Qualify on commercial construction experience in at least four of six areas, apply to the Construction Industry Licensing Board through the DBPR, register with Professional Testing, Inc., pass Business & Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management (the trade parts are 50 questions each) at 70% with no rounding, then show financial responsibility and insurance to have the license issued.
Step 1 — Make sure Building is the right license
A certified building contractor may build commercial buildings and single- or multiple-dwelling residential buildings up to three stories, with their accessory structures, or do non-structural remodeling, repair and improvement on a building of any size (s. 489.105(3)(b), F.S.). If you want to build above three stories you need a general contractor license; if all your work is homes for up to three families, the residential license covers it. The license comparison sets the three side by side.
Step 2 — Check that your experience counts
This is the step that decides everything, so do it before you spend money. Rule 61G4-15.001, F.A.C., requires building applicants to show commercial construction experience — buildings and structures of any use and occupancy classification except storage, utility and minor accessory structures — in at least four of these six areas:
- Foundations or slabs in excess of 20,000 square feet
- Masonry walls
- Steel erection
- Elevated slabs
- Column erection
- Formwork for structural reinforced concrete
The experience must have been gained lawfully under a contractor licensed as a building or general contractor, and work that is exempt from licensure does not count. Unlike the general contractor license, there is no requirement for experience on structures of four stories or more — that one condition is the whole difference in eligibility between the two.
Work on single-family homes and duplexes does not satisfy this rule, however many years of it you have. If that is your background, the residential license is the one you can apply for now — and a certified residential contractor can move up to building after 3 years in that license. See how to get a residential license.
Step 3 — Pick your eligibility route
Beyond the type of experience, s. 489.111(2), F.S., sets how much you need. You must be 18 and of good moral character, and meet one of these:
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college in civil engineering, building construction or architecture, plus 1 year of proven experience in the building class. A year means at least 2,000 person-hours.
- Four years of active experience as a skilled worker able to command a mechanic's rate or as a foreman, at least 1 of them as a foreman.
- A mix of experience and college credit: 1 year as a foreman with 3 years of credits; 1 year as a skilled worker and 1 as a foreman with 2 years of credits; or 2 years as a skilled worker and 1 as a foreman with 1 year of credits. Community college courses count.
Gather the evidence while you study: experience affidavits from people who supervised or worked alongside you and can be contacted, and transcripts sent from the institution. A missing affidavit holds up a file long after the exams are passed.
Step 4 — Apply, register, and pass the three exams
The application goes to the Construction Industry Licensing Board through the DBPR, which reviews your experience, finances and background and approves you to test. Registration is a separate step with Professional Testing, Inc., and the tests are delivered daily by computer at Pearson VUE centers. The general contractor licensing process page walks through who handles what; it is the same for the building class.
You then pass three examinations, each open book and each requiring 70%:
- Contract Administration — 50 scored questions, 4.5 hours
- Project Management — 50 scored questions, 4.5 hours
- Business & Finance — 120 questions, 6.5 hours; you may be exempt if you passed it for another active Florida contractor license
The building trade exams cover the same content as the general contractor's, only shorter — our building contractor exam guide shows the comparison.
Step 5 — Get the license issued
After passing, you show proof of financial responsibility, provide general liability and — unless exempt — workers' compensation coverage, and pay the licensing fees. If you are qualifying a business, you take on personal responsibility for the work done under its license. The license then renews on a fixed cycle with continuing education required before each renewal.
Four years later, the ladder continues: an active certified building contractor can obtain a general contractor license after 4 years of proven experience in building, by passing the general contractors' examination (s. 489.111(2)(c)4.c., F.S.). Confirm current rules with the DBPR before you file; the rule quoted here took effect on May 16, 2024.
Prepare for the building exams
Choose Building in our practice tools and the mock exam runs 50 questions in 4.5 hours. 20 questions free, no account.