GeorgiaSB 5532025-2026 Regular SessionSenateWALLET

Professions and Businesses; repeal Chapter 14, relating to electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low voltage contractors, and utility contractors and enact a new Chapter 14

Sponsored By: John Albers (Republican), Jason Anavitarte (Republican), Lee Anderson (Republican), Timothy Bearden (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican), Max Burns (Republican), Bill Cowsert (Republican), Jason T. Dickerson (Republican), Greg Dolezal (Republican), Drew Echols (Republican), Steve Gooch (Republican), Russ Goodman (Republican), Bo Hatchett (Republican), Mike Hodges (Republican), Chuck Hufstetler (Republican), Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Steven McNeel (Republican), Chuck Payne (Republican), Randy Robertson (Republican), Shawn Still (Republican), Larry Walker (Republican), Ben Watson (Republican), Rick Williams (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Regulated IndustriesRegulated Industries and UtilitiesGeneral Bill

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

31 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 8 costs, 17 mixed.

Contractors gain outdoor plumbing work options

Licensed Master Plumber Class I or II holders and licensed utility contracting companies can build, alter, or repair specified outdoor plumbing. Their allowed work runs from the property line to five feet from a building, structure, or conveyance, regardless of cost or depth. Work within five feet still requires a person licensed to perform plumbing.

Utility supervisors need training and certificates

Georgia utility managers and foremen must hold current state certificates and pass approved exams with scores of at least 70. Both need 12 hours of safety training: eight for excavations and four for confined spaces. Foremen need at least one full-time year of qualifying work under a utility manager. Managers need that first year plus two more full-time years while holding a valid foreman certificate. Applicants must pay required fees and provide employer affidavits verifying their experience.

Contractor violations bring fines and jail risk

The board can impose civil fines up to $10,000 per violation after notice and a hearing. It can also order unlicensed contracting or utility work lacking certified job-site supervision to stop after notice and a hearing. Breaking that order can bring fines up to $1,500 per violation for electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, or low-voltage work. Utility violations can bring up to $5,000 per violation; each day of specified violations counts separately. A chapter violation is also a misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both.

Contractors need licenses before offering work

Electrical and utility contracting require valid Georgia trade licenses, including covered people acting for partnerships and companies. Unlicensed electrical advertising is allowed only when a licensed electrical contractor performs the work. The utility advertising rule also names work performed by a licensed electrical contractor as its exception. Paid low-voltage alarm, telecommunications, general, and unrestricted work requires the matching license. That requirement covers advertising, offers, bids, contracts, and the work itself.

Utility contractors need managers and safety plans

Utility contracting businesses must hold a license and employ a full-time certified utility manager overseeing their work. Each permanent office must be registered and have its own full-time certified manager. Applications must identify owners or officers, business formation details, offices, and qualifying managers. Businesses must submit written safety policies meeting board standards and federal workplace safety minimums. Utility-system construction, alteration, and repair require a currently certified manager or foreman at the job site.

Commercial heating contractors need advanced qualifications

Georgia Class II heating and cooling applicants need five full-time years of qualifying work and an exam score of at least 70. Experience must include two years of commercial supervision, one in service, and two installing systems as a lead mechanic. One installation year must be commercial-only work on systems exceeding 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling. Qualifying coursework can count for up to two years for a diploma or one year for a vocational certificate. Applicants also need EPA Section 608 Type II and III certifications, approved system-design training, supervisor affidavits, identity and lawful-presence documents, and fees.

Electricians face Class II experience rules

Class II electrical applicants must pay required fees and score at least 70 on a board-approved exam. One path requires four years of qualifying experience, including two years working on three-phase electrical systems. Another requires a two-year accredited electrical-contracting program plus four years of experience, including two years on three-phase systems. A U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship plus one year of qualifying three-phase experience is a third path. Applicants must submit sworn experience records, identity and lawful-presence documents, and required immigration documents for noncitizens.

Electricians get three Class I paths

Class I electrical applicants must pay required fees and score at least 70 on a board-approved exam. One path requires three years of full-time experience, successful projects in five of seven listed areas, and calculation skills. Alternatives are a qualifying two-year school program plus two years of experience, or a U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship. Applicants must provide sworn experience records, verifiable identification, and a lawful-presence affidavit. Different supervisors require separate experience affidavits.

Heating contractors face Class I requirements

Georgia Class I heating and cooling applicants must pass an approved exam with a score of at least 70. Required experience includes two years of residential installation as a lead mechanic, one in service, and one in residential supervision. The supplied text does not state a total minimum number of experience years. Qualifying coursework can count for up to two years for a diploma or one year for a vocational certificate. Applicants also need EPA Section 608 Type II certification, approved heat-loss, heat-gain and duct-design training, supervisor affidavits, identity and lawful-presence documents, and fees.

