Georgia Plumbing Contractor License: 2,000 Hours, PSI Exam

Georgia licenses the contractor (the business and its qualifying individual), not individual plumbers. 2,000 hours (Journeyman Plumber (an individual licence Georgia does issue and examine — but not the licence that is mandatory to work)), PSI exam, 8 hrs CE — verified from Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board — Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers, administered by the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division (official site) and last verified July 30, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must hold a credential: Georgia's mandatory plumbing credential is the MASTER PLUMBER licence, and it is what you must personally hold to take plumbing work: "No person shall engage in plumbing contracting as a Master Plumber Class I or a Master Plumber Class II unless such person has a valid license issued by the division" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(b), enacted by SB 553, 2026). The statute defines "Plumbing contractor" as "any person licensed under this chapter as a Master Plumber Class I or Master Plumber Class II by the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers, who is engaged in the business of plumbing contracting, including bidding for, offering to perform, purporting to have the capacity to perform, or performing plumbing contracting services under an express or implied contract, and who is responsible for obtaining required permits, ensuring compliance with applicable codes, coordinating inspections, performing or correcting work as necessary, and securing final approval of permitted work," and then says flatly: "Such term shall not include a licensed journeyman plumber" (43-14-2(27)). But Georgia is NOT the same shape as Georgia electrical, where the board says plainly that it licenses electrical contractors and not electricians: the Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers really does issue an individual JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER licence, approves a separate examination for it, and lists it among the licences the divisions issue (43-14-6(1)(B), (2)(E)). A journeyman plumber is defined as an individual licensed under the chapter who does plumbing work "under the direction of a plumbing contractor" (43-14-2(15)). What Chapter 14 does not do is prohibit unlicensed plumbing WORK: the prohibition, the cease-and-desist power and the advertising bar all attach to plumbing CONTRACTING (43-14-13(b), (d); 43-14-17(b)-(d)). So a worker employed by a licensed Master Plumber is not required by Chapter 14 to hold any state licence in order to do the work, while the person or firm that contracts for it must have a Master Plumber Class I or II licence — and the journeyman licence, though optional as a permission to work, is a mandatory step on the ladder, because three of the four years for Class I and four of the five years for Class II must be served while licensed as a Journeyman. Companies are qualified through a person, never licensed themselves: "No partnership, limited liability company, or corporation shall have the right to engage in the business of plumbing unless there is regularly connected with such partnership, limited liability company, or corporation a person actively engaged in the performance of such business on a full-time basis who has a valid license as a Master Plumber Class I or a Master Plumber Class II" (43-14-13(e)), and the Division's own FAQ says "the Licensing Board does not register Plumbing companies" and "Only licensed Master Plumbers may have a business (not Journeyman)."
Class I vs Class II — the restriction that separates them, and the two official versions of it: This is the single most consequential Georgia plumbing fact, and two official sources currently disagree because the statute was rewritten this year. THE STATUTE, in force now: "'Master Plumber Class I' means any individual licensed under this chapter by the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers, who is authorized to perform plumbing work and contract for on residential single-family dwellings, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings, including duplexes, hotels, motels, and apartment buildings, not exceeding three stories in height, and on commercial buildings not exceeding 20,000 square feet in total building area"; and "'Master Plumber Class II' means any individual licensed under this chapter by the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers, who is authorized to perform work and contract for all scopes of plumbing work, without limitation, as defined in the state minimum standard plumbing code and the state minimum standard fuel gas code. Such work shall include, but is not limited to, plumbing work on commercial buildings of any size; industrial facilities; institutional occupancies; multistory structures of any occupancy classification; and specialized use facilities" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-2(24)-(25), enacted by SB 553, 2026, signed May 11, 2026). THE BOARD'S RULE AND FAQ, not yet conformed: "Statewide Class I Master Plumber licenses are limited to plumbing involving single-family dwellings and one-level dwellings designed for not more than two families and commercial structures not to exceed 10,000 square feet in area. Statewide Class II Master Plumber licenses are unrestricted" (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(1), last amended effective March 19, 2025), repeated verbatim on the Division's FAQ page. The statute is the later and higher authority, and it BROADENS Class I in two ways — the commercial ceiling doubles from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet, and the residential scope grows from single-family and two-family one-level dwellings to townhomes, duplexes, multifamily, hotels, motels and apartment buildings up to three stories. Confirm your scope with the Division before bidding a job that only the new definition allows.
Experience — the statute changed the journeyman-time requirement in 2026, and the Board's pages still publish the old figures: The Board's FAQ and rule still say: "Applicants for statewide Master Plumber license must document a minimum of five (5) years of experience in plumbing work as would be covered by items of the Georgia State Plumbing Code, with at least two (2) of the five (5) years being licensed as a Journeyman Plumber. Applicants for Class II Master Plumber license must also document experience in commercial or industrial plumbing" (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(4)). The statute now splits the two Master classes and raises the journeyman-licensed portion: Class I needs four years total with at least three while licensed as a Journeyman, and Class II needs five years total with at least four while licensed as a Journeyman (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(k)(2), (l)(2)). The old figures survive only as a grandfather: an applicant who was licensed as a Journeyman Plumber under the chapter prior to March 1, 2025 needs one of the four years (Class I) or two of the five years (Class II) while licensed as a Journeyman. Journeyman itself is one year of full-time experience under a licensed Master Plumber, which the Board's FAQ states as "at least 1 year of experience in plumbing work as would be covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code." A "year" is not a calendar assumption: the statute defines full-time experience as at least 2,000 hours in a calendar year, each 2,000 hours equating to one year (43-14-2(13)).
How to apply: Everything runs through GOALS, the Georgia Online Application Licensing System: "To apply, establish or access your GOALS account, follow the prompts to select the application type for which you wish to apply, complete all questions, submit required documentation and information, and pay the application and processing fee." Applications are signed and notarised. The Board's checklists ask for a background check obtained through your local law enforcement agency, work/experience information, three references, any disciplinary or court documents with a letter of explanation, a Secure and Verifiable Document (an acceptable identification such as a driver's licence or passport), an Affidavit of Citizenship, and immigration documents where applicable; a Master Plumber application also requires verification of the Journeyman Plumber licence. Applying is also express consent to a criminal background check, and "the applicant shall be responsible for all fees associated with the performance of such background check" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(h)); applicants must notify the Board before becoming licensed of any findings or pleas of guilty, nolo contendere or First Offender treatment for any felony or misdemeanor other than minor traffic violations, except that a misdemeanor more than five years old need only be reported on request (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01(3)). Board staff review the application first and it may then go to the Division at a Board meeting; it must be complete and received at least 15 days before a meeting to reach that agenda. Incomplete applications may be withdrawn if noted deficiencies are not satisfied within 60 days, and a withdrawn application means restarting with all documents and fees again. The Board's own warning about timing is blunt: "You may not legally perform services until you hold an active license." Veterans, military service members, transitioning service members and military spouses may be eligible for exam point credits and expedited processing — Veterans Preference Points require a DD-214 showing service during a period of conflict or war for at least 90 days, and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.12 gives military spouses and transitioning service members expedited processing (effective July 1, 2017). Separately, O.C.G.A. 43-14-21 lets a current or former member of the military apply for expedited issuance based on a military specialty or certification that a designated committee finds substantially meets or exceeds the requirements for, among others, a Journeyman Plumber licence; the application must be made not later than two years after an honorable or general discharge, and the section applies only to initial issuance.
