Transfer Your Florida Contractor License to Georgia

Quick answer Florida certified contractors can get a Georgia contractor license through reciprocity without retaking the exam. You need an active Florida license, a letter of good standing from the CILB, proof of insurance, and $210. Processing takes 4 to 8 weeks. The hard part is knowing exactly what form to use, what the letter needs to say, and where to send it.

Georgia is one of the few states with a formal reciprocity agreement with Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board. That means if you're a Florida certified general or residential contractor, you can get licensed in Georgia without sitting for another exam. The process isn't complicated — but it's scattered across three different agencies, and the instructions assume you already know things nobody tells you.

What the application actually requires

Georgia's State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors runs the reciprocity program. Here's what you're assembling:

1

Completed Georgia reciprocity application Form varies by license type — Certified General Contractor, Residential Contractor, or Qualifier. Using the wrong form sends you back to start.
2

Letter of good standing from Florida CILB Must be issued within 90 days of your application. It must confirm your license is active, list your license number and type, and confirm no disciplinary actions. Florida doesn't automatically include all of this — you have to request the right version.
3

Copy of your current Florida license The front page of your CILB certificate. Your license must have been active for at least one year.
4

Proof of general liability insurance Georgia minimums: $300,000 per occurrence for GC, $100,000 for residential. Your current certificate of insurance may not show Georgia as certificate holder — it needs to.
5

$210 non-refundable application fee Check or money order payable to the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors. No online payment.

The part nobody tells you

The letter of good standing is where most applications stall. Florida's CILB issues letters through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. If you call the main line and ask for a "letter of good standing," you'll get a generic license verification that Georgia will reject. You need to specifically request a reciprocity verification letter — and ask them to include your exam history.

Georgia won't tell you this upfront. You find out when your application comes back incomplete 6 weeks later.

The second problem is the insurance certificate. Your Florida insurer issues certificates naming Florida jobs and Florida clients. For the Georgia application, the certificate needs to list the Georgia licensing board as the certificate holder with the correct Georgia address. Most contractors call their insurer, get a standard certificate, and submit it. Georgia bounces it.

Incomplete applications are not refunded. Georgia keeps the $210 if your application is rejected. The most common reason: the letter of good standing didn't include exam history, or the insurance certificate named the wrong certificate holder.

Timeline

Requesting the Florida letter of good standing takes 7 to 14 business days if submitted by mail, 3 to 5 days online. Georgia's board processes complete applications in 4 to 8 weeks. A mistake at either step resets the clock.

We pre-fill everything. You just sign and send. $79

Enter your Florida license number. We look up your CILB record, pre-fill the correct Georgia reciprocity application with your license details, and email you the completed package with exact submission instructions.

What you get

The correct Georgia reciprocity form for your license type, pre-filled with your CILB data
Exact wording for your Florida CILB letter of good standing request — the version Georgia actually accepts
A certificate of insurance checklist specifying the Georgia board's address and what must be listed
The correct mailing address, envelope contents, and order documents should be arranged
A checklist so nothing gets rejected for a missing signature or wrong fee amount

We email your completed package within 24 hours. Your $79 includes unlimited revisions if anything needs updating before you submit.

After you submit to Georgia

Georgia mails your license certificate to the address on your application. There's no online status tracker — if you haven't heard back in 10 weeks, call the board directly at (478) 207-2440. Keep a copy of everything you submitted, including the USPS tracking number.

Your Georgia license will be in the same class as your Florida certification. If you hold a Florida Certified General Contractor license, you'll receive a Georgia Unrestricted General Contractor license. If you hold a Florida Certified Residential Contractor license, you'll receive a Georgia Residential-Basic license.

Once issued, your Georgia license renews every two years. Renewal requires 12 hours of continuing education completed through a Georgia-approved provider — different from Florida's CE requirements, even if you completed Florida CE in the same period.