New licensing rules for low-voltage workers

Georgia low-voltage applicants must score at least 70 on an approved exam and document authorized supervised work from the past six years. General wiring applicants (LV-G) need one full-time year, excluding alarm and telecommunications work; qualifying coursework can replace up to six months. Telecommunications applicants (LV-T) need three years: one in general systems and two in telecommunications. Alarm applicants (LV-A) need three years: one in general systems and two in alarms. All must pay application fees and provide supervisor affidavits, identity and lawful-presence documents, plus required immigration documents for noncitizens.

Plumber licenses require experience and exams

Georgia plumber applicants must score at least 70 on approved exams and gain qualifying full-time experience under licensed master plumbers. Journeymen need one year; Master Class I applicants need four years, including three as licensed journeymen. Master Class II applicants need five years, including four as licensed journeymen and two within unrestricted Class II work. Applicants licensed as journeymen before March 1, 2025, need only one journeyman year for Class I or two for Class II. Class I experience must fit its restricted work scope; applications require fees and applicable supervisor affidavits, identity, lawful-presence, and immigration documents.

Optional contractor bonds cover code-related damage

Licensed plumbers and heating and cooling contractors can deposit an optional $10,000 cash or approved surety bond. It covers actual damage from work that breaks local ordinances or construction codes, with total surety liability capped at $10,000. Contractors file the bond with their home county's probate court and a copy with the building official where they work. Local governments cannot require another code-compliance bond from a licensee who deposits this bond. Public-works contract bonding requirements remain unchanged.

Contractor staffing rules include replacement time

Electrical companies need a full-time licensed person actively engaged in the business. Low-voltage businesses need a full-time licensed supervisor, including one stationed at each contracting branch. If the qualifying license holder dies, either type of business can continue under that license for 90 days. The division can grant one additional 90-day period; low-voltage businesses must apply and show good cause. Covered companies must report the qualifying person’s departure within seven days.

Contractors gain statewide work and bidding access

Covered contractor licenses allow work statewide within their scope, and cities and counties generally cannot require another license. Local inspection and specified enforcement powers remain. Licensed utility contractors can bid and work on utility systems without a separate general-contractor license under Chapter 41. Owners cannot reject them solely for lacking that license. Utility contractors can handle plumbing from the property line to outside a building’s five-foot boundary, regardless of cost or depth; work within five feet requires a plumbing license.

One board sets contractor work limits

The law creates Georgia’s State Construction Industry Licensing Board in the Secretary of State’s office, with five trade divisions. License classes define which jobs contractors can perform. Class I heating and cooling licenses cover cooling up to 60,000 BTUs and gas heating up to 175,000 BTUs. Electrical Class I has building-type limits, including single-family homes up to three levels, and a 400-amp service limit. Electrical Class II has no project-size restriction; plumbing and low-voltage licenses also have separate work limits.

Trade businesses need licensed full-time staff

Plumbing contractors need a Master Plumber Class I or II license, and plumbing businesses need a full-time qualifying master plumber. Heating and cooling contractors need licenses, businesses need a full-time active licensee, and each branch needs a full-time licensed supervisor. Unlicensed plumbing contracting ads are barred; unlicensed heating and cooling advertisers must have a licensee perform the work. After a qualifying license holder dies, a business can continue for 90 days, with one additional 90-day extension for good cause. Businesses must notify the trade division within seven days when a qualifying person's connection ends.

Home and farm work gets license exceptions

People can do specified trade work in homes they own or occupy, while following chapter, board, and local rules. The farm exception covers service-building work or integral irrigation work more than 30 feet from dwellings or animal-husbandry buildings. Sprinkler plumbing is exempt only downstream of a backflow preventer installed by a licensed plumber and must meet applicable requirements. Qualifying public-facility maintenance is also exempt. Insured, state-licensed propane dealers can service propane systems, but need the proper trade license to install conditioned-air or forced-air heating systems.

Faster trade licensing for military members

Current and former service members, including reservists and National Guard members, can seek faster initial licensing based on qualifying military training. Covered credentials are Electrical Contractor Class I, Journeyman Plumber, Conditioned Air Contractor Class I, and Utility Foreman. Military training or experience must substantially meet or exceed the credential's requirements, with required financial, insurance, and documentation standards satisfied. Former members generally must apply within two years after an honorable or general discharge, unless the board extends the deadline. This route applies only to initial issuance, not renewals.

Military members keep federal license portability protections

Georgia’s licensing rules supplement federal license-portability protections for covered transitioning service members. State rules cannot limit those federal protections or add extra obligations to portability under federal law.

Utility and public workers get license exceptions

License exceptions cover specified utility, municipal, cable-TV, wastewater, gas, mobile-home hookup, and full-time employee work on employer premises. Utility-system exceptions apply to work integral to the owned or operated system and its normal function. A tier 2 local phone company’s employees can do low-voltage wiring needed for its own network, not unrelated power work. Georgia Department of Transportation-qualified workers are exempt for their qualified department work and similar local-government work. The local-government exception does not cover paid utility-system work.

