Georgia licenses individual plumbers, and only a Master Plumber can run or qualify a plumbing company. Here is the full path from journeyman to Master Plumber Class I and II, including experience, PSI exams, fees, and renewals.
Fee note: Every dollar figure below is a government or testing-vendor fee that is set by the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board or by PSI, and these amounts change. Use them for planning, then confirm the current numbers with the Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers or PSI before you apply.
If you want to run a plumbing business in Georgia, the credential you are actually chasing is the Master Plumber license. Georgia does not hand out a generic "plumbing contractor" card the way some states do. Instead the state licenses individual plumbers, and only a licensed Master Plumber can legally operate or qualify a plumbing company, pull plumbing permits, and supervise the work. Understanding that one fact saves a lot of confusion, because it means the person and the business are tied together: a plumbing company in Georgia is only as licensed as the Master Plumber standing behind it.
This guide walks the full process, from apprentice-level field work up to the Master Plumber license, including the license tiers, experience, exams, fees, and renewal rules. It is a guide to the licensing process, not a study course. If your company needs a Master Plumber on the license but you do not have one on staff, there is a legitimate, employee-based path to solving that, and we cover it at the end.
Who regulates plumbing licenses in Georgia
Plumbers in Georgia are licensed by the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers, which sits under the Georgia Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division. The authority comes from O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14. The same board licenses electrical contractors, conditioned air (HVAC) contractors, low-voltage contractors, and utility contractors, while general contractors are handled by a separate state board.
The Division mailing office is in Macon, and as of late 2025 Georgia moved license applications to an online portal, so paper applications are no longer the standard route.
The Georgia plumbing license ladder
Georgia structures plumbing credentials in a clear progression. Knowing where each one stops is the key to applying for the right card the first time.
Journeyman Plumber. This is the working plumber's license. A Journeyman can perform plumbing work, but the Journeyman credential by itself does not let you run a plumbing business or qualify a company. It is the required stepping stone to the Master tier.
Master Plumber Class I (Restricted). Class I authorizes plumbing work on single-family residential structures and smaller buildings (limited by size and stories under the board's rules). It is the credential for a plumber who works in residential and light commercial settings.
Master Plumber Class II (Unrestricted). Class II carries no building-size restriction. It authorizes any plumbing work in Georgia, residential or commercial, of any height or scale. Class II is what most growing plumbing companies ultimately want, because it removes the project ceiling entirely.
The practical takeaway: the Master Plumber (Class I or Class II) is the license that qualifies a plumbing business. If you are starting or scaling a plumbing company, this is the credential that has to exist on the license. For a national overview of how the journeyman-to-master jump works, see our explainer on the difference between a journeyman and a master plumber.
Experience requirements
Georgia requires documented, supervised plumbing experience at every step, and the board verifies it with affidavits and references rather than taking your word for it.
To sit for the Journeyman exam, you must document supervised plumbing work performed under a licensed plumber. To move up to Master Plumber, you must first hold a Georgia Journeyman license and then accumulate additional time in the trade, with Class II (unrestricted) requiring more journeyman-level experience than Class I (restricted). Georgia also requires three character references for the Master application, and at least one of those references must come from a licensed Master Plumber, which trips up applicants who forget it.
Because the board sets the exact year counts and periodically revisits them, confirm the current experience requirement on your application type before you file. Education from an approved program can support an application, but Georgia does not let a degree replace the core Journeyman-level experience for the Master credential. If you are weighing how to get licensed without years of field time behind you, our guide on getting a contractor license without experience lays out the realistic options.
The exams
Georgia plumbing examinations are administered by PSI Services under contract to the board. Master Plumber applicants take two parts:
- A Business and Law examination covering Georgia licensing law and basic business practice.
- A Trade examination covering the International Plumbing Code (as adopted by Georgia) and Georgia plumbing law.
You must pass each part at 70%, and each passed part stays valid for two years, so you can take them separately if needed. The code book is allowed at the test center as a reference. This article does not provide exam prep or practice questions, and The Licensing Company does not sell test prep. For the logistics of booking a seat (creating an account, ID rules, rescheduling), see our walkthrough on how to schedule your contractor exam with PSI, Prov, and Pearson VUE.
Fees
These are the government and testing-vendor fees, not what it costs to hire help. They are current as of this writing and are set by the board and by PSI, so verify before you pay.
- Application fee (CILB): $30, non-refundable, submitted with the application. The board asks that the Master Plumber examination application reach them well in advance of your desired exam date.
