Florida General Contractor License Requirements
Official classification: General / Building / Residential Contractor (CILB) · Issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), under DBPR.
🏗️ General ContractorFL ✔ Verified 2026-06-16
License types
- Certified General Contractor (CGC) — Unlimited as to type; any building or structure, including those over 3 stories. Statewide. Requires at least 1 year of experience in new construction of structures of 4+ stories.
- Certified Building Contractor (CBC) — Commercial buildings and single-/multi-family residential not exceeding 3 stories. Statewide.
- Certified Residential Contractor (CRC) — Single-family and multi-family residential not exceeding 2 habitable stories. Statewide.
- Registered (RG / RB / RR) — Same scope limits as the certified equivalents but valid only in the county/municipality of registration.
Requirements at a glance
| Experience required | 4 years of field experience, at least 1 of which must be supervisory (up to 3 years substitutable by military service or college credit). General/Building applicants must show experience in at least 4 of 6 structural categories; General Contractors also need 1 year on 4+ story new construction. |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $135 department fee + $80 per exam section + $40 post-pass processing |
| License fee | $200 (first year of biennium) / $100 (second year of biennium) |
| Renewal fee | $200 biennial (active) / $50 biennial (inactive); $100 reactivation |
| Renewal period | Every 2 years (Certified expire Aug 31 of even years; Registered Aug 31 of odd years) |
| Continuing education | 14 hours per biennium (F.S. 489.115), including 1 hr Florida laws & rules and 2 hrs Florida Building Code. A building-construction bachelor's degree (3.0+ GPA) can exempt the trade-knowledge exam portion. |
| Bond required | No surety bond if the applicant meets the financial-responsibility rule (FICO 660+). Applicants below 660 complete a 14-hour financial-responsibility course; a $100,000 bond (Rule 61G4-15.0021) may be required where a financial-responsibility deficiency exists. |
| Liability insurance | $300,000 per occurrence public liability (General & Building) / $100,000 (Residential) |
| Property damage | $50,000 (General & Building) / $25,000 (Residential) |
| Workers' comp | Required, or file a statutory exemption within 30 days of license issuance (Ch. 440, F.S.). |
| Background check | Electronic fingerprints via an FDLE-approved Livescan provider. |
| Credit requirement | FICO-derived score of 660+ (or complete a board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course). |
| Reciprocity | Endorsement (DBPR CILB 10) for active equivalent out-of-state license holders; Substantially-equivalent-exam pathway |
| Processing time | Variable via the DBPR online portal |
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Exams
| Certified Contractor Exam — Trade Knowledge + Business & Finance (open-book) | Provider: Pearson VUE (for CILB) Passing: Not publicly disclosed Fee: $135 CILB fee + $80 per section + $40 post-pass processing; passing results valid 4 years |
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Local / municipal notes
Certified is statewide; Registered is county/municipality-specific. Division I (General/Building/Residential) contractors carry higher insurance minimums than Division II specialty contractors.
Fees and rules change frequently (often annually). This page was last verified on 2026-06-16 — always confirm current requirements directly with the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), under DBPR before applying. This is not legal advice.
Official sources
https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/
https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/faqs/
https://flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=61G4-15.003