What the Florida underground utility and excavation contractor license covers, where paragraph (n) stops, the two exams, board fees, insurance, the 811 notice duty and the qualifier rule.
A Florida underground utility and excavation contractor license lets a person or company build, install and repair main sanitary sewer, main water distribution and main storm sewer lines, under its own Division II category separate from plumbing, general contracting and the specialty list described on our Florida contractor license guide. The statute draws the work boundary at the property line, the meter, a manhole or a storm structure, and that boundary decides who lays the main and who hands the last stretch to someone else. This guide covers what the license allows, where it stops, the examination, the board fees, the insurance floor, the 811 excavation notice duty and the qualifier rule. For how contractor licensing works across the country, see our contractor license guide. Every figure here was checked against statute, rule and board documents on October 14, 2026.
At a glance
- It is a Division II category. Underground utility and excavation is paragraph (n) of F.S. 489.105(3), which sorts every contractor type into Division I or Division II.
- Mains, not buildings. The scope is main sanitary sewer, main water distribution and main storm sewer lines, plus extensions to the meter or property line.
- Two exams. Business and Finance is 120 questions over 6.5 hours, and the Underground Utility exam is 80 questions over 5 hours, each with a 70% passing score (DBPR candidate booklet, effective July 2024).
- Insurance floor. An underground utility and excavation contractor carries $100,000 in public liability and $25,000 in property damage (rule 61G4-15.003).
- A company needs a qualifier. Under F.S. 489.119, a business may work in the category only through a certified or registered qualifying agent.
What the Florida underground utility license covers
The statute defines an underground utility and excavation contractor as one whose services are limited to building, installing and repairing underground utility systems on public or private land. The work may be done by open trenching or by other methods, and the definition names directional drilling, auger boring, jacking and boring, trenchless techniques, wet and dry taps, grouting and slip lining. That list matters for a company that has moved from a backhoe to a drill rig, because the method does not change the license.
The systems in scope are main sanitary sewer collection lines, main water distribution lines and main storm sewer collection lines. The contractor may also extend utility lines from those mains to an endpoint, which for an individual occupancy is the meter. The definition also allows empty underground conduits and sleeves of at least 2 inches in diameter in rights of way, easements, platted rights of way in new site development and parking lot crossings. Each conduit system must be designed by a licensed professional engineer or an authorized employee of a municipality, county or public utility.
Where the license stops
The exclusions are the part that ends bids. The definition does not allow conductor wiring or a connection to an energized electrical system, so a conduit run is fine and the pull and the terminations are not. It also bars piping that is an integral part of a fire protection system, starting at the point where that piping serves only the fire system.
The sewer and storm endpoints depend on the property.
| System | Where this license stops |
|---|---|
| Sanitary sewer, single occupancy or residential | The property line |
| Sanitary sewer, multi-occupancy property | A manhole or wye lateral |
| Water distribution | The meter for an individual occupancy |
| Storm sewer | Storm sewer structures |
On a multi-occupancy property, that manhole or wye lateral extends to an invert elevation engineered for future building sewers, not just to the structure itself.
Past those points the work is building plumbing, and that belongs to a different category. Our Florida plumbing license guide covers the plumbing side. If a contract blurs the line, ask the Construction Industry Licensing Board in writing before you price the job.
Division II and what it means for you
Florida splits contractors into two divisions. Division I holds the general, building and residential contractors defined in paragraphs (a) through (c). Division II holds the trade and specialty contractors in paragraphs (d) through (q), and underground utility and excavation is paragraph (n).
This category is not the same as a certified specialty contractor type. Certified specialty categories are listed in rule 61G4-15.100 and are voluntary under the statute, while paragraph (n) is a named category with its own examination. The difference is explained in our guide to Florida certified specialty contractor categories.
Certification or local registration
Paragraph (n) sits inside the range of categories F.S. 489.117 covers, so there are two ways into the license, not one. Under 489.117(1)(a), an applicant who meets a local jurisdiction's own examination and licensing requirements for underground utility work can register the category statewide without sitting for the state exam. No examination is required for that route, but the registered license only reaches what the local credential covered, while a certified license carries the full paragraph (n) scope statewide.
A second, narrower registration route sits in 489.117(2)(b): an applicant who held a local certificate of registration or license for the category in 2021, 2022 or 2023, in a jurisdiction that no longer offers that license type, can register by filing proof of the prior local credential, the fee, and evidence of the insurance and financial responsibility F.S. 489.115(5) requires, again without an exam.
