Questions to ask before you hire an electrician in Atlanta

A 1920s Kirkwood bungalow that still has a few ungrounded outlets, a panel upgrade for an EV charger in a Buckhead garage, or a service mast pulled off the house when a storm drops an oak limb on the line — Atlanta electrical jobs run through a specific chain of state license, City permit, inspection, and utility approval. Georgia licenses electrical contractors (not individual electricians) through the Secretary of State’s Division of Electrical Contractors, and the license class limits how big a service the contractor may work on; inside city limits, the City of Atlanta’s Office of Buildings issues the electrical permit and inspects the work; and Georgia Power won’t reconnect your service until the local inspector sends a wiring approval. Use these questions to compare Atlanta-area electricians on verified credentials, permit practice, and a written scope — not just who can come out today.

Questions to ask

1. What is your Georgia electrical contractor license number, is it Class I or Class II, and does that class cover my job?

Why it matters: Georgia law says no one may engage in electrical contracting without a license from the Division of Electrical Contractors, and an unlicensed person may not advertise as an electrical contractor unless the work is done by a licensed one (O.C.G.A. §43-14-8). A company can’t contract on its own: it must have a licensed person regularly connected with it and actively engaged in the business full-time. The license class matters for homeowners. Under the Board’s Rule 121-3-.01, a Class I license is restricted to single-phase installations that do not exceed 200 amperes at the service drop or service lateral, and a Class II license is unrestricted. A 200-amp panel swap is within Class I, but if the contractor is proposing a larger service (for example 320 or 400 amps for an all-electric house, EV chargers, or a big addition), ask how a Class I license covers that. Look up the name and license number on the Secretary of State’s license verification search and confirm the license is active and the class matches the work. Georgia licenses run on a two-year cycle that ended June 30, 2026, with late renewal through August 15, 2026, so a license that wasn’t renewed by then is worth asking about.

2. Who will actually be working in my house, and how does the license holder supervise them?

Why it matters: Unlike Texas, Georgia does not license individual electricians at the state level — the Secretary of State’s Board of Electrical Contractors FAQ says plainly that the Board licenses electrical contractors, not electricians, and does not register electrical contracting companies. That means the only state credential you can check is the contractor’s license, and the person who holds it may never come to your house. Ask who the license holder is and how they are connected to the company, who will lead the crew on site, how much experience that person has, whether the workers are employees or subcontractors, and whether the license holder reviews the work before inspection. The Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division recommends asking for proof of personal liability, workers’ compensation, and property damage insurance, and checking the contractor’s business license with the city or county — both are fair asks before anyone opens your panel.

3. Will you pull the City of Atlanta electrical permit in Accela Citizen Access, and how will inspections be handled?

Why it matters: The City’s Office of Buildings says a permit is required to install, repair, or replace any electrical equipment, on residential and commercial projects alike, and that permits are applied for online through Accela Citizen Access (ACA). Georgia lets an owner do electrical work on a home they own or occupy without a contractor license, as long as the work meets codes and local inspection requirements (O.C.G.A. §43-14-19(d)), and the City’s forms page includes a Homeowner’s Affidavit for owner-performed work. But a Georgia Attorney General opinion noted with that statute says the owner exemption does not let you hire unlicensed people to do the work, so a contractor who asks you to pull the permit in your name is asking you to sign for work you aren’t doing. Atlanta’s inspection process includes rough inspections before work is covered and a final inspection, and because of limited staffing, single-family residential inspections can be done live, by video, or by a third-party inspection agency that the City has vetted and approved. The City’s online permitting page also says that, after cases of fraudulent documents, it requires the contractor’s physical state-issued license card to issue a permit, so a real licensee should have no trouble pulling one. Ask the contractor to say in writing who files the permit, which inspections the job needs, who schedules them and meets the inspector, whether a video or third-party inspection is planned (and if so, which City-approved agency), and whether permit and re-inspection fees are in the price. Confirm your jurisdiction first: Atlanta spans parts of Fulton and DeKalb counties, and an Atlanta mailing address can be in Decatur, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, East Point, or unincorporated county land, each with its own permit office and rules.

4. If the job involves the meter or service, how will you coordinate with Georgia Power, and what has to happen before my power comes back on?

Why it matters: Georgia Power’s Blue Book of service requirements says final connections at the service point are made by Georgia Power, that the Georgia Public Service Commission requires wiring and equipment to be approved by the local inspector before service is connected where inspections exist, and that Georgia Power keeps the right to refuse to connect any service where it sees an unsafe condition. Georgia Power’s wiring approval page says the approval comes only from the city or county inspection — not from your electrician or Georgia Power — and that the municipality notifies Georgia Power once the inspection passes; Georgia Power says it can connect service within two days after all requirements are met. The City’s trade permit guidance adds that if your service has been disconnected for six months or more, Georgia Power will refer you to the Office of Buildings for a separate “Public Utility” permit before it turns power back on. Ask who contacts Georgia Power and when, how long you’ll be without power, whether the schedule allows for the inspection and wiring approval, and who handles a Public Utility permit if your house has been vacant. If your power comes from an electric membership cooperative or a city-owned utility instead of Georgia Power, ask about that utility’s own disconnect and reconnect rules.

5. Which code will my job be inspected under — the 2023 NEC with the 2026 Georgia Amendments — and how does that change what you’re installing?

Why it matters: Georgia adopts one statewide electrical code. The Department of Community Affairs made the 2023 National Electrical Code the mandatory state electrical code effective January 1, 2025, and adopted the 2026 Georgia Amendments to the 2023 NEC effective January 1, 2026 (listed on DCA’s current state codes page). Several amendments affect homes. Georgia exempts one- and two-family dwellings from the 2023 NEC rule requiring a surge-protective device on every new or replaced service, so whole-house surge protection is usually your choice, not a code item — ask whether it’s included, offered as an option, or left out. Georgia’s kitchen GFCI rule applies to receptacles that serve countertop surfaces, dishwashers and sump pumps need GFCI protection, the outdoor-outlet GFCI rule doesn’t apply to listed HVAC equipment, and the amendment spells out the dwelling rooms where 15- and 20-amp circuits need arc-fault (AFCI) protection, including bedrooms, living and family rooms, dining rooms, closets, and hallways. Ask the contractor which of these apply to your scope, which protection devices they’re pricing, and whether anything is being added that the code doesn’t require so you can decide on it separately.

6. If I want an EV charger, will you do a load calculation, pull the permit, and tell me whether my panel and service can handle it?

Why it matters: A hardwired charger or a new 240-volt circuit is new electrical work, and the City’s permit guidance says installing electrical equipment needs a permit. The City’s forms page also lists an EV Charger Affidavit Form, so ask whether your installation needs it and who completes it. Ask for a written load calculation on your existing panel before you buy a charger, whether a panel or service upgrade is needed (which brings in Georgia Power, see question 4, and possibly the license class question in question 1), the circuit size and charger amperage they recommend, the conduit and charger location, and whether the charger will be on its own circuit. If you plan to plug a charger into an existing outlet, ask the electrician to confirm the outlet and circuit are rated for continuous charging. A low bid that skips the load math can leave you with a charger you can’t fully use or a surprise mid-job upgrade.

7. For a standby generator, home battery, or solar backup, which permits and Georgia Power applications are required, and who files them?

Why it matters: Georgia Power’s Blue Book says customer generators must be connected through transfer switches so they are completely isolated from the grid, that a customer who wants to operate a non-exporting generator must meet its Distribution Bulletin 18-23 requirements and submit the application in that bulletin, and that no customer standby generation equipment may be installed between the meter and the meter socket. For solar and batteries, Georgia Power’s residential interconnection summary requires an interconnection application (with the DB 18-23 non-export form for energy storage), advises customers not to buy equipment until Georgia Power has reviewed the application, and says all renewable and battery systems must be inspected by the local authority after installation and before they’re connected to the grid. On the City side, Atlanta’s online permitting lists residential electrical and gas pressure test trade permits, and its forms page has residential solar submittal and inspection checklists. Ask who sizes the generator or battery and transfer equipment to your actual loads, who submits the Georgia Power application, who runs and permits any gas line, and where the unit will sit relative to windows, property lines, and your neighbors.

8. After a storm or a falling tree damages my service, will you make the repair, get it inspected, and tell Georgia Power it’s ready?

Why it matters: Atlanta’s tree canopy is a big part of its character, and it also means limbs on service drops after thunderstorms, ice, and tropical-storm remnants. Georgia Power says it can’t restore power if the mast pipe is bent, the weatherhead is damaged or missing, the service entrance is pulled from the house, or the meter base is pulled from the house — and that Georgia Power cannot make those repairs itself. You need an electrician to fix the service entrance, and if you hire your own contractor, Georgia Power asks you to call when repairs are complete so your home can be added to the restoration schedule. Because a damaged service usually means a permit and inspection before reconnection (see question 4), ask whether the contractor will pull the permit right away, how they’ll get the inspection and wiring approval moving, and whether they’ll document the damage with photos for your insurance claim. The Attorney General’s office warns about door-to-door repair solicitations and up-front cash demands, and suggests calling your insurer first after damage — storm-chasing crews from out of state may not hold a Georgia license.

9. Given Atlanta’s older intown housing and humid summers, how will you check the panel, wiring, and grounding before quoting a full fix?

Why it matters: Many older Atlanta homes, especially early-1900s bungalows and mid-century ranches in intown neighborhoods such as Kirkwood, Grant Park, Virginia-Highland, and the West End, can still have original or patched wiring, two-prong ungrounded outlets, undersized services, or older panels (including brands such as Federal Pacific or Zinsco that many electricians recommend replacing). Crawl spaces and long, humid summers add moisture and heavy air-conditioning load. A bid that only swaps a failed breaker can miss the bigger condition, and a bid that jumps straight to a full rewire or panel replacement may be more than you need. Ask whether they’ll inspect the panel brand and age, wiring type, grounding and bonding, and available capacity; whether they recommend repair, partial rewire, or a service upgrade, and why; and how they’ll handle plaster walls and crawl-space access. Require a stop-and-call process before any extra work begins.

10. Will we have a written contract, and how will you handle Georgia lien waivers when I pay?

Why it matters: The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division advises insisting on a written contract with all guarantees, warranties, and promises in writing, start and completion dates, and no final payment until the work is finished. Georgia also has strict rules for lien waivers. Under O.C.G.A. §44-14-366, lien rights can’t be waived in advance, interim and final waivers must substantially follow the statutory forms, and a signed waiver becomes effective when the payment is actually received, when the claimant signs a separate acknowledgment of payment in full, or 90 days after signing unless the claimant files an affidavit of nonpayment in the county first. For a larger job — a service upgrade, rewire, or generator install — ask the contractor to provide a statutory interim waiver with each progress payment and a final waiver with the last payment, and ask whether any suppliers or subcontractors on the job will provide their own. These are complicated rules; if you’re signing a large contract or receive a lien notice, talk to a Georgia attorney.

11. What does the written estimate include, how do you handle after-hours calls, and can you give me recent Atlanta references?

Why it matters: “Fix the outlets” is not a scope. A good quote lists the circuits affected, breaker sizes, wire type and gauge, device brands (for example AFCI or GFCI breakers), any panel or service work, permit and inspection fees, Georgia Power coordination, patching (or not) of drywall and plaster, debris disposal, and cleanup, plus the labor warranty in writing separate from the manufacturer’s warranty. The Attorney General’s office suggests getting written estimates from at least three contractors and asking for references. Ask what after-hours, weekend, or post-storm rates apply and what the minimum call-out fee is. Then ask for two or three recent local references for similar jobs — ideally a similar house type and part of town (an intown bungalow rewire, a panel upgrade in a 1960s ranch, an EV circuit, a generator hookup). References tell you about punctuality, permit follow-through, cleanup, and whether the work passed inspection the first time.

Red flags

Can’t give you a Georgia electrical contractor license number you can verify, or holds a Class I license but is quoting a service larger than 200 amps.
Can’t tell you who the license holder is or how that person supervises the crew at your house.
Asks you to pull the electrical permit as the homeowner, or offers a lower price to skip the permit or inspection.
Says they’ll “just get Georgia Power to turn it back on” without a permit, inspection, and wiring approval.
Wants to install a generator connection without a transfer switch, or a device between the meter and the meter socket.
Shows up door-to-door after a storm, wants cash up front, and pressures you to sign that day.
Asks you to sign a lien waiver before work is done, or won’t put the scope, price, schedule, and warranty in a written contract.

Next-step checklist

Look up the contractor on the Georgia Secretary of State’s license verification search and confirm the license is active and Class I or Class II fits your job.
Ask for proof of liability, workers’ compensation, and property damage insurance, and check the contractor’s city or county business license.
Get at least two (ideally three) written quotes for the same scope, with circuits, breaker sizes, wire type, device brands, and any panel or service work listed.
Confirm your jurisdiction (City of Atlanta or another city or county), who files the permit in Accela Citizen Access, and how inspections will be done.
If the meter or service is involved, confirm who coordinates with Georgia Power and that the schedule allows for inspection and wiring approval before reconnection.
For EV chargers, generators, batteries, or solar, get a load calculation first and ask exactly which City permits and Georgia Power applications apply.
Use a written contract, and exchange statutory lien waivers for payments on larger jobs.
Keep the permit record, inspection results, warranty paperwork, and final invoice. If something goes wrong, you can file a complaint with the Georgia Board of Electrical Contractors or the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.