Who requires it
State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors — Residential Contractor Division
License & permit · Georgia
Georgia Residential Contractor Bond
Residential Basic and Residential Light Commercial applicants in Georgia must prove financial responsibility to the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors. SOS residential how-to checklists accept a surety bond with power of attorney as one option—commonly written at $25,000—or net-worth affirmation or a line of credit instead. A bond is not required for every residential applicant.
Common bond amount
$25,000
Optional financial-responsibility path: $25,000 surety when you use a bond instead of net-worth affirmation or a line of credit—confirm on your GOALS bond form.
How you file
File a surety bond with power of attorney through GOALS, or use net worth or a line of credit
Renewal
Biennial license renewal; keep financial-responsibility proof current
Who requires it
Individuals and qualifying agents seeking Residential Basic or Residential Light Commercial licenses under chapter 43-41 when their GOALS application path lists a surety bond among financial-responsibility documents. Unlimited and limited-tier general contractors follow a different net-worth track and are not covered by this guide.
How much is required
O.C.G.A. § 43-41-6 establishes the duty to show financial responsibility; Chapter 553-3 implements that duty through application-directed proofs. SOS residential checklists treat surety bond with power of attorney, net-worth affirmation, and line of credit as accepted paths. When applicants use the surety option, the bond is commonly written at $25,000—the same dollar threshold used for residential net-worth affirmation for those classifications. Confirm the amount printed on the bond form your GOALS checklist expects.
How to get and file it
Purchase a surety bond with power of attorney in the exact name on your Residential Basic or Residential Light Commercial GOALS application. Upload or attach the bond with the other financial-responsibility and insurance documents your checklist lists. You may instead rely on net-worth affirmation or line of credit when that path fits your application—do not assume every residential filing requires a bond. File through the Professional Licensing Boards Division / GOALS portal with the residential contractor division. Licenses renew biennially; keep whatever financial-responsibility proof the division currently has on file current before renewal. If you switch from a bond to another accepted proof (or the reverse), update GOALS with the documents the checklist then requires.
Cost note
$25,000 is the required bond amount when you use the surety path, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Classifications covered
- Residential Basic and Residential Light Commercial
- Accepted financial-responsibility paths
- Surety bond with power of attorney, net-worth affirmation, and/or line of credit as listed on the SOS checklist for your application type
- Related insurance
- General liability not less than $300,000 (residential-basic) or $500,000 (residential-light commercial), plus workers’ compensation as required by Georgia law
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Is the residential bond mandatory for every applicant?
No. It is one accepted financial-responsibility document on SOS residential checklists. Many applicants satisfy the requirement with net-worth affirmation or a line of credit instead.
Does this cover General Contractor Limited Tier?
No. Limited-tier and unlimited general contractors affirm net worth under Rule 553-4. The SOS commercial general-contractor how-to does not list a surety bond as a financial-responsibility path for those classifications.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Georgia application
Georgia will be preselected. Choose your bond type in the application—we confirm the correct product against your agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-10. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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