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Home / General Contractors / Georgia

How to become a general contractor in Georgia

Most general contractors in Georgia start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

7registered apprenticeship programs$37.71median an hour in Georgia

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In GA
7 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In GA
16 schools with programs
Compare 16 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Georgia is $37.71 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Georgia
  3. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need a general contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (SOS)
    Georgia contractor license
Pay once you're working

$78,430

a year is the median for general contractors in Georgia ($37.71 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Atlanta–Sandy Springs$38.70
  2. Savannah$37.78
  3. Warner Robins$37.08
  4. Gainesville$36.89
  5. Athens–Clarke County$36.52
Georgia median $37.71 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Georgia?

Check the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (SOS) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in Georgia?

Projections Central expects about 2,390 general contractor openings a year in Georgia through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

7 registered programs in Georgia. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Georgia

Sources

  1. State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (SOS) (sos.ga.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Georgia, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)