What license lets a general contractor work statewide in Florida?
Florida uses the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Construction Industry Licensing Board for contractor licensing. For statewide general contracting, the relevant credential is the certified general contractor license.
The Florida contractor portal defines a certified contractor as one holding a department certificate of competency who may contract in any Florida jurisdiction without meeting that jurisdiction’s competency requirements. It defines a registered contractor as one registered with the department after meeting the competency requirements of the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued.
Choose the track before choosing forms. Certification is the statewide path; registration is anchored to the jurisdictional competency record behind it.
Certified vs registered contractor
The statute makes the distinction directly. A certified contractor may contract in any Florida jurisdiction without satisfying that jurisdiction’s competency requirements. A registered contractor has fulfilled competency requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration was issued and may contract only in such jurisdictions.
| Track | Competency basis | Practical reach |
|---|---|---|
| Certified | State certificate of competency | Statewide, subject to project permits and other applicable rules |
| Registered | Local competency followed by state registration | Jurisdictions authorized by the registration and governing law |
Do not describe registration as a cheaper statewide substitute. Verify the jurisdiction recorded for the registration before bidding outside it.
General, building, and residential scope
Florida’s classification definitions draw different boundaries:
- A general contractor has scope unlimited as to the type of work, except where the statute expressly provides otherwise.
- A building contractor is limited to commercial and residential buildings not exceeding three stories, associated accessory structures, and certain remodeling, repair, or improvement work that does not affect structural members.
- A residential contractor is limited to one-, two-, or three-family residences within the statute’s story limits and associated accessory structures.
Pick the classification from the work you intend to contract, not from a generic “GC” label.
Age, character, and experience routes
Under section 489.111, an examination applicant must be at least 18, be of good moral character, and meet one of the listed education-and-experience routes.
The standard field route is at least four years of active experience as a skilled worker, apprentice-trained worker, or foreman, including at least one year as a foreman. The same section provides alternatives using an appropriate four-year degree plus one year of experience or combinations of college credit, skilled-worker time, and foreman time.
Map every month of claimed experience to one statutory route. Collect employer or project verification before filing rather than trying to reconstruct supervision duties after the board asks.
How Florida administers the exams
The DBPR construction portal says the department contracts with Professional Testing, Inc. to register candidates and develop and score CILB examinations. Candidates for construction trade knowledge, contract administration, project management, or business and finance parts apply directly with that vendor.
Use the current exam information page for scheduling and references. Do not buy an old book package until the vendor’s current candidate bulletin confirms the permitted edition.
The portal lists a General Initial and Retake Examination Application, CILB 1, and separate certified-general-contractor applications based on whether the applicant is active individually or qualifies a business.
Financial responsibility and the 660 credit-course trigger
DBPR’s construction portal links a 14-hour financial-responsibility course for applicants whose credit score is below 660 on a FICO-derived basis. It also publishes a list of acceptable CILB credit-reporting agencies.
Do not convert that course trigger into an invented bond amount. The correct financial package depends on the current application, rule, credit report, applicant role, and any board-required security. If a bond is required, our contractor license bond guide explains why the bond protects the licensing obligation rather than replacing liability insurance.
Order the required credit report early enough to correct identity or account errors before the application deadline.
Fees, insurance, and possible bond costs
Separate the budget into exam-vendor fees, state application or licensure fees, the credit report, fingerprints or screening requested by the current application, insurance, education, and any bond or security required after financial review. Fee amounts can depend on application type and status, so use the current form rather than a copied fee table.
Florida law requires an insurance affidavit for initial issuance or renewal. Section 489.115 requires the applicant to attest to workers’ compensation insurance as required by chapter 440, public liability insurance, and property-damage insurance in board-set amounts.
Our general liability insurance guide and contractor license cost guide help keep premium, bond, testing, and filing costs on separate estimate lines.
Application checklist
Use this order for the certified general contractor path:
- Confirm that general—not building or residential—is the classification your target work needs.
- Select the statutory experience or education route and gather verification.
- Use the current DBPR exam page and apply to the testing vendor for required parts.
- Decide whether the license will be active as an individual or used to qualify a business; choose the matching CILB application.
- Obtain the approved credit report and complete any triggered financial-responsibility step.
- Prepare insurance, business, background, and identity documents listed on the current form.
- File the complete application and fee, then answer deficiency requests with organized records.
The DBPR portal lists CILB 5-A for a certified general contractor active as an individual and CILB 6-A for a certified general contractor qualifying a business. Pick the form from the operating structure, not from the shortest checklist.
Renewal and continuing education
Florida section 489.115 requires certificateholders and registrants who want to continue to renew every two years. It also requires at least 14 classroom hours of continuing education during each biennium, subject to the statutory and board rules for first-biennium and course treatment.
The same section requires the renewal application and appropriate fee. DBPR’s current portal states that certified contractor licenses expire August 31 in every even year. It states that registered contractor licenses expire August 31 in every odd year.
Track the individual credential, qualified business, insurance, workers’ compensation status, continuing education, and renewal deadline separately.
Out-of-state examination and endorsement routes
Florida does not treat every out-of-state contractor license as transferable. Section 489.115 provides certification by endorsement when an applicant meets the section’s requirements and has passed a national, regional, state, or U.S. territorial licensing examination that is substantially equivalent to Florida’s required examination, along with the other statutory conditions.
The DBPR portal lists a Reciprocity—Certified General Contractor application, CILB 32, as well as a separate Endorsement as Certified General Contractor application, CILB 10. Do not assume those labels describe the same eligibility route. Read the current instructions and submit the application matching the legal basis you can document.
Keep license verifications, exam score records, disciplinary history, and the issuing jurisdiction’s requirements ready.
The decision rule
Use the certified general contractor path when you need statewide authority and work that fits the general classification’s broad scope. Use building or residential classification only when its statutory boundary matches the contracts you plan to take.
Registration starts from jurisdictional competency; certification starts from the state route. Neither label replaces project permits, business setup, insurance maintenance, or the duty to stay within classification scope.
Florida general contractor license FAQ
Who licenses general contractors in Florida? The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, through the Construction Industry Licensing Board.
What is the difference between certified and registered? A certified contractor may contract statewide without meeting each jurisdiction’s competency requirements. A registered contractor is tied to the competency jurisdiction for which registration is issued.
How much experience does the standard route require? At least four years of active experience under the statutory route, including at least one year as a foreman. Education-and-experience alternatives also exist.
What happens when the FICO-derived score is below 660? DBPR links a 14-hour financial-responsibility course for that condition. Use the current application and rule for any other required financial step.
How often is renewal? Every two years. The statute requires at least 14 continuing-education hours per biennium, subject to applicable rules.
Can an out-of-state exam support endorsement? Potentially. Section 489.115 requires a substantially equivalent national, regional, state, or U.S. territorial exam plus the section’s other conditions.