Examinations: PSI is the Board's testing vendor. Once the Board approves you to sit, staff provide next steps including a testing candidate ID number and PSI contacts you about setting up an account and registering; "Exams are offered on a continuous basis and at various locations. Once you have registered with PSI, you can select your test date and location on their site." A minimum score of 70 is required on the appropriate examination for every plumbing licence class (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(j)(1), (k)(1), (l)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(2)), and the Division approves separate examinations for Master Plumber Class I, Master Plumber Class II and Journeyman Plumbers (43-14-6(1)(B)). Failing twice triggers a mandatory review course: "Any applicant for conditioned air contractor, electrical contractor, master plumber, or journeyman plumber license who takes and fails the examination twice after July 1, 1989, must submit documentation of completion of a review course before being scheduled for a third examination" (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.03(1)), and the documentation must give the school name, course title, the instructor's name and licence number if not a college or postsecondary technical school, the topics, the number of instruction hours and the date of completion. The review course must be conducted by a college, post-secondary technical school, military service, or a private agency meeting Board Rule 121-2-.06; the Board publishes a list of agencies that have submitted qualifying plumbing courses (currently Georgia Plumbing Inst., Inc.; PHCC of Georgia; and the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association) with the caution to verify a private course meets 121-2-.06 before enrolling. ADA accommodations are requested through the Board's ADA Accommodations Form.
Renewal, late renewal, lapse and reinstatement: Georgia plumbing licences are BIENNIAL and expire on a fixed statewide date rather than an anniversary: "All licenses and certificates issued under this chapter shall be valid for a period of two years and shall be subject to biennial renewal upon expiration" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-20(a)), and the Joint Secretary's rule assigns this trade to the November-30-even-year cycle: "The following licenses expire on November 30 of the even numbered years, effective as of the 2022 renewal cycle: (a) Plumbing Contractors/Journeymen; with a lapsed, late renewal period from December 1 to December 31 of even years" (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 295-2-.09). The Division's FAQ agrees: "License renewal is completed online through your GOALS account and must be completed by November 30 of even-numbered years. Late renewal period is December 1 – 31 of even-numbered years." The statute expresses the same window as "a period not to exceed 31 days immediately following the expiration of the biennial license" (43-14-20(c)). A renewal application must certify that all current continuing-education requirements determined by the Board have been fulfilled (43-14-20(b)), and neither the Board's failure to send nor the licensee's failure to receive a renewal notice excuses a missed renewal (121-4-.02(3)). A licence not renewed by the expiration date or during the late period lapses and is not in good standing until reinstated. Reinstatement inside three years requires a reinstatement application, the reinstatement fee, verification of completed continuing education and any other information the Board prescribes; reinstatement more than three years after expiration additionally requires compliance with whatever the Board or Division prescribes, which "may include, when applicable to the license or certificate sought, reexamination and the submission of an affidavit attesting that the applicant meets the applicable experience requirements" (43-14-20(e)-(f); the Board's how-to guide keeps separate checklists for lapsed-under-3-years and lapsed-more-than-3-years, the latter saying you must apply for reinstatement before you re-take the exam). THE BOARD'S OWN RULE IS STRICTER THAN THE STATUTE, AND BOTH ARE OFFICIAL: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-4-.02(5)(b) provides that where "the reinstatement application is submitted more than 3 years after the expiration date of the license or certificate, the applicant shall submit a reinstatement application, application fee, and any other information requested by the appropriate Division, and the applicant shall be required to take and pass the appropriate examination." So the statute leaves re-examination discretionary while the rule makes it mandatory past three years. Anyone lapsed more than three years should plan on re-sitting the examination. Renewal of a lapsed licence is discretionary and the Division "may deny or approve such renewal with any conditions it may deem necessary, including retaking of the licensure examination" (121-4-.02(5)). Failure to comply with the continuing-education or renewal requirements renders the licence invalid and bars the holder from engaging in the business or profession until it is renewed or reinstated (43-14-20(l)). The Board may also establish an inactive status by rule, but "engaging in any conduct that requires a license under this chapter while holding an inactive license shall be considered an unlicensed practice and shall be prohibited" (43-14-22).
Continuing education: Eight hours per two-year cycle. The Board's rule is the operative number: "Any applicant for renewal of master or journeyman license is required to complete a minimum of 8 hours of continuing education within the 24 months prior to the license or certificate expiration date. An applicant for renewal who has been initially licensed for less than two (2) years must have completed four (4) hours of continuing education while licensed prior to renewal. An applicant for renewal who has been initially licensed for less than one (1) year is not required to complete continuing education prior to the applicant's initial renewal" (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-4-.04(1)). The Division's FAQ states the same total in per-year form: "Yes, 4 continuing education hours are required annually (a total of 8 hours per renewal)," and Rule 121-4-.02(7)(b) likewise asks renewal applications to include evidence of 4 hours "for each year since the last renewal of the license or since the initial issuance of the license if the license has not yet been through a renewal cycle." Subject areas are prescribed: plumbing installation, design, state codes, products, innovations or new techniques, tools and materials, safety, or work-related legal issues — and, for Master Plumbers only, environmental or business issues; courses must be conducted by an institute of higher education, a vocational-technical school, a trade, technical or professional organization, or an institute under the State Board of Technical and Adult Education (121-4-.04(2)). Courses conducted primarily to promote specific products or services are not permitted (O.C.G.A. 43-14-20(h)), and hours "shall not be carried forward to a subsequent renewal period" (43-14-20(k)). Each Division may waive continuing education for hardship, disability or illness (43-14-20(i)) and must make reasonable efforts to offer it online or by home study and outside normal work hours (43-14-20(j)). Licensees report compliance on the renewal application and must keep records for at least five years after completing a course, showing the school or organization, course title, location and date, outline or topics, hours of instruction, and documentation of attendance and satisfactory completion (121-4-.04(3)). Audits are random: "You may be randomly selected for an audit of your completed CE hours. If selected, instructions will be provided" — the Division's CE Audit Report Form (revised 01/2026) is titled for "the Two-year CE Reporting Period Ending November 30th of even numbered years" and is submitted notarised. Georgia's statewide compliance check is ALREADY IN FORCE, not planned. SB 125 (2025, Act 93) established a continuing education tracking solution on behalf of Secretary of State licensing boards, and provides: "On and after January 1, 2026, a professional licensing board shall not renew a license until the applicant has complied with all applicable continuing education requirements as verified using the continuing education tracking solution required by subsection (b) of this Code section." That duty is operative now and bites at the next Georgia plumber renewal deadline, November 30, 2026: completing the hours is no longer sufficient by itself, because the board is barred from renewing until compliance is VERIFIED through the tracking solution -- so a licensee whose provider never reported the hours can be refused renewal.
Reciprocity — the Division says none exists, while the statute and rule authorise it: Both statements are official and they are not the same statement. The Division's FAQ: "Does Georgia have reciprocity with other states? No, Georgia does not have reciprocity with any other states for Master or Journeyman Plumbers." The statute nonetheless supplies the mechanism: each division "may, in its discretion, grant a license or certificate to any person who, at the time of application, is licensed or certified in another state whose requirements for licensure are substantially equal to the requirements for a similar license or certificate issued under this chapter, and to grant such person full privileges to engage in equivalent practice authorized under this chapter without requiring an examination, if applicable," provided the applicant has been principally engaged in the authorised practice for not less than two years immediately preceding the application, submits a proper application, pays the Board-set fee and completes any additional safety training courses the Board requires, and the other state "affords substantially equivalent licensure or certification privileges" to Georgia licensees (O.C.G.A. 43-14-23, SB 553, 2026). The Board's rule adds that a division "may enter into a formal written agreement with other state licensing Boards to offer licenses by Endorsement or by Reciprocity," names Master Plumber and Journeyman Plumber among the eligible licences, requires the out-of-state board to have conducted an examination with substantially equal requirements at the time the application is filed, and expressly bars persons "licensed under grandfather provisions who have not passed an examination conducted by a licensing board qualifying under paragraph (2) of this rule" (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.03). The Division may also deny a licence under the rule if it appears the applicant is trying to circumvent Georgia's requirements by first becoming licensed elsewhere. Read together: the pathway exists in law and the Division's answer is that it has no agreement in place for plumbers — so an out-of-state plumber should expect to qualify and examine in Georgia.
