Florida Contractor License 101
A candidate for a residential contractor license in Florida needs to be at least 18 years old and possess a combination of education and experience requirements set by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The experience requirements can be satisfied by qualifying work experience leading up to a high school diploma, or through a combination of work and education . A candidate should have at least four years of experience as a foreman, job superintendent, supervisor, contractor, or manager of four or more employees who were in charge of manufacturing or construction activities, or they need at least two years of experience with an associate’s degree or at least three years of experience in one of the above roles with two years of college study in engineering, architecture, building construction, or a related branch of engineering or physical science. Experience obtained in a vocational or technical program may count toward the four year experience requirement, with two years of technical experience counting as one year of experience.
Application for a Florida Residential Contractor License
Once you have determined that you are eligible to take the residential contractor exams or obtain a registered license, you need to make an appointment for your examination application review. For the exam application review you must select either a NECA/IBEW Local 349 Apprenticeship Program or the Florida Builders Association Educational Foundation Training Course as your work experience and pay a $150.00 fee.
This $150.00 application fee is applicable to all applicants who meet the work experience or educational prerequisites for registration or certification. Make the check payable to DBPR or Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Each individual required to take an examination or to obtain a statement of examination eligibility pursuant to Chapter 489, F.S. will be assessed an examination fee based upon the current contract with the Department’s examination contractor. Examination fees may not be considered part of any application fee. For example, the cost of an application and exam for a Florida building contractor will be $85.00. In some cases, the DBPR Regional Offices charge an additional fee of $40.00 to process the application. Please check the website to determine if the Regional Office charges this fee. If so, the application form will have a surcharge box for that fee on the box for the license that you are applying for. If you send the fees to the DBPR, they will return the fees if and when it determines that you do not qualify for the license. If you send in the fees to take the test and you are determined to not be qualified, the DBPR will process a refund to you. However, the $150.00 payment referenced above is not subject to refund.
After an application has been filed you will receive a notice telling you whether you qualify for licensure. If your application is denied, the determination will include the reasons for denying your application. The Department notifies applicants by mail of their exam results between the first and tenth day of the month. The notice identifies the section(s) and the four-hour window assigned to the applicant to take the test. If you receive a passing grade (out of 100) on all four sections of your test, you will be assigned three consecutive days to take your trade test. You will then receive your license within 30 days of passing your trade test.
Licence applicants must have general liability insurance in a minimum amount of $300,000 with a $50,000 aggregate protection. Workers’ compensation insurance or proof they are statutory exempt is also required pursuant to Florida Statutes. If you hire employees you are required to have workers’ compensation insurance. If you do not hire any employees and are not included as an owner in a Florida corporation or partnership when you hire subcontractors, you may qualify for an exemption from workers’ compensation coverage.
Florida Contractor License Exam Preparation
The Florida Residential Contractor exam is designed to assess the knowledge of the candidate for residential contractor license testing. Unlike the business and finance test, which merely requires that the candidate take the test, the exam for a Residential Contractors license must be passed before the candidate is allowed to take the business/finance test. To be eligible to take the exam, the candidate mush complete a 14-hour approved accounting course. After you have registered for the test with your local DBPR office and your application has been approved, you will receive an Approval to Schedule (ATS) to schedule your exams. If your application is denied, you can make the changes requested by the Department and submit the changes to the Department. You must wait 21 days after you submit your changes to take the test. To schedule the test you will need a receipt or check number from the State, your Contracting Division, your Social Security number, your printed name as shown on your application, your credit card information or an alternate form of payment (Cashier’s check or money order), your phone number and either your email address or your mailing address.
The first step in preparing for the Residential Contractor test is to complete the four-day training seminar with Spann & Associates. The cost of the seminar is $725.00 and can be paid over two months so you do not have to worry about spending a whole weeks salary at once.
The second step is to review the manuals that were provided to you for each test. This is where you will spend most of your time to prepare for the exam. In addition, the Department has available for download a reference list of acceptable study materials. The list does not contain all of the study materials recommended by the Department; rather it is intended to be a guide for candidates. If a candidate chooses to use study materials not on the list, those materials must meet the requirements described below:
All manuals cited above are available for download on the DBPR website referenced above. After you download and print a study manual, pay special attention to the following:
You should take special care when choosing a personal reference guide such as the "Florida Building Code". Some of the resources are: Employee Benefits; Work Place Safety; and Employment Provisions for Construction Contractors.
