Florida Building Contractor

License Requirements

Please note that the Florida Business and Finance exam as well as the Building exam is required to be passed to obtain your contractor’s license.

Minimum amounts required for General Liability insurance for General, Residential, and Building contractors are $300,000 for bodily injury and $50,000 for property damage. All contractors are required to carry Worker’s Compensation Insurance...OR...Exemption Certificate.

• All contractors must be at least 18 years of age and be of good moral character.
• All contractor applicants for initial licensure or changed of status must have a criminal background check performed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FBI.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT YOUR FINGERPRINTS HAVE BEEN SCANNED BY THE DEPARTMENT’S VENDOR, PROMISSOR/PEARSON VUE, PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION.

If an applicant has a FICO credit score lower than 660, he/she will be requested to provide a licensing bond or letter of credit to obtain licensure. Please review the Department’s Financial Responsibility and Stability website for additional information on the Board’s requirements. The amount of the licensing bond or letter of credit is based on the type of license requested:

$20,000 for Division I contractors and $10,000 for Division II contractors

Experience Required:

4-years of experience in the trade with at least 1-year having been a foreman or supervisor work (some experience can be offset with construction-related college courses) OR 

A 4-year college 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 contractor’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).

 Building officials are no longer allowed to vouch for Florida Contractors’ experience.   Only Florida State Certified Contractor, U.S. License Architects and U.S. Licensed Engineers 

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

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