Florida contractor continuing education (CE) is required in order to renew your license(s) and continuing operating without legal consequences. Continuing education requirements will vary based on the license(s) that you hold.

County contractor license renewal requirements can be specific to each county. If you hold a county contractor license, it is important for you to contact the local regulatory board to understand the requirements and renewal deadlines.  

Below you will find links that will provide specific CE requirement information for the various license types. 

State Certified Contractor Continuing Education

• CILB (General, Building, Residential, Roofing, A/C & Plumbing) Renewal Courses 
• ECLB (Electrical Contractor) Renewal Courses
• BCAIB (Building Inspectors and Plans Examiners) Renewal Courses
• Home Inspector Renewal Courses 

County-Specific Continuing Education

• Palm Beach County Contractor Renewal Courses
• Broward County Contractor Renewal Courses

How to Renew a Contractor License in FL

Your first step in renewing your contractor license is to set up an account with a username and password with the Florida Dept of Business & Professional Regulation if you haven’t done so before. You will need to pay a renewal fee of $209 on top of a $50 per-business fee.

Most state certified contractors (licenses starting with a “C”; general, building, mechanical, or plumbing contractors) are required to complete 14 hours of approved continuing education every two years. The education requirements are often specific to the license/licensing board, and also vary based on whether you hold a state certified, or simply a county contractor license.

Registered contractors (licenses with an “R”) need to renew by August 31 of odd-numbered years, while certified contractors must renew in even-numbered years. Contractors in Broward County need to renew every two years on August 31 based on the date the license was issued.

Your 14-hour Florida construction CE will need to include an hour on the following subjects:

• Laws and rules
• Workplace safety
• Business practices
• Workers’ compensation
• Specialized or advanced building module

Building, general, residential, roofing, and specialty structure contractors are also required to take a one-hour wind mitigation course.

You can complete the rest of your 14 hours on any other topics of interest, so long as they are with a DBPR-approved provider. Our 14-hour continuing education Florida construction packages are state-approved, and your credits sent directly to the DBPR.

FL License Renewal Modules

Classroom Courses

Gold Coast Schools offers classroom-based continuing education for most license types. Classroom continuing education allows you to meet your license renewal requirement by simply attending 2 days of instructor-led sessions at any of our Florida campus locations. 

There is no exam at the end of the course. Credit will be given for attending, and your hours will be reported to the licensing board on your behalf.  

Online Courses

Gold Coast School of Construction also offers online continuing education courses that allow you to complete your required CE at your own pace. Simply purchase the CE package that is applicable to your license(s), complete the included courses, and your hours will be reported to the board(s).

It is always recommended that you start your online continuing education well in advance of your renewal deadline to guarantee completion and the reporting of your hours is done on time.

Correspondence Book

A fairly new method for renewing your license is through a correspondence textbook. Gold Coast currently offers a 14-hour CILB correspondence book which enables state certified General, Building, and Residential contractors to renew their license(s) by reading and answering the questions in a book that is mailed out during renewal years. 

Note: Dade County contractors will need an additional 2 hours to meet the mandatory 16 hours of CE.

Trust Gold Coast School to Help with Your Continuing Education

Gold Coast School of Construction strives to make it easy to renew your license. If you have any questions, please contact our helpful Career Counselors at 1-800-732-9140 or take advantage of our Florida contractor application assistance service.  We are happy to show you why at Gold Coast, “The Proof is in the Passing!”

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In the state of Florida, a Certified Building Contractor (CBC) and a Certified General Contractor (CGC) differ based on the scope of work that they can perform.  A General Contractor is often seen as having unlimited building capabilities, while a close second to that is a Building Contractor who has a few limitations on the size and types of construction projects they can do.

In this article we will break down the differences between a General and a Building Contractor based on the size and scope of their projects, as well as by the license and experience requirements that they must meet. If you are looking to become licensed in one of these categories, keep reading to learn more!

Florida Building Contractor (CBC) vs General Contractor (CGC) License Requirements

As with most highly regulated industries, the construction industry requires both General and Building contractors to be licensed before performing construction related services for compensation in Florida.  

In order to become licensed, all contractors must meet a basic set of requirements which include:

• Pass the state licensing exams specific to the license type
• Be 18 years of age
• Have good moral character. A criminal incident in the past does not prevent you from getting a license so long as you have had your civil rights restored, all debts to society paid, no pending or current liens such as IRS, and have no pending or ongoing criminal litigation.
• Have a credit score of 660 or above. A bond can be placed for individuals with lower credit scores.
• Have four years of proven construction experience

Building vs General Contractor Experience Requirements

It all comes down to the type of experience and the size of the projects one has worked on. Both licenses require that an applicant have been in a supervisory capacity on projects involving foundations or slabs, masonry walls, steel, elevated slabs, precast concrete structures, column construction, and framework for reinforced concrete.

