Florida roofing contractor license rules for 2026: certified versus registered, four experience routes, the real board fees, insurance minimums, the 2025 scope change and the qualifier rule.
Florida licenses roofing contractors at the state level through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation issues two distinct roofing credentials: certified and registered. Picking the wrong one can cost a roofing company a season of work, and since 2025 the license also covers more roofing work than most guides still show.
At a glance
- Two tracks. A certified roofing contractor works anywhere in Florida. A registered roofing contractor works only in the jurisdictions where it holds local competency (F.S. 489.117).
- Experience. Four years of trade experience with at least one year as a foreman, a degree route, or one of three college and experience combinations (F.S. 489.111).
- Scope. Since May 2025, roofing also covers skylights, required roof-deck attachments, wood sheathing or fascia repair, and roof-to-wall connection work done alongside a roof covering job (F.S. 489.105).
- Board cost. $335 to sit the two state exams, plus $245 or $145 to file the initial certification afterward, depending on when you file (rule 61G4-12.009; DBPR CILB 5-I).
- Insurance. A roofing contractor carries $100,000 in public liability and $25,000 in property damage coverage (rule 61G4-15.003).
This guide covers the scope, the experience routes, the board fees, the insurance minimums and the qualifier rules, taken from the statute, the board's rule and the Department's own application forms rather than from summaries of them.
Fees are set by the board or testing vendor and can change. Verify the current amount with the provider before you pay.
For the rest of Florida's licensing system, including the general and building classes, the state thresholds and the board's structure, start with the Florida contractor license guide. For how contractor licensing works in every state, see the contractor license guide.
Certified or Registered, the Choice That Decides Where You Can Work
Florida runs two parallel roofing credentials, and they are not tiers of the same license. They are different legal footprints.
A certified roofing contractor holds a statewide certificate. It can contract for roofing anywhere in Florida without asking any city or county for separate permission to be a contractor.
A registered roofing contractor is registered with the state only after a local jurisdiction has issued it a competency card. Its authority stops at the boundary of the jurisdictions that issued those cards (F.S. 489.117).
The practical test is simple. If your crews follow storm work across county lines, registration will strand you. If you work one metro and intend to keep working one metro, registration is a shorter path.
There is one storm season exception. During a declared state of emergency, a registered contractor may work outside its normal jurisdiction, inside the declared area, for up to 24 months after the emergency ends, for the same scope of work its registration already covers.
| Question | Certified roofing contractor | Registered roofing contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Anywhere in Florida | Only where it holds local competency |
| Who tests you | State certification examinations | Local competency process, then state registration |
| Board application fee | $335 application and examination | $100 registration application |
| Best fit | Multi county and storm work | A single local market |
Fees are set by the board or testing vendor and can change. Verify the current amount with the provider before you pay.
What a Florida Roofing License Actually Covers
The statute writes the roofing scope broadly. A roofing contractor is a contractor whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade, with the experience, knowledge and skill to install, maintain, repair, alter, extend or design, where design is not prohibited by law, and to use the materials and items involved in all kinds of roofing, waterproofing and coating (F.S. 489.105).
There is one carve out worth reading twice. Coating is outside the roofing scope when the coating is not represented as protecting the roof, repairing it, waterproofing it, stopping leaks or extending its life. A decorative coating sold as decoration is a different thing from a coating sold as a roof repair.
Since May 19, 2025, that scope is wider than the base definition suggests. House Bill 715 added skylights, required roof-deck attachments, and the repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia as needed during a roof job, all as work a roofing license already covers.
The same law added evaluation and enhancement of roof-to-wall connections on structures with wood roof decking, under Section 706 of the Florida Building Code, Existing Building. That work only falls under the roofing license when it is done alongside a roof covering replacement or repair, and the enhancement itself is installed and inspected under the OIR uniform mitigation verification form, the Florida Building Code, or project specific engineering that goes beyond either one.
