A step-by-step 2026 guide to Florida's certified general contractor license: experience rules, exams, fees, insurance, and renewal deadlines.
Updated on: 2026-08-19
The single most common reason a Florida general contractor application stalls is not the exam. It is the experience section. People assume "four years in construction" is enough, mail in a résumé, and wait. Then DBPR asks where the four-story new-construction project was, and which of the six qualifying areas they actually worked in. That is where the delays start.
So here is the short version before the detail. To become a state-certified general contractor in Florida, you must be at least 18, show good moral character, meet a specific education-and-experience pathway, pass three contractor examinations, submit the CILB 5-A application (or CILB 6-A to qualify a business), clear fingerprints and financial-responsibility checks, carry the required insurance, and get DBPR/CILB approval. After that, you keep the license active through insurance, continuing education, and biennial renewal.
A certified license lets you contract anywhere in Florida. A registered license only covers the local jurisdictions where you met competency requirements. If you want to work statewide, certified is the target.
Certified vs. registered: which one do you actually need?
A general contractor in Florida has unlimited scope as to the type of work, subject to statutory exceptions and any work that requires a separate specialty license. That breadth is the whole point of the credential.
The practical split comes down to geography:
- Certified general contractor (CG): holds a state certificate of competency, license code starts with "C," can contract in any Florida jurisdiction without re-qualifying locally.
- Registered general contractor (RG): registered based on a local competency license, code starts with "R," limited to the jurisdictions covered by that registration.
One thing worth saying plainly: a general contractor license is not required for every construction-related task. DBPR lists cabinets, countertops, painting, wallpaper, carpet, tile, and window treatments as work that does not need state contractor licensure. There is also a narrow exemption for casual or minor work under $2,500, though anything requiring a permit usually falls outside it. The Construction Industry FAQs spell out those edges.
Do you meet the basic eligibility requirements?
Florida's statutory floor for licensure by examination is straightforward on paper:
- At least 18 years old
- Good moral character
- One approved education-and-experience pathway
The pathways are where it gets specific. The CILB 5-A form recognizes several combinations, and one year of full-time-equivalent experience is counted as 2,000 person-hours.
| Qualification method | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Construction degree | Four-year construction degree (counts as 3 years) plus 1 year of applicable proven experience |
| Foreman plus college | 1 year as foreman plus 3+ years of accredited college credits |
| Worker, foreman, and college | 1 year as worker, 1 year as foreman, plus 2+ years of college credits |
| Additional worker experience | 2 years as worker, 1 year as foreman, plus 1+ year of college credits |
| Field experience | 4 years as worker or foreman, including at least 1 year as foreman |
| Upgrade | Active certified residential or building contractor with 4+ years' proven experience, after passing the GC exam |
The general-contractor experience nobody warns you about
This is the part that trips people up. A general contractor applicant must document experience in at least four of these six areas:
- Foundations or slabs exceeding 20,000 square feet
- Masonry walls
- Steel erection
- Column erection
- Formwork for structural reinforced concrete
- Elevated slabs
On top of that, at least one year of your qualifying experience must involve new construction of a structure at least four stories high.
Four years of remodels and single-story additions will not satisfy this, no matter how legitimate the work was. If your background is mostly residential, look hard at whether you have documented commercial or multi-story experience before you file. This is the requirement that separates a smooth approval from a six-month back-and-forth.
Military service and college credit can substitute for up to three years of field experience. Military time is documented with a DD-214, and per DBPR's FAQ, the service or credit does not have to be construction-related. But at least one year of supervisory construction experience in the relevant category still has to be there.
How do you document experience so DBPR accepts it?
The CILB 5-A wants project-level detail, not a summary. For each relevant job, be ready to provide:
- Employer name, address, phone, and contact person
- Dates of employment
- The name and license number of the contractor who supervised or qualified your employer
- Worker or foreman classification
- Project dates, addresses, name, and type
- Job title and duties
- Project specifics: number of stories, square footage, materials
- Which of the six experience areas applied
- Whether the project was new construction four stories or higher
DBPR may call the supervising or qualifying contractor to verify what you wrote. If your list of past supervisors is thin or people have moved on, start tracking down current contact information now. That single detail causes more verification delays than almost anything else.
The Florida contractor exams: what you sit for
General, building, and residential contractors are Division I contractors, and Division I applicants pass three exams:
| Exam part | Scored questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Finance | 120 | 6.5 hours |
| General Contract Administration | 60 | 4.5 hours |
| General Project Management | 60 | 4.5 hours |
You apply directly to Professional Testing, Inc., which registers and approves candidates. Applications and fees generally need to arrive at least 30 days before the exam date. Once approved, you schedule through Pearson VUE, and DBPR says you become eligible to schedule within 72 hours of approval. The examination information page has the current candidate rules.
Third-party guides often quote a first-attempt vendor cost around $295, but treat that as a ballpark. Confirm the amount with Professional Testing when you register, because that is where the current fee schedule lives.
On timing: cancel at least two days before your appointment or you may forfeit the fee. Current summaries of the candidate rules say all required parts must be passed within four years of your first scheduled exam date, with retakes allowed in that window. Verify that against the current Candidate Information Booklet before you plan a slow, part-by-part approach.
About "open book"
Here is a distinction worth reading twice. 1 Exam Prep's Florida general-contractor package includes tabbed and highlighted reference books, online courses, and instructor-led virtual classes built around navigating those references quickly. That preparation matters because the exams are heavy on knowing where answers live.
But DBPR's examination-information page states that bound or loose-leaf reference materials and notes are not allowed in the exam room. That conflicts with the loose way people describe these exams as "open book." Do not assume you can carry any highlighted book into the test center. Check the current Candidate Information Booklet and Pearson VUE rules for your specific exam before test day. Knowing your references cold is useful either way. Assuming they will be on the desk in front of you is a risk.
