The practice of professional engineering and land surveying in Georgia may be carried out by a firm, corporation, professional corporation, partnership, association, limited liability company, or other entity which is organized or domesticated in Georgia, provided that one or more of the principals, officers, members or partners of the entity and all its personnel who act in its behalf are registered professional engineers or land surveyors. These requirements also apply to branch offices of foreign firms (jurisdictions other than Georgia) operating in Georgia.
All entities who practice or offer to practice professional engineering or land surveying in this State must file an application with the board and receive a Certificate of Authorization prior to practicing. Please refer to O.C.G.A. 43-15-23 for engineering entities and O.C.G.A. 43-15-23.1 for surveying entities. You can apply for a Certificate of Authorization to practice engineering or surveying through a firm online.
Note: This application process is separate from the requirement for corporations, LLCs, and partnerships to register with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Corporations Division. If your business is a corporation, LLC, or partnership providing engineering or land surveying services in Georgia, you are also required to obtain a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the Board. The only exception is for sole proprietors, where there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business entity.
All Certificates of Authorization obtained from the Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors expire on June 30 of even-numbered years unless renewed. Certificates of Authorization for both PE and LS firms may be renewed online.
A listing of all active and inactive corporations and registered corporation agents may be found at the Secretary of State’s corporations division site.
Questions relating to obtaining a business license should be directed to the Secretary of State’s corporations division at 404-656-2817.