How to become a vet tech in Georgia

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Georgia vet techs hold the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) credential, a state license issued by the Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine. The license is needed to use the LVT title and to do the tasks board rules reserve for licensed techs, such as inducing anesthesia and non-emergency intubation. Unlicensed staff can work as veterinary assistants under a separate, shorter task list. To get licensed, you graduate from an AVMA-accredited program, pass the VTNE, and pass Georgia's open-book law exam.

Georgia vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Georgia
Title	Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Issued by	Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine, a state board in the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division
Type	State license
Required to work as a tech	Yes, with conditions A license is required to use the LVT title and for tasks the rules reserve for licensed techs. Unlicensed veterinary assistants may do a separate list of tasks under a veterinarian's supervision.
Education	Graduate of an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program. The board reviews other programs one by one. The old experience-only route closed in 2009.
Exams	VTNE (scaled score of at least 425 on the 200 to 800 scale), plus the Georgia Veterinary Technician Law Exam, an open-book form you complete and upload with your application.
Renewal and CE	Every two years, by December 31 of even-numbered years. 11 board-approved CE hours per cycle, including 1 hour on Georgia laws, rules and professionalism.
Moving from another state	Apply for transfer. Send your VTNE scores, pass the Georgia law exam, and provide license verifications from every state, employment verification and proof of CE.

How to get your LVT in Georgia

Graduate from a veterinary technician program approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The board reviews graduates of other programs on an individual basis.
Pass the VTNE, which is run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Georgia requires a scaled score of at least 425 and has the score reported to the board.
Complete the Georgia Veterinary Technician Law Exam. You download it from the board's forms page, answer it using the laws and rules, and upload it with your application.
Apply online through the Secretary of State's GOALS portal. You must be at least 18 and of good moral character. The checklist includes a signed, notarized application and fee, an official transcript, a background consent form, a secure and verifiable ID document and an affidavit of citizenship.
If you hold or held a license in any other state, have each state send a verification.
Answer any deficiency letter quickly. The board may withdraw an application if the missing items are not received within 60 days. You may not work as an LVT until your license is active.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

Georgia's board rules list tasks separately for licensed techs (Chapter 700-14) and veterinary assistants (Chapter 700-15), each with a supervision level. Immediate supervision means the veterinarian is within sight and hearing. Direct supervision means the veterinarian is on the premises and quickly available. Indirect supervision means the veterinarian is off site but has given instructions and can be reached by phone or similar.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Induce anesthesia or do a non-emergency intubation	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	No
Maintain anesthesia	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision.
Dental extraction that needs no sectioning of the tooth or bone	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision.
Euthanasia	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision.
Radiographs (settings, positioning, processing, safety)	Yes, with conditions: indirect supervision.	Yes, with conditions: radiology assistance under direct supervision.
Rabies vaccine for animals the state requires to be vaccinated	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision, under a 2026 law (House Bill 1408). The board's rule text has not yet been updated.	No
Diagnose, give a prognosis, prescribe or perform surgery	No	No

Licensed techs may also do central venous access, arterial catheterization and arterial blood collection under direct supervision; assistants may not. Licensed techs may not practice veterinary telemedicine. The board allows teletriage and teleadvice under a veterinarian's supervision, after it approves a notarized affidavit and a client consent form.

Veterinary assistants in Georgia

We found no state permit or registration for veterinary assistants in Georgia. The law defines an assistant as a person a veterinarian has delegated "certain aspects of the practice of veterinary technology" to, who is not licensed by the board. Board rules set the supervision level for each assistant task. Assistants may not identify themselves as a veterinary technician, and only licensees may use the title "licensed veterinary technician" or "licensed veterinary technologist." Using those titles without a license is a misdemeanor.

Renewal and continuing education

LVT licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years, so the next deadline is December 31, 2026. Renewal is online through GOALS. The board's pages describe a late renewal period in the following odd year but give different end dates, so check the current deadline with the board. A license not renewed by the end of the late period lapses and must be reinstated.

11 board-approved CE hours per two-year cycle, including 1 hour on Georgia laws, rules and professionalism (LEAP). Licensees who do not practice in Georgia are exempt from the LEAP hour.
At most 4 hours from journal studies or non-interactive online courses with a follow-up test.
At most 3 hours of in-house training at your workplace, and at most 5 hours of in-house training at AVMA-accredited institutions.
Hours do not carry over. Keep records for three years; the board audits up to 25% of licensees.
Techs licensed in the first year of a cycle need 5 hours; techs licensed in the second year are exempt for that cycle.

Recent changes

Rabies vaccines (2026). House Bill 1408 lets an LVT give rabies vaccines to animals the state requires to be vaccinated (dogs and cats), under a veterinarian's direct supervision. The Governor signed it, and it took effect July 1, 2026. As of October 25, 2026, the board's scope rule still carries the older rabies exclusion.
CE hours (2025). At its June 4, 2025 meeting the board adopted an amended CE rule that raises the requirement from 10 to 11 hours, with 1 LEAP hour.
Temporary license (2024). In December 2024 the board adopted a one-time, six-month temporary license for out-of-state techs working in government or nonprofit shelters and in nonprofit sterilization clinics or mobile programs registered in Georgia. It cannot be renewed.
Proposed scope expansion (proposed, not in force). The board held a hearing on April 15, 2026 on proposed amendments that would add tasks for LVTs, such as regional anesthesia blocks and suturing an existing surgical incision, and a new rule requiring "LVT" after a licensee's name. These changes are not in the official rule text as of October 25, 2026. Check with the board for their status.

FAQ

Can I work in a Georgia clinic without a vet tech license?

Yes, as a veterinary assistant, within the tasks Rule 700-15 allows and under a veterinarian's supervision. You cannot call yourself a veterinary technician, and some tasks, such as inducing anesthesia, are for licensed techs only.

I am licensed in another state. Can I transfer to Georgia?

Yes, through the board's transfer application, but it is not automatic. You still pass the Georgia law exam and send your VTNE scores, license verifications from every state, employment verification and proof of CE.

Can a Georgia LVT give rabies shots?

Yes, under a veterinarian's direct supervision, under House Bill 1408, in effect since July 1, 2026. Veterinary assistants may not give rabies vaccines to animals the state requires to be vaccinated.

Can a Georgia LVT extract teeth?

Yes, for extractions that do not require sectioning the tooth or cutting bone, under direct supervision. Board rules also allow assistants to do these extractions, but only with the veterinarian in sight and hearing.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Georgia?

We found no "veterinary nurse" title in Georgia's practice act or board rules. The protected titles are "licensed veterinary technician" and "licensed veterinary technologist," and LVTs must identify themselves as licensed veterinary technicians at work.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine directly.

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