# Georgia SB 125: Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; decouple the sequential order of experience and examination requirements Georgia SB 125, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; decouple the sequential order of experience and examination requirements, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by John Albers (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican), Steve Gooch (Republican) and 5 others; status signed, last action 2025-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB125-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia SB 125 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; decouple the sequential order of experience and examination requirements - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-06 - Last action: 2025-07-01, Effective Date - Sponsors: John Albers (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican), Steve Gooch (Republican), John F. Kennedy (Republican), Sheikh Rahman (Democrat), Ed Setzler (Republican), Brian Strickland (Republican), Larry Walker (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Regulated Industries, Regulated Industries and Utilities, General Bill - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (197 yes, 75 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 19 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Military applicants gain faster licensing paths: benefit, medium. Current and former military members can seek expedited initial licenses using military training or experience that substantially meets or exceeds requirements. Covered credentials include restricted electrical and heating-and-cooling licenses, journeyman plumber licenses, and utility foreman certif… - Engineers gain flexible exam timing: benefit, low. Georgia engineering applicants can take the professional engineer exam before completing their required work experience. Registration still requires the exam, the applicable education or engineer-in-training pathway, and all required experience. The four experience categories require 4, 7, 7, or 16… - Certified wastewater contractors retain limited exemption: benefit, low. The law replaces the earlier wastewater-connection exemption with an exemption for contractors certified by Georgia's Department of Public Health. Those contractors do not need this chapter's license to connect a building's exiting wastewater pipe to an on-site wastewater system. The exemption cove… - Gas dealers and workers retain exemptions: benefit, low. The law replaces earlier gas-work exemptions with exemptions for qualifying propane dealers and gas utility workers. Properly insured propane dealers with a liquefied petroleum gas license from the Safety Fire Commissioner can install, repair, or service propane systems, piping, and components with… - Out-of-state contractors gain easier license recognition: benefit, low. Georgia's board can recognize out-of-state registrations, licenses, or certificates when that state's requirements are similar to Georgia's. The earlier standard required substantially equal requirements. The other state must offer Georgia residents a similar reciprocal privilege. - Qualified contractors gain local-work exemption: benefit, low. People qualified by Georgia's Department of Transportation gain an exemption for similar work performed for counties, cities, authorities, and other local governments. The exemption covers specified utility contractor licensing and utility manager or foreman certification requirements. It does not… - Restricted master plumbers can tackle more: benefit, low. A Master Plumber Class I license now covers single-family and multifamily homes designed for no more than three stories. The earlier multifamily limit covered one-level dwellings for no more than two families. The commercial building limit doubles from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet. - Sprinkler workers retain limited plumbing exemption: benefit, low. The law replaces the earlier sprinkler provision with permission to install, alter, or repair plumbing downstream from a backflow preventer. A licensed plumber must install that preventer. The limited sprinkler work must follow applicable chapter requirements, board rules, and county or city ordina… - Heating contractors face branch staffing rules: cost, medium. Heating-and-cooling contractor rules cover people who perform, bid for, offer, or claim they can perform contracted work. Employees paid only a salary or hourly wage remain outside that contractor definition. Partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations working from multiple offices… - Unlicensed contractors face stronger enforcement: cost, medium. Enforcement rules now cover unlicensed plumbing and electrical contracting without requiring an investigator to witness the work. Newspaper, internet, social media, and app ads can serve as evidence of unlawful practice. Officials can issue cease-and-desist orders after notice and a hearing. Violat… - Utility supervisors need approved safety training: cost, low. Utility manager and foreman certification requires board-approved safety training. Certificate holders must provide proof of approved training at least every two years. Utility managers must also pass an exam. - Contractors must identify licensed businesses: cost, low. People without a Master Plumber Class I or II license cannot advertise themselves as plumbing contractors. Licensees and certificate holders must show their business registration or certificate number on invoices, proposals, ads, and qualifying commercial vehicles. Ads can instead show a website ad… - Contractors gain replacement time, face deadlines: mixed, medium. After a qualifying licensee dies, partners, officers, and employees can operate under the license for 90 days if it was valid at death. The division can approve one additional 90-day period for good cause. Partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations must report a qualifying person's… - Licensees face education checks, gain flexibility: mixed, low. Electrical and heating-and-cooling contractors, journeyman plumbers, and master plumbers must complete at least four approved education hours each year for renewal. The prior wording set a four-hour maximum instead. Divisions must make reasonable efforts to offer online or home-study courses and ac… - Trade applicants need review after failures: mixed, low. Trade license applicants who fail two consecutive exams within the approved testing period must complete a board-approved review course before retesting. After a third failure, they do not need another review course before later exam attempts. - Trade licensees get inactive-status option: mixed, low. The board can create an inactive status for licenses under the construction licensing chapter. It can set rules for entering that status and returning to active status. People with inactive licenses cannot perform work that requires a chapter license. - Low-voltage workers gain limited licensing flexibility: mixed, low. Low-voltage contractor rules cover people who perform, bid for, offer, or claim they can perform contracted work. Wage-only employees can work without individual licenses, but employees used to qualify the business must be licensed. Tier 2 local exchange companies and their affiliates or subsidiari… - Plumbers and utility firms get boundaries: mixed, low. The plumbing definition includes specified installation, maintenance, alteration, and repair work within or next to manholes. The law replaces the earlier medical-gas authorization provision: only journeyman plumbers and Master Plumber Class I or II licensees can do that work. It also replaces the… - Contractor boards broaden member eligibility: mixed, low. The electrical licensing division's engineer member must be a professional engineer, and three members must be licensed Georgia electrical contractors. Its inspector seat can include a local electrical inspector or a third-party inspector regularly serving a county or city. The law removes the five… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: John Albers (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Matt Brass (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Steve Gooch (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: John F. Kennedy (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Sheikh Rahman (Democrat), Senate - Sponsor: Ed Setzler (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Brian Strickland (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Larry Walker (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Lee Hawkins (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-04 | Senate | AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE | pass | 37 | 14 | 2 | | 2025-04-02 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 104 | 61 | 7 | | 2025-02-24 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 56 | 0 | | ## Actions (17) - 2025-07-01: Effective Date - 2025-05-09: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2025-05-09: Act 93 - 2025-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate) - 2025-04-04: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate) - 2025-04-02: House Third Readers (House) - 2025-04-02: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House) - 2025-03-31: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House) - 2025-03-18: House Committee Favorably Reported (House) - 2025-02-27: House Second Readers (House) - 2025-02-26: House First Readers (House) - 2025-02-24: Senate Third Read (Senate) - 2025-02-24: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate) - 2025-02-19: Senate Read Second Time (Senate) - 2025-02-18: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate) - 2025-02-10: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2025-02-06: Senate Hopper (Senate) ## Bill text - SB 125/AP* (v9): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/239595) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [SB 125/AP* (v9) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/239595) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB125-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).