,000 surety bond (or a line/letter of credit or qualifying bank credit reference). General-liability insurance of at least $300,000 is required, and workers' compensation is required once you have three or more employees.
• Application: the applicant must be at least 21 years old; submit the application (online through the Georgia Secretary of State's licensing portal), fees, experience verification, financial statements, and entity documents before you are approved to sit.
• Exam vendor: PSI. Georgia requires passing both the residential trade/technical exam and a separate Georgia Business and Law exam (built on the NASCLA Georgia Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management); the passing score is 70 percent — confirm the current cut scores, question counts, and time limits on the bulletin.
• Renewal: licenses renew on a fixed cycle and usually require continuing education and keeping the insurance (and any bond) current.