How to become a general contractor in Georgia

The path in Georgia, step by step

Georgia licenses general contractor work at the state level through the Georgia Secretary of State, State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Pick the license: Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial, General Contractor Limited Tier, or General Contractor.
2. Document your experience and completed projects.
3. Get general liability insurance and workers compensation coverage.
4. Apply to the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors.
5. Pass the board exam unless you qualify for an exemption.
6. Renew every two years and keep up continuing education.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: general contractor license in Georgia.

Finding an apprenticeship in Georgia

Georgia has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Georgia Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. New construction managers are usually hired as assistants and work under an experienced manager for up to a year, sometimes longer.

License levels and exams in Georgia

The license to aim for: Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial, or General Contractor (Limited Tier or Unlimited).

Trade exam. Yes. A board exam is required unless you qualify for an exemption under the law.

Business exam. The board exam also covers the laws on contracting, workers compensation, insurance, surety bonding and liens.

Keeping it. Every two years. Residential-Basic needs 3 hours of continuing education each year and Residential-Light Commercial 6 hours, and meeting CE is a condition for renewal.

What general contractors earn in Georgia

The median general contractor in Georgia earned $53.27 an hour in May 2025, 24th of 51 states, with 10,740 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in Georgia earned under $41.13 an hour and a tenth under $34.28. At the top, a quarter earned over $66.76 and a tenth over $86.90.

BLS has no separate wage figure for general contractors. These are its numbers for construction managers, the group BLS files general contractors under. They count managers on a payroll, so owners who run their own contracting business are not in them. Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: general contractor salary in Georgia.

Jobs ahead in Georgia

Georgia's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 10,330 in 2022 to 11,470 in 2032, a change of 11%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 880 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 25th of the 49 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group construction managers.

Starting your own general contractor business in Georgia

To contract on your own in Georgia, the license is the Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial, or General Contractor (Limited Tier or Unlimited).

Insurance. General liability of at least $300,000 for Residential-Basic and $500,000 for Residential-Light Commercial, plus workers compensation as state law requires. Check with the board for the General Contractor amount.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Georgia median of $53.27 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $164.14 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a general contracting business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.