How to Get an Electrician License in Georgia (2026 Guide)

Georgia is one of the fastest-growing construction markets in the country, and demand for licensed electrical work follows it. If you want to run electrical jobs legally in Georgia, you need to understand how the state structures its licenses, because it does not work the way many other states do. There is no statewide journeyman or master electrician license in Georgia. Instead, the credential that lets you contract for electrical work is the Electrical Contractor license, issued in two classes, and individual electricians work under that license.

This guide walks through exactly how to get licensed in 2026: the two license classes, the experience you need, the exam, the current board fees (verified against the board's own fee schedule this year, and lower than what many third-party sites still claim), and what happens after you pass.

How electrical licensing works in Georgia

Georgia electrical licensing is handled by the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors, which operates under the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division (Division of Electrical Contractors, Macon). The board issues the Electrical Contractor license, and that license is what authorizes a person or company to perform and pull permits for electrical work.

Because there is no separate state journeyman or master tier, the practical reality is this: to be the person legally responsible for electrical contracting in Georgia, you hold (or your company holds someone who holds) an Electrical Contractor license. Workers without that license perform electrical work under the supervision and authority of a licensed contractor.

What changed in 2026: the Chapter 14 rewrite (SB 553 / Act 472)

Georgia rewrote the law governing electrical contractor licensing effective July 1, 2026. Senate Bill 553 (Act 472) repealed and reenacted Chapter 14 of Title 43, the chapter that governs electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low-voltage, and utility contractors. Three points matter most for electrical contractors:

• License lending is now explicitly grounds for discipline. The rewrite names lending, leasing, renting, or otherwise allowing an unlicensed person or entity to use a license as a disciplinable offense, and it ties compliance to the license holder's actual affiliation with and supervision of the licensed business. In plain terms: the licensed contractor has to genuinely stand behind the company, not just lend a name.
• Experience is measured in hours. One year of qualifying experience is documented as 2,000 hours, backed by sworn affidavits.
• Background checks are built in. Applicants fund criminal-history checks and fingerprinting as part of the process.

For a business owner, the takeaway is direct: the person who holds your Georgia electrical contractor license must be a real, supervising part of the company. That is exactly why a qualifying agent should be a genuine W-2 employee with actual oversight responsibility, the structure the new statute now requires, and never a rented credential. We break down the new law in our Georgia 2026 contractor-law update, and explain the compliant alternative to "borrowing" a license in is it legal to rent a contractor license.

Class I vs Class II: which license do you need?

Georgia issues the Electrical Contractor license in two classifications, and choosing correctly matters because it controls the size and type of work you can take on.

Class I (Restricted) is generally limited to single-phase residential work and three-phase work up to 200 amps. It fits electricians focused on residential and smaller light-commercial jobs.

Class II (Unrestricted) removes those limits. It is the license to hold if you intend to do larger commercial work, three-phase installations, or projects above the Class I thresholds. Most electricians building a full contracting business pursue Class II for the flexibility.

The application process and exams are similar for both, but the experience documentation differs, see below.

Experience requirements

Georgia takes field experience seriously. For both Class I and Class II, you must:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Document a minimum of four years (8,000 hours) of qualifying electrical field experience gained under a licensed contractor
• Show that at least one year of that experience was as a primary decision-maker or supervisor

The board's application package adds detail worth knowing before you file:

• Class I applicants must document experience in at least six of the board's Primary Experience areas.
• Class II applicants must document experience in all Primary Experience areas, including electrical installations in excess of single-phase, 400-ampere systems, gained working under a Class II licensed contractor.
• At least one of your references must be a licensed electrical contractor.
• A certified background check is required (the 2026 Chapter 14 rewrite also builds in fingerprint-funded criminal history checks).

There is a partial education substitution: up to two years of the requirement may be satisfied with credit from an accredited electrical engineering technology degree program. The rest must be genuine hands-on field experience, documented through notarized employment affidavits from the contractors or employers you worked under.

The exam

Once the board approves your application, you sit for two separate exams administered by PSI Services LLC:

1. Business and Law exam
2. Electrical Contractor Trade exam

You need a score of 70% on each part. The two parts are scored independently, so if you pass one and fail the other, you only need to retake the part you failed.

Georgia's trade exam is built on the National Electrical Code, but remember the guardrail here: this guide covers the licensing process, not how to study for the test. For exam scheduling logistics, see our guide to scheduling contractor exams with PSI, Prov, and Pearson VUE.

Veterans: Georgia offers exam preference-point credits and expedited processing for veterans, service members, transitioning service members, and military spouses. Claiming preference points requires a DD-214 showing at least 90 days of service during a period of conflict.

Fees and costs (verified 2026)

Here are the current board fees, taken directly from the Georgia Secretary of State's published fee schedule for electrical contractors (verified July 2026):

• Application fee (examination or reciprocity): $30
• Online processing fee: $5
• Renewal: $75, due by June 30 of even-numbered years
• Late renewal: $100
• Reinstatement (lapsed under 3 years): $150
• Reinstatement (lapsed 3 years or more): $150 plus re-examination
• PSI exam fees: paid directly to PSI when you register, verify the current amount with PSI
• Background check and fingerprinting: costs paid to the providers

Worth flagging: many third-party licensing sites still list a much higher application fee for Georgia. The board's own current schedule says $30. All figures are set by the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors and PSI and are subject to change, always verify the current amounts with the board and PSI before you apply.

