Moving to Georgia as a residential contractor: every state's rule

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.