GA-CAC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown

The $110 Application Fee and Board Approval

When people search for "GA-CAC certification cost," they usually expect one number. In reality, the Georgia Conditioned Air Contractor Class II (Unrestricted) License Exam has a layered cost structure that starts long before you sit down at a PSI testing center. The core number to know is the $110 Class II licensure-by-examination application fee, which is submitted to the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Conditioned Air Contractors.

That fee doesn't buy you a testing slot outright. The Board must first review and approve your application - including your experience affidavits, references, background check, and required certifications - before you're cleared to schedule with PSI. This approval step is the part candidates most often underestimate, because it adds calendar time (not just dollars) to the overall path. If you want a deeper walkthrough of exactly what the Board checks before clearing an applicant, the GA-CAC Requirements 2026 guide breaks down every eligibility document in detail.

Prerequisite Costs: Experience, EPA Certs, and Design Training

Unlike many licensing exams where "cost" is mostly the exam fee, the Class II (Unrestricted) pathway front-loads most of its real investment into experience and prerequisite credentials - not the test itself. Current law requires five years of full-time qualifying experience structured very specifically:

• Two years of commercial supervisory experience
• One year as a service technician or service supervisor
• Two years of installation as a lead mechanic, with at least one commercial year on systems exceeding 175,000 BTU heating and 60,000 BTU cooling

None of that experience is "free" in the sense that it represents years of your career, but it's also not a fee you write a check for. Where actual out-of-pocket costs enter the picture:

• EPA Section 608 Type II and Type III certification - required before Board approval, typically obtained through a proctored EPA test with its own separate fee structure outside the GA-CAC exam itself.
• Board-approved heat-loss/gain and duct-design training covering Manuals J&D and N&Q - this is coursework you'll need documentation for, and course providers set their own tuition.
• Background check processing tied to your application submission.

These prerequisite costs vary by provider and are not published by the Board as a single line item, which is why this article focuses on what CERT FACTS actually confirms rather than guessing at third-party course pricing. For a full rundown of how these pieces fit together procedurally, see GA-CAC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Exam Day Costs: References, Format, and Retakes

Once approved, you schedule the computer-based exam through PSI. The Class II (Unrestricted) exam is a reference-permitted, multiple-choice test delivered in two parts, each three hours and thirty minutes long, for a combined 100 scored questions plus 20 unscored beta questions. A minimum final scaled score of 70 is required to pass.

For exams scheduled May 1 through December 31, 2026, the only approved references are the 2024 Georgia Gas and Mechanical Codes with Georgia amendments and the 2023 NEC. This matters for cost planning because:

• You'll likely need to purchase or access current copies of these code books - an indirect but real expense.
• Only approved references may be used in the testing room; permanent tabs, highlighting, and underlining are allowed, but photocopies and handwritten notes are prohibited.
• Improperly marked-up or non-approved materials can get you turned away at check-in, effectively wasting a testing fee.

The "hidden" cost here is retakes. If you don't clear the minimum scaled score of 70 on your first attempt, you'll need to pay to reschedule and sit again. After two failed attempts, the Board requires a Board-approved review course before you're allowed a third try - which adds tuition on top of another testing fee. This is one of the strongest financial arguments for going in prepared the first time. The GA-CAC Study Guide 2026 and How Hard Is the GA-CAC Exam? guide both go deeper into what makes candidates fail on attempt one.

Renewal and Continuing Education Costs

Passing the exam and receiving your Class II license isn't the end of the cost conversation. Licenses renew by November 30 of odd-numbered years, and maintaining active status requires four continuing education hours per year, or eight hours per two-year renewal cycle.

Budget for two recurring cost categories after licensure:

• Renewal fees assessed by the Board on the odd-year renewal cycle.
• CE course tuition for the eight required hours, which you'll need to source from approved providers.

These recurring costs are smaller than the initial licensure investment but are easy to forget when you're focused on exam day. Mark your renewal deadline now so you're not scrambling to complete CE hours at the last minute.

Total Cost Breakdown Table

Here's how the confirmed, documented costs stack up across the Class II (Unrestricted) pathway. Items without a published fixed fee are noted as variable, since exact tuition depends on the training provider you choose.

Hidden Costs Candidates Often Miss

Beyond the line items above, several costs are easy to overlook when budgeting for the Class II (Unrestricted) path:

• Documentation gathering time. Compiling experience affidavits and references across five years of employment history can involve tracking down former employers or supervisors - not a dollar cost, but a real logistical one that can delay your approval timeline.
• Study materials beyond code books. Practice questions modeled on the actual domain weighting help you avoid wasted study hours. Resources like structured practice tests can reduce the number of hours spent studying the wrong material.
• Reference tab preparation. Since photocopies and handwritten notes are prohibited, you'll need to properly tab and mark your approved code books ahead of time - plan for the time investment, not just the purchase.
• Opportunity cost of a second failure. Beyond the review-course tuition, a failed second attempt delays your ability to legally operate as a Class II Unrestricted contractor, which can mean lost project bids.

Budgeting Study Time by Domain

Since the exam fee and retake costs are the most avoidable expenses, the smartest financial move is spending your prep time where it counts. The exam covers four domains: Regulations, Laws, and Administrative Functions; System Design; Installation; and Maintain and Repair System. System Design is the largest domain at 55%, meaning it should absorb the largest share of your study calendar, not an equal split across all four.

For a domain-by-domain breakdown of exactly what's tested inside each of the four areas, see the GA-CAC Exam Domains 2026 guide. And if you want to understand exactly what "passing" means on the scaled scoring system, the GA-CAC Passing Score 2026 article walks through the minimum scaled score of 70 in detail.

Once you've mapped out your prep timeline, running through full-length practice exams that mirror the two-part, reference-permitted format is the most direct way to confirm you're ready before paying for your first attempt.

Frequently Asked Questions