How to check a contractor license in Georgia

In Georgia, the state licenses residential and general contractors, and you check them in the Secretary of State's Licensee Search under the Building and Contractors tab. Roofers, painters, drywall contractors and handymen don't need a state license, so for them, ask the city or county what it requires and ask the contractor for proof of insurance.

How do I verify a contractor license in Georgia?

Search the Georgia Secretary of State's Licensee Search. Residential and general contractors who work for pay in Georgia must hold a state license, and the search shows whether the contractor you're talking to has one.

Georgia Consumer Ed, on the state's georgia.gov site, gives this click path:

Get the contractor's full business name and the name of the person who holds the license.
Go to the Secretary of State's site at sos.ga.gov and choose Licensing from the main menu.
Click Licensee Search. The search itself runs at verify.sos.ga.gov/verification.
Open the Building & Contractors tab and click Residential and General Contractors.
Search the name, then check that the license is current and that the name on the record matches the business you're hiring.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. The Secretary of State's site blocked the tool we used to check it that day, so the search may need to be opened in a regular web browser. If the click path has moved, start from the Licensing menu on sos.ga.gov and look for the contractor board by name.

Do roofers need a license in Georgia?

No. Georgia Consumer Ed says roofers, painters, drywall contractors and repair handymen are not required to be licensed by the state, so there's no state license record to look up for them.

That leaves you to do the checking a state license would otherwise do. Call the city or county building department where the house is and ask whether it requires anything for roofers. Ask the roofer for three or four references from similar jobs, which is what Georgia Consumer Ed suggests, and ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts.

Who licenses plumbers and electricians in Georgia?

The State Construction Industry Licensing Board does, through the Secretary of State. Its rules cover electrical contractors, master and journeyman plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low-voltage contractors and utility contractors.

Conditioned air is the board's name for heating and air conditioning work. These trades sit under a different board from residential and general contractors, so look for them under their own heading in the Licensee Search. If a remodel includes new wiring or plumbing, check the tradesperson doing that part too.

What should you check besides the license in Georgia?

Check insurance and the payment terms. Georgia Consumer Ed says most businesses working as residential or general contractors must carry general liability insurance, and a business with three or more employees must also carry workers' compensation. Ask for the certificate rather than taking it on trust.

Money is the other place a job goes wrong. Georgia Consumer Ed says never to pay for the whole project before work begins, and not to pay more than 25 percent, or at most one-third, of the total as a down payment. Your client can report an unlicensed contractor to the Secretary of State's licensing board.

A license lookup also has limits you can't search around. It tells you the state issued a license; it says nothing about how good the work is, whether the crew shows up on time, or whether the person at the door works for the license holder. Only your clients' experience tells you that.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the Georgia Secretary of State.

Sources

Agents can keep these contractors in Proferral

Proferral is a free app real estate agents use to keep a go-to list of the providers they trust and to remember every referral they send. Its license checks cover Oregon and Washington only, so for Georgia you still run the lookup above by hand. Here's how Proferral's license checks work.

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It's free, no credit card needed, and you're never charged unless you choose Pro.