Georgia Master Plumber License Requirements (2026)

The Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board Division of Master Plumbers and Journeyman Plumbers licenses Journeyman Plumbers, Master Plumber Class I, and Master Plumber Class II statewide under O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14. Since July 1, 2026, Class I authorizes residential single-family dwellings, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings up to three stories, plus commercial buildings up to 20,000 square feet; Class II is unrestricted. A plumbing business must be regularly connected with a full-time Class I or Class II Master Plumber.

Regulatory Body

Licensing for this trade is governed by Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board (within the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division) (GA CILB), the agency that issues and regulates the credential under Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) Title 43 Chapter 14 (electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low-voltage, utility); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121. The Georgia CILB licenses electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low-voltage contractors, and utility contractors statewide. The Board adopts the National Electrical Code, International Plumbing Code, and International Mechanical Code by reference. General contractors are licensed by a separate body — the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (SLBRGC).

Official portal: https://sos.ga.gov/georgia-construction-industry-licensing-board
Address: 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA 31217
Phone: (478) 207-2440

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Check the current application for identification and tax-number requirements. No Georgia residency requirement.

Good moral character

The current Board process requires three plumber references who can attest to experience. For Class I, at least one reference must be a licensed Master Plumber; for Class II, at least two must be licensed Master Plumbers.

Background investigation

Submit the background check required by the Board through a local law-enforcement agency. The application also authorizes the Secretary of State to conduct a criminal background check, including fingerprints when required; the applicant bears the associated cost.

Experience and Education

A minimum of 4 years of Class I: four years of full-time qualifying plumbing experience, including three years while licensed as a Georgia Journeyman Plumber. Class II: five years of full-time qualifying plumbing experience, including four years while licensed as a Georgia Journeyman Plumber and at least two years in the unrestricted Class II scope. Transition rules reduce the Journeyman portion for applicants licensed before March 1, 2025. must be documented and verified. Unless the board publishes a different lookback period, applicants should keep payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records that support the claimed experience.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Signed affidavit from each licensed Master Plumber who supervised or oversaw the qualifying experience
Three references from licensed plumbers who can attest to experience (one Master Plumber reference for Class I; two for Class II)
Journeyman Plumber license verification for the required portion of the experience
Secure and verifiable identity document, lawful-presence affidavit, and any applicable immigration documentation

Education substitution

The new statute specifies qualifying full-time plumbing experience and does not provide an education substitution for the Master Plumber experience requirement.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board / PSI Services. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

Master Plumber Class I examination (take this class-specific exam only when applying for Class I) — 144 questions, 420 minutes, passing score 70%
Master Plumber Class II examination (take this class-specific exam only when applying for Class II) — 168 questions, 420 minutes, passing score 70%

Examination fee: The Board’s published application plus processing fee is $40. PSI’s current registration flow supplies the examination fee; confirm it before scheduling.

Retake policy: After two unsuccessful attempts, complete a Board-approved review course before a third attempt. PSI requires a new complete application and examination fee after a no-show, a late arrival, a second reschedule, or a post-submission cancellation.

Insurance and Bonds

No license surety bond is mandated statewide here under the cited sources, though project-specific or public-works bonding obligations can still attach to a given job.

General liability

The current Board plumber application checklist and the July 2026 statute do not list a statewide general-liability policy as a Master Plumber licensure prerequisite. A local permit, customer, or contract can still require insurance.

Workers' compensation

Workers' compensation insurance is mandatory in Georgia under O.C.G.A. §34-9-2 for any business with three or more employees.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$40
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 2 years)	$75

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Georgia plumber.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Georgia Master Plumber (Class I or Class II) must be renewed every 2 years. The fee to renew is presently $75. Georgia Master Plumber licenses expire November 30 of even-numbered years. The late-renewal period is December 1 through December 31.

Continuing education: Eight Board-approved continuing-education hours within the 24 months before expiration. An initial license held for less than two years requires four hours; one held for less than one year requires none before its first renewal.

