How Do You Get a Plumbing License in Georgia?

Yes.

Georgia licenses individual plumbers statewide through the Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board: no one may engage in plumbing contracting as a Master Plumber Class I or Class II without a valid license issued by the division.

The statute draws the line: master plumbers and utility contractors may build plumbing from the property line up to 5 feet from a building regardless of cost or depth, and only licensed plumbers may work within 5 feet of any building.

Georgia's worker ladder is Journeyman Plumber, then Master Plumber Class I (restricted), then Master Plumber Class II (unrestricted).

A journeyman works under the direction of a plumbing contractor — the journeyman license does not allow contracting.

Master Plumber Class I is limited by building type and size: it covers single-family homes, townhomes and multifamily buildings (including hotels and apartments) up to three stories, and commercial buildings up to 20,000 square feet; Class II has no scope limit.

There is no separate plumbing contractor license: a company may do plumbing work only if a Master Plumber Class I or II is regularly connected with it full-time, which makes the master license Georgia's contracting credential as well.

The journeyman license takes 1 year of full-time plumbing experience under a licensed Master Plumber, an affidavit from that master and a passing exam score of 70.

Master Plumber Class I takes 4 years of full-time plumbing experience, at least 3 of them while licensed as a journeyman — journeymen licensed before March 1, 2025 need only 1 of those years as a licensed journeyman.

Master Plumber Class II takes 5 years with at least 4 as a licensed journeyman (2 for journeymen licensed before March 1, 2025), including at least 2 years of unrestricted-scope work.

Georgia publishes its license fees on the Secretary of State's GOALS fee schedule; our research could not capture the current amounts, so check the schedule or ask the division before you apply.

The division approves your application first; PSI, the division's testing vendor, then contacts you to set up an account and register for the exam you were approved to take.

Each exam has a minimum passing score of 70.

Our research does not describe the content outline, so check the division's FAQ and the PSI candidate information you receive for what the exam covers.

Georgia construction board licenses are valid for 2 years and renew biennially, with a 31-day late renewal window.

Plumber licenses renew online by November 30 of even-numbered years; late renewal runs December 1 to December 31.

Before a master or journeyman license expires, its holder must complete 8 hours of continuing education within the 24 months prior to the expiration date.

Yes, but only case by case.

A Georgia division may license by reciprocity an applicant licensed in a state with substantially equal requirements, if the applicant was principally engaged in the licensed practice for at least 2 years immediately before applying and the other state offers Georgia licensees the same privilege.

Our research did not identify which states Georgia has plumbing reciprocity agreements with, so ask the division before you assume your license transfers.

The Secretary of State's licensee search at goals.sos.ga.gov covers Georgia construction board licenses, including master and journeyman plumbers.

Search it to confirm a license is active before you rely on it — and to check that your own license shows up once it is issued.

Georgia adds medical gas work through a separate statewide credential: the Statewide Medical Gas Piping Certification, open to licensed master or journeyman plumbers.

It requires a 32-hour division-approved program built on the ASSE 6000 series and NFPA 99, a written exam and a braze test, and holders must braze at least once every 12 months to stay certified.

Our research did not confirm a statewide backflow certification in Georgia's plumbing rules; ask the division what applies before you take backflow work.

Georgia rewrote its construction licensing statute — O.C.G.A.

Title 43, Chapter 14 — through Senate Bill 553, effective July 1, 2026, and the requirements on this page are the 2026 versions.

Older copies of the law still circulate with superseded experience totals and scope limits, and the board's rule text had not been updated to match when we read it in September 2026.

If a study guide, employer form or website quotes different numbers, check whether it predates July 1, 2026 and confirm against the current statute or the division.