The licence check (5 minutes, free)
Georgia requires a state licence for residential contracting work over $2,500 in project value or compensation (O.C.G.A. §43-41-2) — tiers run Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial and General Contractor. Verify any firm's licence free at the Georgia Secretary of State licence search. A contractor who will not state their licence type and number in writing has answered your question.
The permit-puller rule
The party who pulls your permit should be the party you pay and the party insured for the work. Inside Marietta, permits run through SagesGov; in unincorporated Cobb, through the County. 'You pull it as homeowner' shifts liability to you — homeowner-as-contractor affidavits exist, and they make you the responsible party.
Hiring a home renovation contractor in Marietta: contracts, draws and lien waivers
- Written scope with inclusions, exclusions, materials and a schedule
- Milestone draws — never the full cost up front
- Lien waivers at every draw: under Georgia's materialman's lien law (O.C.G.A. §44-14-361.1), unpaid suppliers and subs can lien your home even if you paid the contractor — waivers are your receipt that they were paid
Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. §10-1-390) covers deceptive claims — including fake licence claims and bait pricing. Our own commitments are on the about page.
The lien clock, in numbers
Georgia's materialman's lien law (O.C.G.A. §44-14-361.1) runs on deadlines worth knowing before you sign. A supplier or subcontractor who is not paid can file a lien claim with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where your home sits within 90 days of last furnishing materials or labour, must send you a copy within 2 business days of filing, and must sue to enforce it within 365 days of filing or the lien expires. The risk the law creates for owners is real: you can pay your contractor in full and still face a lien from someone downstream you never met. That is precisely why the lien waivers at every draw, listed above, matter — each waiver is dated proof that the parties behind that draw were paid, collected while the project is healthy rather than argued about after it is not. This is general information about the process, not legal advice for a specific dispute.