Qualify on experience building one- and two-family homes and townhouses in at least three of five 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 45 questions each) at 70% with no rounding, then show financial responsibility and insurance.
Step 1 — Know what the license covers
A certified residential contractor may construct, remodel, repair and improve one-, two- and three-family residences of no more than two habitable stories above no more than one uninhabitable story, plus accessory structures (s. 489.105(3)(c), F.S.). Commercial buildings and larger multi-family work need a building or general contractor license. If you are unsure which fits, the license comparison lays out all three.
Step 2 — Check that your experience counts
Rule 61G4-15.001, F.A.C., defines qualifying residential experience as the construction, alteration, enlargement or repair of detached one- and two-family dwellings, and townhouses with a separate means of egress, no more than three stories above grade. It must cover at least three of these five areas:
- Foundations, slabs and structural formwork
- Masonry walls
- Structural demolition
- Structural wood framing, including trusses — platform framing does not count
- Column erection
The experience must have been gained lawfully under a contractor licensed for that work, and work exempt from licensure does not count. Note the framing exclusion: the rule names structural wood framing and trusses, and leaves out platform framing, so describe your framing experience specifically in your affidavits.
Step 3 — Pick your eligibility route
You must be 18 and of good moral character, and meet one of the routes in s. 489.111(2), F.S. — the same routes that apply to building and general contractors:
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college in civil engineering, building construction or architecture, plus 1 year of proven residential experience. 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.
Start collecting affidavits and transcripts while you study. Affidavits must come from people who supervised or worked with you and who can be reached; a slow one can hold up your license long after the exams.
Step 4 — Apply, register, and pass the three exams
Apply to the Construction Industry Licensing Board through the DBPR; once the board approves you, register with Professional Testing, Inc. and schedule each test at a Pearson VUE center, where they run daily by computer. The general contractor licensing process page explains who handles which step; it is the same for residential.
The three examinations are open book and each requires 70%:
- Contract Administration — 45 scored questions, 4.5 hours
- Project Management — 45 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 residential trade exams leave out cranes, hoisting, lift plans, heavy equipment, LEED, estimating software and submittal review times; otherwise they cover the same material as the general contractor's. Our residential contractor exam guide lists exactly what is in and out.
Step 5 — Get the license issued, and plan the next rung
After passing, you provide proof of financial responsibility, general liability and — unless exempt — workers' compensation coverage, and pay the licensing fees. Qualifying a company makes you personally responsible for the work done under its license. The license renews on a fixed cycle with continuing education before each renewal.
Then the ladder opens. An active certified residential contractor can obtain a building contractor license after 3 years of proven experience in residential, or a general contractor license after 4 years, by passing that license's examination (s. 489.111(2)(c)4.a.-b., F.S.). Because the trade content is shared, the preparation you do now is most of the work for the next exam. Confirm the current rule with the DBPR before you file; the version quoted here took effect on May 16, 2024.
Prepare for the residential exams
Choose Residential and the commercial-only questions drop out, and the mock exam runs 45 questions in 4.5 hours. 20 questions free, every answer explained.