Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Georgia's official board.
The two years as a LICENSED journeyman inside the five is the part that catches people out: time worked in plumbing without holding the journeyman license does not count toward it, so the journeyman exam is the gate on the master timeline, not an optional step.
| Requirements | THREE LICENCES, AND A REAL LADDER BETWEEN THEM (Rule 121-3-.02). JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER: one year of experience, which may be primary or secondary, and a minimum examination score of 70. The journeyman license carries no class restriction. MASTER PLUMBER CLASS I (restricted): five years of total experience of which at least TWO must be as a LICENSED JOURNEYMAN plumber. A Class I master is limited to single-family dwellings, one-level dwellings designed for not more than two families, and commercial structures not exceeding 10,000 square feet. MASTER PLUMBER CLASS II (non-restricted): the same five years including two as a licensed journeyman, plus commercial and industrial experience. No size or occupancy restriction. EXAMINATION. A minimum score of seventy (70) on the appropriate examination. REFERENCES. Three references from licensed plumbers. A Class I master application requires one of the three to be a Master Plumber; a Class II master application requires two of the three to be Master Plumbers. |
| Reciprocity | Georgia holds no plumbing reciprocity agreements. It does not hold reciprocity agreements with any other state for master or journeyman plumbers, so an out-of-state plumber sits the Georgia examination like any other applicant. |
| Renewal | Licenses renew BIENNIALLY by the expiration date set by the Joint Secretary (Rule 121-4-.02(1)); master and journeyman plumbers renew by 30 November of even-numbered years. A license not renewed by the deadline is invalid, and may be renewed during the established late-renewal period on payment of the late fee published on the board's fee schedule ($100 within 30 days of expiration). Reinstatement of a lapsed license is at the division's discretion, and a license lapsed MORE THAN THREE YEARS requires retaking and passing the licensing examination (Rule 121-4-.02(5)). Plumbers must complete EIGHT hours of continuing education within the 24 months before expiration (Rule 121-4-.04). |
| Notes | The two years as a LICENSED journeyman inside the five is the part that catches people out: time worked in plumbing without holding the journeyman license does not count toward it, so the journeyman exam is the gate on the master timeline, not an optional step. |
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Sources: rules.sos.ga.gov, rules.sos.ga.gov, sos.ga.gov, sos.ga.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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