---
title: O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8. Licensing required for electrical, plumbing, conditioned air contracting, or low voltage contracting businesses conducted by partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations; applications; review courses.
collection: code
id: 43-14-8
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-14-8
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-14-8.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-14-8/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t43-ch1-32-(v30)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=94981bdc_0#page=146
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-14.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-14-7.md
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES / ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS, PLUMBERS, CONDITIONED AIR CONTRACTORS, LOW VOLTAGE CONTRACTORS, AND UTILITY CONTRACTORS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8. Licensing required for electrical, plumbing, conditioned air contracting, or low voltage contracting businesses conducted by partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations; applications; review courses.

(a)(1) No person shall engage in electrical contracting unless such person has a valid license from the Division of Electrical Contractors and a certificate of competency, if such certificates are issued by the division pursuant to subsection (b) of Code Section 43-14-6.

(2) A person that is not licensed as an electrical contractor or that does not have a certificate of competency, if such certificates are issued by the division pursuant to subsection (b) of Code Section 43-14-6, or both as may be applicable, shall be prohibited from advertising in any manner that such person is in the business or profession of electrical contracting unless the work is performed by a licensed electrical contractor.

(b)(1) No person shall engage in plumbing contracting as a master plumber unless such person has a valid license from the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, any person who holds a valid master plumber license 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.

(2) No person shall engage in plumbing contracting as a master plumber unless such person has a valid license from the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers. A person that is not licensed as a Master Plumber Class 1 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.

(c)(1) No person shall engage in conditioned air contracting unless such person has a valid conditioned air contractor license from the Division of Conditioned Air Contractors.

(2) A person that is not licensed as a conditioned air contractor shall be prohibited from advertising in any manner that such person is in the business or profession of a conditioned air contractor unless the work is performed by a licensed conditioned air contractor.

(d)(1) No person shall engage in low voltage contracting unless such person has a valid license from the Division of Low Voltage Contractors; provided, however, that:

(A) An employee of a low voltage contractor who receives only a salary or hourly wage for performing low voltage contracting work may but shall not be required to be licensed under this chapter to perform such low voltage contracting work, except that those employees upon whom the qualification of a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation rests as provided for in Code Section 43-14-9 shall be required to be licensed; and

(B) Tier 2 local exchange companies, as such term is set forth in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (10) of Code Section 46-5-162, as well as any affiliates or subsidiaries of such companies, may but shall not be required to be licensed under this chapter to engage in low voltage contracting.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection, a person that is not licensed as a low voltage contractor shall be prohibited from advertising in any manner that such person is in the business or profession of a low voltage contractor unless the work is performed by a licensed low voltage contractor.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, prior to and including September 30, 1983, the following persons desiring to qualify under the provisions stated in this subsection, shall be issued a state-wide license without restriction by the appropriate division of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, provided that such individual submits proper application and pays or has paid the required fees and is not otherwise in violation of this chapter:

(1) Any individual holding a license issued by the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, prior to the effective date of this chapter;

(2) Any individual holding a license issued by the State Board of Electrical Contractors, the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing Contractors, or the State Board of Warm Air Heating Contractors;

(3) Any individual holding a license to engage in such vocation issued to him or her by any governing authority of any political subdivision; and

(4) Any individual who has successfully and efficiently engaged in such vocation in a local jurisdiction, which did not issue local licenses, for a period of at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the time of application. To prove that he or she has successfully engaged in said vocation, the individual shall only be required to give evidence of three successful jobs completed over such period. Such applicant shall swear before a notary public that such evidence is true and accurate prior to its submission to the division.

(f) The decision of the division as to the necessity of taking the examination or as to the qualifications of applicants taking the required examination shall, in the absence of fraud, be conclusive. All individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, or corporations desiring to engage in a business licensed under this chapter shall take the examination and qualify under this chapter before engaging in such vocation or business, including at the local level.

(g) No partnership, limited liability company, or corporation shall have the right to engage in the business of electrical contracting unless there is regularly connected with such partnership, limited liability company, or corporation a person or persons actively engaged in the performance of such business on a full-time basis who have valid licenses issued to them as provided for in this chapter; provided, however, that partners, officers, and employees of any individual who fulfilled the licensing requirements shall continue to be authorized to engage in the business of electrical contracting under a license which was valid at the time of the licensee’s death for a period of 90 days from the date of such death. The division may, at its discretion, upon application by the electrical contractor showing good cause, grant one additional 90 day grace period.

(h) 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 or persons actively engaged in the performance of such business on a full-time basis who have valid licenses for master plumbers issued to them as provided in this chapter; provided, however, that partners, officers, and employees of any individual who fulfilled the licensing requirements shall continue to be authorized to engage in the business of plumbing contracting under a license which was valid at the time of the licensee’s death for a period of 90 days from the date of such death. The division may, at its discretion, upon application by the plumbing contractor showing good cause, grant one additional 90 day grace period.

(i) No partnership, limited liability company, or corporation shall have the right to engage in the business of conditioned air contracting unless there is regularly connected with such partnership, limited liability company, or corporation a person or persons actively engaged in the performance of such business on a full-time basis who have valid licenses issued to them as provided for in this chapter; provided, however, that partners, officers, and employees of the individual who fulfilled the licensing requirements shall continue to be authorized to engage in the business of conditioned air contracting under a license which was valid at the time of the licensee’s death for a period of 90 days from the date of such death. The division may, at its discretion, upon application by the conditioned air contractor showing good cause, grant one additional 90 day grace period.

(j) Partnerships, limited liability companies, or corporations having more than one office location from which conditioned air contracting is performed shall have at least one person stationed in each branch office of such partnership, limited liability company, or corporation who is engaged in the performance of conditioned air contracting on a full-time basis; who is supervising the installation, repair, alteration, and service work of air-conditioning and heating systems of all employees of such branch office locations; and who has a valid license issued as provided in this Code section.

(k) It shall be the duty of all partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations qualified under this chapter to notify the appropriate division within seven days of the severance of connection with such partnership, limited liability company, or corporation of any person or persons upon whom such qualification rested.

(l) Applicants for examinations and licenses provided for by this chapter and any applicants for renewal of licenses under this chapter shall be required to complete a division approved form on which the applicant will:

(1) Indicate if the applicant is an individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation;

(2) If the applicant is a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation, provide the names and addresses of the partners or members or the names and addresses of the officers, when and where formed or incorporated, and such other information as the board or each division may require; and

(3) If the renewal is for a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation, indicate whether a duly qualified person holding a license issued by the division is still connected with such entity.

(m) Applicants who have a failing examination score on two consecutive testing attempts within the approved testing time frame shall be required to present satisfactory evidence to the appropriate division that the applicant has completed a board approved review course before such applicant will be approved to take the examination again. If such applicant fails the examination a third time, the applicant shall not be required to complete additional board approved review courses prior to taking subsequent examinations.

## History

Ga. L. 1949, p. 1622, §§ 4-6; Ga. L. 1968, p. 308, §§ 4-6; Ga. L. 1971, p. 583, § 10; Ga. L. 1980, p. 1299, § 9; Ga. L. 1981, p. 1703, § 3; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 43; Ga. L. 1983, p. 424, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1617, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 123, § 29; Ga. L. 2001, p. 883, § 1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 419, § 2; Ga. L. 2019, p. 462, § 4-2/SB 214; Ga. L. 2021, p. 922, § 43/HB 497; Ga. L. 2022, p. 766, § 1/HB 342; Ga. L. 2025, p. 359, § 1-1/SB 125, effective July 1, 2025.

## Amendments

The 2025 amendment, effective July 1, 2025, rewrote this Code section.