Local government: no second licence, but permits, codes, inspections and a $10,000 code-compliance bond option: A Georgia plumbing licence is statewide and displaces local licensing: a licensee "may engage in the business of plumbing contracting... but only as prescribed by the license, throughout the state; and except as provided in Code Section 43-14-16, no municipality or county may require such person to comply with any additional licensing requirements imposed by such municipality or county" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-19(b)). What local government keeps: the power to adopt and enforce codes locally; the power to suspend a licence, or refuse to restore one, within its own jurisdiction through a municipal or county inspection authority meeting Board standards, after notice and hearing, on the grounds in 43-14-6(a)(4), with an appeal to the Division and a hearing (43-14-16(a)); and the power to fix, charge, assess or collect any licence fee, registration fee, tax or gross receipt tax on the business (43-14-16(c)). One provision cuts the other way for licensees: no county or municipality may require a licensed plumber who has executed and deposited a bond under 43-14-16(b)(2) to furnish any code compliance bond or similar bond — that bond is a $10,000 cash bond or a surety bond in the sum of $10,000, deposited with the judge of the probate court in the county of the licensee's principal place of business and approved by that judge, conditioned on all work done or supervised by the licensee complying with local ordinances and building and construction codes, with the surety's aggregate liability capped at the bond amount and a copy filed with the building official where the work is performed. That subsection does not affect bonding requirements for public works contracts under Chapter 10 of Title 13. Violating local ordinances relating to contracted work covered by Chapter 43-14, including failure to obtain required permits and inspections, is "unprofessional conduct" before the Board (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-5-.02(a)).
Advertising, display and the business the licensee qualifies: "A person that is not licensed as a Master Plumber Class I or a Master Plumber Class II shall be prohibited from advertising in any manner that such person is in the business or profession of plumbing contracting" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(d)), and it is prima facie evidence of a violation if an unlicensed person advertises as a plumbing contractor or advertises so the general public would believe they are one — "Advertising under this subsection includes, but is not limited to, newspaper, internet, social media and digital applications, television, radio, telephone directory listings, mailings, business cards, or signage at a place of business or attached to a vehicle" (43-14-17(b)). Every licensee must display the licence conspicuously at the place of business, and "all commercial vehicles used by licensees and certificate holders exclusively in the daily operation of their business shall have prominently displayed thereon the company or business registration or certificate number issued by the Secretary of State's office," with that number (or a website address where it can be found) also displayed on advertising and printed on all invoices and proposal forms (43-14-18). Note that the Board's own display RULE, 121-3-.05, is written only for conditioned air contracting ("Effective December 1, 2021, any business performing conditioned air contracting shall display... the business registration number") — the vehicle, advertising and invoice duties reach plumbers through the statute, not through that rule. On business registration the sources also diverge in emphasis: the Division's FAQ says "the Licensing Board does not register Plumbing companies," while Board Rule 121-6-.01 requires that a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation engaging in covered contracting have regularly connected with it a person holding an appropriate current licence who is "actually be engaged in the practice of the business on a full-time basis" and who "may not qualify more than one proprietorship, partnership, or corporation for business registration at any one time," and Rule 121-5-.02(f) makes it unprofessional conduct to fail "to register with the Division the name of the business which the licensee or certificate holder qualifies under Chapter 121-6" or to fail to notify the Division in writing within five days of severing connection with a registered business. The statute sets its own notice clock: partnerships, LLCs and corporations must notify the Division within seven days of the severance of the person on whom the qualification rested (43-14-13(g)). A licence does not die with the licensee — partners, officers and employees may continue under a licence valid at the time of the licensee's death for 90 days, and the Division may grant one additional 90-day grace period on application showing good cause (43-14-13(e)).
The five-foot rule (where a plumbing licence stops and a utility licence starts): Georgia draws the boundary at the building: "any person who holds a valid license as a Master Plumber Class I or a Master Plumber Class II or any company which holds a valid utility contractor license shall be qualified to construct, alter, or repair any plumbing system which extends from the property line up to but not within five feet of any building, structure, or conveyance, regardless of the cost or depth of any such plumbing system; provided, however, that only persons who hold a valid license to engage in plumbing under this chapter shall be qualified to construct, alter, or repair any plumbing system within five feet of any building, structure, or conveyance" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(c)). So a utility contractor may run the line up to five feet from the building; the last five feet and everything inside require a plumbing licence.
Penalties for unlicensed plumbing contracting: "Any person violating this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000.00 or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both" (O.C.G.A. 43-14-17(g)). After notice and hearing the Board may issue a cease and desist order against engaging in the business or profession of a plumbing contractor without a licence, and violating that order carries a fine of up to $1,500.00 for each violation, with each day of practice in violation a separate violation (43-14-17(c)-(d); the cap was raised from $500.00 by SB 125, 2025). THAT IS NOT THE CEILING. A separate and far larger exposure sits in O.C.G.A. 43-14-5(5), as enacted by SB 553 (2026): the Board -- directly, or through a division exercising validly delegated enforcement power -- may, "[u]pon notice and hearing authorized and conducted in accordance with Code Section 43-14-17," "assess civil penalties in an amount up to $10,000.00 per violation against any person found to be in violation of any requirement of this chapter." That reaches unlicensed plumbing contracting under 43-14-13(b), it is nearly seven times the cease-and-desist figure, and it runs through the very notice-and-hearing provision cited above. To prove unlawful practice "it shall not be necessary for an investigator to observe or witness the unlicensed person engaged illegally in the process of work or to show work in progress or work completed" (43-14-17(a)). The Division may also seek an injunction in superior court without alleging or proving that there is no adequate remedy at law (43-14-15), and may reprimand, suspend, revoke, cancel or refuse to grant, renew or restore a licence on the grounds in 43-14-6(a)(4), which include "knowingly aiding, abetting, assisting, or permitting any unlicensed or noncertified person or entity to engage in the practice of the profession." The Division publishes its cease and desist orders on the Board's website.
The code the exam and the work are measured against: The technical standard is the Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code — the International Plumbing Code with Georgia State Amendments, published by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs; the current edition is the 2024 IPC, whose Georgia amendment packet is revised January 1, 2026 and effective January 1, 2026. The licensing Board's exam materials have not caught up: the Division's suggested reference list, stamped "Effective 1/1/25 - 12/31/25," still names the "2018 Georgia Plumbing Code (2018 International Plumbing Code) with 2018 (Revised Jan. 1 2020) Georgia amendments" and the "2018 Georgia Gas Code (2018 International Fuel Gas Code)" with the same amendment vintage. The list also warns that "some of the test questions will be based on field experience and knowledge of trade practices; therefore, questions will not be limited to the reference materials listed," and includes for all three plumbing exams the current Americans with Disabilities Act employer guide, the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law, and Project Management (Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board, 5th edition), Blueprint Reading for Plumbers, Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, Plumbing Technology Design and Installation, and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, plus the Georgia 811 Excavator Manual and IRS Circular E; 29 C.F.R. Part 1926 (OSHA) is listed for the Master Plumber Class I and Class II candidates only. Verify the edition with the Division before buying references.

