Georgia · Checked October 22, 2026
No state license. Georgia has no state roofing license. Roofers are exempt specialty contractors under the Residential and General Contractors law (O.C.G.A. 43-41-17): a roofer doing roofing work within the specialty does not need a state residential or general contractor license. What the state does require is a local business license (occupational tax certificate) and building permits where the city or county requires them, plus the insurance-claim contract rules in O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12.
| Item | Georgia |
|---|---|
| Regime | No state roofing license — exempt specialty contractor |
| Exam | None. No state exam for roofing. The only exam in this space is the voluntary private GARCA credential exam, which is not a state requirement. |
| Experience | No state experience requirement published |
| Application fee | Not applicable — no state roofing license or registration |
| License / registration fee | Not applicable |
| Total state cost | $0 in state roofing fees; local occupational tax certificate / business license fees vary by city and county (Not published as a single statewide figure) — State-level cost is zero because the credential does not exist. Budget for local business license and permit fees only. |
| Bond | No state bond minimum published |
| Insurance minimums | No state-set general liability or workers' compensation minimum for a roofing license, because there is no state roofing license. Workers' compensation is still required under Georgia employment law if the business has employees; liability insurance is a market/permit expectation, not a state roofing-license condition. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | No state application. A roofer can be state-compliant as soon as the business is formed and the local occupational tax certificate / business license and any required permits are in hand — typically days to a few weeks depending on the locality. |
| Renewal | No state roofing credential to renew. Local business licenses / occupational tax certificates renew on the local cycle (commonly annual). |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exempt specialty contractor (roofing) | both | Per the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors policy statements under O.C.G.A. 43-41-17, specialty contractors performing work within their specialty may contract directly with an owner without a residential or general contractor license. Roofing is treated as an exempt specialty; no separate state roofing credential exists. |
| Voluntary GARCA credential (Georgia Roofing Contractors Association) | both | Private, voluntary association credential involving a business/law exam and proof of insurance. Marketing only — it is not a state license and is not required to roof legally in Georgia. |
License trigger: $2,500 — General Georgia rule, not a roofing rule: the definition of residential contractor in O.C.G.A. 43-41-2 is triggered above $2,500 of project value/compensation — but exempt specialty (roofing) work within the specialty is carved out of that license requirement by 43-41-17.. No roofing-specific dollar threshold for a state license, because there is no state roofing license. Do not split or misclassify work to evade the general contractor law if the job goes beyond specialty roofing scope.
A specialty roofer working for a licensed residential or general contractor under a valid permit is likewise exempt from holding a residential/general contractor license of their own (SOS board policy statement), but must still comply with any Chapter 14 (Title 43) licensing that applies to other regulated trades touched by the job.
Local layer controls in practice: a city/county occupational tax certificate (business license) — for example in Atlanta and other metros — plus local building permits for roof replacement where required. Check the city/county where the house sits, not just where the business is based.
Advertising or promising to pay a deductible is banned. Citation: O.C.G.A. 33-23-43(c)(4) (as revised by 2011 HB 423); Insurance Commissioner Bulletin 18-EX-3 (Aug. 29, 2018). Honest limit: the residential-roofing contract statute itself, O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12, contains cancellation and no-negotiating-claims rules but NO deductible clause in its text. The deductible ban sits in the adjuster law: a public adjuster may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate all or any portion of an insurance deductible as an inducement, and the Insurance Commissioner Bulletin 18-EX-3 warns Georgia roofing contractors that offering to waive or rebate a homeowner's deductible is unlawful. Classified advertising_ban, not a roofer-specific explicit ban, on that evidence.
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