Georgia Electrician PrepLicense, exam and code, in one place Start the free practice testPractice exam

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

Statewide, right now

Georgia Electrical Code: Which NEC Edition Applies

Georgia enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code with state amendments, adopted as one of the mandatory state minimum standard codes. The amendment package that took effect on January 1, 2026 is the piece most people miss, and two of its items don't start until 2027.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. The edition in force
  2. The package that took effect on January 1, 2026
  3. No transition language
  4. The rest of the package
  5. What a city or county can do on top
  6. What this means for your book
  7. Questions people ask
  8. What this page cites

The edition in force

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs lists the National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition, with Georgia Amendments among the mandatory state minimum standard codes.

Mandatory means it applies statewide whether or not a local government has adopted anything of its own. A city doesn't have to enact it for it to be the code.

The same 2023 edition is what PSI's reference list names for the electrical and low voltage exams, so the exam and the state are on the same book.

The package that took effect on January 1, 2026

The DCA Board adopted a set of new construction codes effective January 1, 2026, on the recommendation of the State Codes Advisory Committee. The electrical item in that set is named the 2026 Georgia Amendments to the 2023 National Electrical Code.

That name trips people up. The 2026 is the year the amendments took effect. The code edition underneath is still 2023.

The amendment document itself is titled Georgia State Amendments to the National Electrical Code (2023 Edition), and two of its items are held to January 1, 2027. The amendments page goes through every item.

No transition language

The DCA memo announcing the January 2026 package carries no permit transition provision and no grandfathering language. It gives the effective date and the list.

So a permit question about work already in progress is one for the authority having jurisdiction rather than something the memo answers. The department's own contact for code questions is (404) 679-3118 and codes@dca.ga.gov.

We'd rather tell you the memo is silent than invent a rule that reads well.

The rest of the package

The electrical amendments arrived alongside the other mandatory codes, so an electrician working around other trades is working under all of these.

That memo names eight codes and the energy code isn't one of them. The International Energy Conservation Code, 2015 Edition with Georgia supplements and amendments, is a mandatory code carried over rather than a January 1, 2026 adoption, so it stays in force without appearing on that list.

Three permissive codes sit beside them, which a local government may adopt but doesn't have to: the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, the 2018 International Existing Building Code and the 2008 National Green Building Standard.

Notice the pattern. Most of the package moved to a 2024 edition while the electrical code stayed on 2023 and took new amendments instead.

What a city or county can do on top

Local governments may adopt local building codes, and the City of Atlanta publishes the same state package, naming the 2023 National Electrical Code with Georgia Amendments effective January 1, 2026.

What a local government may not do is add licensing on top of the state license. Georgia Attorney General Opinion 99-2 concludes that a local government may not require a state licensed electrical contractor to obtain a local license or pass a local examination, except as the statute permits.

Local occupation tax and business licenses are a different thing and they do apply. Augusta, for instance, adds insurance and bond conditions to its local business license. The Augusta page has that detail.

What this means for your book

Buy a 2023 National Electrical Code. That's the edition the state enforces and the edition PSI's reference list names, and the Handbook is allowed as an alternative on the exam.

Then get the amendment packet from DCA and keep it with the book. The amendments change what the code requires at specific sections without changing their numbers.

Don't buy a 2026 code for a Georgia exam. There's no adoption of it underway that we can find, and the next edition page explains what we looked at.

Questions people ask

Which NEC edition does Georgia use?

The 2023 National Electrical Code with Georgia Amendments, listed by DCA among the mandatory state minimum standard codes. It applies statewide.

What changed on January 1, 2026?

The DCA Board's new code package took effect, including the 2026 Georgia Amendments to the 2023 National Electrical Code. Two items in that packet don't start until January 1, 2027.

Is Georgia on the 2026 NEC?

No. The 2026 in the amendment name is the effective year of the amendments, not a code edition. Georgia's code is the 2023 edition.

Do the new codes apply to permits already issued?

The DCA memo carries no transition or grandfathering language, so that's a question for the authority having jurisdiction. DCA takes code questions at (404) 679-3118 and codes@dca.ga.gov.

Can my city enforce a different electrical code?

Local governments may adopt local building codes, and Atlanta publishes the same state package. What they may not do is add local licensing or a local exam on top of the state license.

Which edition should I buy for the exam?

The 2023 National Electrical Code, or the National Electrical Code Handbook, which the bulletin allows as an alternative. Keep the Georgia amendment packet with it.

Put it to the test

Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown

Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

Start the free practice testSee the $79 question bank

All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors, PSI, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Georgia examinations allow only the references on the bulletin list. The National Electrical Code on that list is the 2023 edition.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

Free, weekly

One exam question a week, worked all the way through

One original question in the Georgia style, the arithmetic worked, the code section named, and a short note whenever a Georgia licensing or code rule moves. Unsubscribe in one click.