General Contractor:  A CGC applicant in Florida must have acquired their experience under a licensed GC and while working on structures that were greater than 4 stories in elevation.

Building Contractor:  A CBC applicant must have acquired their experience under either a licensed General or Building contractor.  Building contractor applicants are not required to have worked on projects greater than 4 stories, and can use experience from smaller commercial or residential buildings.

Difference in Scope of Work

If you took note of the differences in the experience requirements, you likely noticed that a General Contractor had more criteria to meet. This is because a General Contractor is allowed to build with unlimited scope, whereas a Building Contractor cannot build structures that exceed 3 stories.

That doesn’t mean that a Building Contractor is less qualified to do a project. A licensed Building Contractor is clear to build very large commercial and residential buildings, and meets the same licensing standards as a General Contractor.  

It is also important to note that a Building Contractor CAN do renovation and remodel work on buildings that are greater than 4 stories so long as they aren’t altering the structural aspect of the building.  

Take the First Step with Gold Coast School of Construction

If you would like to learn more about how to get your General or Building Contractor license, or earn any contractor license in Florida, Gold Coast Schools offers Florida’s leading construction licensing program.  

We proudly offer Florida general contractor license courses and building contractor license exam prep to help you pass your exams and get you started on your career!

Simply use the links provided above, or contact a helpful career counselor at 1-800-732-9140.  We are happy to explain these licenses in great detail.  

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In the State of Florida, becoming a Division 1 or Division 2 licensed contractor entails meeting the experience requirement as well as passing a licensing exam specific to the type of license you are attempting to achieve.

What is a Division 1 vs Division 2 Contractor?

A Division 1 contractor is primarily anyone holding a General Contractor, Building Contractor, or Residential contractor license.  These licenses are ones where you can manage an entire project such as the construction of a home or building where you will likely be hiring subcontractors for things such as plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, etc.

Division 1 contractors must master project management, contract administration, as well as business and finance.

A Division 2 contractor is licensed in specific trades such as plumbing, electrical, A/C, as well as roofing, swimming pools, and glass and glazing (windows and doors).  Division 2 contractors are often subcontractors of Division 1 contractors, however there is nothing preventing a Division 2 contractor from working independently in their specialized field.  For example, a roofing contractor is a Division 2 contractor and does not need to work as a subcontractor of a Division 1 to replace a roof by working directly with the customer and the permitting departments.

How to become a Division 1 contractor in the State of Florida:

Division 1 contractors must meet the necessary experience requirements based on the license they are attempting to hold, as well as pass exams related to Project Management, Contract Administration, and Business and Finance.

Experience Requirement by License Type: 

• General Contractor – 4 years of experience under a licensed General Contractor
• Building Contractor – 4 years of experience under a licensed Building Contractor or General Contractor
• Residential Contractor – 4 years of experience under a licensed Residential, Building, or General Contractor

Note: If you have a 4 year college degree (in any major) from an accredited college, you can replace 3 years of actual experience with those credits.  This means that you only need 1 year of on the job construction experience.

How to become a Division 2 contractor in the State of Florida:

Division 2 contractors must meet the necessary experience requirements specific to the trade and/or under a person or company with a higher certification.  For example, if you are looking to become a licensed roofing contractor, you must work under a State Certified Roofing contractor or a State Certified Division 1 contractor.  A Division 2 contractor must also pass the licensing exams specific to their trade, as well as the business and finance portion.

Much like Division 1 contractor, Division 2 contractors can replace 3 years of their experience requirement with any degree earned from an accredited 4 year college.

Thinking about becoming a licensed contractor?

Gold Coast Schools offers the following contractor exam prep courses needed to fully prepare you for success on the licensing exams.  Since 1970, we have helped more students achieve and renew their professional licenses than any other school in Florida.  Click on the license you are interested in learning more about.

• General Contractor 
• Building Contractor 
• Residential Contractor
• Roofing Contractor 
• A/C Contractor  
• Plumbing Contractor  
• Pool Contractor  

If you have any questions about getting your license and starting your career, contact our helpful Career Counselors at 1-800-732-9140.  We are happy to show you why at Gold Coast, “The Proof is in the Passing!”

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