Louisiana to Georgia: residential contractor license reciprocity
Georgia has a reciprocity agreement with Louisiana: a Louisiana residential contractor can get a Georgia license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Louisiana (Residential-Basic)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Georgia has a reciprocal agreement with Louisiana at the Residential-Basic level, covering the Residential Building Contractors license issued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. A qualifying applicant files the Residential Basic reciprocity application instead of an examination application and the Georgia Residential-Basic Contractor trade examination is waived. The Georgia Business and Law examination is not waived: once the Board approves the application you must schedule and pass it before the license is issued. Everything else still applies, including the two years of residential-basic experience, proof of financial responsibility, general liability insurance and, for a company license, registration with the Georgia Corporations Division. The agreement does not extend to the Residential-Light Commercial classification, for which Georgia offers no reciprocity.
Under O.C.G.A. 43-41-8(b) the burden is on the applicant to satisfy the division that the requirements are met, and the division's decision is conclusive absent fraud; Board Rule 553-2-.13(2) makes issuance discretionary and allows the division to attach conditions. Confirm with the Board at (404) 424-9966 that your Louisiana classification is inside the agreement before paying anything.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 20 days
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Louisiana license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have held your Louisiana license for at least 3 years.
- Your Louisiana license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- You are a resident of Louisiana, or the business organization holding the license is chartered there.
What you'll do to get licensed in Georgia
- 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Georgia Business and Law examination, scheduled with PSI after the Board approves the application and passed before the license is issued. Reciprocity waives the trade examination only..
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($210). Non-refundable fee of $210, made up of a $200 application fee and a $10 processing fee, as printed on the Board's Residential Basic reciprocity application. Applications are now filed in the GOALS portal, so check the current amount on the fee schedule at https://goals.sos.ga.gov/ before paying..
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid to PSI when you schedule the Business and Law examination. The Board does not publish PSI's fees..
- 4Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility of at least $25,000. Proof of financial responsibility, satisfied by any one of: an affirmed minimum net worth of $25,000, a Bank Credit Reference Form, a $25,000 surety bond, a $25,000 line of credit letter, or a $25,000 letter of credit. A qualifying agent shows it in the business organization's name..
- 5Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($25,000) (if applicable). Optional alternative to affirming net worth: a $25,000 surety bond, interchangeable with a line of credit letter, a letter of credit or a bank credit reference..
- 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($300,000). General liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, evidenced by a signed current certificate naming the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors, 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA 31217 as certificate holder. Binders, information pages, policies and declaration pages are not accepted. Workers compensation insurance is required once the business has three or more employees in Georgia..
- 7Business license. Obtain a business license. To hold the license through a company, that business organization must be registered with the Georgia Corporations Division and authorized to transact business in Georgia, and you apply as its qualifying agent..
- 8Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Renewal condition: three hours of continuing education a year for Residential-Basic, tracked through CE Broker, with renewal due by 30 June of even-numbered years..
- 9Other. A Verification of Licensure sent from the licensing board that administered the examination; a copy of your state license, wall certificate or examination score report is not accepted. Also required: at least two years of documented residential-basic experience with an employment or project affidavit, a Secure and Verifiable Document with the affidavit of lawful presence, and disclosure of any disciplinary history with supporting court documents..
Published fees on this path total $210, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $25,000 · if applicable
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $300,000
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Georgia licenses residential contractors
Georgia residential contractor · “Residential-Basic Contractor / Residential-Light Commercial Contractor”
Statewide license
Georgia licenses residential contractors statewide through the Residential Contractor Division of the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors, part of the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division. There are two classifications: Residential-Basic covers detached one- and two-family residences and one-family townhouses not over three stories plus their accessory structures, and Residential-Light Commercial adds multifamily and light commercial buildings under four stories and under 25,000 square feet of interior space, or pre-engineered steel buildings up to 50,000 square feet. A license is required once the value of the work or the contractor's compensation exceeds $2,500. The credential is usually entity-held: an individual license only covers work in your own name or as a sole proprietorship, and to contract through an LLC, corporation or other registered business you apply as that company's qualifying agent, the person who holds final approval authority over its construction work, contracts and related financial affairs. Both classifications require the Georgia trade examination for the classification plus the Georgia Business and Law examination, proof of financial responsibility and general liability insurance in the licensee's or company's own name. Georgia offers reciprocity at the Residential-Basic level with a short list of named states, and none at the Residential-Light Commercial level.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Georgia residential contractor exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- The trade exam is waived, but Georgia requires a law or code exam.
- How long do I need to have held my Louisiana license?
- At least 3 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Georgia residential contractor license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $210, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Georgia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Georgia's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 20 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Georgia to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Georgia to Louisiana, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 41 - Residential and General Contractors (Board law as published by the Board) · O.C.G.A. 43-41-2, 43-41-5(b), 43-41-6, 43-41-7(2), 43-41-8(a)(3), 43-41-9, 43-41-17 · Georgia Secretary of State, State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 553-3 - Qualifications for Licensure, Residential Contractor Division · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 553-3-.01 through 553-3-.07 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Licensure Comparison Chart - State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (Revised 02/25) · O.C.G.A. 43-41-2(5), (9), (10), (11); 43-41-17 · Georgia Secretary of State, State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- Residential and Commercial General Contractors - Frequently Asked Questions · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
- Residential Contractors: How to Guide (all Residential Contractor application types) · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Residential Basic Individual Reciprocity Application (RBI RECIPROCITY, Revised 06/22) · O.C.G.A. 43-41-2; 50-36-1; 50-36-2 · Georgia Secretary of State, State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors · Form · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.