Florida General Contractor License Requirements, Exams and Fees (2026)

Florida licenses general contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), part of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), under Chapter 489, Part I, Florida Statutes. A certified general contractor can work anywhere in the state after four years of experience, three open book exams, a credit check, fingerprints and insurance. A registered contractor works only in the local jurisdictions where he or she met the local competency rules.

For the company side of Florida licensing, start with our Florida contractor license guide, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

At a glance Issued by: the CILB within DBPR, under Chapter 489, Part I, Florida Statutes. Experience: four years as a worker or foreman, at least one year as a foreman, one year on buildings of four stories or more. Exams: Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management; open book, 70 percent to pass. Fees: $135 to register for the exams, then a $245 initial certification fee for applications filed May 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Credit: a FICO derived score of 660, or a 14 hour financial responsibility course.

Certified or Registered: Two Ways to Hold a Florida GC License

Chapter 489 creates two kinds of contractor. Under section 489.105, a certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from DBPR and may contract in any Florida jurisdiction without meeting that jurisdiction's own competency rules. A registered contractor has registered with DBPR after meeting the competency requirements of a local jurisdiction, and may contract only there.

The state exam is the dividing line: section 489.113 requires it to contract statewide, and section 489.117 says no state exam is required for registration.

Registration notes

• Local license first: registration rests on a local certificate of competency, so the local office sets the test and fee, per section 489.117.
• No local license type: a contractor who held a local license or state registration during 2021, 2022 or 2023 in a jurisdiction that no longer offers that license type can apply for registration there without an exam, under section 489.117(2)(b).
• Renewal dates: from the CILB FAQ.

For a contractor who plans to work in more than one county, the certified license removes the local competency step everywhere in the state.

What a Florida General Contractor Can Build

Section 489.105(3) defines the three Division I classes. A certified general contractor (CGC) is unlimited as to the type of work and may contract for any activity that requires licensure under Part I, except as section 489.113 provides.

Class notes

• Building contractor: also covers remodeling, repair or improvement of any size building when the work does not affect structural members.
• Residential contractor: two habitable stories above no more than one uninhabitable story, plus accessory structures.
• Trades you still hire out: section 489.113(3) requires a contractor to subcontract electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal, swimming pool and air conditioning work unless the contractor holds that trade's license.
• Site work: a certified general contractor may do clearing, grubbing, grading, excavation and other site work on any project in the state.
• Upgrades: an active certified residential or building contractor with four years of proven experience in that class is eligible for the general contractor license after passing the general contractors' exam, under section 489.111(2)(c)4.b and 4.c.

The CGC is the most versatile of the three and the class to target for commercial work.

When Florida Requires the License

Section 489.115(1) says no person may engage in the business of contracting in Florida without first being certified or registered in the proper classification. Offering, bidding on or negotiating a contract for licensed work is itself contracting under section 489.105(6).

Section 489.103(9) exempts work of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature where the total contract price is less than $2,500. It does not apply to part of a larger operation, a job split to stay under the limit, or a person who advertises as a contractor, and the CILB FAQ adds that work needing a permit is typically not casual or minor.

Two other limits matter:

• Owner builders: section 489.103(7) lets an owner build or improve a one or two family residence for the owner's own use, or a commercial building costing no more than $75,000, while personally supervising the work.
• Scopes no one can license locally: section 489.117(4) bars local governments from requiring a license for painting, flooring, cabinetry, driveway installation, handyman services, pressure washing and similar work outside the Chapter 489 categories.

Experience You Need for a Certified General Contractor License

Section 489.111(2) makes an applicant eligible for the exam path at 18 years of age, with good moral character and one of these experience routes:

• Four years of active experience as a skilled worker able to command a mechanic's rate or as a foreman, with at least one year as a foreman.
• College credit plus field time: one year as a foreman and three years of college credit; one year as a worker, one as a foreman and two years of credit; or two years as a worker, one as a foreman and one year of credit.
• A four year degree in engineering, architecture or building construction plus one year of proven experience. For the general class, Rule 61G4-15.001 names civil engineering, building construction or architecture.
• Military service: the CILB 5-A application accepts three years of service plus one year as a foreman, and two other service and field time mixes.

