O.C.G.A. § 43-41-14 (2019)
Role of building inspectors; penalty for noncompliance with chapter; posting of requirements
(a) Any person, whether an individual or a business organization acting through a qualifying agent, intending to perform work as a residential or general contractor, upon making application to the building inspector or such other authority of any incorporated municipality or county in this state charged with the duty of issuing building or other permits for contemplated construction work requiring performance by either a licensed residential contractor or a licensed general contractor shall, before being entitled to the issuance of such permit, furnish to such inspector or authority, personally or through his or her authorized agent specifically designated to act on his or her behalf in a sworn written document submitted contemporaneously or previously submitted and maintained by such inspector or authority, his or her residential contractor or general contractor license number and the identity of any business organization for which such applicant is serving as qualifying agent that is undertaking or contracting as a residential contractor or a general contractor to construct or manage the construction. It shall be unlawful for any such building inspector or other authority to issue or allow the issuance of such building permit unless the applicant has furnished his or her residential contractor or general contractor license number and the identity of any such business organization relative to performance of the work for which a permit has been applied. A building inspector or other authority shall issue such building permit under the terms of this Code section to any person, including an individual licensee acting on his or her own behalf or a licensee acting as a qualifying agent for a business organization and such business organization, upon evidence reasonably establishing that such person is duly licensed as a residential or general contractor under this chapter, either individually or as a business organization acting under a duly licensed qualifying agent. Any building inspector or other such authority that issues a building permit to a person known by such building inspector or authority not to be properly licensed under this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $500.00. (b) The licensing requirements imposed by this chapter and the effective dates of such licensing requirements must be posted by any county or municipality in this state charged with the duty of issuing building or other permits for construction work requiring performance by either a licensed residential contractor or a licensed general contractor in the same location in which such building or other permits are issued.
History
Code 1981, § 43-41-14, enacted by Ga. L. 2004, p. 786, § 1; Ga. L. 2007, p. 569, § 8/SB 115.
Annotations
JUDICIAL DECISIONS Preliminary injunction improper. - Superior court erred in granting contractors a preliminary injunction restraining the Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors and a county from enforcing a licensing law, O.C.G.A. § 43-41-1 et seq., because: (1) harm did not flow to the contractors from any failure on the part of the county to comply with notice of the licensing law pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 43-41-14(b) or to provide other specific notice of the licensing law going into effect since the lack of notice did not result in the contractors’ consequent failure to comply with the law and thereby obtain an exemption under O.C.G.A. § 43-41-17(a); (2) the grant of the preliminary injunction operated oppressively on the rights of the county and the Board and also on the rights of the
citizens of the state since the injunction effectively enjoined, without an apparent valid basis, the operation of a licensing law; and (3) the refusal to grant the requested injunction would not work irreparable injury to the contractors or leave the contractors without remedy in the event the contractors ultimately prevailed in the contractors’ challenge to the licensing law. Since § 43-41-14(b) became effective on May 29, 2007, approximately a month before the July 1, 2007 deadline for filing an application for examination exemption, and under that general statute the contractors were charged with notice of the licensing law including the time-limited provision allowing examination exemption. Ga. State Licensing Bd. for Residential & Gen. Contrs. v. Allen, 286 Ga. 811, 692 S.E.2d 343 (2010).
OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Fingerprinting of offenders not required. - An offense under O.C.G.A. § 43-41-14 is not one for which those
charged with a violation are to be fingerprinted. 2006 Op. Att’y Gen. No. 2006-2.