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General contractor · State license

How to get a general contractor license in Florida

State law and licensing-board sources · Last reviewed October 11, 2026

Florida licenses general, building and residential contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). A certified license lets you work anywhere in the state. A registered license only covers the local areas where you met local competency rules. To become certified you need four years of experience (or a mix of college and experience), you must pass three open-book exams, and you must meet credit requirements and carry liability insurance. [1][2][3][4][5]

New to the trade?

Starting from zero in Florida

Florida licenses contractors, not construction workers, and state law exempts a licensed contractor's employees. So your first step is getting hired by a contractor as a laborer or carpentry helper, or enrolling in a registered apprenticeship such as ABC Florida Gulf Coast's carpentry or construction craft laborer tracks; the state's Apprenticeship Finder Map lists programs near you. Keep records of your work: a contractor license later takes at least 4 years of experience, including 1 year as a foreman, or a mix of college and experience. [2][7][17][18]

  • High school diploma or GED

    No Florida diploma rule for apprentices was found: the state's apprenticeship rule leaves minimum entry qualifications to each program sponsor, with a starting age of at least 16. ABC Florida Gulf Coast lists three qualifications: age 18, the legal right to work in the U.S., and a job with a commercial contractor in your trade. [18][21][22]

  • Minimum age

    Florida allows registered apprentices from age 16 ABC Florida Gulf Coast requires 18. Under 18, Florida child labor law limits construction work: 16- and 17-year-olds may work on residential construction only if they hold OSHA 10 certification and are directly supervised by someone 21 or older with OSHA 10 and at least 2 years of related experience, and never on scaffolding, roofs or ladders above 6 feet. These limits don't apply to student learners in a school vocational program under a signed written agreement, and the law says the chapter doesn't prevent "any apprentice indentured under a plan approved by" the state; ask your program how the rules apply to you. [18][21][23][24]

  • Register before you start work

    No state worker registration exists. In a registered apprenticeship you sign a written apprentice agreement with the program sponsor. [7][21]

  • Helper jobs

    Allowed: state law exempts an employee of a licensed contractor who works within that contractor's license, with its knowledge and permission. An employee is on the payroll, with taxes withheld and workers' compensation provided. [7]

  • Application windows

    ABC Florida Gulf Coast classes run once a week, 5 to 9 PM, September through May. You must be employed by a licensed contractor in your trade before the school year starts. [18]

  • Pay while you learn

    Registered apprentices in Florida are paid employees. ABC Florida Gulf Coast's program is employer sponsored, so your company covers tuition Most of its trades take four years (roofing three). [18][25]

  • Still in high school?

    Florida law lets a registered preapprenticeship start at 16. A high school preapprenticeship is a registered career and technical education (CTE) program, typically for juniors and seniors, that prepares you for a registered apprenticeship The sponsor may give you credit toward it. Credit for 1 year of related classroom instruction in a registered apprenticeship or preapprenticeship can count toward your high school graduation credits (career and technical education or electives), for programs the State Board of Education lists. Florida public high schools can offer Carpentry and Building Construction Technologies programs under the state's Architecture & Construction curriculum frameworks; ask your school or district which ones it runs. No Florida rule counting high school courses toward a contractor license was found; the license needs 4 years of experience or a mix of college and experience. [2][21][26][27][28][29]

Where to apply in FloridaHow to get an apprenticeshipHelper jobs

Licensing office Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Department of Business and Professional Regulation · 850.487.1395 [9][11]

Florida contractor license at a glance

Who issues licenses
Construction Industry Licensing Board, part of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation DBPR [9]
When you need a license
Contracting work unless it's casual or minor and under $2,500 in total, and no exemption if the work needs a building permit [7][8]
Experience
4 years (at least 1 as a foreman), or a mix of college credit and experience A related 4-year degree plus 1 year [2]
Exams
Three open-book, multiple-choice exams: Business and Finance, Contract Administration, Project Management [3][12]
Credit / finances
Credit report with a FICO score of 660 or higher and no unpaid liens or judgments Under 660, take a 14-hour financial responsibility course [4][13]
Insurance
General and building contractors: $300,000 liability and $50,000 property damage. Residential: $100,000 and $25,000. Plus workers' comp or an exemption. [5][11]
Application and exam fee
$335 for certification by exam, paid in parts to DBPR and the exam vendors [14]
Renewal
Every 2 years (certified licenses expire August 31 of even years) $200; 14 hours of continuing education [6][9][14]
Minimum age
18 [2]
On this page
  1. At a glance
  2. Starting from zero
  3. The license pathway
  4. Who needs a Florida contractor license
  5. Certified vs. registered
  6. General, building and residential: what each allows
  7. Experience and college credit
  8. The exams
  9. Credit, insurance and fees
  10. Renewal and continuing education
  11. Licensed in another state?
  12. Steps to get licensed
  13. Where to get the hours
  14. Licensed in another state?
  15. Questions people ask

