During the 2026 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly passed, and Governor Brian Kemp signed, several measures affecting the construction industry. The principal changes take effect July 1, 2026, when a rewritten Chapter 14 of Title 43 will begin governing specialty contractor licensing and new procedures will apply to private-provider inspections and land-disturbance permit review. Another measure has applied to certain public roofing contracts entered into since April 22, 2026.

Specialty Contractor Licensing Changes

Over the past three legislative sessions, the Georgia General Assembly has repeatedly revisited how construction contractors and design professionals qualify for licensure. The 2024 and 2025 sessions revised the licensing framework for residential and commercial general contractors and changed examination and experience pathways for land surveyors and professional engineers. Senate Bill 553, signed into law as Act 472, extends that effort to electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low voltage, and utility contractors by repealing and reenacting Chapter 14 of Title 43.[1]

Much of the rewritten chapter codifies standards already found in State Construction Industry Licensing Board rules. Several provisions governing experience, applications, discipline, renewal, and reinstatement nevertheless change on July 1:

• Revised experience and application requirements. One year of “full-time experience” will mean 2,000 hours of documented qualifying work. Applicants generally must submit sworn affidavits verifying that experience and consent to applicant-funded criminal background checks, including fingerprinting.[2]
• Revised licensing and certification pathways. The new statute revises the experience, examination, and training requirements for electrical, plumbing, and low voltage contractor licenses and for utility manager and utility foreman certifications.[3]
• Explicit discipline for license lending and unlicensed practice. Existing law already prohibits assisting an unlicensed person in a regulated trade. The rewritten chapter expressly identifies lending, leasing, renting, assigning, or otherwise allowing an unlicensed person or entity to use a license, and combining or conspiring with another to evade Chapter 14, as grounds for discipline. Available sanctions include reprimand, suspension, revocation, cancellation, or refusal to issue, renew, or restore a license or certificate.[4]
• Common renewal and reinstatement procedures. Licenses and certificates remain subject to biennial renewal. A 31-day late-renewal period will apply, with separate reinstatement requirements depending on whether a license has been expired for less or more than three years. Each division may establish continuing-education requirements, but unused hours may not be carried forward.[5]

Contractors should review any arrangement under which a license holder qualifies a related business, affiliate, or other entity. The rewritten chapter expressly targets license lending and arrangements intended to evade Chapter 14, and compliance will depend on the license holder’s actual affiliation with and supervision of the licensed business. Applicants should also retain time records, project histories, and supervisor information sufficient to document qualifying experience and support the required affidavits.

Permitting and Inspection Changes

Senate Bill 447, signed into law as Act 513, revises local permit-review procedures and adds a permit-transparency requirement.[6] The private-provider inspection and land-disturbance permit changes begin July 1, 2026. The public-access requirement follows on January 1, 2028.

Public Access to Permit Status in 2028

Beginning January 1, 2028, a county, municipality, or consolidated government that issued more than 250 building permits during the preceding calendar year must provide real-time permit-status information through a publicly accessible website or application. “Building permit” includes land-disturbance permits.

The public system must identify the permit type and current status, the date of the most recent update, the reviewing department or office, any missed approval or denial deadlines, and the statutory basis for a denial. The information must be searchable by permit number, property address, or parcel identification number and available without charge, registration, or login. Updates generally must be posted when the permit status changes or within one business day.[7]

For developers, owners, lenders, brokers, and project teams, the public system should make permit diligence and project monitoring less dependent on calls and emails to the reviewing authority.

Private-Provider Inspection and Land-Disturbance Permit Changes

Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia law will impose clearer consequences when local authorities miss deadlines for reviewing private-provider inspection reports and land-disturbance permit applications.

For private-provider inspections, a local governing authority will continue to have two business days to identify deficiencies in an approved inspection report. Any deficiency notice must describe the problem and identify the regulatory requirement that has not been adequately addressed. If timely written notice is not provided, the inspection will be deemed approved as a matter of law. Correcting a deficient report may not prevent completion of work already approved by the private professional provider or otherwise delay the related project.[8]

For land-disturbance permits, the existing 45-day initial review period remains, but the review process changes in three practical respects:

• The local issuing authority has five days to determine whether an application is complete and whether external review is required. Without timely notice, the application is deemed complete.
• The local issuing authority must act on the first resubmission within 20 days and on later resubmissions within 14 days. New comments generally must relate to the original comments or the applicant’s revisions.
• A denial or nonacceptance must state the reasons in writing. If the authority misses the applicable issuance or denial deadline, it must refund the application fees, and the applicant may seek mandamus relief, with the petition receiving priority on the superior court’s docket.[9]

The consequences of a missed deadline differ between the two procedures. A private-provider inspection is deemed approved if the local governing authority fails to provide timely notice of deficiencies. A land-disturbance permit application, by contrast, may be deemed complete but is not automatically approved; failure to meet the ultimate review deadline results in a fee refund and potential mandamus relief. The statute includes exceptions for certain projects and jurisdictions.

Public Roofing Work

Senate Bill 284, signed into law as Act 377, changes the treatment of contracts entered into on or after April 22, 2026, for improvements to roofs of existing public structures or buildings.[10] Those improvements are excluded from the definition of “public works construction,” although ancillary items placed on the roof are not. The notice and competitive-award requirements are also deemed satisfied when a qualifying roofing contract is awarded to a supplier approved by a cooperative purchasing organization and designated by the Department of Administrative Services as an authorized source of supply. Certain local school systems may also receive related capital-outlay grants. Public owners and bidders should distinguish the qualifying roofing scope from ancillary rooftop equipment and other work and confirm both required supplier approvals before relying on the alternative procurement path.[11]

If you have questions about any of the matters discussed above, please contact one of the authors below or your regular Nelson Mullins contact.

Jake Carroll advises clients in the construction, manufacturing, and real estate industries in complex transactions, contract and business disputes, and related corporate matters. Carroll is co-author of the Georgia Construction Law Handbook, a leading treatise published annually, and previously served as Chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Construction Law Section.

Carroll Hart practices in Nelson Mullins’ Atlanta office and focuses his practice on construction transactions and complex commercial and construction litigation. Hart previously served on the board of the Construction Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.

[1] 2026 Ga. Laws, Act 472 (S.B. 553).

[2] O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-2(13), 43-14-8 through 43-14-14.

[3] O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-8, 43-14-9, and 43-14-11 through 43-14-13.

[4] O.C.G.A. § 43-14-6(a)(4)(D)-(F).

[5] O.C.G.A. § 43-14-20.

[6] 2026 Ga. Laws, Act 513 (S.B. 447).

[7] O.C.G.A. § 36-60-34.

[8] O.C.G.A. § 8-2-26(g)(14).

[9] See O.C.G.A. §§ 12-7-9 and 12-7-11.

[10] 2026 Ga. Laws, Act 377 (S.B. 284).

[11] O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-262(g), 36-91-2, and 36-91-21(i).