Florida Certified vs Registered Contractor
Florida issues two contractor credentials with the same statutory categories but different geographic reach: a certificate of competency (statewide) and a registration (bound to the local jurisdictions where local licensing was met). Each row below quotes the statute or the official rule behind it.
A person must be certified or registered in order to engage in the business of contracting in this state (F.S. §489.113(2)); a person who desires to engage in contracting on a statewide basis must establish competency by certification, and a person who desires to engage in contracting on other than a statewide basis must be registered, unless exempted by Part I (F.S. §489.113(1)).
Source S-FL-113 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.113 — Qualifications for practice; restrictions — F.S. §489.113(1)-(2)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (1) statewide certification requires the board-approved examination (degree shortcut: business & finance portion only); (2) must be certified or registered + supervised-subcontractor proviso; (3) subcontract rule for electrical/mechanical/plumbing/roofing/sheet metal/swimming pool/air-conditioning with exceptions (b)-(g); (4) certified contractor exhibits the certificate locally and pays the permit fee like others; (6)(a) specialty categories are VOLUNTARY statewide unless a statute mandates them; (7) oral examination petition.
01 Side-by-side comparison
| Topic | Certified (certificate of competency) | Registered (local-bound registration) |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory definition | A certified contractor is any contractor who possesses a certificate of competency issued by the department and who shall be allowed to contract in any jurisdiction in the state without being required to fulfill the competency requirements of that jurisdiction (F.S. §489.105(8)); certification for statewide practice requires passing the board-approved examination (F.S. §489.113(1)). | A registered contractor is any contractor who has registered with the department pursuant to fulfilling the competency requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued, and registered contractors may contract only in such jurisdictions (F.S. §489.105(10)). |
| Geographic reach | Any jurisdiction in the state, without fulfilling that jurisdiction's competency requirements (F.S. §489.105(8)). S-FL-105 | Only the counties, municipalities or development districts where the registrant complied with local licensing, and only for the registered type of work (F.S. §489.105(10), §489.117(1)(b)). S-FL-105 S-FL-117 |
| State examination | Required — the board-approved examination establishes competency for statewide practice (F.S. §489.113(1)); a qualifying 4-year degree waives everything except the business and finance portion. S-FL-113 | NOT required for registration itself — the applicant files evidence of successful compliance with the local examination and licensing requirements, if any, of the area (F.S. §489.117(1)(a)). S-FL-117 |
| Experience / eligibility | A person is eligible for licensure by examination if the person is 18 years of age, is of good moral character, and meets ONE of the statutory experience criteria: a baccalaureate degree in engineering, architecture or building construction plus 1 year of proven experience in the category (2,000 person-hours = full-time equivalency); at least 4 years of active experience as a skilled worker/foreman with at least 1 year as a foreman; or one of the listed combinations of foreman experience, skilled-worker experience and accredited college-level course credits (F.S. §489.111(2)). | Local competency requirements of the target jurisdiction plus the board's registration conditions (§489.117); no separate state experience test for registration. S-FL-117 |
| Issuing authority | Certificate of competency issued by DBPR / CILB (F.S. §489.105(8)). S-FL-105 | Registration with the department, built on the local license (F.S. §489.117(1)). S-FL-117 |
| Local relationship | No local examination and no local professional license/fee may be required within the statewide scope (F.S. §489.131(6)(a), (3)(f)). The locality still issues permits and may deny permit authority after a hearing finding of fraud or willful violation (§489.113(4)(b)). S-FL-131 | Depends on the locality: registrants must report each local jurisdiction and category to the board within 30 days (§489.117(1)(c)); the registration lapses in effect where local requirements stop being met. Local licensing registration is a state-law prerequisite, not a state license: To be initially registered the applicant must submit the required fee and file evidence of successful compliance with the local examination and licensing requirements, if any, in the area for which registration is desired; an examination is not required for registration (F.S. §489.117(1)(a)). Registration allows the registrant to engage in contracting only in the counties, municipalities, or development districts where he or she has complied with all local licensing requirements, if any, and only for the type of work covered by the registration (F.S. §489.117(1)(b)). S-FL-117 |
| Renewal cycle | 24 months — same 2-year statutory cycle as registration (F.S. §489.115(4)(a)), 14 hours CE. S-FL-115 | 24 months — same 2-year cycle and CE requirement. S-FL-115 |
| Renewal dates (DBPR FAQ) | August 31 of even-numbered years — per the DBPR Construction Industry FAQ (attribution: DBPR guidance, not statute). S-FL-FAQ | August 31 of odd-numbered years — same FAQ attribution. S-FL-FAQ |
| Official lookup | DBPR Verify Licensee — certificate numbers typically observed with a CFC/CBC prefix on the portal (prefixes are observable on the lookup but NOT stated in the statute, so they are not used as codes here). S-FL-LOOKUP | Same portal; registered credentials are tied to the local jurisdiction the registrant reported. S-FL-LOOKUP |
| If you contract unlicensed | Contracts entered into on or after October 1, 1990 by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or in equity by the unlicensed contractor (F.S. §489.128(1)), and no lien or bond claim shall exist in favor of the unlicensed contractor for any labor, services, or materials provided under the contract (F.S. §489.128(2)); if a state license is not required for the scope of work to be performed under the contract, the person performing that work is not considered unlicensed (F.S. §489.128(1)(a)). | Same rule — F.S. §489.128 turns on whether a state license was required for the scope. S-FL-128 |
02 Examination and eligibility
To establish competency for statewide contracting a person shall pass the appropriate examination approved by the board and certified by the department; an applicant who has received a baccalaureate degree in building construction from an accredited 4-year college (or a related degree approved by board rule) with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher is required only to take and pass the business and finance portion of the examination (F.S. §489.113(1)). An examination is not required for registration (F.S. §489.117(1)(a)).
