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15 permits · verified 2026-10-02

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Chatham County Ga?

In short

A contractor or trade in Chatham County Ga, GA has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 13 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board charges $110 application, by examination for the electrical contractor license. 7 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Chatham County Ga

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Electrical Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to youGeorgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board$110 application, by examinationbiennial — expires 30 June of even-numbered years2026-09-03
Roofing, Painting, Flooring and Landscaping — Georgia Traditional Specialty Contractorsonly if it applies to youGeorgia State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General ContractorsNo feenot applicable2026-09-03
Residential or General Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to youGeorgia State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors$210 application — $200 plus a $10 processing fee; $100 to renewbiennial — expires 30 June of even-numbered years2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Chatham County Ga

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Occupational Tax Late-Renewal Penaltyonly if it applies to youChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pagenot applicable — this is a penalty tied to Record 1's annual tax, not a license term of its own2026-10-02
Savannah Business Location Approvalonly if it applies to youCity of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design DepartmentVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageper the City of Savannah's own licensing cycle2026-10-02
Tybee Island Occupational Tax Certificate / Business Licenseonly if it applies to youCity of Tybee Island Business License OfficeVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageannual; licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed annually2026-10-02
Pooler Business Licenseonly if it applies to youCity of PoolerVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageper the City of Pooler's own licensing cycle2026-10-02
Occupational Tax CertificateChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageannual, calendar year; the certificate expires December 312026-10-02
Building/Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permit Feesonly if it applies to youChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections DivisionVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageper permit2026-10-02
Garden City Occupational Tax Certificateonly if it applies to youCity of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax OfficeVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageannual; the certificate expires December 312026-10-02

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

GA registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of RegistrationGeorgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionNo feeno renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county, usually annual2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Registrationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofitannual — filed between 1 January and 1 April2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Chatham County Ga?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a contractor or trade in Chatham County Ga, GA, 2 apply to every business of this type and 13 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

7 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all.

The other 7 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Chatham County Ga permits page and the GA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Chatham County Ga?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Chatham County Ga, GA come from 10 separate offices: Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax Division, City of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design Department, City of Tybee Island Business License Office, City of Pooler, Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections Division, City of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax Office, Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division, Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Chatham County Ga that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Chatham County Ga: Electrical Contractor License, Roofing, Painting, Flooring and Landscaping — Georgia Traditional Specialty Contractors and Residential or General Contractor License.

Electrical Contractor License

Two classes at the same price: Class I is restricted to single-phase installations not exceeding two hundred amperes at the service, and Class II is unrestricted. Reinstating a license lapsed under three years costs $310. No renewal amount is recorded because none is published — the board's own rule says renewal fees will be set by the board rather than fixed in the code, and the schedule the board links to returns an empty page to every client. The fee schedule PDFs still sitting on the Secretary of State's server are demonstrably superseded: they say $30 to apply where this guide says $110. Continuing education is four hours a year, half of it in code courses for electricians.

Roofing, Painting, Flooring and Landscaping — Georgia Traditional Specialty Contractors

There is no state license fee for these trades: the licensing board's Traditional Specialty Contractors policy statement, issued under O.C.G.A. § 43-41-17, publishes flat roofing, sheet metal roofing, painting and special coatings, wood flooring, carpet and tile, landscape and irrigation, drywall, masonry, siding, insulation, gutters, windows and concrete are all published as traditional specialty contractors who need no residential or general contractor license. The state trade-licensing chapter names exactly five licensed trades — electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low voltage and utility — and nothing else. Two caveats: work of this kind can still fall under the general contractor license at higher project values, and cities and counties routinely register these trades locally.

Residential or General Contractor License

Georgia does license general contractors, and one fee covers all four classes — the price does not vary by tier, only the qualifications do. Residential Basic covers detached houses and townhouses up to three storeys on a $25,000 net worth and $300,000 of liability cover; Residential Light Commercial adds multifamily and light commercial under four storeys on $500,000 of cover; General Contractor is unlimited on a $150,000 net worth; and a Limited Tier caps any single contract at a million dollars on the smaller net worth. The threshold that matters is in the definition rather than the licensing section: work only counts as residential contracting where its value exceeds $2,500, so smaller jobs are outside the regime entirely. Owner-builders may build for their own occupancy once every twenty-four months without a license.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Chatham County Ga, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Chatham County Ga permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across GA and are covered on the GA state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Chatham County Ga?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Electrical Contractor License, Roofing, Painting, Flooring and Landscaping — Georgia Traditional Specialty Contractors and Residential or General Contractor License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop License — Georgia state position, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Chatham County Ga, GA, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1031
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops4034
Fitness studios0030
Food trucks2032
Restaurants4034
Retail stores2032
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics1031

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Chatham County Ga permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Georgia Secretary of State — how-to guide for electrical contractorsGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. Georgia Comp. R. & Regs. chapter 295-2 — expiration and renewal dates for every license administered by the Professional Licensing Boards DivisionGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Georgia State Licensing Board — traditional specialty contractors policy statement, listing the trades that need no state licenseGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. Georgia Secretary of State — Professional Licensing Boards Division, the complete list of licensing boardsGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors — fee scheduleGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.