Roofing sits in Division II of the Construction Industry Licensing Board, alongside sheet metal, air conditioning, mechanical, pool, plumbing, and underground utility and excavation contractors (F.S. 489.107). Division I holds the general, building and residential classes. The division you fall in determines which board members hear your application and your discipline.
Who Needs the License, and the Exemption That Traps Advertisers
Florida's minor work exemption is narrow, and it is narrower than most roofing companies assume. It applies only below $2,500, and it never covers anyone who advertises as a contractor (F.S. 489.103).
That second half is where roofing companies get caught. A truck wrap, a yard sign, a paid search ad or a storm season door hanger is advertising. Once you advertise roofing, the dollar amount of the job stops mattering.
Splitting a job into smaller contracts to stay under the limit does not work either. The statute denies the exemption to work divided for that purpose, and a board investigator reading a change order history will see the split.
The Four Experience Routes to Certification
To sit for certification you must be 18, be of good moral character, and meet one of the eligibility criteria in the statute (F.S. 489.111). Those criteria are the part most aggregator guides compress into one line, and there are four distinct routes.
- The degree route. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited four year college in engineering, architecture or building construction, plus one year of proven experience in the category you are seeking. The statute uses 2,000 person hours as a full time equivalent year.
- The trade route. Four years of active experience as a skilled worker who learned the trade through an apprenticeship and can command a mechanic's rate, or as a foreman in charge of a group of workers, with at least one of those four years as a foreman.
- The combination routes. One year as a foreman plus three years of accredited college level course credits. Or one year as a skilled worker, one year as a foreman and two years of credits. Or two years as a skilled worker, one year as a foreman and one year of credits.
- Junior and community college credit counts. The statute states that all junior college and community college level courses are considered accredited college level courses, which widens route three for a great many working roofers.
Veterans have three additional routes on the same application: three years of military service plus one year as a foreman, two years of service plus one year as a foreman and one year as a worker, or one year of service plus one year as a foreman and two years as a worker (DBPR CILB 5-I).
The foreman year is the item that stalls applications. Documenting four years of roofing is usually easy. Documenting that one of those years was spent in charge of a crew, with someone who will verify it, is the long lead item. Start collecting that verification before you start the application.
Board Fees for a Florida Roofing License
The board sets its exam fees by rule, and the certificate itself carries a separate fee set by statute. These are the current amounts.
| What you are paying for | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Exam application and administration | $335 | Nonrefundable; covers both state exams |
| Due on scheduling your tests | $135 | Paid to the Department or its exam vendor |
| Each test administered | $80 | Per test, paid on scheduling |
| Processing after you pass | $40 | Paid to the Department |
| Initial certification, first window | $245 | DBPR form CILB 5-I; see notes below |
| Initial certification, second window | $145 | DBPR form CILB 5-I; see notes below |
| Registration application | $100 | The registered track, not certification |
| Biennial renewal, active | $200 | Every two years |
| Biennial renewal, inactive | $50 | Every two years |
| Qualifying a business organization | $50 | Application and initial issue |
| Business organization biennial renewal | $50 | Every two years |
| Transfer a license to another entity | $50 | Per transfer |
| Reactivate an inactive license | $100 | Application fee |
| Delinquency fee | $25 | Statutory |
- The $335 exam fee and the certification fee below it are separate charges. Passing the exams does not issue the certificate; filing form DBPR CILB 5-I does.
- First window: filed May 1 of an even year through August 31 of the next odd year, $245. Second window: filed September 1 of an odd year through April 30 of the next even year, $145.
Fees are set by the board or testing vendor and can change. Verify the current amount with the provider before you pay.
Two fee details are worth planning around. An unsuccessful examinee, or an approved applicant who does not appear, pays $135 again on scheduling plus $80 for each test to be administered. Added together, the realistic board side of becoming certified runs from $480 to $580, depending on your filing window, before any exam prep, insurance or bonding cost.
Insurance, Financial Responsibility and the Credit Rule
Florida sets a floor for coverage by rule and audits it at random. A roofing contractor carries $100,000 in public liability and $25,000 in property damage coverage (rule 61G4-15.003).