The license pathway in Florida

  1. 1

    Certified Residential Contractor (CRC)

    • 4 years of experience
    • Business and Finance, plus Residential Contract Administration and Project Management (45 questions each); open book
    • $335 application and exam
    • Every 2 years; $200; 14 hours CE

    Build, remodel or repair one-, two- and three-family homes of up to two habitable stories. Your experience must cover at least three areas such as foundations, masonry walls or structural wood framing. [1][2][3][6][10][14]

  2. 2

    Certified Building Contractor (CBC)

    • 4 years of experience
    • Business and Finance, plus Building Contract Administration and Project Management (50 questions each); open book
    • $335 application and exam
    • Every 2 years; $200; 14 hours CE

    Commercial buildings and homes up to three stories, plus non-structural remodeling of any size building. A certified residential contractor with three years of experience in that class can move up by passing this exam. [1][2][3][6][14]

  3. 3

    Certified General Contractor (CGC)

    • 4 years of experience
    • Business and Finance (120 questions, 6.5 hours), plus GC Contract Administration and Project Management (60 questions, 4.5 hours each); open book
    • $335 application and exam
    • Every 2 years; $200; 14 hours CE

    No limit on the type of work. Your experience must be commercial and must include at least one year on structures four or more stories tall. Certified residential or building contractors can instead move up after four years in their class by passing the general contractor exam; the four-story rule doesn't apply to them. [1][2][3][6][10][14]

Who needs a Florida contractor license

Florida law says you can't do business as a contractor without being certified or registered in the right category. The minor-work exemption only covers casual, minor or inconsequential jobs under $2,500 in total. It doesn't apply if the job is part of a bigger project split up to dodge the limit, or if you advertise as a contractor.

Board rules narrow the exemption further. Work that touches structural parts, exits, disability access or life safety doesn't qualify, and neither does any work that needs a building permit.

Owners can act as their own contractor on their own home, or on a commercial building costing up to $75,000, for their own use. If they sell or lease it within a year, the law presumes it was built to sell. [6][7][8]

Certified vs. registered

A certified contractor holds a state certificate of competency and can work anywhere in Florida without meeting each city's or county's competency rules. Certified license numbers start with "C" (CGC, CBC, CRC).

A registered contractor met a local government's competency requirements and registered with the state. They can only contract in those local areas, and their license numbers start with "R".

Only certification lets you contract statewide; a registration covers only the local areas where you met the competency rules. [1][9]

General, building and residential: what each allows

Florida's Division I licenses form a ladder:

Experience must match the class. For general or building, it must be commercial work in at least four of six areas: large foundations or slabs (over 20,000 square feet), masonry walls, steel erection, elevated slabs, column erection, or structural concrete formwork. General contractor applicants also need at least one year on buildings four or more stories tall (certified building or residential contractors moving up are exempt from this). Residential applicants need experience in at least three areas, such as foundations, masonry walls or structural wood framing. [1][9][10]

Experience and college credit

Florida offers three routes to qualify for the exam:

Experience gained in the military can count too. It only counts if you gained it legally, under a contractor licensed for that work, and not on exempt jobs. [2][10][11]

The exams

Division I applicants (general, building and residential) must pass three exams: Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management. Register through Professional Testing, Inc., then schedule computer-based tests with Pearson VUE. All exams are open book and multiple choice.

For the general contractor license:

Building and residential versions are shorter (50 and 45 questions). See DBPR's construction examinations page for content outlines and references. [3][12]

Credit, insurance and fees

Credit. You submit a credit report showing a FICO score and no unpaid liens or judgments against you or the business you'll qualify. A score of 660 or higher meets the requirement. Below 660, you must complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course.

Insurance. General and building contractors must carry $300,000 in public liability and $50,000 in property damage coverage. Residential contractors need $100,000 and $25,000. You also need workers' compensation insurance, or an exemption, within 30 days of getting your license.

Fees. Certification by exam costs $335 in all. That's paid as $135 to DBPR or its exam developer when you schedule, $80 for each test administered, and $40 to DBPR for processing once you pass. Contract Administration and Project Management count as one test for fees. Renewal is $200 every two years. [4][5][11][13][14]

Renewal and continuing education

Certified licenses expire August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered licenses expire in odd-numbered years.

Each renewal needs 14 hours of continuing education (CE), with each hour at least 50 minutes. The hours must include workers' comp, business practices, workplace safety, wind mitigation where it applies, and 1 hour of laws and rules. The renewal fee is $200. [6][9][14]

Licensed in another state?

The CILB has reciprocal agreements with Louisiana, North Carolina and Mississippi for general, building and residential licenses. You can also apply by reciprocity if your current license was granted after you passed the NASCLA exam, as long as you release the transcript to the CILB.

