Georgia requires all residential basic and residential light commercial contractors to complete a continuing education course from an accredited institution as part of their license renewal process.
According to chapter 533-12 of the Georgia State License Board rules, contractors who fail (except general contractors) to renew their license by June 30th of each even-numbered year must pay the penalty or risk license suspension.
Overview of License Renewal in Georgia
All contractors must complete the set hours for continuing education, both in live classrooms and self-guided online content. The Georgia State License Board recommends that a minimum of 50% of the total course hours go to live webinars conducted by a live instructor in a virtual classroom. You have the option to attend in-person sessions when you see fit for the remaining percentage.
Continuing Education Requirements for Georgia Contractors
Although contractors in Georgia renew their licenses every other year, continuing education occurs yearly. The provisions of O.C.G.A. Section 43-41-6(k) requires all residential basic or residential light contractors to complete a minimum set number of hours for the continuing education course every year to demonstrate they are continuing their professional education. It takes only a fraction of the time to complete:
For Residential Basic Contractors
The Georgia State License Board requires all residential basic contractors to attend three hours of continuing education annually from July 1st to June 30th. That means, in a cycle of two years, a basic contractor should have attended at least six hours of continuing education to be considered for license renewal before renewing their license again.
For Residential Light Contractors
The state of Georgia sees all residential light contractors as a crucial part of society. For this reason, they demand that all residential light commercial contractors undergo a minimum of six hours of continuing education training as part of the license renewal process.
In total, a contractor in this category should have attended at least 12 hours of continuing education classes from July 1st to June 30th of the following year. The state requires contractors to submit their renewal applications with all the requirements, including proof of continuing education, and pay the application fee to renew their license.
Failure by residential basic or residential light commercial contractors to complete the required coursework hours derails the license renewal process. Additional disciplinary action against a license may also be taken as seen fit.
Even so, the professional licensing board allocates all contractors who miss the June 30th deadline another six months to complete their training hours. They pay an additional $200 fine for being late before their license can be renewed.
Approved Providers for Contractor Continuing Education in Georgia
The Residential Division doesn't accredit individual institutions in Georgia. Rather, it checks if the program offering continuous education contributes to the formal competence of a residential contractor licensed to practice as required by the state. The program must also meet the basic quality standards of presentation, development, reporting of credits, and measurements.
Some of the subjects a program can cover include:
- Related codes and building
- Workplace safety
- Functional business fields (e.g. marketing, business management, finance, personal relations)
- Workers' compensation
- Legislative, legal or regulatory updates
- Technology and building techniques
Note that these aren't the only acceptable fields to pursue. If a program can demonstrate that a subject contributes to the direct competence of a licensed residential contractor, the Residential Division can approve it as part of the coursework. It must include the program provider's name, the subject instructor's name, the content description of the program, and a program outline for consideration.
Keep Your License Active During Your Construction Career
Make sure you keep your license active to continue working in your construction career. Sign up with Contractor Training Center to obtain your Georgia Contractor C.E. today! Contractor Training Center offers Board-Approved Continuing Education courses online and live webinars to qualify as live courses (50% of hours must come from live courses). See our website for more details.