Legal basis

O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14 (State Construction Industry Licensing Board), 43-14-1 through 43-14-24, as repealed and re-enacted in full by SB 553 (2026), signed May 11, 2026 — 43-14-2 definitions including Master Plumber Class I and Class II, journeyman plumber, plumbing, plumbing contractor and full-time experience; 43-14-6 division powers, the separate plumbing examinations and the list of licences issued; 43-14-13 plumbing licence requirements, the five-foot rule, company qualification and the Journeyman/Class I/Class II experience requirements with the March 1, 2025 grandfather; 43-14-15 injunction; 43-14-16 local inspection authority and the optional $10,000 code-compliance bond; 43-14-17 evidence, cease and desist, $1,500 fine and the misdemeanor; 43-14-18 display; 43-14-19 applicability and exceptions; 43-14-20 biennial renewal, late renewal, reinstatement and continuing education; 43-14-21 military expedited licensure; 43-14-22 inactive status; 43-14-23 reciprocity; 43-14-24 Georgia Administrative Procedure Act. NO OFFICIAL URL: Georgia publishes the Official Code of Georgia Annotated only through a session-scoped LexisNexis container (the Board's own instruction is to open lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode and browse to Title 43, Chapter 14), so the citation is given without a link rather than pointed at an aggregator; the verbatim text of the chapter as enacted is in the SB 553 act PDF listed in source_urls
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Department 121 (State Construction Industry Licensing Board) — Chapter 121-1 organization; Chapter 121-2 qualifications for licensure (121-2-.01 application and fees, 121-2-.03 reciprocity, 121-2-.06 review course, 121-2-.11 medical gas piping certification, 121-2-.12 military spouses); Chapter 121-3 application for licensure (121-3-.02 statewide Master and Journeyman Plumber licence, 121-3-.03 applicant review course); Chapter 121-4 licence issuance, renewal, reinstatement and expiration (121-4-.02 renewal, 121-4-.04 plumber continuing education); Chapter 121-5 disciplinary proceeding; Chapter 121-6 business registration. Chapters renumbered filed February 27, 2025, effective March 19, 2025
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Rule 295-2-.09 (Joint Secretary, Professional Licensing Boards Division) — plumbing licences expire November 30 of even-numbered years with a late renewal period of December 1 to December 31, effective as of the 2022 renewal cycle
Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code — the International Plumbing Code, 2024 Edition, with Georgia State Amendments published by the Department of Community Affairs, revised and effective January 1, 2026
O.C.G.A. 50-36-1 and 50-36-2 (lawful-presence affidavit and secure and verifiable document, both required with every plumbing licence application under 43-14-13(j)(4), (k)(4), (l)(4)) — no official URL, same LexisNexis limitation as Chapter 43-14

Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board — Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers, administered by the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division administers plumbing 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 credential is a Master Plumber license — Class I (restricted) or Class II (unrestricted) — issued to an individual by the Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers, one of the five divisions of the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board, administered by the Secretary of State’s Professional Licensing Boards Division. Searches for a “Georgia plumbing license,” “Georgia plumbing contractor license,” “GA master plumber license” or “Georgia plumber license” all map to that Master Plumber licence: the statute defines “plumbing contractor” as a licensed Master Plumber Class I or Class II and says the term “shall not include a licensed journeyman plumber” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-2(27)). Unlike Georgia ELECTRICAL work — where the Board licenses electrical contractors and issues no individual electrician credential at all — Georgia plumbing does have a real individual Journeyman Plumber license, with its own Board-approved (and open-book) examination; it is not required in order to work under a licensed Master Plumber’s direction, but it is the mandatory step on the ladder, since most of the qualifying years for a Master licence must be served while licensed as a Journeyman. “Class I Master Plumber” is also called the RESTRICTED licence and “Class II Master Plumber” the UNRESTRICTED or statewide licence on the Board’s own application forms. Georgia issues no separate plumbing apprentice licence, no plumbing business or company licence, and no local plumbing licence — a Georgia licence works statewide and displaces municipal and county licensing. Add-on credentials that are not the plumbing licence itself: the Statewide Plumber Medical Gas Piping Systems Certification, available only to current Georgia master or journeyman plumbers; and the separate Utility Contractor licence, which may run a plumbing line from the property line to within five feet of a building but no closer.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Journeyman Plumber (an individual licence Georgia does issue and examine — but not the licence that is mandatory to work)	One year of full-time experience performing plumbing work of a type covered by the state minimum standard plumbing code, "regardless of whether such code applied to the work in the area or at the time such work was performed by the applicant," obtained under the supervision of a licensed Master Plumber Class I or Master Plumber Class II (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(j)(2), as enacted by SB 553, 2026). "Full-time experience" is defined by statute as working at least 2,000 hours in a calendar year in a qualifying capacity, with each 2,000 hours equating to one year (43-14-2(13)). The qualifying work must demonstrate practical competency in: installation, maintenance, alteration, service or repair of plumbing systems (potable water supply and distribution; sanitary, waste, storm drainage and venting; fixtures and equipment; and fuel gas piping and fuel-gas-fired appliances including piping downstream of the gas meter or storage tank); system layout, pipe sizing, material selection, inspection, testing, diagnosing and troubleshooting under appropriate supervision; safe work practices (job site and trench safety, confined space awareness, fall protection, lockout/tagout, PPE); supporting plumbing-related work (component support, trenching, excavation and backfilling, material handling, demolition and general labour, tool operation, assisting licensed plumbers, pipe and tubing supports); and full-time employment as an estimator or project manager for a Class I or Class II Master Plumbing Contractor where the role involves regular exposure to plumbing systems, plans, specifications and job site coordination. A signed affidavit is required from each licensed Master Plumber Class I or II who supervised or oversaw the work, current or former employer. The applicant must also submit at least one secure and verifiable document establishing identity (O.C.G.A. 50-36-2), an affidavit verifying lawful presence in the United States (50-36-1), and any required immigration documentation for noncitizen applicants. The Board's still-current rule adds that the year may be Primary OR Secondary experience: Primary means direct installation of plumbing systems under the supervision of a licensed Master Plumber (examples include work by a plumbing contractor, Master Plumber, Journeyman Plumber, plumbing foreman, plumbing superintendent, or a military plumber of at least 3rd class petty officer or E-4 rank); Secondary means work or training related to plumbing installation, and its listed examples are plumbing work by a maintenance employee of a county water department or public works department, and inspection of plumbing by a full-time municipal or county inspector (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(5)-(7)). The rule also requires three references from persons licensed as plumbers who can attest to the applicant's experience (121-3-.02(3)).	Yes — a Board-approved Journeyman Plumber examination administered by PSI, with a minimum passing score of 70 (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(j)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(2)). The Journeyman exam is the one OPEN-BOOK plumbing exam Georgia gives: the Board's suggested reference list states "Journeyman Plumber exam is open-book format. For all other exams, these reference materials may NOT be used during the examination." Exams are offered on a continuous basis at various locations; candidates register and self-schedule with PSI after the Board approves them to sit.	$100 application fee obtained by examination — and likewise $100 for a military applicant under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — plus a $10 processing fee charged on every application. Renewal is $100 and late renewal $100; reinstatement is $300, as is reinstatement after three years. The application fee is non-refundable unless the Executive Director, Deputy Division Director or Division Director approves otherwise (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01(2)). Amounts as published in the Board's fee schedule in the Secretary of State's GOALS portal, read 2026-07-30; that schedule carries no effective date. A wall certificate ($50) and a pocket card ($25) are optional extras rather than required issuance fees, and any PSI examination charge is separate and is not published on the Board's schedule.
Master Plumber Class I (Restricted) — the mandatory licence for restricted-scope plumbing contracting	A minimum of four years of full-time experience in plumbing work as would be covered by items of the Georgia State Plumbing Code, at least THREE of which must have been performed while licensed as a Journeyman Plumber — except that an applicant who was licensed as a Journeyman Plumber under this chapter prior to March 1, 2025 needs only ONE of the four years to have been while licensed as a Journeyman (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(k)(2), as enacted by SB 553, 2026). That March 1, 2025 cutoff appears only in the statute; it is not stated on the Board's own pages. Qualifying experience must be obtained under the supervision of a licensed master plumber, and for Class I the qualifying experience is limited to plumbing work performed within the restricted Class I scope of practice. The competency areas mirror the journeyman list and add piping downstream of any municipal or county water meter from the point of service connection and extending into and throughout the building or structure served. A separate signed affidavit is required from each licensed Master Plumber Class I or II who supervised or oversaw the work, plus a secure and verifiable identity document, a lawful-presence affidavit, and immigration documentation for noncitizen applicants. The Board's rule requires three references from licensed plumbers, at least one of whom must be a licensed Master Plumber (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(3)).	Yes — the Board-approved Master Plumber Class I examination administered by PSI, minimum passing score 70 (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(k)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(2)). Closed book: the Board's reference list allows the listed materials only in the Journeyman exam. An applicant who fails twice must submit a certificate of completion for a Board-approved review course before sitting a third time (121-3-.03; 121-2-.06).	$100 application fee obtained by examination — and likewise $100 for a military applicant under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — plus a $10 processing fee charged on every application. Renewal is $100 and late renewal $100; reinstatement is $300, as is reinstatement after three years. The application fee is non-refundable unless the Executive Director, Deputy Division Director or Division Director approves otherwise (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01(2)). Amounts as published in the Board's fee schedule in the Secretary of State's GOALS portal, read 2026-07-30; that schedule carries no effective date. A wall certificate ($50) and a pocket card ($25) are optional extras rather than required issuance fees, and any PSI examination charge is separate and is not published on the Board's schedule.
Master Plumber Class II (Unrestricted) — the mandatory licence for unlimited-scope plumbing contracting	A minimum of five years of full-time experience in plumbing work as would be covered by the state minimum standard plumbing code, with at least FOUR of the five years while licensed as a Journeyman Plumber — except that an applicant licensed as a Journeyman Plumber under this chapter prior to March 1, 2025 needs only TWO of the five years to have been while licensed as a Journeyman (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(l)(2), SB 553, 2026). In addition, not less than two years of the required experience must have been obtained performing plumbing work within the unrestricted Class II scope of practice. Experience must be obtained under the supervision of a licensed master plumber and must demonstrate competency in installation/maintenance/alteration/service/repair of plumbing systems including fuel gas piping and metered water service into and throughout the building; layout, pipe sizing, material selection and installation methods; inspection, testing, troubleshooting and correction including verification of system performance and code compliance; safe work practices; and supervision or lead responsibility for plumbing personnel, including training, assignment of duties, oversight of work quality and enforcement of safety and code compliance. Separate signed affidavits from each supervising Master Plumber, a secure and verifiable identity document, a lawful-presence affidavit and immigration documentation where applicable are all required. The Board's rule requires three references from licensed plumbers, at least two of whom must be licensed Master Plumbers, and requires Class II applicants to document experience in commercial or industrial plumbing (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(3)-(4)).	Yes — the Board-approved Master Plumber Class II examination administered by PSI, minimum passing score 70, closed book; the twice-failed review course rule applies (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(l)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(2), 121-3-.03).	$100 application fee obtained by examination — and likewise $100 for a military applicant under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — plus a $10 processing fee charged on every application. Renewal is $100 and late renewal $100; reinstatement is $300, as is reinstatement after three years. The application fee is non-refundable unless the Executive Director, Deputy Division Director or Division Director approves otherwise (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01(2)). Amounts as published in the Board's fee schedule in the Secretary of State's GOALS portal, read 2026-07-30; that schedule carries no effective date. A wall certificate ($50) and a pocket card ($25) are optional extras rather than required issuance fees, and any PSI examination charge is separate and is not published on the Board's schedule.
Statewide Plumber Medical Gas Piping Systems Certification (an add-on to an existing plumbing licence, not a stand-alone licence)	Must hold a current Georgia master or journeyman plumber licence, and complete a 32-hour division-approved medical gas piping certification programme in compliance with the American Society of Sanitary Engineers 6000 series based on NFPA 99 as currently approved by the State Fire Marshal. The programme must include at least 24 hours of classroom instruction plus a written examination and braze testing per ASME Section IX or AWS B2.2, with the braze test performed on a minimum of 1 1/2" type "L" tubing (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.11(2)). The certification becomes VOID if the underlying Georgia master or journeyman plumber licence becomes inactive, suspended or revoked; if the certification is surrendered; or if the holder fails to perform brazing during each 12-month period — the holder must keep and produce on request documentation of brazing for the previous 2 years, signed by a licensed plumber who witnessed it, and a holder who fails to braze within a 12-month period must pass a braze test again through a division-approved programme (121-2-.11(3)). Georgia SOS: "Licensed Master & Journeyman Plumbers may obtain a state Medical Gas Piping certification by completing the required training program and submitting an application."	A written examination and braze test inside the approved 32-hour programme, not a Board-administered licensing exam.	Set by the Board and non-refundable (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01(2)). The Board's fee schedule in the GOALS portal publishes fee tables only for Journeyman Plumber, Master Plumber - Non-Restricted, Master Plumber - Restricted and the Master and Journeyman Plumbers CE Provider type; no separate table for the medical gas piping systems certification appears there, so no amount is stated here.

