Last verified against the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR) and Chapter 489, Florida Statutes, on 20 October 2026. Bond and insurance coverage content reviewed by Tyler Williamson, Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Agent, North Carolina.
The first decision in Florida is not which exam to take. It is whether you want to be certified or registered. A certified contractor can work anywhere in the state. A registered contractor can work only in the local jurisdictions whose competency requirements they met. For a general contractor, certification means four years of experience, three exam parts, a credit check, and $300,000 of liability insurance.
Florida licenses construction through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), part of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The requirements are demanding but clearly laid out. The traps are structural: the certified/registered split, the three overlapping licence types, and a financial test built on your credit score rather than your net worth.
Do you need a Florida contractor licence?
For almost all paid construction work, yes. The exception is narrow. Since 1 July 2020, handyman jobs with a total construction cost under $2,500 are exempt, but only when the work is “casual, minor, or inconsequential.” The Board adds that work requiring a permit is typically not casual, minor or inconsequential, so the exemption does not cover anything your building department would permit.
Check local rules too. The state exemption does not override a county’s or city’s own licensing requirements.
Is there a Florida handyman licence?
No. Florida handles handyman work through the $2,500 exemption above, and anything beyond it needs a contractor licence in the right category. Electrical work is licensed separately, by its own board.
Certified or registered
| Certified | Registered | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you can work | Any jurisdiction in Florida | Only the jurisdictions whose competency requirements you met |
| Competency shown by | State exams and state experience rules | Local competency requirements |
| Renews | 31 August, even-numbered years | 31 August, odd-numbered years |
Under the statute, a certified contractor may “contract in any jurisdiction in the state without being required to fulfill the competency requirements of that jurisdiction.” A registered contractor “may contract only in such jurisdictions” where they registered. If you ever plan to work across county lines, certification is the licence to aim for.
Registered contractors are not stuck. Since 1 July 2021, a registered contractor can grandfather into a certified licence after at least five years as a contractor in the category, having passed a substantially similar exam, with no revocation and no suspension or fine over $500 in the last five years, and meeting the financial requirements.
General, building or residential
Florida has three licence types for general construction work, and they overlap. Choose by the largest building you expect to work on.
| Licence | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General contractor | Unlimited as to type of work: any building, any height |
| Building contractor | Commercial buildings and residential buildings up to three storeys, or remodelling of any size building where the structural members are not affected |
| Residential contractor | One-, two- and three-family homes up to two habitable storeys over no more than one uninhabitable storey |
You can move up later. A certified residential contractor with three years’ proven experience in that classification can qualify for a certified building licence, and a residential or building contractor with four years’ experience can qualify for the general licence.
The experience requirement
To sit the certification exams you must be 18, of good moral character, and meet one of these routes under section 489.111:
- A four-year degree in engineering, architecture or building construction, plus one year of proven experience in the category.
- Four years of active experience, including at least one year as a foreman.
- A mix of experience and college credit: one year as foreman plus three years of credits; or one year as a skilled worker, one as foreman and two years of credits; or two years as a skilled worker, one as foreman and one year of credits. Community college courses count.
The one year as foreman runs through every route except the degree, and it is the part people most often cannot document. For the general contractor licence specifically, the Board’s FAQ adds that the experience should be under a licensed contractor, include new construction, and be as a salaried employee.
The exams
A certified general, building or residential contractor takes three exam parts: Business and Finance, which runs six and a half hours, plus Contract Administration and Project Management for the licence type. All are open-book, with an approved reference list.
- Apply to sit the exams with Professional Testing, Inc., the Board’s exam contractor, at least 30 days before the exam date.
- Once approved, schedule through Pearson VUE; you can book within 72 hours of approval.
- Sit the exams on computer at a Pearson VUE site.
A note on format, because it is misdescribed in places, including in parts of the Board’s own FAQ. The Board’s current examination page says all construction exams are now computer-based, with plumbing trade knowledge the only paper exam. If you read elsewhere that Contract Administration and Project Management are paper exams held in Tallahassee, Orlando and Miami, that describes the older format.
Three rules soften the exams:
- You retake only what you fail. Passed parts stand.
- You have four years from your first attempt to pass every part, and four years after passing to apply for your licence.
- A building construction degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher exempts you from the trade portion, leaving only Business and Finance.
