Georgia roofing contractor license: the rule most people get wrong

What Georgia's board actually licenses

The State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors regulates two families of license, and its published rules are organized around exactly those two: Qualifications for Licensure, Residential Contractor Division and Qualifications for Licensure, General Contractor Division (Ga. Comp. R. and Regs. Chapter 553). There is no roofing classification in that scheme. Georgia is not Arizona or Florida: there is no roofing license number to look up, because the state does not issue one.

The Repair Rule, and the written disclosure it requires

Georgia law contains a repair exception, and the Board has written a rule implementing it. "Repair" is defined as fixing, mending, maintenance, replacement or restoring of a part or portions of real property to good condition. Nothing in the rule stops a person or entity performing repair work for an owner, provided all four of the following hold (Rule 553-8-.01):

• The person performing the repair work discloses in writing to the owner that they are not licensed as a residential or general contractor under the chapter.
• The work does not entail delegating or assigning supervision of any portion of the work to anyone other than their own employees.
• The work does not affect life safety requirements or structural integrity, and does not include removing or adding a load bearing wall, or removing or cutting a structural beam or load bearing support.
• The person performing the repair must obtain permits and inspections as required by the local authority.

The rule also makes clear that the repair exception does not touch the separate licensing requirements for electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low-voltage and utility contracting under Chapter 14 of Title 43.

So what should you actually ask?

1. "Are you licensed as a residential or general contractor in Georgia?" If yes, get the license number and the exact business name, and verify it with the Board's license verification service.
2. "If not, will you give me the written disclosure the Board's rule requires?" A roofer who will not put that in writing is either unaware of the rule or unwilling to follow it. Either answer is information.
3. "Are you pulling the permit, and who inspects?" Permits and inspections are required regardless of the licensing route.
4. "Do you hold a local business license in this county or city?" Georgia counties and municipalities run their own business licensing and can have their own contractor requirements.
5. "Show me the general liability and workers' compensation certificates." Check the named insured matches the business on the contract.

Because there is no state roofing register, the paper trail is the protection. Keep the written disclosure or the license number, the signed contract with the scope and product names, the permit number and the passed inspection. That folder is what you have if the roof leaks in year three.