If you’ve been thinking about becoming a contractor in Florida, you might be wondering what the licensing requirements are. All contractors working in the state will need a contractor license to work legally.

Licenses are either approved or denied by the Florida Construction Licensing Board and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). If you’re interested in learning more about contractor licensing requirements, read more to find out what you need to do to become a legally licensed contractor in the state of Florida.

Requirements will differ depending on which contractor specialty you are applying for, but here are the general minimum requirements:

* You must be at least 18 years of age.
* Provide proof of a credit score that is 660 or higher. Those with lower scores can purchase a surety bond.
* Get your fingerprint scanned electronically.
* Provide proof of liability and workers’ compensation insurance.
* Fill out your contractor license application.
* Pay application and licensing fees.

In Florida, there are two different categories of contractor licenses. You can either get a certified license or a registered license. Certified licenses are valid throughout the entire state, which allows contractors to work anywhere in Florida. A registered license only allows a contractor to work within a specific local jurisdiction.
Once you’ve applied for one of these types of licenses, you can then apply for a more specialized contractor license.
This includes, for example, residential, building, electrical, HVAC-A, HVAC-B, mechanical, roofing, plumbing, commercial pool/spa, residential pool/spa, swimming pool/spa, glass, sheet metal, underground utility contractor’s licenses, and more.

Certified contractor’s license application steps:

1. Download and complete the application for the Florida State Construction Exam.
2. Once you pass the exam, download and fill out the application for either an individual or qualified business.
3. Collect the following documents: A copy of your credit score and proof of your education experience.

Registered contractor’s license application steps:

1. Download and complete the application for the Florida State Construction Exam.
2. Once passed, download and complete the full application packet for an individual general contractor or a qualifying business.
3. Provide the following documents: A copy of your credit report and a Certificate of Competency issued by the local jurisdiction.

Once you’ve completed the application (for either the certified or registered licenses), it should be sent to:

State of Florida
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783

Having gone over the main requirements necessary to become a licensed contractor in the state of Florida, we hope that this gives you a good idea of what needs to be done to get your license. Becoming a contractor is an extremely rewarding career with tremendous opportunities going forward.

However, it doesn’t come without its headaches. Once you’re licensed, you might need help with collecting payments from clients who failed to compensate you. If you’re ever in this kind of situation, consider contacting the professionals at Nationwide Notice. They are the industry leader in construction payment and lien notice services. Their team of experts can help you collect any missed or late payments that are owed to you. Nationwide Notice specializes in putting you in complete control of your noticing and receivables as well as having access to state specific lien law and claim updates,statutes and relevant news. We offer services in construction payment, helping construction companies, change order forms, general contractors, lien releases, and more. Contact us today or click here to get started.