How to Fill Out and Submit a Contractor License Application Form

A Georgia contractor license application is filed online through the Secretary of State’s GOALS portal at goals.sos.ga.gov; paper packets are not accepted and will be returned unopened.¹ Before you log in, pick the correct license category, confirm you meet the age, experience, and net worth minimums, and collect your insurance certificates, financial documentation, and a notarized citizenship affidavit. Submit everything together with the $210 fee. If the board approves your package, it issues an Exam Approval Letter and you register with PSI to sit for the licensing exam.²

Pick the Right License Category First

Georgia issues four contractor licenses, and the one you choose determines the net worth you must prove, the insurance minimums, and the kind of work you can legally bid.

Residential-Basic. Detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses up to three stories, plus accessory buildings. No dollar cap on contracts.³
Residential-Light Commercial. Everything in Residential-Basic, plus multifamily and mixed-use light commercial buildings under four stories and under 25,000 square feet (up to 50,000 for pre-engineered steel). Construction must be wood or light-gauge metal frame, brick veneer, prefabricated, manufactured, or pre-engineered steel.³
General Contractor (Unlimited). No restrictions on building type, height, or construction method. Specialty trades like electrical, plumbing, and HVAC still require their own licensed subcontractors.³
General Contractor (Limited Tier). Same scope as unlimited, but each contract is capped at $1,000,000.⁴

Applying under the wrong tier delays everything and can expose you to penalties if you take work outside your authorized scope. If your projects are creeping above your current tier, apply to upgrade rather than hope nobody notices.

Confirm You Meet the Eligibility Rules

Age and Experience

Every applicant must be at least 21. The experience requirement is the same across all four tiers, and there are three ways to satisfy it:

A bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, building construction, or a related field, plus at least one year working for or as a contractor.⁵
Any combination of accredited college coursework and contracting experience totaling at least four years.⁵
At least four years of construction-related experience, including at least two years working for or as a contractor and at least one year in administration, estimating, supervision, project management, or a similar function.⁵

The board evaluates experience case by case. If your background doesn’t line up neatly with one of the three paths, submit what you have (transcripts, W-2s, project lists, reference letters) and let staff weigh it.

Net Worth Minimums

Each tier has a minimum net worth you must document:

Residential-Basic: $25,000
Residential-Light Commercial: $25,000
General Contractor (Limited Tier): $25,000
General Contractor (Unlimited): $150,000

Individual applicants can show net worth with a signed personal financial statement. Qualifying agents applying on behalf of a business must put the documentation in the business’s name: a bank credit reference showing 24 months of history, a surety bond, a line of credit letter, or a letter of credit equal to the required minimum.⁶

Gather Your Documents Before You Log In

GOALS saves incomplete applications for only 30 days. After that, the system cancels your draft and you start from the beginning.⁷ Have everything ready before you begin.

Insurance Certificates

Every applicant must provide proof of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance.⁸ Minimum general liability varies by tier: Residential-Basic qualifying agents need at least $300,000 per occurrence,⁶ and the General Contractor Limited Tier needs at least $500,000.⁴ If you are applying as a qualifying agent, the business, not you personally, must be listed as the insured.

Workers’ compensation is required under Georgia law for any business that regularly employs three or more people. Corporate officers and LLC members count toward that number even if they elect out of coverage themselves.⁹ Below three employees you are not legally required to carry it, but a general contractor hiring you as a sub may still require it by contract.

Citizenship Affidavit and Identity Document

Georgia’s Secure and Verifiable Identity Document Act requires a signed and notarized Affidavit of Citizenship with every license application.¹⁰ Attach a copy of a secure and verifiable identity document; a Georgia driver’s license or a U.S. passport is the simplest option.¹¹ The affidavit must be notarized before upload.

Experience, Business, and Background Items

Depending on your tier and whether you are applying individually or for a business, also prepare:

Proof of experience: W-2s, transcripts from accredited institutions, project lists, and reference letters that specifically describe the construction work you performed and your role.
Business entity documentation showing that an LLC, partnership, or corporation is actively authorized to do business in Georgia.⁶
Financial documentation that clearly meets your tier’s net worth threshold.
Honest answers about prior criminal convictions, disciplinary action in other states, or legal judgments. Omissions are treated more seriously than the underlying issues.