A degree or college credit can stand in for up to three of the four years. The CILB FAQ notes that an MBA satisfies three years, and you still need a fourth year of experience. One year equals 2,000 hours.

The general class adds two tests under Rule 61G4-15.001, last amended May 16, 2024:

1. The experience must be commercial and must cover at least four of six areas: foundations or slabs over 20,000 square feet, masonry walls, steel erection, elevated slabs, column erection, and formwork for structural reinforced concrete.
2. At least one year must be on structures of four stories or more. Applicants on the upgrade route are excused from this one.

The board accepts experience under a contractor properly licensed in the category, including out of state experience, but not work exempt under section 489.103. The application asks for each employer and its qualifying contractor's license number, your role as worker or foreman, and each project's duties and specifics such as stories, square feet and materials. DBPR may call the supervisor to verify it.

Credit, Background Check and Insurance

Financial responsibility. Section 489.115(5) requires a credit report at initial licensure. Under Rule 61G4-15.006, a FICO derived score of 660 or higher with no unsatisfied judgments or liens meets both the financial responsibility and financial stability tests. Below 660, you complete a 14 hour financial responsibility course the board has approved.

The course has been the full alternative to a lower score since the April 13, 2022 amendment, and the current text of the rule took effect May 5, 2024. The rule contains no net worth test, and the CILB FAQ answers the question directly: no minimum net worth is required.

Background check. Electronic fingerprints go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI. Under section 489.115(6), the board weighs a felony's severity, its link to contracting, time and rehabilitation, and may not deny a license based solely on a felony conviction.

Insurance. For general and building contractors, the table in Rule 61G4-15.003 sets the minimum at $300,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, and the CILB 5-A and 6-A applications repeat the same figures. You must also carry workers' compensation as Chapter 440 requires or attest that you will obtain an exemption within 30 days after the license is issued. The board audits by random sample and, when it asks, wants a certificate naming the CILB as certificate holder.

Bonds. The bond the CILB names is the one a financially responsible officer posts: $100,000 payable to the board, or an irrevocable letter of credit in the same amount, per the CILB FAQ.

The Florida General Contractor Exam

DBPR contracts with Professional Testing, Inc. to register candidates and to develop and score the construction exams, and Pearson VUE delivers them by computer at its test centers. You register with Professional Testing first; once it approves you, you schedule each part with Pearson VUE, and you can book within 72 hours of approval.

Exam notes

• Format: all three are open book and multiple choice with four answers, and only books on the approved reference list are allowed in.
• Passing score: 70 percent on each part, and scores are not rounded.
• Four year window: under Rule 61G4-16.009, you must pass every part within four years of your first attempt, or all earlier scores lapse; Professional Testing allows unlimited attempts inside that window.
• Degree shortcut: under section 489.113(1), an applicant with a building construction degree from an accredited four year college and a 3.0 GPA takes only the Business and Finance part.
• Language: DBPR developed exams are offered in English and Spanish at no extra cost.

The content weights come from Rule 61G4-16.001, last amended December 16, 2024. Business and Finance covers running the company, with accounting the largest share at 32 percent, plus lien law under Chapter 713 and Chapter 489, Part I. Contract Administration weighs project contracts at 40 percent and preconstruction at 27 percent. Project Management weighs methods, materials, tools and equipment at 63 percent and safety at 20 percent.

What It Costs to Get Licensed

Fee notes

• Exam fees: the $135 registration and the Pearson VUE administration fees come from the Professional Testing registration instructions, the DBPR computer based testing fee sheet and Rule 61G4-12.009. A candidate who fails a part can request a review within 21 days of the exam; check the current review fee with DBPR.
• Certification fee: the CILB 5-A and 6-A applications set the fee by the date you file, because the license runs to the next August 31 of an even year. The $245 amount covers filings from May 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027; for later filings, use the fee printed on the current CILB 5-A or 6-A form.
• Late renewal: a certified renewal filed after August 31, 2026 costs $230, or $280 with a qualified business, per the DBPR renewal notice.
• Other costs: insurance, the credit report and fingerprinting are priced by outside vendors. Confirm every fee with DBPR before you pay.

The Licensing Steps in Order

1. Pick the class and the route. Match your experience to one of the section 489.111 routes, and check the four of six experience areas and the four story year for the general class.
2. Register with Professional Testing. Apply online or on paper and pay the $135 registration fee. Passing the exams does not make you eligible if you lack the experience.
3. Schedule and pass the three exams. Book each part with Pearson VUE, pay its administration fee, and pass all three at 70 percent within four years of your first attempt.
4. Assemble the file. Pull a credit report with a FICO score (or finish the 14 hour course), get electronic fingerprints, bind the liability insurance, and set up workers' compensation or the exemption.
5. Apply to DBPR. File the CILB 5-A to hold the license as an individual, or the CILB 6-A to qualify a business, with the initial certification fee ($245 for filings through August 31, 2027). A 6-A applicant also submits a credit report on the business.
6. Answer any deficiency. Section 489.115(5)(c) gives you 60 days after you are told you qualified to supply the required evidence, with an extension for just cause.
7. Put the number to work. Your certificate number goes on every permit application, bid, contract and advertisement, and on any vehicle that carries the company name, under section 489.119(5).

How a Company Gets Licensed: The Qualifying Agent

In Florida the license belongs to a person, and a business operates through that person. Section 489.119(2) says that when a contractor proposes to work as a corporation, LLC, partnership or under any name other than his or her own, the contractor must apply as the qualifying agent of that business, and the CILB FAQ says the business name is then listed on the contractor's license.

The qualifier signs an affidavit of final approval authority over all construction work and all business matters, including contracts, checks and payments, unless the board approves a financially responsible officer. Under section 489.1195, primary qualifying agents are jointly and equally responsible for supervising all operations, all field work at all sites, and the company's financial matters. A secondary qualifying agent answers only for jobs where his or her license pulled the permit.

Ownership is not required. The CILB FAQ says a contractor does not have to own the business he or she qualifies but must have supervisory and final approval authority. A qualifier who owns less than 20 percent of the business, or who would qualify three or more businesses, must appear before the board, and the appearance can be waived for a W-2 employee of the business unless it would be a third business.

Losing a qualifier starts a clock. When the departing qualifier was the business's only licensed contractor, section 489.119(3) gives it 60 days to employ another one, and the business may not contract in the meantime unless the board grants a temporary, nonrenewable certificate to finish contracts already awarded. The stakes are high: section 489.128 makes contracts unenforceable by a business that has no qualifying agent for the work, and section 489.127 makes unlicensed contracting a first degree misdemeanor, and a third degree felony on a repeat offense or during a declared state of emergency.

The qualifier angle for your company. If no one inside your company has the four years, a licensed Florida general contractor can serve as your qualifying agent and qualify the company with DBPR. Done correctly, the qualifier is hired as a W-2, full-time employee with genuine supervision of the licensed work and final approval authority, paid a salary, never a percentage of revenue or a per project fee. That is the model The Licensing Company, led by industry authorities Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, has built its practice on, and it is the model that stands up when DBPR reviews the file.

Our Florida qualifying agent guide walks through the affidavits and forms, and you can match with a qualified Florida general contractor here.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Florida licenses renew every two years: certified licenses by August 31 of even numbered years and registered licenses by August 31 of odd numbered years. Section 489.115(4) requires at least 14 classroom hours of continuing education each biennium, and you must keep your insurance current with DBPR.

