Florida General Contractor License Cost & Requirements (2026)
Florida's Certified General Contractor license, the CGC, is issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) inside DBPR, and its money does not flow the way most states arrange it. The application payment changes price depending on where in the two-year cycle you file, the initial license fee hides inside that payment instead of arriving later, and the state tests your credit score where other states demand a bond. Applicants who budget from generic national guides get all three of those wrong.
The total first-time cost is $540: a $245 application payment in the current window, plus $295 in exam-stage fees. What follows explains the window pricing, the three-part exam, and the FICO rule that replaced Florida's old bond requirement in 2022.
Florida General Contractor Fee Estimator
Regulatory fee breakdown for Certified General Contractor (CGC) License
Itemized Fee Schedule
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)
All applications and exams must be registered directly with this board.
Fee figures on this page were checked against Florida DBPR - Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) on October 29, 2026. View the official source
Regulatory & Licensing Requirements Summary
| Official License Classification | Certified General Contractor (CGC) License |
| Minimum Experience | 4 Years (Journeyman / Field Supervisor) |
| Mandatory State Surety Bond | Not required at state level (Local permits may apply) |
| General Liability Insurance | Varies by category: $300,000 liability / $50,000 property damage for General and Building Contractors; $100,000 / $25,000 for Residential and most specialty categories (Rule 61G4-15.003, FAC). |
| Estimated Application Processing Time | Not published by the board |
| Renewal Cycle & CE Requirement | Every 2 year(s) with 14 hours of Continuing Education |
Warning: Unlicensed Contracting Penalties in Florida
First offense: a first-degree misdemeanor, up to 1 year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine (§489.127(2)). A repeat offense, or any offense during a Governor-declared state of emergency, is a third-degree felony.
Note: In many states, unlicensed contractors also lose the ability to file mechanic's liens or sue for non-payment in civil courts.
Special Statutory Notes for Florida
Price a Certified General Contractor application and the first variable is the calendar. The CGC is the CILB's Division I credential inside Florida DBPR, earned by statewide certification through examination, and the application payment is $245 or $145 depending on where in the two-year cycle you file. That payment already includes the $200 initial license fee.
The exam itself has three parts, Business & Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management, and the exam stage costs $295: $135 to the exam vendor PTI plus $80 per test sitting, with two of the parts charged as one test. Florida asks for no surety bond from this license.
Financial responsibility is tested by credit instead: a FICO score of 660 or higher with no unsatisfied judgments or liens, and an applicant below 660 completes a 14-hour board-approved financial responsibility course instead. The insurance floor for a general contractor is at least $300,000 of public liability and $50,000 of property damage cover, alongside workers' compensation coverage or an exemption, and electronic fingerprinting is mandatory.
Qualifying takes 4 years of experience in the trade, at least 1 of them supervisory. Renewal runs every 2 years at a standing charge of $209, or $259 if you qualify a business, with 14 hours of continuing education. DBPR has applied temporary renewal reductions in some cycles, so go by the amount on your renewal notice.
A business that designates a Financially Responsible Officer must have that officer separately post a $100,000 bond or letter of credit.
Florida divides licensing into Certified (statewide practice) and Registered (county/local jurisdiction practice). Building standards are strictest in the Miami-Dade and Broward High-Velocity Hurricane Zone.
The application fee that changes with the calendar
CILB prices the application by the biennium. From 1 May of an even-numbered year through 31 August of the following odd year, the payment is $245. From 1 September of the odd year through 30 April of the even year, it is $145.
The difference is not a discount: the payment bundles a $40 application-processing fee, a $5 unlicensed-activity fee, and the initial certification fee, which is $200 in the first window and $100 in the second because the license runs only to the next 31 August renewal date either way. $40 + $200 + $5 is $245; $40 + $100 + $5 is $145.
Two consequences are worth knowing before you file. First, the $200 initial fee is prepaid inside the application payment, so there is no second license fee waiting after the exam; anyone who adds $245 and $200 together is double-counting. Second, electronic fingerprinting is mandatory for certification applicants, and its price is set by the Livescan channel rather than DBPR, so no honest page can quote you a fixed fingerprint figure for Florida.