If a Business Is Applying, Name a Qualifying Agent

When a company rather than an individual seeks the license, the application must name a qualifying agent. That person holds the license, takes responsibility for all construction work the business performs in Georgia, and must have final approval authority over contracts, construction quality, and the financials of every permitted job.⁶

You can serve as your own qualifying agent only if you are the sole authorized agent of the business with binding authority. If the qualifying agent later leaves, the business has 120 days to name a replacement and submit a new application; miss that window and the license lapses.⁶ All financial and insurance paperwork must sit in the business’s name.

Submit Through GOALS

All applications go through the Georgia Online Licensing System at goals.sos.ga.gov. There is no paper alternative.¹ The Secretary of State’s site also hosts an instructional video that walks through the contractor application screen by screen.⁷

If you do not have an account, click Create Business Account on the portal, choose your ownership type (sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or corporation), fill in the required fields, accept the terms, and submit. Once the account exists, go to Licenses, then Apply for a License.⁷

GOALS asks a series of eligibility questions to steer you to the correct license type. Upload every supporting document (insurance certificates, financial statements, the notarized citizenship affidavit, the identity document, and experience verification) before you submit. The system will not accept an incomplete application.

The fee is $200 plus a $10 online processing charge, for $210 total. Both are non-refundable, and payment is handled electronically through the portal.¹²

What to Expect After You Submit

The board reviews applications in the order received. Plan on about 20 business days for the initial review, not counting weekends and holidays.¹³ If staff finds a problem, the clock resets.

Missing or expired documents trigger a deficiency notice. You then have 60 days to respond with corrected materials. Miss that window and the application may be withdrawn entirely, meaning you reapply and pay again.¹³ Once you fix the deficiency, the 20-day clock starts over.

Completed applications must be ready at least 15 days before a scheduled board meeting to make that meeting’s agenda. Anything arriving after the cutoff rolls to the next meeting.¹³

The Exam Comes After Approval

Approval of your application does not make you licensed. It makes you eligible to test. The board sends an Exam Approval Letter with registration instructions for PSI, the testing vendor, and that letter is valid for one year.²

The exam is computer-based at a PSI testing center. Register at psiexams.com, by phone at (800) 733-9267, or by fax. A 15-minute tutorial runs before the test and does not use your exam time. You need 70% to pass and receive your score immediately after finishing.¹⁴

For commercial general contractors, Georgia also accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. A NASCLA transcript is listed among the required documents on the general contractor application.¹⁵

Mistakes That Stall Applications

Most delays come from avoidable errors. The citizenship affidavit gets kicked back when applicants forget to notarize it before uploading. Insurance certificates list the individual as the insured when the application is actually for a qualifying agent, so the certificate has to name the business instead. Financial documents that don’t clearly meet the tier’s net worth threshold draw a deficiency notice, which restarts the 20-day review.

Leaving background questions blank is worse than disclosing an issue. The board runs background checks, and gaps between your answers and the results raise flags that can hold up an otherwise clean file. If something is in your history, address it directly in the application and attach a written explanation.

1
Georgia Secretary of State. State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors
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Georgia Secretary of State. Residential and Commercial General Contractors Frequently Asked Questions
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Georgia Secretary of State. State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors – Licensure Comparison Chart
4
Cornell Law Institute. Ga Comp R and Regs R 553-4-.05 – General Contractor Limited Tier
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Georgia Secretary of State. Chapter 553-4 Qualifications for Licensure
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Georgia Secretary of State. Residential Contractor – Basic Qualifying Agent Application
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Georgia Secretary of State. GOALS
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Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 43-41 – Residential and General Contractors
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Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. WC-10 Notice of Election or Rejection of Workers Compensation
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Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 50-36-1 – Affidavit Regarding Citizenship
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Georgia Secretary of State. Secure and Verifiable Documents
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Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Contractor License Application Form
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Georgia Secretary of State. Residential Contractors – How to Guide
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PSI. State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors Examination Information
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NASCLA. NASCLA Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies