Questions to ask before you hire a painter in Atlanta

1. Georgia doesn’t license painters — so what can you show me that proves you’re an established local company, and do you hold a current City of Atlanta business license?

Why it matters: Georgia’s Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division says general contractors, electricians, plumbers, and heating and air conditioning contractors must be licensed through the Secretary of State, but that roofers, painters, drywall contractors, and repair handymen are not required to be licensed by the state (Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements; Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). A painter who claims a “Georgia painting license” is claiming something the state doesn’t issue. What the same office does tell you to do: ask friends, neighbors, and coworkers for referrals, get written estimates from at least three contractors, ask for references, check the Better Business Bureau for complaints, and ask to see the contractor’s business license and then check with the city or county business license department that it is valid.

Inside Atlanta city limits, the City says an Occupational Tax Certificate — its business license — is required of all businesses operating within the city limits, and out-of-state businesses with no Georgia office that do business in Atlanta are subject to the City’s occupation tax too (City of Atlanta: Apply for an Occupational Tax Certificate). The City’s Licenses & Permits page includes a “Find a registered business” tool you can use to check the name on your quote (City of Atlanta: Licenses & Permits). Make sure the company on the certificate, the insurance certificates, and the contract is the same legal entity. If the job grows past painting into work that needs a state-licensed trade or a general contractor, ask who holds that license and look it up on the Secretary of State’s site, as the Attorney General suggests.

2. Can I see current certificates for general liability insurance and workers’ compensation, and may I call the insurer to confirm them?

Why it matters: Because the state doesn’t license painters, no state board makes a painter carry insurance before bidding your job. The Attorney General’s office tells Georgia homeowners to ask to see proof of insurance — personal liability, workers’ compensation, and property damage — and its storm guidance lists general liability and workers’ compensation among the things a legitimate contractor should be able to provide (Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements; Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). Workers’ compensation coverage in Georgia turns on headcount: the state’s workers’ compensation law does not apply to an employer that has regularly in service fewer than three employees in the same business in Georgia, unless the employer and employees voluntarily elect to be bound, and the statute sets out when a worker counts as an independent contractor rather than an employee (a contract intending that relationship, control over the time, manner, and method of the work, and pay per job or per unit rather than salary or hourly) (O.C.G.A. §34-9-2). So a small crew may lawfully have no workers’ comp policy — which is exactly why you should ask who will be on your ladders, whether they are the company’s employees or subcontractors, and whose policy covers them. Ask for certificates sent from the insurance agent, check that the named insured matches your contract, and call to confirm they are current.

3. Was my home built before 1978, and if so, is your firm certified for lead-safe renovation in Georgia?

Why it matters: The federal Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule covers paid work in pre-1978 homes that disturbs more than six square feet of painted surface per room inside or more than 20 square feet on the exterior, plus window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces (EPA: RRP rule frequently asked questions; EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program). Georgia is one of the states EPA has authorized to run its own RRP program in place of the federal one, so contractors working in Georgia follow Georgia’s training and certification requirements (EPA: RRP firm certification (authorized-state list includes Georgia)). Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) says companies doing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 must be certified, use certified renovators, and follow lead-safe work practices, and it tells homeowners in pre-1978 homes to hire an RRP-certified contractor (Georgia EPD: Lead-Based Paint: RRP). Under Georgia’s rules, the renovation supervisor must complete a Georgia-approved course and pass the exam to become a Georgia-certified Renovator, and must be working for a certified Renovation Firm; the standards begin with giving pre-renovation information to owners and occupants (Georgia EPD: Lead-Based Paint Hazard Management Rules summary; Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-24-.09). EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet is the federal version of that information.

Georgia’s renovation work-practice rule prohibits open-flame burning or torching of lead-based paint, prohibits sanding, grinding, power planing, needle guns, abrasive blasting, or sandblasting unless the machine has HEPA exhaust control, and allows heat guns only below 1100 degrees Fahrenheit (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-24-.10(c)). Ask the painter for the firm’s Georgia certification, the name of the certified renovator who will supervise, and the containment and cleanup plan — and refuse dry power-sanding of old paint with no HEPA control.

4. How will you wash and prep the exterior — and if my house is pre-1978, how will you handle wash water and paint chips?

Why it matters: Pressure washing is where lead rules surprise people. Georgia EPD says pressure washing a pre-1978 house is a restricted, not prohibited, practice; homeowners may wash with the pressure on a low setting but are responsible for containing and properly disposing of the wastewater, paint chips left on the ground violate Georgia’s solid waste rules, and a contractor hired to pressure wash must be RRP certified and use lead-safe work practices (Georgia EPD: Lead frequently asked questions). Georgia’s rules also require renovation waste to be contained so dust and debris aren’t released before removal (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-24-.10), and EPD notes that its solid waste rules prohibit disposal of lead-containing waste at the project site (Georgia EPD: Lead-Based Paint Hazard Management Rules summary). Get the washing method, pressure, ground covering, and chip collection written into the scope, especially near gardens, play areas, and neighbors’ yards.

5. Does any part of my job need a City of Atlanta permit?

Why it matters: For ordinary painting, usually not. The City of Atlanta’s published list of work exempt from a permit includes “interior or exterior painting” on existing single-family, two-family, or duplex homes and their accessory structures, alongside items such as gutter repair, siding repair or replacement, and non-structural porch or deck repairs; the list notes that any work completed must still meet minimum code requirements (City of Atlanta: Work exempt from a permit (PDF)). Two caveats matter. First, the same document says those exemptions do not apply to work that affects the exterior of a landmark or historic building or a property in a landmark or historic district governed by Chapter 20 of the zoning ordinance, apart from a narrow allowance for small repairs. Second, the exemption is the City of Atlanta’s — if your address is in Decatur, Sandy Springs, another nearby city, or unincorporated county, your own building department’s rules apply. If the painter’s scope includes carpentry, window replacement, or other repairs beyond the exempt list, ask in writing who will confirm whether a permit is needed and who will pull it.

6. Is my house in an Atlanta historic or landmark district, and does my district regulate repainting, color, or painting unpainted brick?

Why it matters: Atlanta’s Historic Preservation Studio says the regulations that apply depend on which historic or landmark district (or individual designation) your property has, that you can check on the Property Info map at gis.atlantaga.gov/propinfo, and that your scope of work determines which Certificate of Appropriateness you need and whether it goes to an Urban Design Commission public hearing or can be handled by staff (City of Atlanta: Historic Preservation). For paint, many district regulations are lenient about repainting but strict about masonry. Grant Park’s regulations say painting or repainting any structure does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness (Atlanta Zoning ch. 20K, Grant Park Historic District §16-20K.006, via LandCode). The Bonaventure-Somerset Historic District ordinance likewise says repainting does not require a certificate, and permits painting previously unpainted masonry only with a paint product specified for exterior masonry; the color is not regulated, but original or historic masonry may not be covered or coated in any other way (City of Atlanta Ordinance 18-O-1701, Bonaventure-Somerset Historic District (PDF)). Cabbagetown’s neighborhood association says paint colors are not controlled by its landmark district regulations, but painting an exposed, unpainted brick structure needs Urban Design Commission approval (Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association: Historic preservation FAQ).

Because the City’s permit-exemption list says its exemptions don’t apply to exterior work in Chapter 20 districts (City of Atlanta: Work exempt from a permit (PDF)) while individual district regulations exempt repainting, the safe move is to email the Historic Preservation Studio (historicpreservation@atlantaga.gov, per the City’s page) with your address and scope and keep the written answer. Ask your painter whether they have worked in your district before, and never let anyone paint, seal, or coat unpainted brick or stone until your district’s rule is confirmed.

7. Exactly which products will you use — brand, product line, sheen, primer, and number of coats — and will you give me the product data sheets?

Why it matters: “Good paint” isn’t a specification. Ask for the manufacturer, product line, sheen, color, primer, and coat count for each surface, plus the product data sheet and labeled VOC content. Federal VOC standards for architectural coatings apply to coatings manufactured on or after September 13, 1999 for sale or distribution in the United States, with specified exceptions (40 CFR Part 59, Subpart D; 40 CFR §59.400), so the label and data sheet are your check — a painter who won’t name the product, or plans to thin it past the label, is a problem for indoor air and for any manufacturer warranty. In Atlanta’s humid climate, ask what the painter recommends for mildew-prone, shaded, or north-facing walls and for previously painted masonry, and if your house is in a historic district that allows painting masonry only with masonry-specified paint, make sure the product named meets that rule. Also get in writing who buys the paint and whether it’s included in the price.

8. Is the quote based on a site visit, and does it itemize each room or exterior side, the repairs, the prep, and a weather plan?