Downloadable Asset

2026 Georgia Plumber License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

Georgia grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Georgia’s current Board FAQ states that it does not have reciprocity with any other state for Master or Journeyman Plumbers. Out-of-state applicants should use the Board application process and confirm the current requirements directly with the Division.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Plumber license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Plumber Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Georgia's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Alabama Plumber License Requirements — Alabama Master Plumber Certification and Company Registration
Florida Plumber License Requirements — Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC)
North Carolina Plumber License Requirements — North Carolina Plumbing Contractor (P-I or P-II)
South Carolina Plumber License Requirements — South Carolina Commercial Plumbing Contractor License — Mechanical Classification
Tennessee Plumber License Requirements — Tennessee CMC-A Plumbing Contractor (LLP Limited Licensed Plumber for projects under $25,000)

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Choose Class I or Class II and confirm the applicable experience path. Class I requires four full-time years, including three as a Georgia Journeyman; Class II requires five full-time years, including four as a Georgia Journeyman and two years in the unrestricted scope.
Collect experience affidavits, references, identity documents, and background check. Each supervising Master Plumber must attest to the portion of qualifying experience they oversaw. Obtain the required plumber references and the Board-required background check.
Apply through the Georgia SOS GOALS portal. Submit the completed, signed, and notarized application with the $40 published application-plus-processing fee and all supporting documentation.
Obtain Board approval and schedule the class-specific PSI examination. The Board reviews completed applications. After approval, PSI provides registration instructions; earn at least 70 on the examination for the class sought.
Maintain the license through the November 30 even-year renewal cycle. Renew online, complete the required 8 continuing-education hours in the 24 months before expiration, and keep records for a possible audit.

Application Checklist

Have each of the following squared away before the packet goes to GA CILB:

Class I: four years of qualifying full-time experience, including three as a Georgia Journeyman; Class II: five years, including four as a Georgia Journeyman and two in the unrestricted scope
Signed affidavit from every licensed Master Plumber who supervised qualifying experience
Three licensed-plumber references (including the required Master Plumber references for the chosen class)
Background check, secure and verifiable identity document, lawful-presence affidavit, and any applicable immigration documentation
Completed, signed, notarized GOALS application and $40 published Board application-plus-processing fee

Common Filing Mistakes

The errors below are the ones that most frequently cost Georgia Plumber applicants time, drawn from the cited board guidance.

Forgetting the Master Plumber character reference

The Board requires three licensed-plumber references. Class I requires at least one Master Plumber reference and Class II requires at least two; separately, each supervisor must provide the statutory experience affidavit.

Missing the 60-day application deadline

Do not rely on an old 60-day deadline. The current SOS guide requires a complete application and says applications received at least 15 days before a Board meeting may be added to that meeting’s agenda.

Choosing the wrong class

Under the July 2026 definitions, Class I is limited to the stated residential three-story and commercial 20,000-square-foot scope. Choose Class II for any work outside that scope.

Letting the Journeyman license lapse

The new statute measures the required portion of qualifying experience while licensed as a Georgia Journeyman: three years for Class I and four for Class II (subject to the pre-March 1, 2025 transition rule). Preserve documentation of both license history and supervised experience.

Forgetting annual continuing education

Complete eight approved CE hours in the 24 months before renewal, and retain completion records for at least five years in case the Board audits them.

Study and Reference Materials

These materials are drawn from the regulator's own citations and the references applicants commonly use to prepare. CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

Georgia plumbers candidate information bulletin — Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board / PSI. Official current exam format, scheduling, references, time limits, and retake procedure. Confirm the current registration fee in PSI before scheduling.
O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14 (SB 553 / Act 472) — State of Georgia. Current licensing statute, effective July 1, 2026; it supersedes earlier Chapter 14 descriptions that conflict with it.

Other Georgia Trade Licenses

For a different Georgia credential, see these companion guides published by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Georgia Master Plumber Class I and Class II?

Since July 1, 2026, Class I covers residential single-family dwellings, townhomes, and multifamily dwellings up to three stories, plus commercial buildings up to 20,000 square feet. Class II is unrestricted. Class I requires four full-time years of qualifying experience, including three years as a Georgia Journeyman; Class II requires five full-time years, including four as a Georgia Journeyman and two years in the unrestricted scope.

Why does Georgia require a character reference from a Master Plumber?

The Board’s current application process requires three references from licensed plumbers who can attest to experience. Its rules require at least one Master Plumber reference for Class I and at least two for Class II. These are experience references, not a substitute for the statutory experience affidavits.

When is the Master Plumber application due?

The current SOS guide does not state a 60-day filing deadline. Apply through GOALS with a complete, signed, notarized application and all supporting documents. A complete application received at least 15 days before a Board meeting can be added to that meeting’s agenda; otherwise it is reviewed at the next meeting. The published Board application-plus-processing fee is $40 and is non-refundable.

Does Georgia reciprocate plumbing credentials?

No. Georgia’s current Plumbers FAQ says the state has no reciprocity with any other state for Master or Journeyman Plumbers. An out-of-state license does not itself waive Georgia’s current application and examination requirements.

How often does the Georgia Master Plumber license renew?

Every two years, by November 30 of even-numbered years. Complete eight approved continuing-education hours in the 24 months before expiration (four hours when initially licensed for less than two years; none when initially licensed for less than one year).

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.