Florida Contractor License Requirements
A two-tier system: a statewide "Certified" license or a locally-limited "Registered" license, with credit-score-linked financial rules.
License Requirement
Licensing body: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) — myfloridalicense.com
Florida uses a two-tier system: a "Certified" license lets you work statewide, while a "Registered" license limits you to a single local jurisdiction and skips the state exam. Classifications include Certified General Contractor, Certified Building Contractor, Certified Residential Contractor, plus specialty certified/registered classes.
Exam
Two exam parts: Business & Finance and Trade/Construction. The specific testing vendor could not be confirmed during this research pass — sources gave conflicting answers (Pearson VUE vs. Prometric). Confirm the current vendor at myfloridalicense.com or by calling DBPR before registering for a test.
Bonding
Under Fla. Stat. §489.115(5) and Fla. Admin. Code 61G4-15.006, applicants with a FICO score below 660 face additional financial-responsibility requirements, which may include a Board-approved course and/or bonding, capped at $20,000 for Division I license types (which includes general contractors). The commonly repeated claim that it's simply "$20,000 bond below 660, no bond above 660" is a simplification of how the statute actually reads — confirm the exact mechanism with DBPR before relying on it.
Continuing Education
Not confirmed during this research pass. A commonly cited "14 hours every 2 years" figure may actually refer to the financial-responsibility course rather than general continuing education — confirm directly at myfloridalicense.com.
Experience Requirements
Commonly cited as 4 years of verifiable construction experience or qualifying education, sourced from secondary guides and not independently reconfirmed against a live DBPR page this pass.
Reciprocity
Florida has reciprocity agreements with some states; specifics were not verified this pass — do not assume a specific state is covered without checking myfloridalicense.com.
Licensing requirements change and vary by locality within a state. Always verify current requirements with your state's contractor licensing board before applying. This page is an independent informational reference — it is not legal advice, and ContractorLicense.org is not a government agency and is not affiliated with any state licensing board.
Research note: The Certified/Registered structure and the FICO-660 statutory basis are solid (Fla. Stat. §489.115(5)). Exam vendor, exact insurance dollar amounts, and CE hours are unconfirmed — verify directly before publishing or relying on specific figures.
Still Not Sure What Florida Requires?
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