Most applicants without a usable local credential from one of those years take the state certification route described in the rest of this guide.
The four experience routes
F.S. 489.111(2) sets eligibility for licensure by examination. An applicant must be 18, be of good moral character, and meet one of four criteria.
| Route | Experience | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | 1 year in the category | Engineering, architecture or building construction degree |
| Trade | 4 years, at least 1 as a foreman | None |
| Mixed A | 1 year as a foreman | 3 years of accredited college credits |
| Mixed B | 1 year skilled plus 1 year foreman | 2 years of accredited college credits |
A third mixed combination exists: two years as a skilled worker, one year as a foreman and one year of accredited college credits. The statute counts all junior college and community college courses as accredited college level courses and sets 2,000 person hours per year as full time equivalency. Experience has to be in the category, so a crew lead who has run sewer and water mains for years has a cleaner record than a general laborer.
The examinations
A Division II applicant takes Business and Finance and a trade knowledge examination. For this category the booklet lists an Underground Utility exam by name. The DBPR candidate information booklet, effective July 2024, gives these figures.
| Examination | Questions | Time | Passing score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business and Finance | 120 | 6.5 hours | 70% |
| Underground Utility | 80 | 5 hours | 70% |
The booklet says only materials on the approved reference list may be brought to the test center, and it does not label either exam open or closed book. Check the current list before test day. This guide covers how the examination is structured, not how to study for it.
Board fees
Rule 61G4-12.009 prescribes the fees, and they are collected in pieces.
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application and examination | $335, nonrefundable | Across the steps below |
| Paid on scheduling | $135 | When you schedule the tests |
| Examination administration | $80 | For each test administered |
| Processing after passing | $40 | After you pass |
| Renewal, active | $200 | Every two years |
| Renewal, inactive | $50 | Every two years |
| Business organization, initial and renewal | $50 each | At application and at each renewal |
A failed or missed test is not free. The next attempt costs $135 on scheduling plus $80 for each test administered. Fees are set by the board or testing vendor and can change. Verify the current amount with the provider before you pay.
Renewal also carries a continuing education requirement separate from the fee. Rule 61G4-18.001 sets 14 hours per renewal cycle, with one hour each in advanced building code, workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation and construction laws and rules. The rest of the 14 hours can be general trade coursework.
Insurance and financial responsibility
Rule 61G4-15.003 requires a signed affidavit that the applicant has obtained and will maintain public liability and property damage insurance for the life of an active license. For an underground utility and excavation contractor the amounts are $100,000 in public liability and $25,000 in property damage, the same floor the rule sets for plumbing, mechanical, roofing, pool and solar contractors. A general or building contractor carries more.
Applicants must also show financial responsibility under F.S. 489.115, which looks at credit history and past business conduct. Clear that before you file rather than after a denial.
Before you dig: the 811 notice duty
Holding the license does not excuse a job from Florida's own excavation notice law. Under Chapter 556, F.S., an excavator must notify Sunshine State One-Call of Florida, Inc., the state's 811 system, not less than 2 full business days before starting excavation or demolition on land, or 10 full business days before work beneath the waters of the state. Notice given outside business hours counts as received at the start of the next business day, and a ticket is valid for 30 calendar days.
The law does not make the notification center responsible for locating or marking lines; that duty falls to the member utility operators once they are notified. If a dig contacts or damages a line that releases natural gas or another regulated hazardous substance, the excavator must immediately call 911, in addition to the notice already given to Sunshine State One-Call.
Why this license is a business decision
A site contractor without the license can win the earthwork and still have to subcontract the utility scope to a company that holds it. Holding the license keeps that scope, and its share of the contract value, inside your company and lets you bid utility packages directly.
The same logic applies across the Division II categories we cover, including mechanical, roofing and sheet metal contractors.
The qualifier rule decides who can bid
The license is earned by a person and used by a company. Under F.S. 489.119, a business organization may operate in a category of contracting only if its qualifying agent is certified or registered in that category. The qualifying agent files an affidavit that it holds final approval authority over all construction work the business performs, and the agent qualifies the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who supervises that work, not as an outside contractor.
If the qualifying agent is the only certified or registered contractor affiliated with the business and leaves, the company must notify the department and has 60 days to employ another one. Until it does, it may not contract, except under a temporary credential limited to finishing incomplete contracts.
