Georgia trade license reciprocity

Georgia does not issue a journeyman electrician license. The Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Electrical Contractors licenses only electrical contractors (Class I Restricted and Class II Non-Restricted); the Board's licensing rules create master and journeyman licenses for plumbers (Rule 121-3-.02) but no journeyman category for electricians, and neither the Board's home page nor its how-to guide offers any individual electrician credential below contractor. Electricians who are not contractors work as employees under a licensed electrical contractor with no personal state license. An out-of-state journeyman license therefore has nothing to transfer to in Georgia and is neither required nor recognized for employment. The one place it helps is the road to a contractor license: the Board's examination application accepts experience 'gained working under a Licensed Electrical Contractor' including one licensed out of state (the applicant notes whether that license is equivalent to a Georgia Restricted or Non-Restricted license), so hours worked as a journeyman elsewhere count toward the 4 years (8,000 hours) needed to sit for the Georgia electrical contractor exam.

Georgia has no 'master electrician' license; its highest person-held electrical credential is the statewide Electrical Contractor license issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Electrical Contractors to an individual who documents experience and passes the PSI-administered exam. It comes in two classes: Class I (Restricted) covers single-phase installations up to 200 amperes, and Class II (Non-Restricted) is unrestricted, so Class II is the master-level equivalent used here. A new applicant needs at least 4 years (8,000 hours) of primary experience under a licensed electrical contractor covering all eight experience areas, including installations above single-phase 400 amperes under a Class II contractor, plus three notarized references and a certified background check; the exam application fee is $110 through the GOALS portal. Georgia has reciprocity agreements, for Class II only, with Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee: a contractor who obtained an unrestricted electrical license in one of those states by passing that state's exam is licensed without the Georgia exam. Everyone else applies by examination, with out-of-state experience under a licensed contractor counting toward the 4 years. Licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years; applications are generally processed within 20 business days.

Georgia does not issue a journeyman HVAC, HVAC technician or installer license. The Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Conditioned Air Contractors licenses only conditioned air contractors (Class I Restricted and Class II Non-Restricted); the Board's licensing rules create master and journeyman licenses for plumbers (Rule 121-3-.02) but no journeyman category for conditioned air (Rule 121-3-.04), the reciprocity rule's list of licenses has no such credential, and neither the Board's home page, its how-to guide nor its FAQ offers any individual credential below contractor. HVAC technicians who are not contractors work as employees of a company whose qualifying licensee 'must be regularly connected with the business', with no personal state license. An out-of-state journeyman or technician license therefore has nothing to transfer to in Georgia and is neither required nor recognized for employment; the one place it helps is on the road to a contractor license, because the Board's application records employment under licensed employers (Georgia or otherwise) toward the four years (Class I) or five years (Class II) of lead-mechanic, service-technician and supervisory experience required under Rule 121-3-.04. EPA Section 608 certification (Type II or higher, as the Board requires of contractor applicants) is federal and applies to every technician handling refrigerants.

Georgia has no 'master HVAC' license; its highest person-held HVAC credential is the statewide Conditioned Air Contractor license issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Conditioned Air Contractors to an individual who documents experience and passes the PSI-administered exam with a score of at least 70. It comes in two classes: Class I (Restricted) covers systems up to 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling, and Class II (Non-Restricted) is unrestricted, so Class II is the master-level equivalent used here. A Class II applicant needs five years of experience under Rule 121-3-.04 (two years of installation as a lead mechanic with at least one commercial year, one year as a service technician or supervisor, two years of commercial supervisory experience), EPA Section 608 certification of Type II or higher, a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course (Manuals J&D) plus Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1-3, three notarized references from licensed professionals, and a local law-enforcement background check; the exam application fee is $110 through the GOALS portal, and the PSI exam fee is paid to the vendor. The licensee then serves as the qualifying licensee for a registered conditioned air company. The Board's FAQ states that 'Reciprocity with other states is not offered at this time' and its online guide has no reciprocity application type; the Board's 2022 paper reciprocity form, which is no longer accepted, named Louisiana as the sole reciprocal state and recorded that South Carolina and Texas reciprocity stopped on April 15, 2022 pending renegotiation. An out-of-state HVAC contractor therefore applies by examination, with experience earned elsewhere documented on the experience record. Licenses renew by November 30 of odd-numbered years with 4 hours of continuing education per year; applications are generally processed within 20 business days.