The rule is more demanding than the numbers suggest. You sign an affidavit at initial issuance, at renewal and at any change of status attesting that you have obtained and will maintain that coverage for the life of the license. Failing to keep it continuously in force is itself a violation of the rule.
The board also runs random sample audits by zip code and can demand proof within thirty days of a certified mail request. When it does, the certificate of insurance must name the State of Florida, Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board as the certificate holder, carry a thirty day cancellation notice to that holder, and be in the licensee's own name.
Be clear eyed about the gap between the licensing floor and the commercial floor. These roofing minimums satisfy the board. General contractors, municipalities and commercial owners routinely require far higher limits before a roofing subcontractor can start, so the number on your certificate of insurance is usually set by your customers rather than by the rule.
Financial responsibility is handled separately. An applicant whose credit score falls below 660 completes a 14 hour financial responsibility course instead (rule 61G4-15.006). For how other states treat this, see contractor insurance requirements by state.
The Exams, and What They Are Not
A Florida roofing candidate registers through Professional Testing, the Department's contracted exam vendor, and sits two state certification examinations: the Business and Finance examination and the Roofing trade examination. Both exams are scheduled and delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers; Plumbing is the only construction trade exam that is not. Professional Testing handles registration, development and scoring for all of them. The fee rule treats each test as a separate administration for fee purposes, which is why the $80 appears per test rather than once.
One thing to note about the fee structure: the contract administration and project management tests are treated as one test for fee assessment under the rule. That matters to general and building candidates rather than roofing candidates, but it explains why published exam totals for different Florida classes do not match each other.
This guide does not cover how to study for either test. For how approval and scheduling work across states, see contractor exam approval by state.
Renewal and the Wind Mitigation Hour
Florida certification renews every two years, and roofing licensees have one continuing education requirement no other trade shares. Each renewal takes 14 hours, with one hour each in a specialized module, workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation, and laws and rules, and for roofing licensees one hour of wind mitigation methodologies (rule 61G4-18.001).
The wind mitigation hour is not filler. It is the state connecting roofing licensure to the insurance market that pays for most Florida reroofs, and it is the hour auditors check first when a roofing renewal is questioned.
The Qualifier Rule, and Why It Decides Who Can Hold the License
A Florida roofing license is earned by a person and held by a company. The statute gives the qualifying agent final approval authority over all construction work performed by the business and over all contracts and payments, and gives a business that loses its qualifying agent 60 days to replace that person (F.S. 489.119).
Read that 60 day window as an operational risk, not a formality. A roofing company whose qualifier retires, resigns or dies in the middle of hurricane season has two months to put a qualified person in place or stop contracting under that license.
This is where a roofing company with crews, trucks and a book of work but no credentialed person has a lawful option. A qualifying agent is a licensed professional who joins the company as a full time W-2 employee, exercises the supervision and approval authority the statute requires, and qualifies the company with the board. The company holds the license. The qualifying agent answers to the board for the work performed under it.
The Licensing Company is led by Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, who both hold general contractor, master electrician, master plumber and master mechanical licenses and have spent their careers inside state licensing boards' requirements. Start with what a qualifying agent is, then hire a qualifying agent if your roofing company needs one in Florida, or go straight to our contractor qualifier services for the placement itself. For the qualifier role specific to this trade, see roofing contractor qualifying agent.
Roofing, the Business License, and the Rest of Florida's System
Three different things get called a license in a Florida roofing conversation, and conflating them is the most common filing error.
- The individual credential. Your roofing certification or registration, earned through experience and examination.
- The qualified business organization. The company's own record with the board, created when your qualifier qualifies it. The $50 application and initial issue fee above is this step.
- The local business tax receipt. A city or county revenue registration. It is not a contractor license and it authorizes no roofing work.
