Georgia home improvement contract requirements

What applies in Georgia

Licensing

• Over $2,500 needs a license. A residential contractor is anyone doing residential-basic or residential-light commercial work where the value of the work, or your pay for it, exceeds $2,500 (O.C.G.A. § 43-41-2). Licenses come from the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors.
• Unlicensed contracts can't be enforced by you. A contract for licensed work signed by a contractor without a valid license is unenforceable by that contractor in law or equity, with no lien or bond claim (§ 43-41-17(b)).
• The repair exception. An unlicensed person may do repair work if they tell the owner they aren't licensed and the work doesn't affect the structure's integrity (§ 43-41-17(g)).
• Trades are separate. The Attorney General's office notes that electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors are licensed by the state, while roofers, painters, drywall contractors and repair handymen aren't.

What to put in the contract anyway

With no statutory list, the Attorney General's consumer advice sets homeowners' expectations: a written contract with every guarantee, warranty and promise in it, agreed start and completion dates, a down payment of no more than one-third, remaining payments tied to completed stages, and the final payment due when the job is done. Writing your contract that way, with your license number, a specific scope, the price and a change order clause, answers the questions a careful Georgia homeowner will ask.

Roofing contracts paid by insurance

Section 10-1-393.12 covers residential roofing contractors working on buildings for one to four families, detached garages included, where a "roof system" means covering, sheathing, weatherproofing, framing, ventilation and insulation. If the contract will be paid from a property insurance claim, the homeowner can cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim isn't covered. Before the contract is signed, you must furnish this statement in at least 10-point bold, plus a completed "NOTICE OF CANCELLATION" form in duplicate, attached and easy to detach:

• No payment until the period expires. You can't require payment from the insured until the five-day cancellation period has run, except for emergency services the insured acknowledged in writing as necessary to prevent damage.
• Fees don't survive cancellation. A contract clause charging any fee except for emergency services is unenforceable against an insured who cancels.
• No claim negotiating. You can't represent or negotiate for the homeowner on the insurance claim, or offer to, unless you're a licensed public adjuster.

After a natural disaster

SB 201, effective July 1, 2025, added paragraph (36) to the Fair Business Practices Act's list of unlawful practices. It applies to any contractor, not just roofers, who signs a contract with a homeowner within one year of a natural disaster (a flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake or other occurrence under a Governor's state of emergency) to repair, replace or mitigate damage it caused. For those contracts it's unlawful to:

• Fail to substantially start the work within one year of signing.
• Do all or part of the work in a substandard manner, or out of line with the state minimum standard codes or accredited industry standards.
• Sign a contract under which the homeowner assigns insurance proceeds to you.
• Skip the cancellation duties: accept cancellation until midnight of the fifth business day after an insurer's written denial, and give the bold statement and duplicate notice of cancellation before signing.

Separately, homeowner's policies issued or renewed in Georgia from January 1, 2026 may not allow assignment of proceeds to a contractor within a year of a natural disaster that damages the home.

Sales made at the customer's home

Because Georgia's act has no general home-solicitation rule, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule governs sales of $25 or more made at the buyer's home, including when the homeowner invited you. Give a contract in the language of your pitch with the federal three-day statement beside the signature, two completed copies of the notice of cancellation, and an oral explanation of the right, and refund within 10 business days of a cancellation.

Penalties

Violations of the Fair Business Practices Act, including the roofing and disaster rules, can be enforced by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. A homeowner injured by a violation can sue under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-399 after sending you a written demand at least 30 days ahead: general damages, three times actual damages for an intentional violation, and reasonable attorney's fees. A reasonable settlement offer made within those 30 days can cap what they recover.

Signing it electronically

Georgia's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act gives electronic signatures full effect (see e-signature law in Georgia). The roofing and disaster notices must be furnished before the contract is signed, so put them ahead of the signature page. For notices the law requires in writing, get the consumer's consent to electronic records first (15 U.S.C. § 7001(c)).

Setting it up in SignMaster

1. 1

   Keep three versions

   A standard remodeling template with your license number, an insurance-roofing version, and a disaster-repair version carrying the cancellation statement and notice of cancellation pages.

2. 2

   Document emergency work

   If you tarp or board up before the claim is settled, have the homeowner sign a one-page acknowledgment that the work was needed to prevent damage, so you can bill it.

3. 3

   Sign on site

   Use Sign in person after the inspection; the homeowner reads the notices before reaching the signature page.

4. 4

   Hold the invoice

   On insurance jobs, keep the deposit request until the cancellation window has closed. The audit trail shows when the contract and acknowledgments were signed.