Financial responsibility is a credit test, not a bond
Ask a search engine what bond a Florida general contractor needs and you will be quoted $20,000, $10,000 or $5,000 by surety companies. Those figures describe a rule that no longer exists. Rule 61G4-15.006, amended in April 2022, removed the bond entirely. What Florida requires now is a credit report showing no unsatisfied judgments or liens and a FICO score of 660 or higher. Score below 660 and the remedy is education, not security: a 14-hour board-approved financial responsibility course.
The one genuine bond in the CGC world is conditional and usually misreported. If a business designates a Financially Responsible Officer, someone who takes financial responsibility without holding the license, that officer must post a $100,000 bond or irrevocable letter of credit payable to the board. It is a business-structure extra, not a requirement of the standard route. Separately, a certified GC must carry at least $300,000 of public liability and $50,000 of property damage insurance, and hold workers' compensation coverage or an exemption.
Mistakes that delay a Florida GC application
- Buying or budgeting a $20,000 surety bond. Florida abolished the contractor bond in April 2022; financial responsibility is now the FICO 660 credit test, or the 14-hour course below it.
- Adding the $200 initial license fee on top of the $245 application payment. It is already inside the payment; the real first-time total is $540, not $740.
- Assuming three exam parts means three test fees. Contract Administration and Project Management are administered and charged as one test, so the exam stage is $135 to PTI plus two $80 test fees.
- Skipping the CGC experience specifics: 4 years in the category with at least 1 year supervisory, and for the general contractor class, experience in 4 of the 6 listed construction categories including work on structures of four or more stories.
- Forgetting that renewal carries 14 hours of continuing education, including a wind mitigation methodology hour that applies to general, building and residential contractors.
Florida GC Licensing FAQ
Why do surety websites say a Florida general contractor needs a $20,000 bond?
Because they are describing the pre-2022 rule. Before Rule 61G4-15.006 was amended in April 2022, applicants below the credit threshold could post bonds at those levels. The current rule contains no bond at all: it requires a credit report with no unsatisfied judgments or liens and a FICO score of 660 or higher, with a 14-hour financial responsibility course as the remedy below 660. The word 'bond' does not appear in the current CILB application form.
When is the CGC application fee $145 instead of $245?
When you file in the second half of the two-year cycle: from 1 September of an odd-numbered year through 30 April of the following even year. The fee drops because the initial certification fee inside it drops from $200 to $100, reflecting the shorter period to the next 31 August renewal. The $40 processing fee and $5 unlicensed-activity fee stay the same in both windows.
How long do I have to pass the Florida contractor exam?
Four years to complete all parts. The exam has three parts: Business & Finance, Contract Administration, and Project Management, all open-book with a 70 percent pass mark. You pay $135 to the exam developer PTI when you schedule, and $80 per test administered; Contract Administration and Project Management count as a single test, so the exam stage costs $295 in total.
What happens if my FICO score is under 660?
You are not refused outright, and you are not asked for a bond. Under Rule 61G4-15.006, an applicant below 660 completes a 14-hour board-approved financial responsibility and responsibility course to satisfy the requirement. Your credit report must also show no unsatisfied judgments or liens; those need clearing regardless of score.
How much does a General Contractor license cost in Florida?
The filing and licensing fees on the Florida General Contractor schedule total approximately $540. The $245 application payment already includes the $200 initial license fee; on top of that, the examination fees are $295.
How long does it take to get a General Contractor license in Florida?
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) does not publish a fixed end-to-end processing time for this license. The Department publishes no end-to-end processing time; its FAQ states licenses are typically issued within about 2 weeks after the board meeting at which an application is approved.
What are the penalties for working as an unlicensed GC in Florida?
First offense: a first-degree misdemeanor, up to 1 year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine (§489.127(2)). A repeat offense, or any offense during a Governor-declared state of emergency, is a third-degree felony.
How often do you need to renew a GC license in Florida?
Licenses must be renewed every 2 year(s) with a renewal fee of $209. You must also complete 14 hours of approved Continuing Education (CE).