If you want to see how candidates approach the preparation side of this, How I Passed My Contractor Exam is a reasonable read on study strategy.
Which application form do you file?
For most individuals, it is one form. The others cover specific situations.
| Situation | DBPR/CILB form |
|---|---|
| Individual certified GC, active or inactive | CILB 5-A |
| Certified GC qualifying a business | CILB 6-A |
| Qualifying an additional business | CILB 7-A or CILB 9 |
| Endorsement from another state | CILB 10 |
| Reciprocity | CILB 32 |
| Grandfathering a registered contractor | CILB 29, 30, or 31 |
| Military / veteran / military spouse | MVL 003 or applicable form |
If you operate through an LLC or corporation, you file as an individual and then qualify the business. There is no separate "certificate of authority," but the business qualification is a real, separate step. The Construction Industry page lists all current forms.
What does it cost to apply in 2026?
The CILB 5-A individual application fee depends on when you file within the two-year cycle:
| Filing window | Individual GC application fee |
|---|---|
| May 1 of an even year through Aug 31 of an odd year | $245 |
| Sept 1 of an odd year through Apr 30 of an even year | $145 |
Because today is August 19, 2026, the applicable CILB 5-A fee is $245. Exam vendor fees are separate from this DBPR fee. Budget for both.
Fingerprints, background, and financial responsibility
Electronic fingerprints are mandatory and go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FBI. The CILB 5-A background section asks about criminal history regardless of adjudication, pending bankruptcies, unsatisfied judgments or liens, prior license denials, and any disciplined professional licenses.
A "yes" is not an automatic denial, but you must explain it and attach supporting legal documents. Incomplete or inaccurate answers can themselves cause denial or later revocation.
On finances, an active individual license needs a credit report with a FICO-derived score and a public-records statement. The threshold is a score of 660 or higher. Below that, the application requires proof of completing a Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course. So a lower score does not end things; it just adds a course. You will also need proof that liens and judgments are satisfied and any bankruptcy is discharged. If you use a financially responsible officer instead, DBPR's FAQ notes an FRO bond is generally $100,000.
Insurance and workers' compensation
An active general contractor must carry at least:
- $300,000 public-liability insurance
- $50,000 property-damage insurance
The application also asks about workers' compensation coverage or a filed exemption. You can indicate an exemption will be obtained within 30 days after licensure, but active licensees must maintain coverage or a valid exemption. This is an ongoing obligation, and DBPR runs random audits. If insurance setup is where you get stuck, that is the kind of thing 1 Exam Prep's application and business-services support is built to handle alongside the exam prep.
Qualifying your business the right way
If you contract through an entity, the individual license holder must qualify that business. The qualifying agent needs supervisory and final approval authority over the company's construction affairs. Ownership is not required.
A few rules that catch people:
- One contractor can qualify more than one business.
- If a qualifying agent leaves, the business generally has 60 days to find another.
- If you qualify a business, you cannot also contract in your own individual name without a separate additional-business arrangement.
Holding the individual certificate does not automatically let your LLC contract under its own name. The business qualification is what does that.
Submitting and then maintaining the license
For an individual CG, the CILB 5-A goes to:
Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783
Your package should include the completed form, application fee, exam completion or eligibility, experience documentation, fingerprints, credit report, the 14-hour course certificate if your score is under 660, lien/judgment/bankruptcy resolution, insurance information, workers' comp coverage or exemption, and legal documents for any background disclosures.
After approval, maintenance is on a fixed clock. Certified licenses expire August 31 of every even-numbered year, which makes the current renewal deadline August 31, 2026. Renewal requires 14 hours of continuing education, with at least one hour in each required subject area (workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation, laws and rules, wind mitigation, and cementitious cladding/stucco/plastering/lath). The renewal fee is $205, plus $50 per qualified business.
DBPR's hot-topics notice confirms the one-hour cladding requirement sits inside the existing 14 hours, with enforcement beginning for certified contractors expiring August 31, 2028.
What I would do first
If I were starting this next week, I would open the CILB 5-A and fill in the experience section before doing anything else. Not the exam prep. The experience.
- List every qualifying project and check it against the six areas and the four-story requirement.
- Track down supervisor names, license numbers, and current phone numbers while you can.
- Pull your credit report and confirm you are above 660, or budget for the 14-hour course.
- Only then register for the exams and start studying.
Doing it in that order tells you within an afternoon whether you actually qualify, or whether you have a gap to close first. That is far cheaper to learn now than after you have paid exam fees and passed three tests.
FAQ
How long does the whole process take in Florida?
It depends almost entirely on your experience documentation and exam scheduling, not on DBPR paperwork speed. Candidates with clean, verifiable four-story experience and a passing credit score can move through in a few months. Anyone chasing down old supervisors or re-establishing missing experience should plan for longer.
Is the Florida general contractor exam open book?
Do not assume so. 1 Exam Prep provides tabbed reference books for study, but DBPR's exam-information page says bound or loose-leaf references and notes are not allowed in the exam room. Check the current Candidate Information Booklet and Pearson VUE rules for your specific exam before test day.
Can I get licensed with a credit score below 660?
Yes. A score under 660 does not disqualify you. The CILB 5-A gives you a route: complete a Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course and submit the certificate with your application.
Do I need a certified license, or is registered enough?
If you only ever plan to work in one local jurisdiction, a registered license can cover it. If you want to contract statewide without re-qualifying in every county, certified is the one to pursue. Most people asking this question want certified.
What is the hardest part to get right?
The general-contractor experience requirement, specifically the four-story new-construction year and the four-of-six qualifying areas. Generic "years of experience" summaries skip this, and it is where applications stall most often.