- No residential or general contractor license is needed for repair work if you tell the owner in writing you are not licensed, you do not hire others to supervise the work, the work does not touch life safety or structure (no load bearing walls or beams), and you get any local permits.
- None stated for repair work.
Do you need a state license in Georgia?
Georgia licenses some handyman work at the state level and leaves the rest alone. Which side of that line a job falls on decides whether you need the state license.
No residential or general contractor license is needed for repair work if you tell the owner in writing you are not licensed, you do not hire others to supervise the work, the work does not touch life safety or structure (no load bearing walls or beams), and you get any local permits.
You still need any permits and inspections the city or county requires.
The Georgia license for this work
There is one license to aim for here.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential-Basic | Residential-basic category work outside the repair exception |
Steps to get licensed in Georgia
- Confirm the job is a repair, not new work or structural change.
- Give the owner a written note that you are not a licensed residential or general contractor.
- Do the work yourself or with your employees.
- Pull any local permits the job needs.
- For bigger jobs, get a Residential-Basic license.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. None stated for repair work.
Georgia handyman exams
Trade exam. No trade exam for repair work.
Business and law exam. No business and law exam for repair work.
What it costs in Georgia
We could not confirm the current fee schedule on an official page. Check with the board before you budget: Georgia Secretary of State, State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors.
Insurance and bond
Insurance. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. The board's pages do not list one.
Reciprocity. The board's pages do not list one.
Good to know in Georgia
- The repair exception does not cover electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low voltage or utility work. Those need their own state licenses.
After you are licensed
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a handyman near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Georgia Secretary of State, State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how handyman businesses run on Koira.