How To Go From A Registered Gc To State Licensed Gc Florida

florida contractor license

What is a Florida Contractor License?

A Florida Contractor License is a legal requirement made by the Country of Florida for contractors who wish to work within the land. The license acts equally a guarantee that the license holder is sufficiently qualified and insured to piece of work legally within the state, according to standards adamant past the State of Florida, and needs to be renewed every ii years.

Whilst the application and licensing process tin exist lengthy, this article will give y'all a clearer understanding of the process, and what you will demand to prepare and then that you lot can get your Florida Contractor's License as easily as possible.

Florida Contractor License Types

At that place are many different types of Florida Contractor Licenses, which fall nether 2 master categories. These 2 classifications of licensure are registration and certification. The former category, registration, allows contractors to work in specific areas such every bit cities and counties. The latter, certification, allows contractors to work anywhere in the state.

Within these ii categories, contractors demand to then utilize for a license specific to their work. The different, specific types of Florida Contractor Licenses are:

General
Edifice
Residential
Canvass Metal
Roofing
Air-conditioning (Classes A, B, and C)
Mechanical
Pool/Spa (Commercial, Residential, and Servicing)
Plumbing
Hole-and-corner Utility and Excavation
Solar
Pollutant Storag e System

In that location are also more specific, specialty licenses that are required by some local governments from some specialty contractors . These can be institute on the websites of specific city and county governments.

How Do I Get a Florida Contractor License?

In club to go a Florida Contractor License, you must meet several criteria:

You lot must be eighteen or older

You must also be able to supply a social security number, (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification (ITIN)

You must take evidence that your business organisation is a formally registered entity

Florida Contractor Licenses are only awarded to formally registered businesses. There are several different types of business entities, and the type of entity which an applicant wishes to found determines where they must apply. If the applicant wishes to establish a Corporation, Express Liability Company (LLC), or partnership, they should employ through the Florida Segmentation of Corporations . Nonetheless, if the applicant wishes to establish a small business , they should register with Florida's Section of Acquirement . This is a vital first stage in the application process.

Y'all must have testify of experience and competency

Applicants to go registered contractors in Florida must outset pass the Florida Contractor License test, details of which can be found in the adjacent paragraph, or they must obtain a Certificate of Competency from their local government licensing potency. This is usually obtained from the city or state.

Applicants applying to get a certified contractor must testify proof of four years' work experience from i or more of several sources. These include vocational schools, grooming programs, and piece of work feel , demonstrating experience in the field corresponding to the license in question.

This should include a minimum of 1 twelvemonth of supervisory feel. Upward to 3 years of feel can exist substituted for 3 years of college credit hours. Some licenses crave further evidence of specific feel. These include the Florida General Contractor License and the Residential Contractor License.

Applicants also demand to pass the Florida Contractor License Test to demonstrate their competency, except for those applying for a Swimming Pool Speciality License. Applicants wishing to book their contractor exam should examine the Florida exam schedule .

At that place are cases in which an exemption from experience is bachelor. It is possible to gain a license with less experience for applicants who receive a grandfathered license from a retiring contractor.

Veterans may too apply for a contract without prior experience and are eligible to accept their fees waived. Veterans who are applying for a contract license, must download, complete and include the Florida Military Fee Waiver and Military Service verification form in their awarding. Both veterans and grandfathered contractors are all the same required to pass the licensing exam.

You must exist able to demonstrate your financial stability

Applicants who wish to apply for a state of Florida Contractor'due south license must be able to provide show of their financial responsibility and stability. In order to exercise then, applicants must submit a credit report of their personal finances and those of their business entity, including their FICO score. Those with a credit score below 660 are required to take out a surety bond. This bail acts as a fiscal guarantee between the contractor, the surety company, and the state, and is used to financially protect potential clients.

You lot must be able to provide evidence that you are accordingly insured

In that location are different types of insurance that applicants may demand, depending on the type of contracting license for which they are applying, and the scale at which they wish to operate. These types of insurance include:

Worker's Compensation Insurance

All construction businesses hiring employees take to become worker's compensation insurance. Y'all tin can find out more data from the state Segmentation of Workers' Compensation.

Liability and property damage insurance

All contractors need to take out liability insurance , though the amount will vary depending on the blazon of license they wish to have out. For a General and Building Contracto r license, $300,000 liability insurance and $50,000 belongings damage insurance is required. For all other license types , $100,000 liability insurance and $25,000 holding damage insurance is sufficient.

Surety Bond

Applicants with a FICO score below 660 must obtain a surety bond . This is a security machinery that guarantees legal compliance and safeguards the interests of customers.

The value of the Florida Contractor License bond that contractors accept to postal service volition depend on the type of license that they wish to obtain.

Building, residential, and full general contractor licenses require a bail worth $20,000
All other license types require a bail worth $ten,000

The price that contractors have to pay to get bonded is called a surety bond premium and is a small per centum of the bond amount. The exact toll is adamant based on the applicant'south personal and business finances. A financial background check will be conducted; for applicants with stronger finances, bond prices are lower, and for those with weaker finances, bond prices are higher. These prices tin fluctuate between 0.75% and five% of the overall bail value but are generally betwixt 0.75% and 5% for bail applicants with stable finances.

If you want to cheque the exact cost of your contractor license bond, you tin can fill in the short class beneath.

What are the Steps to Getting a Florida Contractor License?

Start, applicants must gather all of the show detailed to a higher place. Once they have done so, so they must complete t he relevant application form for their license blazon.

Having filled out an awarding, applicants should mail it together with the paperwork specified higher up to:

Partitioning of Professions

Construction Industry Licensing Board

2601 Blair Stone Road

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0791

How Long Does It Take to Get a Florida Contractor License?

In one case an applicant has gathered the required prove and has submitted their application, the application needs to be reviewed by the Florida State Licensing Board. Applications are reviewed in the social club that they arrive, so waiting times can vary. Withal, applicants can generally expect to have a response within 30-45 business organization days.

Florida Contractor Licenses need to be renewed every 2 years, and then it is important that applications are submitted with enough time to be reviewed and renewed before old contracts expire.

Applicants for a certified license need to renew their licenses earlier August 31 of every even number yr. Applicants for a registered license must do then before August 31 of every odd-number year.

In that location are unlike fees for renewing, depending on whether the license is current, delinquent, active, or inactive.

Current active – $209 for individuals and $259 for qualifying businesses
Current inactive – $59
Delinquent active individual -$309
Delinquent active business organisation – $359
Delinquent inactive licenses – $218.

How to Verify Your Florida Contractor License

Verification of a contractor's license is an of import way to assure clients that the contractor will complete their work up to standard and on time.

In lodge to verify a contractor's license, the interested party volition need the contractor's merchandise license number, license type, the city or county in which they work, or the contractor's name. This information can then exist used to detect and verify the contractor's license online with th e Department of Business organisation and Professional person Online Services.

How Much Does it Cost to Get a Florida Contractor License?

The cost of a Florida Contractor License will vary depending on whether the awarding is for state certification or for registration, and when the application is submitted.

Licensing fees for certified contractors are:

$249 – when applying betwixt May one of an even yr and August 31 of an odd yr

$149 – when applying between September 1 of an odd year and April 30 of an fifty-fifty year

For registered contractor due south, the application fee s are the following:

$309 – when applying betwixt May 1 of an odd twelvemonth and August 31 of an even year

$209 – when applying for between September 1 of an even year and April thirty of an odd year

Have more than questions nigh getting your Florida contractor license awarding? You can phone call us at 877.514.5146.