You should make sure to being your test preparation well in advance of your test date. The Residential Fighter’s Handbook is a good place to start and will help you to identify all of those topics which must be reviewed prior to participating in the four-day training seminar.
Our clients and contractors we know, who have passed the Residential Contractor exams claim the best method of study is to read the books, read the books taking notes, highlight important details, take the 14-hour accounting course, read the books again making additional notes and highlighting, and read the books one final time. At this point, you should be pretty much familiar with what will be in the book, however you should not attempt to memorize any of the formula, tables, or charts.
The best thing you can do is become familiar with the materials that will be given to you at the exam. There are many resources available on the internet, including study sheets for each test. In addition, there are many courses offered to help ensure you pass the Residential Contractor test. For example, the Residential Contractors Institute in Orlando, offers a Texas-style exam with multiple test and review Module quizzes given during class.
How to Maintain Your Florida Contractor License
Once you have obtained a residential contractor license in Florida, the State of Florida provides some regular requirements to maintain your license. To keep the license active, you must either meet the continuing education requirements or you need to be appropriately licensed in another state, or do work outside of Florida for 10 of the 15 preceding years. In addition to these requirements, you also have to renew your license on a regular basis and you need to change your information with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) if there are any changes.
Continuing education requirements for residential contractors in Florida vary depending on whether or not you hold a certificate or a registered license. If you hold a registered license, you will be required to complete at least 14 hours of continuing education courses every two years. The specific courses include: If you hold a certificate , you will be required to take at least 14 hours of continuing education classes as well. These classes for certificate holders include: All continuing education courses must be taken each licensing period and you need to receive a passing score of 75% or greater in each of these areas in order to continue work in your field. You will have a period of at least six months before the courses need to be completed to put you in compliance with the requirements of the DBPR. In addition to completing the required courses for renewal of your license, you will also need to pay an $89 fee to the DBPR to process the renewal. There is also an additional fee associated with renewing an inactive license. If you hold either a certificate or a license, it is also important to update the information that is provided to the DBPR whenever you get a new email address, change places of employment, change your name or get married, if there is a change in your legal status, or if your social security number changes.
Florida Contractor License Reciprocity
Reciprocity Agreements With Other States for Florida Contractor Licenses
Florida does have a contractor license reciprocity agreement with several other states, whereby Florida will recognize a license from one of these states, or the state will recognize a Florida contractor license. These are primarily for general contractors, building contractors, and residential contractors. However, there is no reciprocity agreement for specialty licenses, such as plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, roofing, pool, alarm, fire, elevator, carpentry, and demolition. In other words, a licensed electrician from Alabama cannot come to Florida and apply for a transfer of his license. However, in some cases, those licensees can qualify a local company if they obtain an active license from a Florida building code administration. Typically, the out of state licensee must have held an active license in that state, with some exceptions, follow the same procedures for obtaining the Florida license, pass the required exams, and show proof of at least Four (4) years of experience in the trade. Some states use the International Code Council’s license testing.
The House of Representatives has filed a bill for the 2021 session (HB 333) that will require a licensee pay a fee to the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (FCILB) to transfer their license from another state to Florida. The FCILB would issue a license by endorsement for the pre-licensed applicant if they pay the appropriate fees. The licensee would then fulfill the continuing education requirements.
Legal and Financial Obligations of a Florida Residential Contractor
Despite what the name might suggest a residential contractor license holder and a general contractor have very different legal and financial responsibilities. For example, a residential contractor license is not the same thing as a general contractor’s license. Furthermore, for residential contractors it is exceedingly important to maintain general liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance if he or she has employees. Further a residential contractor who performs work for a homeowner is under heightened duties in Florida under the Homeowners Bill of Rights. As such it is important for the Florida residential contractor to be aware of what is expected of him or her under Florida law.
If a residential contractor is considering obtaining a license in Florida there are several legal and financial obligations associated with the license. These obligations include , but are not limited to: Financial planning, legal planning, licensure, continuing education, and general responsibility for the project and its completion are necessary when considering a Florida Residential Contractors License. As a contractor it is important to stay abreast and take these legal and financial obligations seriously to avoid liability to the homeowners, the state licensing authority, and other contractors.