Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05
Verification
Georgia Electrical License Lookup: How to Verify One
The state's licensee search is the one place to confirm that an electrical contractor is licensed today. This is a guide to using it, not a search of our own, and it matters more in Georgia than in most states because your experience only counts under a licensed contractor.
Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed
On this page
Where the search lives
The Secretary of State's Licensing Division runs it, at goals.sos.ga.gov/GASOSOneStop/s/licensee-search. The division page is where that address is published.
The division supports 42 boards, and the search sits inside the same GOALS system that handles applications and renewals.
We don't run a copy of it and we can't verify a license for you. The state's search is the record.
Why an electrician checks
Because in Georgia your years only count if the contractor over you is licensed. Rule 121-3-.01 counts Primary Experience as installation work gained under an active licensed electrical contractor, and form 44 says experience under an unlicensed contractor doesn't count.
That makes a two minute check at the interview worth four years at the end of it. Check before you start, and check again if the company changes hands or the qualifying individual leaves.
Why a customer checks
The Attorney General quotes O.C.G.A. 43-14-8 as barring anyone from engaging in the electrical contracting business as an electrical contractor without a valid license from the Division of Electrical Contractors. The search is how you find out whether the person quoting your job holds one.
A local business license is a different thing. Cities and counties issue occupation tax certificates, and Augusta-Richmond County issues its own electrical contractor business license on top of the state one. Neither replaces the state license, and the state search is what shows the state license.
What to have ready
- The exact business name, and the person's name too. In Georgia a person qualifies for the license and the business contracts on it, so the name you know may not be the name on the record.
- The license number if you've got it, from the card, a permit or an invoice.
- The city, to sort out common names.
The portal renders in JavaScript, so we can't print its fields here or show you a screenshot of today's form. Open it in a browser and work with what it asks for.
Reading what comes back
The class. Class I is restricted to single phase installations not exceeding 200 amperes at the service drop or lateral. Class II is unrestricted. Low voltage licenses are separate, in classes LV-A, LV-T, LV-G and LV-U.
The status and the date. Electrical contractor licenses expire June 30 of even numbered years, so a license that expired last summer means the renewal wasn't done. The board's landing page carries the current cycle's dates.
The name. Check that the qualifying individual is the person actually running your work, not a name on a letterhead.
If you can't find the license
Try the person's name and the business name separately, and try shorter forms of the business name before you conclude anything.
If it still isn't there, ask the contractor for the number and the exact name on the license, then search that. The board's Licensing Division takes calls at 404-424-9966 per the division page, and the board's mailing address is 214 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
Don't assume a missing result proves anything on its own. Names, spellings and business entities are where most failed searches come from.
Getting a verification for another state
Other boards usually want verification of licensure from Georgia rather than a printout of a search. The GOALS portal is where that request starts, and the Licensing Division can tell you the current process.
In the other direction, Georgia's own reciprocity form asks for verification of licensure from the state that issued your license. Our reciprocity page covers what that route currently looks like, and why the board's own sources disagree about whether it's open.
Questions people ask
Where do I look up a Georgia electrical contractor license?
At the Secretary of State's licensee search, goals.sos.ga.gov/GASOSOneStop/s/licensee-search, published on the Licensing Division's page. It's part of the same GOALS system used for applications and renewals.
Why does it matter who I work for?
Because experience only counts if it's gained under an active licensed electrical contractor. Form 44 says time under an unlicensed contractor doesn't count toward the four years the board requires.
Can you check a license for me?
No. We're not the board and we hold no license records. The state's search is the record, and it's free to use.
What does an expired status mean?
That the license wasn't renewed. Georgia electrical contractor licenses expire June 30 of even numbered years, with a late renewal window after that, and reinstatement rules that get stricter once three years pass.
Is a city business license the same thing?
No. Cities and counties issue occupation tax and business licenses, and Augusta-Richmond County issues its own electrical contractor business license. None of them replace the state license, and none of them show up as one.
The search shows nothing for a company I know is licensed. Why?
Usually the name. In Georgia a person qualifies for the license and the business contracts on that basis, so try the individual's name and shorter versions of the company name, then call the Licensing Division at 404-424-9966.
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.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
What this page cites
- Licensee search, GOALS The Secretary of State's search for licensees, including electrical contractors. source
- Licensing Division, Secretary of State Publishes the licensee search address, the division's phone number and its role across 42 boards. source
- Board Rule 121-3-.01 Counts Primary Experience only where it was gained under an active licensed electrical contractor. source
- Attorney General Opinion 99-2 Quotes O.C.G.A. 43-14-8 as barring electrical contracting without a valid license from the division. source
- Board landing page Carries the current expiration and late renewal dates that a search result should be read against. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.