SB 125: Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; decouple the sequential order of experience and examination requirements

This bill overhauls Chapter 14 of Title 43 of Georgia's professional licensing code, which governs electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air (HVAC) contractors, low voltage contractors, and utility contractors. It rewrites definitions, changes board membership rules for the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, updates continuing education requirements for renewing licenses, adjusts penalty amounts, and renumbers many Code sections. It also adds new exemptions from licensing (such as for propane dealers and lawn sprinkler backflow work) and clarifies advertising and enforcement rules. Separately, the bill creates a statewide continuing education tracking system run by the Secretary of State's office, which professional licensing boards must use starting January 1, 2026 before renewing licenses. Most significantly for engineers, the bill removes the requirement that professional engineer applicants pass their licensing exam only after completing all required years of work experience, letting the exam and experience requirements happen in either order.

• Removes the requirement that professional engineers complete their required years of work experience before taking the licensing exam (O.C.G.A. § 43-15-9), allowing the two to happen in any order.
• Creates a new statewide continuing education tracking system run by the Secretary of State's office to check that licensees have completed required training before license renewal, effective January 1, 2026.
• Restructures the State Construction Industry Licensing Board's membership requirements for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, low voltage, and utility contractor divisions, including who counts as a qualifying inspector or engineer.
• Raises several penalty amounts, including increasing the misdemeanor fine cap from $1,000 to $3,000 and the cease and desist fine for conditioned air, plumbing, or electrical violations from $500 to $1,500.
• Adds new exemptions from licensing requirements, such as for propane dealers servicing propane systems and people repairing lawn sprinkler backflow preventers installed by a licensed plumber.
• Renumbers dozens of Code sections within Chapter 14 and updates cross-references in other Titles (8, 10, 36, 43, and 46) to match.

Licensed and aspiring professional engineers, electrical contractors, plumbers, HVAC (conditioned air) contractors, low voltage contractors, and utility contractors and managers in Georgia. It also affects the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, the Secretary of State's office, local governments and inspection authorities, and businesses like propane dealers and irrigation installers who get new licensing exemptions.

Engineers could become licensed faster since they no longer must finish all work experience before testing. Contractors across several trades face updated continuing education tracking, board oversight, and higher fines for violations, while some workers, like propane dealers, gain new exemptions from needing a contractor's license for specific tasks.

• Section 1-2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 43-15-9 so professional engineer applicants can pass the licensing exam before or after completing required work experience, rather than only after.
• Section 2-1 adds a new Code section 43-1-4.1 requiring the Secretary of State to build a continuing education tracking system for licensing boards, effective for renewals starting January 1, 2026.
• Section 1-1 restructures Chapter 14 definitions and board membership, including new categories of inspectors and engineers who can serve on the licensing board's divisions.
• Section 1-1 raises the misdemeanor penalty for violating the chapter from a $1,000 to a $3,000 maximum fine (new Code Section 43-14-20).
• Section 1-1 raises the cease and desist violation fine for conditioned air, plumbing, or electrical contractors from $500 to $1,500 per violation (new Code Section 43-14-17).
• Section 1-1 adds new licensing exemptions, including for propane dealers servicing propane systems and for repairs to lawn sprinkler backflow preventers installed by a licensed plumber.
• Sections 3-1 through 3-5 update cross-references in Titles 8, 10, 36, 43, and 46 to match the renumbered Code sections in Chapter 14.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-09Act 93
3. 2025-05-09Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-04-04Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
6. 2025-04-02House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-04-02House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-03-31House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)

• Larry Walker, III (R, SD-20)Primary sponsor
• Ed Setzler (R, SD-37)
• John F. Kennedy (R, SD-18)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-6)
• John Albers (R, SD-56)
• Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-5)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-51)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2025

   56 yea, 0 nay

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #87

2. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2025

   104 yea, 61 nay (7 not voting, 8 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #385

3. PassedSenate voteApril 4, 2025

   37 yea, 14 nay (2 not voting, 3 excused)

   AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE: Senate Vote #470

• professional licensing
• engineering licenses
• electrical contractors
• plumbing regulation
• construction industry