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Georgia gathers its exemptions into one section, O.C.G.A. 43-14-19 (“Applicability of chapter”), as repealed and re-enacted by SB 553 (2026). Read it with its two structural rules in mind: subsection (a) says “This chapter shall apply to all installations, alterations, and repairs of plumbing, air conditioning and heating, or electrical or low voltage wiring or utility systems within or on public or private buildings, structures, or premises except as otherwise provided in this Code section”; subsection (c) then lists work the chapter does NOT APPLY TO, and subsection (d) lists work the chapter does NOT PROHIBIT — a distinction worth keeping, because almost every item in (d) carries a proviso that the work must still comply with the codes, the Board’s rules and local ordinances and inspection requirements. THE (c) LIST — “This chapter shall not apply to”: (1) “The installation, alteration, or repair of plumbing, air conditioning and heating, utility systems, or electrical services, except low voltage wiring services, up to and including the meters where such work is performed by and is an integral part of the system owned or operated by a public service corporation, an electrical, water, or gas department of any municipality in this state, a railroad company, a pipeline company, or a mining company in the exercise of its normal function as such”; (2) “Low voltage wiring performed by public utilities, except that the portion of the business of public utilities which involves the installation, alteration, repair, or service of telecommunications systems for profit shall be covered under this chapter”; (3) “The installation, construction, or maintenance of power systems or telecommunications systems for the generation or distribution of electric current constructed under the National Electrical Safety Code, which regulates the safety requirements of utilities; but the interior wiring regulated by the National Electrical Safety Code shall not be exempt and must be done by an electrical contractor, except as otherwise provided by law; provided, however, that a tier 2 local exchange company, as defined in Code Section 46-5-162, may perform low-voltage interior wiring without licensure as an electrical contractor solely to the extent such wiring is necessary for the installation, maintenance, repair, or operation of its own telecommunications systems and network infrastructure. Such work shall be performed only by employees of the tier 2 local exchange company and shall not include general electrical service work or modification of building power distribution systems unrelated to the provider’s telecommunications systems”; (4) “Any technician employed by a municipal or county franchised community antenna television (CATV) system or a municipally owned CATV system in the performance of work on the system”; (5) THE IN-HOUSE EXEMPTION, which is the one plumbing readers most often misread — “Regular full-time employees of an institution, manufacturer, or business who perform plumbing, electrical, low voltage wiring, utility contracting, or conditioned air contracting when working on the premises of their employer” (note the two limits inside it: the person must be a REGULAR FULL-TIME employee, and the work must be ON THE EMPLOYER’S OWN PREMISES — it does not reach an employee sent to a customer’s property); (6) “A contractor certified by the Department of Public Health to make the connection to any on-site waste-water management system from the stub out exiting the structure to an on-site waste-water management system”; (7) “Any employee or authorized agent of a regulated gas utility or municipally owned gas utility while in the course and scope of such employment”; and (8) “Persons licensed as manufactured or mobile home installers by the state fire marshal when: (A) Coupling the electrical connection from the service entrance panel outside the manufactured housing to the distribution panel board inside the manufactured housing; (B) Connecting the exterior sewer outlets to the aboveground sewer system; or (C) Connecting the exterior water line to the aboveground water system.” THE (d) LIST — “This chapter shall not prohibit”: (1) OWNER OR OCCUPANT OF A RESIDENCE — “An individual from installing, altering, or repairing plumbing fixtures, air conditioning and heating, air conditioning and heating fixtures, utility systems, or electrical or low voltage wiring services in a residential dwelling owned or occupied by such individual; provided, however, that all such work must be done in conformity with all other provisions of this chapter, the rules and regulations of the board, and any applicable county or municipal resolutions, ordinances, codes, or inspection requirements”; (2) GOVERNMENT MAINTENANCE STAFF — “An individual employed on the maintenance staff of a facility owned by the state or by a county, municipality, or other political subdivision from installing, altering, or repairing plumbing, plumbing fixtures, air conditioning and heating fixtures, utility systems, or electrical or low voltage wiring services when such work is an integral part of the maintenance requirements of the facility; provided, however, that all such work must be done in conformity with all other provisions of this chapter and the orders, rules, and regulations of the board”; (3) FARM AND RANCH, WITH A 30-FOOT LIMIT — “Any person from installing, altering, or repairing plumbing, plumbing fixtures, air conditioning and heating fixtures, utility systems, or electrical or low voltage wiring services in a farm or ranch service building or as an integral part of any irrigation system on a farm or ranch when such system is not located within 30 feet of any dwelling or any building devoted to animal husbandry. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit the application of any resolution, ordinance, code, or inspection requirements of a county or municipality relating to such connections”; (4) LAWN SPRINKLERS DOWNSTREAM OF A PLUMBER-INSTALLED BACKFLOW PREVENTER — “Any person from installing, altering, or repairing the plumbing component of a lawn sprinkler system from a backflow preventer which was installed by a licensed plumber; provided, however, that all such work must be done in conformity with all other provisions of this chapter, the rules and regulations of the board, and ordinances of the county or municipality” (the licensed plumber installs the backflow preventer; the exemption starts after it); and (5) PROPANE DEALERS, WITH A HARD STOP — “Any propane dealer that is properly insured as required by law and that holds a liquefied petroleum gas license issued by the Safety Fire Commissioner from installing, repairing, or servicing a propane system or the gas piping or components of such system; provided, however, that such propane dealers shall be prohibited from performing the installation of conditioned air systems or forced air heating systems unless licensed to do so under this chapter.” THREE FURTHER CARVE-OUTS CLOSE THE SECTION: (e) a person qualified by the Department of Transportation to perform work for the department need not be licensed under 43-14-10 or certified under 43-14-11 and 43-14-12 to do department work, or to do work of the same nature for a county, municipality, authority or other political subdivision, “provided, however, that such work is not performed on a utility system as defined in Code Section 43-14-2 for which the person receives compensation”; (f) a person who contracts WITH a licensed conditioned air contractor “as part of a conditioned air contract to install, alter, or repair duct systems, control systems, or insulation is not required to hold a license from the Division of Conditioned Air Contractors” (the conditioned air contractor must retain responsibility for completion of the contract, including subcontracted work), but a person contracting to perform a complete installation, alteration or repair of a conditioned air system must hold a Conditioned Air licence, and “to perform for or on behalf of a conditioned air contractor the installation, alteration, or repair of the electrical, low voltage, or plumbing components of a conditioned air system must hold a valid license from the appropriate division of the board” — so the plumbing side of an HVAC job is not swept into the HVAC contractor’s licence; and (g) a utility contractor holding a valid Georgia utility contractor’s licence may bid for and perform work on any utility system in the state without a Chapter 41 licence, and it is unlawful for a utility system owner or anyone soliciting such work to refuse a licensed utility contractor’s bid on the ground that the contractor lacks a Chapter 41 licence. TWO THINGS ARE NOT EXEMPTIONS AND ARE COMMONLY MISTAKEN FOR THEM: Georgia publishes NO dollar-threshold or minor-work exemption for plumbing — there is no “jobs under $X need no licence” line anywhere in Chapter 14; and the exemptions do not touch local permitting, since a licensed or exempt person alike must comply with the county or municipal codes and inspections, and violating local ordinances “including failure to obtain the required permits and inspections required by local ordinance” is unprofessional conduct before the Board (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-5-.02(a)).

Fees

Georgia sets no plumbing fee amounts in statute or in the administrative code; the Board publishes them in a separate schedule. The application fee “shall be set by the Board in order to recover costs associated with processing the application. Fees shall be published in a separate schedule and will be made available to all applicants,” and it is non-refundable unless the Executive Director, Deputy Division Director or Division Director approves otherwise (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01(2)); likewise “the renewal fees, late fees, and reinstatement fees will be set by the Board. Fees will be published in a separate schedule and will be made publicly available” (121-4-.02(1)). The statute itself refers applicants to “the required fees established by the State Construction Industry Licensing Board” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(j)-(l)) and to a biennial renewal fee “prescribed by the board” (43-14-20(b)).

That separate schedule is published inside the Secretary of State’s GOALS portal (goals.sos.ga.gov/GASOSOneStop/s/fee-schedules). Read from the portal on 2026-07-30, the Board publishes the same fee table for all three licensee types — Journeyman Plumber, Master Plumber - Non-Restricted and Master Plumber - Restricted: the application fee obtained by examination is $100, and it is likewise $100 for a military applicant under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; renewal is $100; late renewal is $100; reinstatement is $300, and reinstatement after three years is also $300. Every application additionally carries a $10 processing fee. Optional credential artifacts are priced separately — a wall certificate is $50 and a pocket card $25 — and expedited licence verification is $40 for 3-5 business days or $115 for same business day. The schedule carries no effective date or revision history, so these amounts are stated as published on the date they were read rather than as of a stated revision.

The examination itself is administered by the Board’s testing vendor, PSI. Any vendor exam charge is separate from and additional to the $100 application fee and is not published on the Board’s fee schedule.

Also sourced about money: application, renewal and registration fees are non-refundable; a late renewal fee applies during the December 1-31 window; a reinstatement fee applies to a lapsed licence; the applicant pays all fees associated with the criminal background check (43-14-13(h)); reciprocity applicants pay a fee “in an amount established by the board” (43-14-23(2)); continuing-education course approval is “subject to reasonable, nondiscriminatory fees” (43-14-20(h)); a municipality or county may still charge its own business licence fee, registration fee, tax or gross receipt tax (43-14-16(c)); and the optional local code-compliance bond under 43-14-16(b)(2) is $10,000, deposited with the probate court rather than paid to the Board. Georgia requires no contractor bond or insurance filing with the Board for a plumbing licence.