Out-of-state contractors get a licensing route

The board can recognize covered out-of-state trade credentials through reciprocity rules; recognition is not automatic. The other state must have substantially similar requirements and offer similar privileges to Georgia credential holders. Applicants must have principally practiced the covered work during the two years immediately before applying. They must apply, pay the board’s fee, and complete any required additional safety training. Where applicable, the division can grant equivalent practice privileges without an exam.

License applicants pay background-check fees

Applications for covered Georgia plumbing and utility licenses and utility foreman certificates authorize criminal background checks. Applicants must provide the needed information, including fingerprints, and pay all related fees. The law does not state the fee amounts.

Trade applicants pay for background checks

Electrical, heating and cooling, low-voltage, and utility contractor applications authorize criminal background checks. Applicants must provide the needed information and pay all related fees; the law does not state the amounts. Low-voltage and utility applicants must provide usable fingerprint sets, while electrical and heating and cooling applicants provide fingerprints when required. People and businesses must obtain the proper license before doing low-voltage contracting.

Contractors must show license information publicly

Covered contractors must display their licenses clearly at their businesses. Commercial vehicles used exclusively for daily business operations must prominently show the business registration or certificate number. Ads, invoices, and proposals must also show that number. A website address where the number can be found can replace the number on these materials.

Contractor businesses still face local charges

Georgia cities and counties retain authority to charge covered contractor businesses or workers local license and registration fees. They also retain authority to collect taxes, including gross-receipts taxes. The law does not require a particular charge or set any amount.

Contractors face renewal and inactive-license rules

Licenses and certificates last two years; renewal requires fees and required continuing education, whose hours do not carry forward. Late renewal is available for 31 days after expiration with a late fee; afterward, reinstatement is required. After more than three years expired, reinstatement can require another exam and an experience affidavit. Divisions can waive education for hardship, disability, illness, or other circumstances they approve. The board can set inactive-status rules, but inactive license holders cannot perform work requiring that license.

Heating subcontractors get limited license relief

Subcontractors doing ducts, controls, or insulation under a licensed heating and cooling contractor’s contract need no conditioned-air license. The licensed contractor remains responsible for completing the contract. Subcontractors installing, altering, or repairing a complete system must hold a conditioned-air license. Electrical, low-voltage, and plumbing components require the matching trade license.

Utility businesses get manager replacement time

Utility contractors and certified managers must notify the division when their qualifying business connection ends, following board rules. A contractor that reports within seven days gets 90 days to replace the manager before license-revocation action. The division can grant one additional 90-day period after an application showing good cause. Total grace periods cannot exceed 180 days in any two-year period.

Small businesses get three subcontractor tiers

Georgia defines three small-business tiers for classified-subcontractor rules tied to subcontractor payment deductions. Businesses must be independently owned and operated. Tier one allows 10 or fewer employees or annual receipts up to $1 million. Tier two allows 100 or fewer employees or receipts up to $10 million; tier three allows 300 or fewer employees or receipts up to $30 million. Meeting either limit qualifies a business for that tier; the supplied text does not specify the resulting tax savings.

Contractor discipline adds protections and work restrictions

After notice and a hearing, divisions can reprimand contractors or deny, suspend, revoke, cancel, or refuse to renew or restore credentials. Grounds include fraud, unmet qualifications, helping unlicensed work, rule violations, and unsafe work threatening people or property. In specified unlicensed-practice cases, investigators need not have witnessed the work. Qualifying local inspection authorities can suspend or refuse to restore credentials on a legal ground, only within their jurisdiction, after notice and a hearing. Affected contractors can appeal local actions to the board division and receive a hearing.

Rules target unlicensed contractor advertising and hiring

Ads that make an unlicensed contractor appear licensed count as evidence of a licensing violation unless rebutted. The rule covers electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, low-voltage, and utility work. It applies across media, including online ads, business cards, and signs. People also cannot contract for utility work when they know the contractor lacks a current, valid utility contractor license.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Cosponsors

Devan Seabaugh
Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 266 • No: 0

Senate vote • 3/27/2026

AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE

Yes: 46 • No: 0 • Other: 5

House vote • 3/19/2026

PASSAGE

Yes: 168 • No: 0 • Other: 7

Senate vote • 3/6/2026

PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE

Yes: 52 • No: 0 • Other: 3

Actions Timeline

Effective Date
7/1/2026
Senate Date Signed by Governor
5/11/2026Senate
Act 472
5/11/2026
Senate Sent to Governor
4/10/2026Senate
Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub
3/27/2026Senate
House Third Readers
3/19/2026House
House Passed/Adopted By Substitute
3/19/2026House
House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
3/18/2026House
House Second Readers
3/10/2026House
House First Readers
3/9/2026House
Senate Third Read
3/6/2026Senate
Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
3/6/2026Senate
Senate Read Second Time
3/4/2026Senate
Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
3/3/2026Senate
Senate Read and Referred
2/25/2026Senate
Senate Hopper
2/24/2026Senate

Bill Text

SB 553/AP* (v9)
PDF

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