Homework before hiring: Georgia rules and four town offices

Georgia's contractor licensing board publishes a FAQ. It says certain specialty trades, along with jobs below $2,500, do not require a state contractor license. The FAQ does not name those trades. For the legal definition of a contractor, it points to subsection (4) of O.C.G.A. 43-41-2.

Section 43-41-17(a) of the same chapter bars a person or business from residential contracting or commercial general contracting unless a current, valid license is held. A business may rely on a qualifying agent who holds the required license.

The FAQ tells readers to visit a verification page. The text opened for this site gave neither a web address nor a phone number for it. It also does not say whether water damage restoration or mold work counts as residential contracting. Those two gaps are worth closing with the board before relying on any answer here.

Nothing on this site rates, endorses or checks a contractor. The questions to ask are simple: what license does the person hold, which agency issued it, and where can the number be checked?

Subsection (e) of the same statute carves out a case. Suppose someone holds a plumbing, conditioned air, utility, electrical or low voltage license under another chapter. That person may do work that would otherwise need a residential or general contractor license. The main job has to be of the type the person's license covers, with the rest incidental.

The incidental part is capped at the greater of two amounts: $10,000, or 25 percent of the job's total value. Someone unlicensed cannot be handed the supervision. A burst-pipe repair that also opens a wall is the sort of job where the question comes up.

Bremen's Building Department schedules and runs all building inspections and handles all permitting except burn permits, golf cart permits and yard sale permits. Its page gives an email address, [email protected], and says applications are emailed there. It does not list a street address, a phone number, office hours, or which projects need a permit.

The city's fee sheet is more specific. It lists a plumbing permit at $55 for every 12 fixtures, an electrical permit at $55 for every 200 amps and a re-inspection at $25. Building permits follow a valuation table, and work of $1,000 or less carries no fee unless an inspection is needed. City Hall, at 232 Tallapoosa Street, answers at 770-537-2331.

Tallapoosa's building regulations, amended in 2024, set the permit threshold at $100 and/or 50 square feet of heated space. Electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits may also apply, depending on the work. A re-inspection after a failed inspection costs $25, and work started without a required permit can be halted with a stop work order. The ordinance does not name the office that issues permits, and says a city inspector does the inspecting.

Waco's page of downloadable forms includes a utility application, agreement and rates, but no form whose title mentions a permit, building work or plumbing. City Hall, 770-537-3314, is the number to ask.

Temple's forms page lists applications for residential electrical, plumbing, HVAC and grading permits, plus a Community Development Fee Schedule. No fee amounts appeared on the pages opened for this site. City Hall is at 240 Carrollton Street.

Unincorporated Haralson County works differently. Its Zoning and Permits Office, 4266 Georgia Highway 120 in Buchanan, says a permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, repair or demolish a building. The same page names electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems. The owner, an authorized agent or the contractor applies, and the permit comes before the work. The county's business license page says anyone in business in the unincorporated county pays a $150 annual occupational tax, due by March 31.