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Despite the challenging events of 2020, Georgia’s construction industry is making a rapid resurgence in 2021. With no shortage of projects throughout the state, you have plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Most of these projects will require that you obtain a Georgia general contractor’s license. This license will open up many doors and help you to optimize your earning potential. The state has made the process extremely efficient so that you can get to work fast.

What Can a Georgia General Contractor Do?

In Georgia, a general contractor has no limitations in terms of the types of work that they may do. However, there are limits to the total value of the project that they may work on. Working on projects that exceed a preset dollar amount will require additional licensure.

In addition, if the scope of the work overlaps a specialty, such as electrical, plumbing, or HVAC, then the general contractor must sub-contract. The general contractor can still serve as the supervising contractor on these job sites.

What Are the Requirements?

As part of Georgia’s streamlined general contractor licensing process, they present applicants with several means to be able to meet their requirements. The most direct route is to obtain four years of experience that relate to the field. They do not require that you meet a minimal hourly limit, but you must show proof of experience.

The alternative is to obtain a bachelor’s degree in one of the following approved fields:

• Architecture
• Engineering
• Construction Management
• Building Construction

If you have an approved degree route, Georgia will require only one year of related experience. As part of that experience, you must submit at least one project that you served as a supervising party for. The project must have been completed within 5 years of your application.

Regardless of the route you take to show proof of experience, you will also need to obtain insurance. Georgia requires a minimum of $500,000 insurance per incident. You must submit a certificate of insurance with your application.

If your application is approved, you can register for the state exams. The required exams cover general contractor knowledge, business, and law.

General Contractor Exam

The general exam consists of 115 questions. You must answer a minimum of 81 correctly to pass. The exam is an open-book test, which is extremely helpful due to the large number of topics that are covered. You will have 330 minutes to complete the exam.

The General Contractor Exam covers the following topics:

• Site construction
• Masonry/concrete
• Wood
• Metals
• Moisture protection
• Windows and doors
• Plumbing and mechanical systems
• Contracting requirements

In order to take advantage of the open-book format, you must have only the approved materials with you. You can highlight and mark the book for faster reference, but no e-books are permitted.

Business & Law Exam

Like the general exam, the business and law exam is an open-book test. It consists of 50 questions and requires 35 correct answers for a passing score. You will have 120 minutes to complete the exam.

This exam focuses on the legal side of construction. In it, you will answer questions on things such as licensing requirements, financial management, labor laws, and more. Fortunately, Georgia allows you to highlight or tab your reference material to speed up your ability to locate necessary information during the exam.

When you’re preparing for an open book exam, it is vital that you have quality test prep materials at your disposal. That is why you need to join the revolution and partner with RocketCert.

We offer hundreds of courses, including the ones that are necessary to prepare for your Georgia general contractor’s licensing exam. We even provide a “No Pass, No Pay” promise with all testing bundles!