Exam

The State Construction Industry Licensing Board contracts examination delivery to PSI, and the Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers approves separate examinations for Master Plumber Class I, Master Plumber Class II and Journeyman Plumbers (O.C.G.A. 43-14-6(1)(B)). You cannot register yourself first: the Board must approve your application to sit, after which “information will be provided from Board staff on next steps, including your testing candidate ID number. Additionally, our testing vendor, PSI, will contact you regarding setting up an account with them and registering for the exam you have been approved to take. Exams are offered on a continuous basis and at various locations. Once you have registered with PSI, you can select your test date and location on their site.” The passing standard is a minimum score of 70 on the appropriate examination for every class (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(j)(1), (k)(1), (l)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(2)). Book rules differ by class, and this is easy to get wrong: the Division’s suggested reference list states that the “Journeyman Plumber exam is open-book format. For all other exams, these reference materials may NOT be used during the examination.” Failing twice stops you until you take a course: an applicant for a master plumber or journeyman plumber licence who fails the examination twice (after July 1, 1989) must submit documentation of completion of a review course before being scheduled for a third examination, and the documentation must include the school name, the course title, the instructor’s name and licence number if the course was not run by a college or postsecondary technical school, the topics covered, the number of instruction hours and the date of completion (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.03). The course must be conducted by a college, post-secondary technical school, military service, or a private agency meeting Board Rule 121-2-.06; the Board publishes the agencies that have submitted qualifying plumbing courses — currently Georgia Plumbing Inst., Inc. (East Point), PHCC of Georgia (Cumming) and the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association (Stockbridge) — with the instruction to confirm a private course meets 121-2-.06 before enrolling. Accommodations are requested through the Board’s ADA Accommodations Form, and veterans may claim Veteran’s Preference Points (exam point credits) with a DD-214 showing service during a period of conflict or war for at least 90 days. Examination and applicant information is confidential under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.02.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial, on a fixed statewide date: every licence and certificate issued under Chapter 14 is valid for two years and renews on expiration (O.C.G.A. 43-14-20(a)), and plumbing licences sit in the November-30-of-even-numbered-years group with a late renewal period running December 1 to December 31 of even years (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 295-2-.09(a), effective as of the 2022 renewal cycle; the statute expresses the late window as “a period not to exceed 31 days immediately following the expiration of the biennial license,” 43-14-20(c)). The Division: “License renewal is completed online through your GOALS account and must be completed by November 30 of even-numbered years. Late renewal period is December 1 – 31 of even-numbered years.” The renewal application must be filed with the division director before the expiration date with the biennial renewal fee and must certify that all current continuing-education requirements determined by the Board have been fulfilled, and it must also disclose any findings or pleas of guilty, nolo contendere or First Offender treatment for any felony or misdemeanor other than minor traffic violations made since the last approval, plus authorisation for the division to receive criminal history record information through a Board-approved entity (43-14-20(b); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-4-.02(6)). Missing both the deadline and the late window lapses the licence; the holder “shall not be authorized to engage in the business or profession for which licensed” while unrenewed (121-4-.02(2); 43-14-20(d), (l)). Reinstatement within three years takes a reinstatement application, the reinstatement fee, verification of completed continuing education and any other information the Board prescribes; after three years the Board or Division may additionally require re-examination and an affidavit attesting to the applicable experience requirements, and the Board’s how-to guide states that a licence expired more than three years requires applying for reinstatement before re-taking the exam (43-14-20(e)-(f)). Renewal of a lapsed licence is discretionary and may be granted with conditions including retaking the licensure examination (121-4-.02(5)). Neither the Board’s failure to send nor the licensee’s failure to receive a renewal reminder excuses a missed renewal (121-4-.02(3)). 8 hours per two-year renewal cycle for both Master and Journeyman Plumbers. The Board’s rule: “Any applicant for renewal of master or journeyman license is required to complete a minimum of 8 hours of continuing education within the 24 months prior to the license or certificate expiration date. An applicant for renewal who has been initially licensed for less than two (2) years must have completed four (4) hours of continuing education while licensed prior to renewal. An applicant for renewal who has been initially licensed for less than one (1) year is not required to complete continuing education prior to the applicant’s initial renewal” (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-4-.04(1)). The Division states the same total per year: “Yes, 4 continuing education hours are required annually (a total of 8 hours per renewal),” and Rule 121-4-.02(7)(b) asks the renewal application to include evidence of 4 hours for each year since the last renewal, or since initial issuance if the licence has not been through a renewal cycle. Acceptable subjects are plumbing installation, design, state codes, products, innovations or new techniques, tools and materials, safety, or work-related legal issues — plus environmental or business issues for Master Plumbers only — and providers must be an institute of higher education, a vocational-technical school, a trade, technical or professional organization, or an institute under the State Board of Technical and Adult Education (121-4-.04(2)). Statutory rules layered on top by SB 553 (2026): each Division may require CE for renewal and may approve courses offered inside or outside Georgia subject to reasonable, nondiscriminatory fees; courses conducted primarily to promote specific products or services are not permitted; hours may not be carried forward to a subsequent renewal period; a Division may waive CE for hardship, disability or illness; and each Division must make reasonable efforts to offer CE online or by home study and at times outside normal work hours (O.C.G.A. 43-14-20(g)-(k)). Failure to comply renders the licence invalid and can mean denial of renewal or revocation (43-14-20(l)). Licensees self-certify on renewal and must keep records for at least five years showing the conducting school or organization, course title, location and date, outline or topics, hours of instruction, and documentation of attendance and satisfactory completion; hours are produced to the Division on request (121-4-.04(3)-(4)). Audits are random — the Division warns “You may be randomly selected for an audit of your completed CE hours” — and its CE Audit Report Form (revised 01/2026) is headed “For the Two-year CE Reporting Period Ending November 30th of even numbered years” and is signed before a notary. SB 125 (2025, Act 93, effective July 1, 2025) also established a continuing education tracking solution for Secretary of State licensing boards to monitor compliance. There is no separate CE requirement published for the Medical Gas Piping certification, but that certification is voided if the holder fails to perform brazing during any 12-month period (121-2-.11(3)(c)).

How to apply

Applications are handled by Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board — Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers, administered by the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division. Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to do plumbing work in Georgia?

To take plumbing work, yes — you personally need a Master Plumber Class I or Class II licence from the Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers: “No person shall engage in plumbing contracting as a Master Plumber Class I or a Master Plumber Class II unless such person has a valid license issued by the division” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(b)). To be employed doing plumbing under a licensed Master Plumber’s direction, Chapter 14 does not require you to hold anything: the prohibition, the advertising bar and the Board’s cease-and-desist power all attach to plumbing CONTRACTING, and the statute’s own definition of “plumbing contractor” excludes a licensed journeyman plumber. Georgia does issue and examine an individual Journeyman Plumber licence, and you will need it to move up, because most of the experience years for a Master licence must be served while licensed as a Journeyman.

Does Georgia license plumbing companies?

No. The Division’s FAQ says “the Licensing Board does not register Plumbing companies,” and adds “Only licensed Master Plumbers may have a business (not Journeyman).” A firm operates through a person: “No partnership, limited liability company, or corporation shall have the right to engage in the business of plumbing unless there is regularly connected with such partnership, limited liability company, or corporation a person actively engaged in the performance of such business on a full-time basis who has a valid license as a Master Plumber Class I or a Master Plumber Class II” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(e)). Board Rule 121-6-.01 adds that the qualifying licensee must actually be engaged in the business full time, must supervise and be responsible for the work, and “may not qualify more than one proprietorship, partnership, or corporation for business registration at any one time” — and Rule 121-5-.02(f) makes it unprofessional conduct to fail to register with the Division the name of the business you qualify, or to fail to report severance in writing within five days. If the licensee dies, partners, officers and employees may continue under the licence for 90 days, and the Division may grant one further 90-day grace period for good cause.