- Online processing fee: $5.
- PSI examination fee: PSI charges a separate per-part fee, paid to PSI on the day of testing. The exact amount is set by PSI and differs by exam part, so confirm the current figure in PSI's Georgia candidate information bulletin before you schedule.
- Renewal (biennial): $75 for a Master Plumber, $35 for a Journeyman. Late renewal runs higher ($100 master / $45 journeyman).
Georgia plumbing licenses expire on November 30 of even-numbered years, with a short late-renewal window in December before the license lapses. Reinstating a lapsed license costs more and, after three years, can require re-examination.
Bond and insurance
Unlike many state contractor licenses, Georgia does not require a state surety bond to hold the Master Plumber license itself. That said, individual jobs, public works, and local jurisdictions frequently require permit bonds or project bonds, so do not assume you will never need one. For how bonding works elsewhere and why it matters when you expand, see our contractor bond requirements by state guide.
On insurance, commercial general liability is standard in the market and is commonly required by the customers and general contractors you will work for, and Georgia requires workers' compensation coverage for businesses with three or more employees. Our contractor insurance requirements by state overview explains the typical coverage limits to plan for.
Continuing education and renewal
Georgia requires four hours of board-approved continuing education annually for plumbers, which means eight hours over a two-year renewal cycle. Courses must come from an approved provider such as a college, technical school, or trade association. Renewal is done online before the November 30 deadline. For the broader picture of how CE rules differ if you operate in more than one state, see our contractor continuing education requirements by state guide.
Step-by-step: getting your Georgia plumbing license
- Build documented journeyman-level experience under a licensed plumber, keeping pay records, project records, and supervisor information that the board can verify.
- Pass the Journeyman exam and obtain your Georgia Journeyman Plumber license.
- Accumulate the required journeyman time for the Master class you want (Class I restricted or Class II unrestricted).
- Gather your references and affidavits, including at least one character reference from a licensed Master Plumber.
- Submit your Master Plumber application through the state portal with the $30 fee, well ahead of your target exam date.
- Pass the PSI Business and Law and Trade exams at 70% each.
- Receive your Master Plumber license, then keep it active with biennial renewal and annual continuing education.
What this means for a plumbing business (the qualifier bridge)
Here is where the individual license and the company intersect. In Georgia, a plumbing company cannot pull permits or legally hold itself out as a licensed plumbing contractor unless a licensed Master Plumber stands behind it. That person is, in practice, the company's qualifier. If the owner is a Master Plumber, that is solved. But plenty of capable, well-run businesses hit a wall here: the owner is a builder, an investor, or a tradesperson in a different specialty, and there is no Master Plumber on the team.
That is exactly the gap a qualifying agent fills. A qualifying agent is a properly licensed professional who serves as the company's licensed plumber of record. To learn what the role is and the legal weight it carries, start with what a qualifying agent is, then see how the plumbing contractor qualifying agent role works specifically, and review the Georgia-specific rules in our Georgia qualifying agent guide.
One point matters a great deal here, both legally and ethically: a qualifying agent must be a real, full-time W-2 employee of the company, genuinely engaged in its plumbing operations. The Licensing Company places qualifying agents only as full-time W-2 employees with real oversight responsibility. We do not do percentage deals, flat-fee "license rental," per-project arrangements, or 1099 setups, because those informal structures are exactly what state boards investigate and penalize. A license that is "rented" rather than properly held puts the business at risk. A qualifier who is a bona fide employee protects it.
If you are a Georgia plumbing company that needs a Master Plumber on the license, or a Master Plumber who wants to put your credential to work as an employee, we can help on both sides. See how to hire a qualifying agent, explore our consultation packages to talk through your specific situation, or learn what is involved in becoming a qualifying agent. Cost depends on the trade, the license class, the state, and how the role is structured, so we quote it privately rather than posting a number that would not fit your situation.
Bottom line
Georgia keeps it simple in one respect: the Master Plumber is the license that runs a plumbing business, and you reach it by working as a Journeyman first. Plan for documented experience, the PSI Business and Law and Trade exams at 70%, a small application fee, biennial renewal by November 30 of even years, and annual continuing education. If the only thing standing between your company and legal operation is a licensed Master Plumber on the license, a full-time W-2 qualifying agent is the legitimate way to close that gap.
Fees, experience requirements, and exam details are set by the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board and PSI and are subject to change. Always verify the current requirements with the Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers before applying.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.