Our explainer on what a qualifying agent is covers the role, our Florida qualifying agent guide covers the state rules, and our contractor qualifier services page covers how we place one. We place qualifiers as full time W-2 employees of the company that needs one, never on any other arrangement. If your crew has the equipment and the work but nobody in the company holds the credential, start at hire a qualifying agent.
Step by step
- Confirm your work fits paragraph (n): mains and extensions to the meter, property line, manhole or storm structure.
- Choose your path: the state certification exams below, or local registration under F.S. 489.117(1)(a) if a qualifying local credential applies.
- Choose your eligibility route from the four in F.S. 489.111(2) and document the hours in the category.
- Prepare the financial responsibility material, including the credit review under F.S. 489.115.
- File the application with the $335 application and examination fee.
- Schedule Business and Finance and the Underground Utility exam, paying $135 on scheduling and $80 for each test.
- Pass both parts, then pay the $40 processing fee.
- Bind the $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage coverage for an underground utility and excavation contractor and sign the affidavit.
- Qualify the business organization under F.S. 489.119.
Questions utility and excavation contractors ask
Does Florida require a license for underground utility work? The statute defines the category and requires contractors to hold the proper certification or registration for the work they contract to perform. Local rules and the type of job decide what credential a project needs, so confirm both before you bid.
Can a plumbing contractor lay water and sewer mains? The two definitions are separate. Paragraph (n) covers mains and extensions to the meter or property line, and the plumbing definition covers building systems. Read the exact scope on your contract against both.
Does the license cover electrical conduit? It allows empty underground conduits and sleeves under the conditions above, with an engineer or utility designed system. It does not allow conductor wiring or connections to an energized system.
Does a contractor still have to call 811 before digging? Yes. Holding the license does not replace the Chapter 556 duty to notify Sunshine State One-Call at least 2 full business days before excavating on land, or 10 full business days before work beneath state waters.
Can I register this category locally instead of taking the state exam? Only if you qualify under F.S. 489.117: a local credential that meets a jurisdiction's own exam and licensing requirements, or a prior local certificate from 2021, 2022 or 2023 in a jurisdiction that no longer offers that license. Most applicants without one of those take the state certification route instead.
How much does it cost to get licensed? The board side is knowable, with the application, exam, renewal, business and continuing education costs in the sections above. What varies is insurance pricing, time off for two long exams and whether your company needs a qualifier. Call the board, or start at hire a qualifying agent if a qualifier is the open question.
What if our qualifier leaves? Notify the department and employ another qualifying agent within 60 days. The company may not contract in the meantime except under a temporary credential for incomplete contracts.
Related reading
For the state by state index, start at all state guides.
Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski founded The Licensing Company to solve the problem this article ends on: a company with the work, the crews and the capital, and no licensed individual able to qualify it. Every qualifier we place is a full time W-2 employee of the company that needs one. Call 615-219-2110 or start at hire a qualifying agent to talk through your own underground utility and excavation license or qualifier question.
Sources
- F.S. 489.105, Definitions, Florida Legislature Online Sunshine, retrieved October 14, 2026
- F.S. 489.111, Eligibility for licensure by examination, Florida Legislature Online Sunshine, retrieved October 14, 2026
- F.S. 489.115, Financial responsibility, Florida Legislature Online Sunshine, retrieved October 14, 2026
- F.S. 489.117, Registration, Florida Legislature Online Sunshine, retrieved October 14, 2026
- F.S. 489.119, Business organizations; qualifying agents, Florida Legislature Online Sunshine, retrieved October 14, 2026
- Chapter 556, Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act, s. 556.101, Florida Senate Statutes, retrieved October 14, 2026
- Chapter 556, s. 556.103, Creation of Sunshine State One-Call of Florida, Inc., Florida Senate Statutes, retrieved October 14, 2026
- Chapter 556, s. 556.105, Excavator's duties, Florida Senate Statutes, retrieved October 14, 2026
- Rule 61G4-15.003, Public Liability Insurance, Cornell LII mirror of Florida Administrative Code (checked current via flrules.org, last amended 11-15-07), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Rule 61G4-12.009, Fees, Cornell LII mirror of Florida Administrative Code (checked current via flrules.org, last amended 10-30-17), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Rule 61G4-18.001, Continuing Education, Cornell LII mirror of Florida Administrative Code (checked current via flrules.org, effective 6-26-23), retrieved October 14, 2026
- DBPR Candidate Information Booklet, Construction Licensure Examinations, effective July 2024, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, retrieved October 14, 2026
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.