Georgia Electrical Contractor License: $110 Fee, PSI Exam

Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (a division of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board), administered by the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division administers electrical contractor licensing in Georgia. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

In Georgia the state credential is an electrical contractor license, not an individual electrician license — the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors says plainly it licenses Electrical Contractors, not electricians. A search for a “Georgia electrician license” maps to the contractor license; an electrician employed by a licensed contractor needs no separate state license. “Electrician license,” “journeyman electrician license” and “master electrician license” are common informal names for the contractor credential.

License types & fees

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Georgia’s exemption section moved on July 1, 2025: SB 125 (2025) rewrote O.C.G.A. chapter 43-14 and renumbered the applicability/exemption section from 43-14-13 to 43-14-19 (former 43-14-9, display of licenses, now occupies the 43-14-13 number – older sources citing 43-14-13 for exemptions point at the wrong section under current law). The state licenses electrical CONTRACTORS, and the definition itself carries the first carve-out: ’electrical contractor’ “shall not include an individual who is an employee of an electrical contractor and who receives only a salary or hourly wage for performing electrical contracting work” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-2, definition renumbered (8)) – an employed electrician working for wages needs no state license. Under 43-14-19, the chapter does not apply to: installation, alteration, or repair of electrical services (except low voltage wiring services) up to and including the meter when the work is performed by and integral to a system owned or operated by a public service corporation, a municipal electrical/water/gas department, a railroad, a pipeline company, or a mining company in its normal function (43-14-19(c)(1)); low voltage wiring performed by public utilities, except their for-profit telecommunication-system work (43-14-19(c)(2)); power or telecommunication generation/distribution systems built under the National Electrical Safety Code – but interior wiring is expressly NOT exempt and must be done by an electrical contractor (43-14-19(c)(3)); technicians of municipal or county-franchised CATV systems working on the system (43-14-19(c)(4)); and regular full-time employees of an institution, manufacturer, or business performing electrical work on their employer’s premises (43-14-19(c)(5)). The chapter also does not prohibit: an individual installing, altering, or repairing electrical or low voltage wiring in a residential dwelling the individual owns or occupies, provided the work conforms to the chapter, board rules, and applicable local ordinances, codes, and inspection requirements (43-14-19(d)(1)); maintenance staff of state, county, or municipal facilities doing such work as part of facility maintenance (43-14-19(d)(2)); and work in a farm or ranch service building or on an irrigation system located at least 30 feet from any dwelling or animal-husbandry building, with county/municipal codes still applying (43-14-19(d)(3)). Georgia has NO minor-work dollar threshold: no de minimis exemption appears anywhere in the rewritten chapter. O.C.G.A. text is LexisNexis-only, so citations are given as unlinked text; all quotes were verified from the signed act published by the Governor’s office.

Fees

Licensure by exam (Electrical Contractor - Restricted or Non-Restricted): $110 application fee. Non-Restricted reinstatement (lapsed less than 3 years): $310. License verification: $35.00 (the Board FAQ states you must request a license verification through your GOALS account and ‘must also provide $35.00 fee’). A late fee applies for renewals filed in the late period (July 1-31 of even years); the late fee amount, the exact renewal fee, and reciprocity fee amounts have not yet been sourced from an official page (the Secretary of State itemized fee-schedule portal at goals.sos.ga.gov could not be read directly).

Exam

Licensure by examination. The Board must approve the applicant to sit for the exam; approved applicants receive an Exam Approval Letter (valid one year) with instructions to register through the testing vendor, PSI (www.PSIOnline.com ). If an applicant fails the exam twice, a certificate of completion for a Board-approved review course is required before sitting again.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial. Licenses renew every two years and must be renewed by June 30 of even-numbered years (Board FAQ states the on-time renewal period is April through June of even years). A late renewal period runs July 1-31 of even-numbered years with a late fee. Renewal is completed online via the GOALS portal. 8 hours of approved continuing education per two-year renewal period (4 hours per year). Governed by Board Rule 121-4-.07(4). As of January 1, 2026, licensees must register and report CE through CE Broker. Records must be retained for five years.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (a division of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board), administered by the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division. Start at the official application page .