Florida also offers certification by endorsement if you've held a contractor license in another state for at least 10 years. You must apply while that license is active or within 2 years after it lapses, and take a 2-hour Florida Building Code course on wind mitigation. More: license reciprocity. [6][15]

Steps to get licensed in Florida

  1. Build your experience

    Get four years of experience as a skilled worker or foreman (at least one year as a foreman), or combine college credit with experience. For general and building licenses it must be commercial work, done under a properly licensed contractor. [2][10]

  2. Apply to take the exams

    Send the CILB 1 exam application to Professional Testing, Inc. Once approved, schedule the three computer-based exams with Pearson VUE. [12][16]

  3. Pass Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management

    All three exams are open book and multiple choice. Passing the exams alone doesn't make you licensed. [3][12][16]

  4. Apply for certification

    Submit the certified general contractor application with proof of experience, a credit report with a FICO score, an insurance affidavit and Live Scan fingerprints. [11]

  5. Get workers' comp and keep up CE

    Get workers' compensation coverage or an exemption within 30 days of your license being issued. After that, renew every two years with 14 hours of continuing education. [6][11]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train general contractors in or for Florida, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

Licensed in another state?

  • General, Building and Residential: LA, NC, MS

    The CILB publishes reciprocal licensing agreements with Louisiana, North Carolina and Mississippi for general, building and residential licenses. You can also apply by reciprocity if your current license came from passing the NASCLA exam and you release the transcript to the CILB. [15]

  • Certification by endorsement

    The CILB can certify you by endorsement if you've held a license in another state for at least 10 years and are applying for the same or a similar license. You must apply while that license is active or within 2 years after, and you take a 2-hour Florida Building Code course. [6]

Also listed by: Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Utah (their own boards list Florida as a partner; check both sides before you move).

Open the reciprocity map · How reciprocity works

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FL Listed here (agreement or endorsement) Lists FL

Questions people ask

How much does a general contractor license cost in Florida?

Board rules set the application and exam fee for certification at $335 total, paid in parts to DBPR and its exam vendors. Renewal is $200 every two years. On top of that you'll pay for your credit report, fingerprints and insurance, and for the 14-hour financial course if your FICO score is under 660. [4][11][14]

Do I need a contractor license for small jobs in Florida?

Only casual, minor jobs under $2,500 in total are exempt. Any job that needs a building permit, or touches structural or life-safety work, isn't covered by the exemption, and the exemption is lost if you advertise as a contractor. [7][8]

Can a college degree replace experience in Florida?

Partly. A 4-year degree in building construction, architecture or civil engineering plus 1 year of experience qualifies. College credit can also stand in for part of the four years when combined with foreman and skilled-worker time. [2][10]

Are Florida contractor exams open book?

Yes. All of Florida's construction exams are open book and multiple choice. [12]

What's the difference between a certified and a registered contractor?

A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor met local competency rules and can only work in those local areas. [1][9]

Sources (29)
  1. Florida Statutes 489.105, Definitions, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  2. Florida Statutes 489.111, Licensure by examination, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  3. Examinations at a Glance, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  4. Rule 61G4-15.006, Financial Responsibility and Financial Stability, Grounds for Denial, Florida Administrative Code. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  5. Rule 61G4-15.003, Public Liability Insurance, Florida Administrative Code. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  6. Florida Statutes 489.115, Certification and registration; endorsement; reciprocity; renewals; continuing education, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  7. Florida Statutes 489.103, Exemptions, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  8. Rule 61G4-12.011, Definitions, Florida Administrative Code. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  9. Construction Industry, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  10. Rule 61G4-15.001, Qualification for Certification, Florida Administrative Code. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  11. Certified General Contractor as an Individual - Active (CILB 5-A), Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  12. Construction Examinations, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  13. Financial Responsibility and Stability Requirements for Contractor Applicants, Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  14. Rule 61G4-12.009, Fees, Florida Administrative Code. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  15. CILB Reciprocity, Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  16. CILB 1 - Initial and Retake Examination Application, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  17. Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Florida Department of Education. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  18. Apprenticeship, Associated Builders and Contractors Florida Gulf Coast Chapter. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  19. ABC Florida East Coast Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  20. Apprenticeship Job Finder, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  21. Florida Statutes 446.021 Definitions of terms used in ss. 446.011-446.092, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  22. Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-23.004: Standards of Apprenticeship, Florida Department of State, Florida Administrative Code and Register (flrules.org). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  23. Florida Statutes 450.061 Hazardous occupations prohibited; exemptions, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  24. Florida Statutes 450.161 Chapter not to affect career education of children; other exceptions, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  25. What is Registered Apprenticeship?, Florida Department of Education, Office of Apprenticeship. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  26. Standards of Preapprenticeship (registration template), Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  27. Florida Statutes 446.052 Preapprenticeship program, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  28. Florida Statutes 1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school diploma, Florida Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  29. 2026-27 Curriculum Frameworks: Architecture & Construction, Florida Department of Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.