Please note that the Florida Business and Finance exam as well as the Glass and Glazing exam is required to be passed to obtain your contractor’s license. American Contractors course for the Glass and Glazing contractor includes Business and Finance so you DO NOT have to register for the courses separately. The Trade-Portion only is also available during the scheduled seminar dates. Individuals interested in taking the trade portion only should contact us at 800-992-1910 for further details. The cost for the Trade-only is $595.00.
• Minimum amounts required for General Liability insurance for Glass and Glazing contractors are $100,000 for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage. Worker’s Compensation Insurance is required OR Exemption Certificate.
• All contractors must be at least 18 years of age and be of good moral character.

  Beginning November 1, 2007, all applicants for initial licensure or changed of status will be required to have a criminal background check performed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Federal Bureau of Investigation. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT YOUR FINGERPRINTS HAVE BEEN SCANNED BY THE DEPARTMENT’S VENDOR, PROMISSOR/PEARSON VUE, PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION.

• Applicants must demonstrate a positive net worth. 
• Applicants must show they have adequate credit by submitting a credit report less than 3 months old.

  Experience Required:

• 4 years of experience in the trade with at least 1 year having been supervisory work OR
   
• A 4-year degree from an accredited college and 1 year proven experience applicable to the category for which you are applying OR
   
• 1 year as a foreman and not less than 3 years of credits from any accredited college level courses OR
   
• 1 year as a workman, 1 year proven experience as a foreman, and 2 years of credits from any accredited college level courses OR
   
• 2 years of experience as a workman, 1 year of experience as a foreman, and 1 year of credits from any accredited college level courses OR
   
• Have an active Certified Florida contactor’s license (This option only applies to Certified Building, Residential, Air Conditioning, and Swimming Pool contractors as provided in Section 489.111 (2)(c)4-6, Florida Statutes).

*You can substitute up to 3 years of college credit for experience*

A Glass and Glazing contractor falls under the category of a “Specialty Contractor”. The scope of work for this contractor is limited to the installation and attachment of all types of windows and glass (fixed or movable), the installation of swinging or sliding glass doors to the existing walls, floors, columns, or other structural members of the building, the installation of glass holding or supporting mullions or horizontal bars which are attached to existing building walls, floors, columns, or other structural members of the building, and the cutting and installation of glass and mirrors.

This license also allows installation of prefabricated glass, metal or plastic curtain walls and panels, caulking incidental to such work and assembly, and installation of shower and tub enclosures and metal fascias.

To apply, contact State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation 1-850-487-1395.

If applying for initial licensure from May 1st of an Even numbered year through August 31st of an Odd numbered year the fee is $249.

If applying for initial licensure from September 1st of an Odd numbered year through April 30th of an Even numbered year the fee is $149.

There is also a $59 fee for a newly established qualified business OR a $50 fee for a change to an existing qualified business.

You must pay a fee of $56.25 to Promissor/Pearson VUE for the processing of your electronic fingerprints. Candidates will receive an unofficial grade report on the day they pass the exam. However, test scores and license approval do not become official until ratified by the Contractors Licensing Board at their next meeting. Licenses are typically received within 14 days of the exam.

Florida has no reciprocal agreements for the Glass and Glazing license with any states at this time.

As of this time Florida requires 14 hours of board approved continuing education each biennium prior to the renewal period for both certified and registered contractors. At least 1 hour must deal with workplace safety, 1 hour must be on the subject of worker’s compensation, 1 hour must cover the subject of business practices, 1 hour must cover the subject of laws and rules, 1 hour must cover wind mitigation methodologies, and 1 hour must cover the Florida Building Code advanced modules.

All parts of the examination:
Pay $135.00 examination development fee payable to PTI, $80.00 examination administration fee payable to DBPR, but mailed to PTI. An $80.00 examination administration fee payable to Pearson Vue (formerly Promissor), the CBT (Computer Based Testing) contracted vendor, is due at the time of scheduling.

• A score of at least 70% is required to pass the exams.
• The exam is 2 days, open book, multiple-choice, and timed.
• There are 2 parts to the exam, the business finance part and trade knowledge. The time limit for the trade exam is 4 hours and 45 minutes. The Business Finance portion is 6.5 hrs.
• Exams are held 3 times per year in February, June, and October. Test locations are in Orlando, Tallahassee, and Miami.

  Effective November 3, 2006 the Board revised rule 61G4-16.009 Florida Administrative Code. The revised rule provides that a candidate who has failed to achieve a passing score on 1 or more of the required exams has up to 2 years from the date of the 1st attempt to achieve a passing score on all required parts. If a passing score is not achieved within the 2 year period, all past test scores shall be considered invalid and the candidate will be required to retake all portions of the exam. Each candidate will only be allowed 6 attempts to pass each part of the exam during the 2 year period.

• The Florida Glass and Glazing general trade knowledge exam portion has 80 questions, weighted equally, and is held during the morning of the 2nd day.
• The Florida Business and Finance exam is a 6.5 hr exam consisting of 125 equally weighted questions.
• Applicants must submit an application and exam fee to become registered to take the exam. The testing company must receive completed applications and appropriate fees no later than 30 days prior to the next scheduled exam date.

• Topics covered on the trade knowledge exam portion are pre-construction, fabrication of product, transporting of product, installing product, and servicing.

• To schedule your exam you must contact Professional Testing, Inc (PTI) at 1-407-264-0562.

The references listed in the Right-Hand column are permitted to be taken into the examination. These references may be tabbed (with permanent index tabs) and highlighted. They are available for purchase from our online contractor’s bookstore or by calling our office at 1-800-992-1910.

*There are additional downloadable documents for these exams. The Business and Finance portion of the exam has one document. The Glass and Glazing portion has suggested reference books to study, but they cannot be taken into the exam. *

Florida Statutes Chapter 455, 2007.

AAMA Aluminum Store Front and Entrance Manual SFM-1-87, 2002
AAMA Anodic Finishes Painted Aluminum-Curtain Wall Series, AFPA-91, 1991
AAMA Curtain Wall Design Guide manual CW-DG-1-96, Editorial Revisions 5/2005
AAMA Glass Design for Sloped Glazing, GDSG-1, 1987
AAMA Installation of Aluminum Curtain Walls, CWG-1-89, 1989
AAMA Care and Handling of Architectural Aluminum from Shop to Site CW-10, 2004
AAMA Cleaning and Maintenance Guide for Architecturally Finished Aluminum 609 & 610-02, 2002
AAMA Metal Curtain Wall Manual MCWM-1-89, 2002
AAMA North American Fenestration Standard 101/I.S.2/NAFS-02, 2002
AAMA Sloped Glazing Guidelines TIR-A7-83, 2002
AAMA Voluntary Specifications for Hurricane Impact & Cycle Testing of Fenestration Products 506-00, 2000
AAMA Voluntary Specifications for Aluminum Vinyl (PVC) & Wood Windows & Glass Doors 101/I.S.2-97, 2005
ANSI Z97.1-2004, 2004
ASTM C1036, Standard Specifications for Flat Glass, 2001
ASTM C1048, Standard Specifications for Heat-Treated Flat Glass – King HS FT Coated and Uncoated, 2004
ASTM C1172-96, Standard Specifications for Laminated Flat Glass, 2003
FGMA Sealant manual, 1990
GANA Glazing Manual, 2004
GANA Laminated Glazing Reference Manual, 2003
 

American Contractors offers a 5 day seminar to prepare for the Florida Glass and Glazing contractor license exam and includes preparation for the Business and Finance exam. Please contact us for additional information, 1-800-992-1910.