Why it matters: The Attorney General’s office says to get written bids from at least three contractors and to be skeptical if a bid is too low — cheaper is not necessarily better (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). Photos and square-foot guesses miss rotted trim, mildew, failing caulk, peeling on porch ceilings, and how many coats a color change will need. An itemized, visit-based quote should list the surfaces, what will be washed, scraped, sanded, patched, caulked, and primed, which items stay unpainted, how floors, furniture, shrubs, and decks will be protected, and who handles minor carpentry. For exteriors, ask how the painter schedules around humidity, morning dew, and afternoon thunderstorms — coats rushed onto damp surfaces fail early — and follow the paint manufacturer’s label for application conditions; put weather-delay language in the contract. If one bid is far below the rest, find out which prep step it dropped.

9. What will be in the written contract, and if you came to my door, what are my cancellation rights?

Why it matters: The Attorney General’s office says to always insist on a contract for the work, with all guarantees, warranties, and promises in writing, to agree on start and completion dates and write them in, and to read the contract carefully before you sign; it also says to steer clear of any contractor who asks for full payment up front, takes only cash, or refuses to provide a written contract (Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements; Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). Ask that the contract name the exact products, sheens, and colors from your quote, the prep steps, lead-safe practices if your home is pre-1978, cleanup and disposal, and that every change be priced and signed before the work happens.

The same office warns against door-to-door offers for home repair work (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). When a covered sale is made at your home, the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule requires the seller to give you a contract or receipt saying you may cancel until midnight of the third business day after the transaction, with a notice-of-cancellation form (16 CFR §429.1). Separately, under Georgia’s SB 201, a contractor who signs a contract within one year of a natural disaster to repair, replace, or mitigate disaster damage to your home must accept your cancellation before midnight of the fifth business day after your insurer notifies you in writing that all or part of the claim isn’t covered, and must give you a detachable “NOTICE OF CANCELLATION” form before you sign (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). The City of Atlanta regulates door-to-door solicitation by ordinance, and ATL311 points residents to that ordinance (ATL311: Door-to-door solicitation); call 311 if a salesperson can’t show you City paperwork.

10. How do you want to be paid, and will you and your suppliers give me Georgia statutory lien waivers as I pay?

Why it matters: Georgia’s Consumer Protection Division says never to pay for the entire project before work begins, to consider paying no more than one-third of the total as a down payment with remaining payments tied to completed work, and not to make final payment until the job is complete and you are satisfied (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud; Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements). Georgia gives contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers of material to subcontractors a special lien on real estate they improve (O.C.G.A. §44-14-361). To keep it, a claimant must file the claim of lien within 90 days after completing the work or furnishing the material, send you a copy within two business days of filing, and start a lien action within 365 days of filing (O.C.G.A. §44-14-361.1). That means a paint store or sub your painter doesn’t pay can still reach your house.

Georgia lien waivers must substantially follow the statute’s interim-payment and final-payment forms, and a waiver signed before labor or materials are furnished is null and void (O.C.G.A. §44-14-366). Once signed, a waiver becomes conclusive on the earliest of actual receipt of the payment, a separate written acknowledgment of payment in full, or 90 days after signing unless the claimant files an affidavit of nonpayment in that window — so when you pay, collect the statutory waiver from the painter, and from any subcontractor or major supplier, for that payment. Georgia courts have also long recognized that at final payment an owner is protected by the contractor’s sworn statement that the labor and materials have been paid (see the annotations to O.C.G.A. §44-14-361). Pay by check or card to the company named in the contract, not cash.

11. What does your warranty cover, and who handles cleanup and leftover paint?

Why it matters: Peeling, blistering, and mildew usually trace back to prep or product choice, so ask what the workmanship warranty covers, how long it lasts, and how to make a claim, and get it in writing along with any manufacturer warranty — the Attorney General’s office says all guarantees and warranties belong in the contract (Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements). Ask for a finish schedule listing every color, sheen, and brand, plus a labeled can of each color for touch-ups. Georgia is not among the states with a PaintCare paint-stewardship program (PaintCare: participating states), so there’s no PaintCare retail drop-off network to rely on. In Atlanta, Live Thrive’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) at 1110 Hill St SE accepts latex, oil-based, and aerosol paints from residents and businesses, by appointment only; chemicals and paint are weighed together, residents’ first 20 pounds are free with weight-based fees after that, and businesses pay by the pound (Live Thrive: CHaRM Atlanta; Live Thrive: Items CHaRM accepts). Your contract should say the painter removes unusable paint, debris, and scraped chips and disposes of them lawfully — not in your trash cans, a storm drain, or the yard.