Rule 61G4-18.001, last amended June 26, 2023, requires one hour in each of these topics for a general contractor:

• A specialized or advanced module approved by the Florida Building Commission or the board
• Workplace safety
• Business practices
• Workers' compensation
• Laws and rules regulating the construction industry
• Wind mitigation methodologies
• Cementitious cladding, stucco, plastering and lath

The rest can be general topics, and up to four hours may come from attending a board disciplinary session. On a first renewal you owe no hours if the license was issued less than 12 months before the deadline, and seven hours if more. An inactive license renews for $55 when filed on time.

Coming From Another State

Section 489.115(3) lets the board certify by endorsement an applicant who passed a substantially equivalent exam and meets section 489.111, or who holds a license from a state with substantially equivalent criteria or a reciprocal agreement with the board.

A contractor licensed in another state for at least 10 years can apply for the same or a similar Florida license while that license is active or within two years after, and Division I contractors must complete a two hour Florida Building Code course that covers wind mitigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do small jobs in Florida without a contractor license? Only work of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature under $2,500 in total contract price, under section 489.103(9). The exemption is lost if the job is part of a larger project, if it is split to stay under the limit, or if you advertise as a contractor. Check the local building department for any local license.

Is there a Florida home improvement contractor bond? The CILB 5-A and 6-A applications ask for insurance and a credit report, not a license bond. The bond the CILB FAQ names is the $100,000 bond a financially responsible officer posts, or a letter of credit in the same amount. A credit score under 660 is handled with the 14 hour course.

What continuing education does a Florida general contractor need? Fourteen hours every two years, with one hour each in an advanced building code module, workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation, laws and rules, wind mitigation, and stucco and cladding. The rest can be general hours from a board approved provider.

Can I take the exam before DBPR approves my experience? Yes. You register with Professional Testing, pass the exams, and then apply to DBPR, which reviews your experience at that stage. If you pass but do not meet the experience rules, you will not be licensed, so check your route first.

Talk With a Florida Licensing Specialist

Whether you are working toward your own certified license or need a Florida general contractor to qualify your company in the meantime, our team can map the route with you. Call 615-219-2110 or start at Hire a Qualifying Agent.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-09-28.

• Florida Statutes s. 489.103, Exemptions
• Florida Statutes s. 489.105, Definitions
• Florida Statutes s. 489.111, Licensure by examination
• Florida Statutes s. 489.113, Qualifications for practice
• Florida Statutes s. 489.115, Certification, renewals and continuing education
• Florida Statutes s. 489.117, Registration
• Florida Statutes s. 489.119, Business organizations and qualifying agents
• Florida Statutes s. 489.1195, Qualifying agent responsibilities
• Florida Statutes s. 489.127, Prohibitions and penalties
• Florida Statutes s. 489.128, Unlicensed contracts unenforceable
• Rule 61G4-15.001, Qualification for Certification
• Rule 61G4-15.003, Public Liability Insurance
• Rule 61G4-15.006, Financial Responsibility and Stability
• Rule 61G4-12.009, Fees
• Rule 61G4-16.001, Written Certification Examination Requirements
• Rule 61G4-16.009, Examination and Reexamination
• Rule 61G4-18.001, Continuing Education Requirements
• DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board
• CILB Frequently Asked Questions
• CILB 5-A Application, Certified General Contractor as an Individual
• CILB 6-A Application, Certified General Contractor Qualifying a Business
• DBPR Certified Contractors Renewal Notice
• DBPR Construction Examinations
• DBPR Construction Industry Examination Information
• DBPR Business and Finance Examination Content Information
• DBPR Construction Candidate Information Booklet
• DBPR Computer Based Testing Fee Sheet
• Professional Testing, Florida CILB Examinations
• Professional Testing Registration Instructions, revised August 1, 2024
• Florida Division of Corporations Fees