What is the difference between a Master Plumber Class I and a Class II license in Georgia?

Class II is unrestricted; Class I is capped by building type and size — and the cap changed in 2026, so you will see two different figures on official Georgia pages. The statute now in force defines Class I as authorised “to perform plumbing work and contract for on residential single-family dwellings, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings, including duplexes, hotels, motels, and apartment buildings, not exceeding three stories in height, and on commercial buildings not exceeding 20,000 square feet in total building area,” and Class II as authorised for “all scopes of plumbing work, without limitation,” expressly including commercial buildings of any size, industrial facilities, institutional occupancies, multistory structures of any occupancy classification and specialized use facilities (O.C.G.A. 43-14-2(24)-(25), enacted by SB 553, signed May 11, 2026). The Board’s rule and its own FAQ still publish the older, tighter version: Class I “limited to plumbing involving single-family dwellings and one-level dwellings designed for not more than two families and commercial structures not to exceed 10,000 square feet in area” (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(1)). The statute is the later authority and it roughly doubles the commercial ceiling, but confirm your scope with the Division before you bid a job that only the new definition covers.

How much experience do you need for a Georgia master plumber license?

Under the statute as rewritten in 2026: Master Plumber Class I needs a minimum of four years of full-time plumbing experience with at least three of those years while licensed as a Journeyman Plumber, and Master Plumber Class II needs a minimum of five years with at least four while licensed as a Journeyman (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(k)(2), (l)(2)). There is a grandfather clause that lives only in the statute and appears nowhere on the Board’s pages: an applicant who was licensed as a Journeyman Plumber under the chapter prior to March 1, 2025 needs only one of the four years (Class I) or two of the five years (Class II) to have been while licensed as a Journeyman. Class II also requires that not less than two of the years were worked inside the unrestricted Class II scope. A “year” means 2,000 hours: the statute defines full-time experience as working at least 2,000 hours in a calendar year, with each 2,000 hours equating to one year. The Board’s FAQ and Rule 121-3-.02(4) still state the pre-2026 standard — five years with at least two while licensed as a Journeyman, plus commercial or industrial experience for Class II.

How do you become a journeyman plumber in Georgia?

One year of full-time experience plus an exam. The statute requires one year of full-time work performing plumbing of a type covered by the state minimum standard plumbing code “regardless of whether such code applied to the work in the area or at the time such work was performed,” obtained under the supervision of a licensed Master Plumber Class I or Class II, plus a passing score of at least 70 on the Board-approved Journeyman examination, a signed affidavit from each supervising Master Plumber, a secure and verifiable identity document and a lawful-presence affidavit (O.C.G.A. 43-14-13(j)). The Board’s rule lets that year be Primary or Secondary experience — Primary being direct installation under a licensed Master Plumber (including work as a plumbing foreman or superintendent, or as a military plumber of at least 3rd class petty officer or E-4 rank), and Secondary including plumbing work by a maintenance employee of a county water or public works department and plumbing inspection by a full-time municipal or county inspector (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02(5)-(7)). Georgia has no registered apprenticeship requirement for this licence.

What is the Georgia plumbing exam like, and is it open book?

PSI administers all three plumbing exams for the Board, and the passing score is 70. Book rules differ by class, and this trips people up: the Board’s suggested reference list states that the “Journeyman Plumber exam is open-book format. For all other exams, these reference materials may NOT be used during the examination” — so the Master Plumber Class I and Class II exams are closed book. You cannot self-register: the Board must approve your application first, then supplies a testing candidate ID and PSI contacts you to set up an account, after which exams are offered continuously at various locations. Fail twice and you are stopped until you take a course: an applicant who fails the examination twice “must submit documentation of completion of a review course before being scheduled for a third examination,” run by a college, post-secondary technical school, military service, or a private agency meeting Board Rule 121-2-.06 (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.03).

How often do you renew a Georgia plumbing license, and how much continuing education does it take?

Every two years, on a fixed date: plumbing licences expire November 30 of even-numbered years, with a late renewal period from December 1 to December 31 of even years (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 295-2-.09; O.C.G.A. 43-14-20(a), (c)). Continuing education is a minimum of 8 hours within the 24 months before expiration; an applicant licensed less than two years needs 4 hours, and one licensed less than a year owes none before the first renewal (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-4-.04(1)). The Division states the same total as “4 continuing education hours are required annually (a total of 8 hours per renewal).” Hours cannot be carried forward to a later renewal period (O.C.G.A. 43-14-20(k)), courses run primarily to promote products or services do not count, and you must keep course records for five years because the Division audits CE at random. Miss the renewal and the late window and the licence lapses; reinstating more than three years after expiration can require re-examination.

Does Georgia have plumbing license reciprocity with other states?

The Division’s answer is no: “Georgia does not have reciprocity with any other states for Master or Journeyman Plumbers.” The law does provide the machinery, though, so the accurate answer is that the pathway exists but no agreement is in place for plumbers. O.C.G.A. 43-14-23 lets a division, in its discretion, license someone already licensed in a state with substantially equal requirements — without an examination where applicable — if the applicant has been principally engaged in that practice for at least two years immediately before applying, submits an application, pays the Board-set fee, completes any additional safety training the Board requires, and comes from a state that affords substantially equivalent privileges to Georgia licensees. Board Rule 121-2-.03 adds that a division may enter formal written agreements for licences by endorsement or reciprocity, that the other board must have conducted a qualifying examination, and that persons licensed under grandfather provisions who never passed such an examination do not qualify. Plan on qualifying and examining in Georgia.

Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Georgia?

Yes, in a residence you own or occupy. Chapter 14 “shall not prohibit… an individual from installing, altering, or repairing plumbing fixtures, air conditioning and heating, air conditioning and heating fixtures, utility systems, or electrical or low voltage wiring services in a residential dwelling owned or occupied by such individual; provided, however, that all such work must be done in conformity with all other provisions of this chapter, the rules and regulations of the board, and any applicable county or municipal resolutions, ordinances, codes, or inspection requirements” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-19(d)(1)). Note what the proviso does: the exemption removes the licence requirement, not the code, and not the local permit and inspection. Georgia also does not prohibit a person from installing, altering or repairing plumbing in a farm or ranch service building, or as an integral part of a farm or ranch irrigation system, when the system is not within 30 feet of any dwelling or any building devoted to animal husbandry — again without displacing county or municipal ordinances or inspection requirements (43-14-19(d)(3)).

Can a city or county in Georgia make a licensed plumber get a local license?

No. A holder of a Georgia licence may work throughout the state, and “except as provided in Code Section 43-14-16, no municipality or county may require such person to comply with any additional licensing requirements imposed by such municipality or county” (O.C.G.A. 43-14-19(b)). Local government keeps real powers: adopting and enforcing codes; requiring permits and inspections; charging a business licence fee, registration fee, tax or gross receipt tax; and — through an inspection authority that meets Board standards, after notice and hearing — suspending a licence or refusing to restore one within its own jurisdiction, subject to appeal to the Division and a hearing. One protection runs the other way: a licensed plumber who deposits a $10,000 cash or surety bond with the probate court judge in the county of their principal place of business cannot be required by any county or municipality to furnish a code compliance bond or similar bond (43-14-16(b)).

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Georgia.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 30, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.