Georgia: HVAC contractor licensing, reciprocity and contract rules.

This page lists what Georgia publishes about licensing an HVAC or mechanical contractor and contracting with homeowners: who issues the licence, whether one is required statewide, the classes and qualifications, insurance or bond minimums, reciprocity with other states, renewal and continuing education, and the state's home-improvement contract statute if it has one.

It is built for owners of residential HVAC companies, especially those hiring across a state line or opening a second territory. Every entry is a snapshot of what the cited source published on the verification date; it is a research starting point, not legal advice.

Georgia, field by field.

Contractor licensing authority

Georgia Secretary of State, State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Conditioned Air Contractors. O.C.G.A. § 43-14-3(a) (text as revised by SB 125, 2025 session, as passed) creates the Board and assigns it to the Secretary of State's office for administrative purposes; § 43-14-3(b)(3) makes the Division of Conditioned Air Contractors five members (a licensed professional engineer engaged in mechanical practice, a county or municipal chief conditioned air inspector, and three conditioned air contractors with more than five years of installation and service experience). The Board's rules are Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Title 121 (State Construction Industry Licensing Board). The Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division home repair page states that plumbers, electricians and air-conditioning contractors are "regulated by a different entity, the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board".

HVAC licence required

Statewide. O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8(c)(1) (SB 125 text): "No person shall engage in the business of conditioned air contracting as a conditioned air contractor unless such person has a valid conditioned air contractor license from the Division of Conditioned Air Contractors"; § 43-14-8(c)(2) prohibits a person not licensed as a conditioned air contractor from advertising as being in that business unless the work is performed by a licensed conditioned air contractor. § 43-14-2(4) defines conditioned air contracting as "the installation, repair, or service of conditioned air systems or conditioned air equipment", including service to or installation of the electrical connection between the electrical disconnect and the equipment and, where the building's service is a single-phase circuit not exceeding 200 amperes, the circuit from the distribution panel to the equipment; § 43-14-2(5) excludes from "conditioned air contractor" an employee "who receives only a salary or hourly wage for performing conditioned air contracting work"; § 43-14-2(6) defines conditioned air equipment as heating and air-conditioning equipment covered under state codes and the natural gas piping on the outlet side of the meter. The licence classes are Conditioned Air Contractor Class I and Class II (§ 43-14-6(a)(2)(F)-(G)). No dollar threshold is stated.

Licence classes & qualifications

Class I and Class II. O.C.G.A. § 43-14-6(a)(1)(C) (SB 125 text): Class I licences "shall be restricted to the installation, repair, or service of conditioned air systems or equipment not exceeding 175,000 BTU (net) of heating and five tons (60,000 BTU) of cooling"; "Class II licenses shall be unrestricted." Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 121-3-.04 states the Class I restriction as systems or equipment "not exceeding 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling", requires applicants to "document a minimum of four (4) years of experience for Class I and five (5) years for Class II", requires Class II applicants to document experience with installations exceeding 175,000 BTU (net) of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling, and requires applicants to "obtain a minimum score of seventy (70) on the appropriate examination"; r. 121-3-.03 requires documentation of a Board-approved review course before a third examination attempt by an applicant who has failed twice (after July 1, 1989). The Board's application forms, FAQ and How-to Guide on sos.ga.gov returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-14, so the application fee and any course prerequisites are not verified.

Insurance / bond minimum

No general-liability insurance or bond requirement for licensure appears in Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. chapters 121-3 or 121-4. O.C.G.A. § 43-14-16(b)(2) (SB 125 text) permits a licensed conditioned air contractor to "execute and deposit with the judge of the probate court" of the county of its principal place of business "a bond in the sum of $10,000.00" (cash or surety) conditioned on compliance with county or municipal ordinances and building codes, and § 43-14-16(b)(1) then bars any county or municipality from requiring a code-compliance bond of that licensee; § 43-14-16(b)(3) requires a copy of the bond to be filed with the building official where the work is performed.

Reciprocity

No state is named in the rules read. O.C.G.A. § 43-14-5(2) (SB 125 text) empowers the Board to "Provide by regulation for reciprocity with other states" for conditioned air contractors where the other state's requirements are substantially similar to Georgia's and a similar privilege is offered to Georgia residents. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 121-2-.03 (Statewide License by Reciprocity): (1) the divisions "may enter into a formal written agreement with other state licensing Boards" to offer licences by endorsement or by reciprocity; (2) a Conditioned Air Contractor licence may be issued on a completed application, fee and evidence of a current out-of-state licence in an appropriate classification granted on the basis of an examination conducted by a qualifying board, with documentation that the applicant meets the prerequisite experience requirements; (3) the other board must conduct examinations and have requirements substantially equal to the Board's and offer a similar privilege to Georgia licensees, with the class of licence determined by the Board; (4) the Board may deny a licence to an applicant attempting to circumvent Georgia law by first becoming licensed elsewhere or who has been disciplined; (5) persons licensed under grandfather provisions without examination do not qualify. The Board's Conditioned Air reciprocity application form and FAQ on sos.ga.gov returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-14, so any list of reciprocal states is not verified.

Renewal & continuing education

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 121-4-.02(1): "Licenses and certificates will be renewed biennially by the expiration date as provided by Rules of the Joint Secretary"; O.C.G.A. § 43-14-6(a)(2) (SB 125 text) directs the divisions to issue renewal licences biennially; a licence not renewed by the expiration date "shall be deemed invalid" (r. 121-4-.02(2)), and reinstatement sought more than 3 years after expiration requires the applicant to take and pass the examination (r. 121-4-.02(5)). Continuing education: r. 121-4-.03(2) states that a conditioned air contractor "is required to complete four (4) hours of continuing education per year" (an applicant licensed for less than one year is not required to complete it); r. 121-4-.03(8) exempts a licensed conditioned air contractor who is a registered professional engineer; O.C.G.A. § 43-14-6(d)(1) (SB 125 text) authorizes the Division to require board-approved continuing education of "not less than four hours annually" for renewal of Class I and Class II licences. The specific expiration date for conditioned air licences is not stated in the rules read.

Home-improvement contract rule

No dedicated home-improvement contract statute for conditioned air work was located on official pages. The Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division home repair page gives guidance ("Always insist on a contract for work to be performed, with all guarantees, warranties and promises in writing"; "Do not pay for any work that is incomplete") and cites O.C.G.A. §§ 43-41-1 through 43-41-17 (residential and general contractor licensing under the Secretary of State) and §§ 8-2-35 through 8-2-43 (Right to Repair Act, whose notice provisions the page says must be given in sales contracts); the page states no written-contract requirement, deposit cap or cancellation right as law. The Division's door-to-door sales page states that for most products or services bought at home "for $25 or more" the buyer has the right to cancel a written contract within three business days (the federal rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 429), and that an expansion of Georgia law effective July 1, 2023 "includes a 30 business day cancellation right for those sales that include payments above $10,000.00", which the page says primarily affects sales of solar panels; the page cites no O.C.G.A. section for the 30-day right. No written-contract requirement, deposit cap or home-improvement contractor registration specific to HVAC work was located on official pages.