Financial responsibility: your credit score
Florida does not ask for a minimum net worth. It looks at your credit. Credit reports with a FICO score are required for the qualifying agent and for the business. A score of 660 or higher meets the test. Below 660, you must complete a Board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility and stability course.
If a business uses a Financially Responsible Officer, that person must hold a $100,000 bond payable to the Board, or an irrevocable letter of credit for the same amount. A letter of bondability is not accepted, and an FRO for several businesses needs a separate bond for each. More on how Florida’s bond compares in contractor license bonds by state.
Insurance
Insurance is a condition of holding an active licence, not just of getting one. General and building contractors must carry $300,000 liability and $50,000 property damage. Residential contractors and all other categories need $100,000 liability and $25,000 property damage.
You must also carry workers’ compensation or an exemption. If you plan to use an exemption, you can still apply, provided you obtain it within 30 days of being licensed. For how these policies differ from a bond, see licensed, bonded and insured.
Applying and qualifying a business
In Florida a licence does not work on its own: contractors must qualify a construction business with their individual licence. The business then needs its own credit report alongside yours.
Many initial applications go before the Board. You will be notified about two weeks before the meeting, and licences are typically issued within two weeks after the meeting that approves them. The Board does not publish an overall timeline, and the exam scheduling is usually the longest step.
Renewal and continuing education
Certified licences renew on 31 August of every even-numbered year, registered licences on 31 August of odd-numbered years. Each renewal needs 14 hours of continuing education, including at least one hour each of workplace safety, workers’ compensation, business practices, the advanced building code module, and laws and rules. General, building and residential contractors must also complete one hour of wind mitigation methodology. It is a Florida requirement you will not see in most states.
Licensed in another state?
Florida has reciprocity with states that have signed agreements with the Board, applied for on CILB form 32. Separately, general, building and residential applicants who have passed the NASCLA exam, the Florida Business and Finance exam and a Florida Building Code exam can apply by endorsement on CILB form 10. The Board is candid that endorsement requirements are “very stringent and rarely get approved,” so do not plan around it.
Compare Florida with other states in how to become a general contractor, or with Georgia next door, where one licence also covers the whole state but the financial test is net worth rather than credit, or with Alabama, which also checks credit for its home builders licence but splits residential and commercial work between two boards.
Step by step
- Decide certified or registered. Certified, if you want to work statewide.
- Choose general, building or residential by the biggest building you will work on.
- Document your experience, including at least a year as foreman.
- Apply to Professional Testing, Inc. at least 30 days before your exam date.
- Pass Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management through Pearson VUE.
- Pull credit reports for yourself and the business; take the 14-hour course if you are under 660.
- Buy liability insurance at $300,000/$50,000 for general or building, and arrange workers’ compensation or an exemption.
- Apply for licensure and qualify your business, then attend the Board meeting if asked.
Frequently asked questions
How do you become a licensed contractor in Florida?
Meet one of the experience routes in section 489.111, including at least a year as foreman, pass the Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management exams, show a FICO score of 660 or complete the 14-hour course, carry the required insurance and workers’ compensation, and qualify a construction business.
How hard is the Florida GC exam?
It is long rather than tricky. Business and Finance alone runs six and a half hours, and all parts are open-book, so the skill is finding answers fast in approved references. You retake only the parts you fail, and you have four years to pass them all.
What is the difference between a certified and registered contractor in Florida?
A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor can work only in the local jurisdictions whose competency requirements they met. A registered contractor with five years’ experience in the category can apply to grandfather into a certified licence.
Can I do work without a licence in Florida?
Only handyman jobs under $2,500 in total cost that are casual, minor or inconsequential. Work that needs a permit typically does not qualify. Local jurisdictions may set their own rules.
Do I need insurance for a Florida contractor licence?
Yes. General and building contractors need $300,000 liability and $50,000 property damage cover; other categories need $100,000 and $25,000. Workers’ compensation or an exemption is also required.
Sources
- Florida Statutes, Chapter 489, sections 489.105 and 489.111 (2025)
- Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board: construction industry FAQ
- Florida DBPR: construction examinations information
Verified against the CILB, DBPR and Chapter 489 on 20 October 2026. Fees, exam arrangements and rules change; confirm with the Board before you apply. This page is research, not legal advice.
