Florida Contractor Continuing Education for License Renewal 

To do construction in the State of Florida, all contractors must have a Certified License or Registered License.  Certified Licenses are statewide and allow you to work as a contractor anywhere in Florida.  Registered Licenses are limited to certain local jurisdictions and only allow you to work in the cities or counties where you hold a certificate of competency.

A contractor is someone who demolishes, subtracts from, builds or improves any building or structure for compensation.  All contractor licenses are divided into 2 Divisions.

Division one –  all structural type licenses (all general, building and residential contractors).

Division two – non-structural type licenses (plumbing, roofing, pool/spa, etc).

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation issues twenty different construction licenses.  Individuals seeking licensure in Florida are required to:

1. Take and pass all required examinations.
2. Have four years of experience or a combination of college and experience (see application instruction page for complete information).
3. Provide proof of financial stability and responsibility by submitting personal credit reports that include a FICO credit score
4. Have a background check and fingerprints
5. Attest that they have obtained public liability and property damage insurance and workers compensation insurance
6. Pay the required fee as provided in the application payable to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation
7. Complete the “Printable Application” by clicking on the link for desired license on web site at:  http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/

Mail your completed application, documentation and required fee(s) to:

Yes, all licensure requires an exam.  All Division 1 licenses require 3 exams:  Business & Finance, Contract Administration, and Project Management.  Division 2 licenses require only 2 exams:  Business & Finance and Trade Knowledge.  Visit the Construction Industry Licensing Board web site for examination information on all 20 construction licenses at:  http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/index.html.  Specific information for each examination can be found in the “Examination Content Information” and “Reference List” documents for each trade.  Knowledge of basic mathematics is also required for each part of the exam.  Apply to Professional Testing Inc. by calling (407) 264-0562 or online at:  www.floridaexam.com.  Pearson Vue is the contracted vendor for the Business and Finance Exam.  They schedule, administer, score and report the results for the tests.  Candidates must pass all required examinations to be licensed.

Applicants are required to have 4 years of experience or a combination of college and experience.  For a complete listing of all experience/education requirements, see the application’s instruction page.

Yes, we have two courses that meet the Florida “financial responsibilities” requirement. Click on the approval number for more information on the courses:

• 7-Hour Florida Financial Responsibilities: Effective Business Strategies – #0610623
• 7-Hour Florida Online Contracts, Liability and Risk Management – #0610130

Grandfathering allows a currently registered contractor to apply for and receive a state wide certified contractor’s license in their same category of licensure without sitting for the state contractor’s examination if the contractor meets certain criteria set forth in Section 489.118, Florida Statutes.

In order to have your registered contractor’s license grandfathered, you must:

1. Currently hold a valid state-registered license in one of the contractor categories defined in Section 489.105(3)(a)-(p), Florida Statutes.
2. Have, for that category, passed a written examination that the board finds to be substantially similar to the examination required to be licensed as a certified contractor under this part. For purposes of this subsection, a written, proctored examination such as that produced by the National Assessment Institute, Block and Associates, NAI/Block, Experior Assessments, Professional Testing, Inc., or Assessment Systems, Inc., shall be considered to be substantially similar to the examination required to be licensed as a certified contractor. The board may not impose or make any requirements regarding the nature or content of these cited examinations.
3. Have at least 5 years of active state-registered experience as a contractor in that contracting category, or as an inspector or building administrator with oversight over that category, at the time of application.
4. Have not had your contractor’s license revoked at any time, had your contractor’s license suspended within the last 5 years, or been assessed a fine in excess of $500 within the last 5 years.
5. Be in compliance with the insurance and financial responsibility requirements in Section 489.115(5), Florida Statutes.

All applications for grandfathering must be postmarked no later than November 1, 2015 to be considered for grandfathering.

The application fee is $309.00

No

Yes

No. However, if you have a trade license from another state and can prove you got your license by passing an exam and meeting experience requirements equal to the Florida Board requirements, you may qualify for the trade exam.