Note what is not on this list: there is no government "electrician license cost" that includes hiring help to get licensed or to hold a license for a company. If you are weighing the cost of bringing licensed authority into a business, that depends entirely on the structure, trade, and state, see the bottom of this guide.

Step-by-step: getting your Georgia electrician license

1. Accumulate and document your hours. Track your 8,000 hours, including at least one year of supervisory or primary decision-making experience. Keep records you can turn into notarized affidavits, and line up references (at least one must be a licensed electrical contractor).
2. Choose your class. Class I for restricted residential/light-commercial scope, Class II for unrestricted work.
3. File online. Paper applications are no longer accepted, submit through the board's online portal with the $30 application fee (plus the $5 online processing fee), notarized employment affidavits, certified background check, and proof of insurance. Complete applications must be received at least 15 days before a board meeting to make that meeting's agenda, and deficiencies must be cured within 60 days or the application is withdrawn.
4. Complete fingerprinting for the criminal-history check.
5. Get board approval, then schedule with PSI. After approval, register and pay PSI for your two exams.
6. Pass both parts at 70%. Retake individually if needed.
7. Receive your license and begin contracting legally.

After you're licensed: renewal and continuing education

Georgia electrical contractor licenses renew on a two-year cycle, due by June 30 of even-numbered years, miss it and the late fee applies ($100 instead of $75, and reinstatement territory beyond that). Georgia also requires continuing education for renewal (four hours annually has been the standard requirement, verify the current CE rule with the board when you renew). Build the CE into your yearly routine so your license never lapses. For the bigger picture on keeping any contractor credential active, see our contractor license renewal guide.

From electrician license to running a contracting business

Getting your individual Electrical Contractor license is the first milestone. Turning it into a business that can legally bid and operate is the next one. In Georgia, the company performing electrical work needs licensed authority behind it, and if you expand into general construction you will also encounter the state's general contractor licensing requirements, covered in our Georgia general contractor license guide.

This is where many capable electricians hit a wall. Maybe you have the skills and the field hours but not yet the license. Maybe you are launching a company and need licensed authority to hold the contractor license while you build your own qualifications. Maybe you are expanding a successful operation into Georgia and need a licensed person to stand behind the company's work.

That licensed, legally responsible person is called a qualifying agent. A qualifying agent holds the required license and serves as the documented, responsible party for the company's electrical contracting, a real, full-time W-2 role with genuine oversight responsibility, not a name rented onto a license. Under Georgia's 2026 Chapter 14 rewrite, that genuine affiliation and supervision is not just best practice, it is what the statute now requires. To understand the role, start with what a qualifying agent is and our deeper guide on the electrical contractor qualifying agent.

If you need a qualifier to hold your Georgia electrical or general contractor license, or you are an experienced electrician who wants to put your license to work, we can help. Learn how to hire a qualifying agent, explore your options on our Georgia qualifying agent guide, or book a consultation to map out the right structure for your situation. Cost depends on your trade, license class, and how the engagement is structured, so we quote it privately rather than posting a one-size-fits-all number.

Expanding beyond Georgia

Georgia contractors regularly grow into neighboring states, and every one of them structures electrical licensing differently. See our guides for Alabama (two credentials only, the contractor license IS the master license), Tennessee (contractor-level licensing with the LLE/CE split), South Carolina (a two-board split between residential and commercial), and North Carolina (NCBEEC's Limited/Intermediate/Unlimited ladder with a listed qualified individual requirement). Multi-state growth is exactly where licensed-authority planning matters most, that conversation starts at /ConsultationPackages.

Frequently asked questions

Does Georgia have a journeyman or master electrician license? No. Georgia does not issue a statewide journeyman or master electrician license. The state credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Class I or Class II), and other electricians work under a licensed contractor.

How long does it take to get a Georgia electrician license? The binding factor is experience: you need four years (8,000 hours) of documented field experience before you can qualify. Once you have the hours, application review (board meetings, with a 15-day agenda cutoff) and scheduling the PSI exams typically takes a few weeks to a couple of months.

What's the difference between Class I and Class II? Class I is restricted (generally single-phase residential and three-phase work up to 200 amps) and requires experience in at least six Primary Experience areas. Class II is unrestricted, covers larger commercial and three-phase work, and requires experience in all Primary Experience areas including installations beyond single-phase 400-ampere systems.

Did Georgia's electrical licensing law change in 2026? Yes. Effective July 1, 2026, SB 553 (Act 472) repealed and reenacted Chapter 14 of Title 43, which governs electrical contractors. It makes license lending an explicit disciplinable offense, ties compliance to the license holder's actual affiliation with and supervision of the business, defines one year of experience as 2,000 hours, and builds in fingerprint background checks. See our Georgia 2026 contractor-law update.

How much does a Georgia electrician license cost? The board's current fee schedule lists a $30 application fee (plus a $5 online processing fee), $75 renewal by June 30 of even-numbered years, $100 late renewal, and $150 reinstatement. PSI exam fees are paid separately to PSI. All fees are set by the board and PSI and are subject to change, verify before applying. If you are asking about the cost of having a qualifying agent hold a license for your company, that varies by trade, class, and structure, request a custom quote.

Can I get licensed in Georgia without four years of experience? Up to two years can be substituted with an accredited electrical engineering technology degree, but the rest must be field experience. If you cannot yet meet the requirement personally, a qualifying agent can hold the license while your company operates, see how to get a contractor license without experience.

License requirements, fees, and exam details are set by the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors and PSI and are subject to change. Verify current requirements with the board (sos.ga.gov) before applying. Fee schedule verified against the board's published How-To Guide, July 2026.