United States · Licensing examCertified or registered: which Florida license?
Passing the state exam leads to a certified license. Florida law calls a certified contractor one who holds a certificate of competency from DBPR, and a certified contractor can work in any city or county in the state without meeting its local competency rules. A registered contractor has met a local jurisdiction's competency rules instead and can work only there.
For the three main categories, the statute sets the scope: a general contractor's work is unlimited, a building contractor is limited to buildings of up to three stories, and a residential contractor to one-, two- and three-family homes of up to two habitable stories.
Which parts of the Florida contractor license exam do you take?
| Category | Parts | Time |
|---|---|---|
| General, building, residential | Business and Finance, Contract Administration, Project Management | 6.5, 4.5 and 4.5 hours |
| Division 2 trades | Business and Finance plus Trade Knowledge | 6.5 hours, then 5 hours (7.5 for Air A and Mechanical) |
| Certified specialty trades | Business and Finance plus Trade Knowledge | 6.5 hours, then 2 to 2.75 hours |
Division 2 covers trades such as Class A and B air conditioning, roofing, plumbing, pool and spa, solar, sheet metal and underground utility. Tower, demolition and industrial facility contractors take the three general parts. The plumbing Trade Knowledge exam is paper and pencil, in Central Florida, six times a year: February, April, June, August, October and December, with applications due 30 days before. Everything else is computer-based and booked with Pearson VUE.
If you have a building construction bachelor's degree from an accredited 4-year college with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, you only take Business and Finance.
Fees, booking and retakes
These are the fees in the registration instructions DBPR revised on August 1, 2024. You pay the registration fee to Professional Testing, then pay Pearson VUE for each part when you book it.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration, Professional Testing | $135 |
| Business and Finance, Pearson VUE | $80 |
| Trade Knowledge, Pearson VUE | $80 |
| Contract Administration, Pearson VUE | $40 |
| Project Management, Pearson VUE | $40 |
You must pass every part within 4 years of your first scheduled exam, and you can try as many times as you need in that period. If you miss a scheduled part, it counts as a fail and you lose the fees. Pearson VUE lets you book up to one calendar day ahead, and you can change without penalty up to two full calendar days before.
Ask for the Spanish exam on your application if you want it; you get a booklet in English and Spanish. One word-to-word translation dictionary is allowed, but no electronic translators.
Pass mark and reference lists
DBPR publishes the passing score, question counts and reference lists in its candidate information booklet on myfloridalicense.com, not in the registration instructions. For licensing questions, DBPR's Customer Contact Center is at 850-487-1395, and Professional Testing answers exam questions at 407-264-0562.
Sources: Florida DBPR and Professional Testing · Professional Testing · Florida Statutes and 1 more. Checked October 2026.
- Florida DBPR and Professional Testing: Examination Registration Instructions (revised 08/01/2024) ↗
- Professional Testing: Florida CILB examinations ↗
- Florida Statutes (2026): Section 489.105 ↗
- Pearson VUE: Florida DBPR ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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