Source S-FL-113 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.113 — Qualifications for practice; restrictions — F.S. §489.113(1); §489.117(1)(a)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (1) statewide certification requires the board-approved examination (degree shortcut: business & finance portion only); (2) must be certified or registered + supervised-subcontractor proviso; (3) subcontract rule for electrical/mechanical/plumbing/roofing/sheet metal/swimming pool/air-conditioning with exceptions (b)-(g); (4) certified contractor exhibits the certificate locally and pays the permit fee like others; (6)(a) specialty categories are VOLUNTARY statewide unless a statute mandates them; (7) oral examination petition.
A person is eligible for licensure by examination if the person is 18 years of age, is of good moral character, and meets ONE of the statutory experience criteria: a baccalaureate degree in engineering, architecture or building construction plus 1 year of proven experience in the category (2,000 person-hours = full-time equivalency); at least 4 years of active experience as a skilled worker/foreman with at least 1 year as a foreman; or one of the listed combinations of foreman experience, skilled-worker experience and accredited college-level course credits (F.S. §489.111(2)).
Source S-FL-111 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.111 — Licensure by examination (eligibility) — F.S. §489.111(2)(a)-(c)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). 18 years of age, good moral character, and the statutory experience paths (degree + 1 year; 4 years incl. 1 year foreman; listed combinations; category-upgrade paths with their own experience minimums).
No municipality or county may require the holder of a certificate issued pursuant to Part I to sit for examination to operate within the scope of such certificate (F.S. §489.131(6)(a)), and no county or municipality may require any certificateholder to obtain a local professional license or pay a local professional license fee as a condition of performing any services within the scope of the certificateholder's statewide license (F.S. §489.131(3)(f)).
Source S-FL-131 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.131 — Applicability (local powers, permits, inspections) — F.S. §489.131(6)(a); §489.131(3)(f)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (3)(a)/(d) counties and municipalities keep systems of permits, fees and inspections and plan approval; (3)(e) local bond capped at $5,000 (Florida Building Code compliance, payable to the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund); (3)(f) no local professional license/fee for certificateholders within statewide scope; (5) the permit issuer must ascertain certification/registration before issuing a permit; (6)(a) no local examination for certificateholders.
03 Renewal and lookup
Each certificateholder or registrant who desires to continue as a certificateholder or registrant shall renew the certificate or registration every 2 years (F.S. §489.115(4)(a)) and shall provide proof of completing at least 14 classroom hours of at least 50 minutes each of continuing education courses during each biennium, a portion of which the board shall establish by rule to deal with workers' compensation, business practices, workplace safety and — for applicable licensure categories — wind mitigation methodologies, and 1 hour of which must deal with laws and rules (F.S. §489.115(4)(b)1.).
Source S-FL-115 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.115 — Certification and registration; renewals; continuing education — F.S. §489.115(4)(a)-(b)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (4)(a) renew every 2 years; (4)(b)1. at least 14 classroom hours of ≥50 minutes each per biennium (workers' compensation, business practices, workplace safety, wind mitigation for applicable categories, 1 hour laws and rules); (4)(b)3. board must require advanced Florida Building Code module courses by rule; (5)(a) insurance affidavit (ch. 440 WC + public liability + property damage, amounts by board rule); (5)(b) credit report; (6) criminal history check; (9) fingerprints.
The DBPR Construction Industry FAQ states that certified contractor licenses renew on August 31 of even-numbered years and registered contractor licenses renew on August 31 of odd-numbered years; the statute itself fixes only the 2-year cycle (F.S. §489.115(4)(a)).
DBPR Verify Licensee — official lookup S-FL-LOOKUP · what the lookup shows →