Holding the license is not the end of the compliance list. Since May 2025, every contract to replace or repair a residential roof needs a bold, at least 14 point notice telling the owner to verify insurance coverage before signing, and a contract signed within 180 days of a declared state of emergency, for property in the declared area, must also carry a 10 day cancellation notice in the same bold type (F.S. 489.147).
For the general and building classes that sit above roofing in Division I, see how to get a general contractor license in Florida. For how the qualifier role works across Florida trades, see the Florida qualifying agent guide. For the state by state comparison of roofing rules, dollar triggers and bonds, see roofing contractor license requirements by state.
Florida roofing is one of the Division II categories, and companies often hold or hire for more than one. The same fee schedule and insurance floor apply to the Florida pool contractor license, the Florida solar contractor license and the Florida sheet metal contractor license, and each guide covers the scope rules that set that category apart.
Steps in Order
- Pick your track. Certified for statewide work, registered for one local market.
- Pin down your qualifier. Confirm which of the experience routes that person meets, and line up the verification for the foreman year.
- Handle financial responsibility. Pull the credit report, and if the score is below 660, book the 14 hour course.
- Bind the insurance. $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage for roofing, with the board named as certificate holder.
- File the exam application and pay the board fee. Budget the $135 scheduling charge and the $80 per test separately from the $335 total.
- Sit the Business and Finance and Roofing examinations.
- File form DBPR CILB 5-I and pay the initial certification fee, $245 or $145 depending on the filing window.
- Qualify the business organization so the company, not just the person, is on record.
- Calendar the renewal and the 14 continuing education hours, including the wind mitigation hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Florida roofing license cost? The board side is knowable: $335 to sit the two state exams plus $245 or $145 to file the initial certification depending on the window, for a realistic total between $480 and $580 to become certified, plus $50 to qualify the business organization once you have a company to put the license under. The rest of your real cost is driven by things the board does not set, mainly general liability and workers' compensation premiums, which for roofing are among the highest rated classes in construction. Your credit, your payroll, the share of steep slope versus low slope work and your loss history move those numbers more than any state fee does.
How long does it take? The paperwork is weeks. The experience is years. For most applicants the schedule is set by the foreman year documentation and by exam availability, not by the board's processing time.
Do I need a Florida roofing license for a small repair? Probably. The minor work exemption applies only below $2,500 and never to anyone who advertises as a contractor, so a roofing company that markets itself is outside it regardless of job size.
Does a Florida roofing license cover roof-to-wall connection work? Yes, since May 2025, but only when it is done alongside a roof covering replacement or repair and installed and inspected under the OIR mitigation form, the Florida Building Code, or project specific engineering that exceeds either one.
Can one person qualify two roofing companies? Treat that as a question for the board on your specific facts. The statute makes the qualifying agent responsible for final approval of all construction work and all contracts and payments of the business it qualifies, which is a demanding standard to meet twice.
What happens if my qualifier leaves? The business has 60 days to replace that person. Plan the replacement before you need it, not after.
Is a local competency card the same as a state license? No. A competency card is what a local jurisdiction issues, and it is the predicate for state registration. It does not make you a certified contractor and it does not travel.
Ready to put a qualifying agent in place for your Florida roofing company, or still weighing certified against registered? Call 615-219-2110 or start with hire a qualifying agent.
Sources
- Florida Statutes 489.103, 489.105, 489.107, 489.111, 489.117, 489.119 and 489.147, 2026 compilation, read October 12, 2026
- CS/CS/HB 715 (2025), Chapter 2025-40, Laws of Florida, enrolled bill, effective May 19, 2025, read October 12, 2026
- Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-12.009, Fees, read October 12, 2026
- Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-15.003, Public Liability Insurance, read October 12, 2026
- Florida rule 61G4-15.006 and rule 61G4-18.001, read October 12, 2026
- DBPR CILB 5-I, Application for Certified Roofing Contractor as an Individual, effective July 2024, read October 12, 2026
Disclaimer: This article is for general information. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for the board's own instructions. Licensing requirements change. Confirm every figure and deadline with the Construction Industry Licensing Board before you rely on it.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.