LicensebyState

California to Florida: general contractor license reciprocity

Endorsement· Board reviewVerified September 17, 2026· 14 sources

Florida has no reciprocity agreement with California. A California general contractor applies by endorsement.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Certification by endorsement, including the NASCLA Accredited Examination route

The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.

Florida accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors in place of its own trade knowledge parts. The Board's reciprocity notice states that the NASCLA General Contractors Exam from 2009 forward 'is substantially similar to all Florida Division 1 license trade knowledge exams', and Form DBPR CILB 10 tells NASCLA applicants to apply under Option A, where the official score report and the Examination Evaluation Questionnaire are not required; the NASCLA transcript is released to the Board instead. NASCLA applicants must still pass the Florida Business and Finance examination, attest to having passed an examination covering the Florida Building Code, and complete the experience section of the application. An applicant without the NASCLA credential uses the same $350 form under Option A with another examination the Board finds substantially equivalent (a comparison the form calls 'very stringent and rarely approved'), Option B for a license whose issuance criteria were substantially equivalent, or Option C for the same or a similar license held at least 10 years and active now or within the last 2 years, which adds a board-approved 2-hour Florida Building Code course. Applicants who are not approved for a waiver register with Professional Testing and sit the three Division 1 parts through Pearson VUE.

The trade parts are waived on the NASCLA route, on an accepted equivalence under Option A or B, and under the 10-year provision in Option C; applicants outside those routes sit the Florida Contract Administration and Project Management examinations. The Business and Finance exam is never waived. The Board does not publish a processing time for endorsement applications; the Customer Contact Center is 850-487-1395.

At a glance

Trade exam
Waived
Law / code exam
Required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

  • You must have passed a licensing exam in California that the destination considers comparable.The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors (NASCLA General Contractors Exam, 2009 forward) is the route the Board names: applicants select Option A on Form DBPR CILB 10, skip the score report and Examination Evaluation Questionnaire, and have the NASCLA transcript released to the Board. The same option is open to any other national, regional, state or territorial licensing examination the Board finds substantially equivalent, evidenced by an official score report and an Examination Evaluation Questionnaire completed by the origin exam provider.
  • Your California license must be active and in good standing.
  • You must have held your California license for at least 10 years.Option C only: the same or a similar contracting license held for at least 10 years before the date of application, currently active or active within the last 2 years
  • Experience under s. 489.111(2): four years as a worker or foreman with at least one year as a foreman, or a four-year construction-related degree plus one year, or the published college-credit combinationsCertified General Contractor applicants must additionally show experience in four or more of the listed experience areas and at least one year of experience on the construction of structures four stories or higher, under Rule 61G4-15.001(2). Experience earned in another state counts and is documented with a full employment and project history.

What you'll do to get licensed in Florida

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($350). Form DBPR CILB 10 certification by endorsement application fee.
  2. 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Florida Business and Finance examination through Pearson VUE; it is not waived on any endorsement option, including the NASCLA route.
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Florida Division 1 Contract Administration and Project Management examinations, required only for applicants who do not qualify through the NASCLA examination, an accepted equivalence or the 10-year provision.
  4. 4Other. Examination covering the Florida Building Code: NASCLA applicants attest on the application to having passed one, and applicants using the 10-year endorsement option provide proof of a board-approved 2-hour Florida Building Code course including wind mitigation techniques.
  5. 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($135). Professional Testing, Inc. registration fee, charged each time a registration is made for any exam part.
  6. 6Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Pearson VUE administration fee for the Business and Finance computer-based test (Contract Administration and Project Management are $40 each).
  7. 7License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Initial certification fee under Rule 61G4-12.009, reduced to $100 if the application is submitted in the second year of the biennium; biennial renewal is also $200.
  8. 8Business license. Obtain a business license ($50) (if applicable). Application or renewal fee for each business organization the certificate holder qualifies, filed on Form CILB 6-A.
  9. 9Background check. Complete a background check. Electronic fingerprints for the criminal history check required by s. 489.115, F.S..
  10. 10Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility. A credit report from a nationally recognized agency showing a FICO-derived score and a public records statement checked at local, state and federal levels, with no unsatisfied judgments or liens; a score below 660 must be offset with a Board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course. A business credit report is required as well when qualifying a business. The Board publishes no minimum net worth or working capital figure: Rule 61G4-15.006 sets none, and s. 489.115(5)(b) only caps what the Board could require at $20,000 for Division I. Ask the Customer Contact Center at 850-487-1395 before assuming a dollar threshold applies..
  11. 11Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Public liability insurance of $300,000 and property damage insurance of $50,000 for General and Building Contractors, plus workers' compensation coverage or a filed exemption.
  12. 12Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). 14 hours of continuing education each renewal cycle, with mandatory hours in workplace safety, workers' compensation, business practices, building code and laws and rules. Certified licenses expire August 31 of every even-numbered year..

Published fees on this path total $765, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

What you'll need to buy or arrange

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Law / code exam
  • Trade exam · if applicable
  • Exam fee · $135
  • Exam fee · $80

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Other
  • Continuing education · if applicable

Business registration

If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.

  • Business license · $50 · if applicable

Liability insurance

Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.

  • Insurance

How Florida licenses general contractors

Florida general contractor · “Certified General Contractor (CG)”

State license plus local requirements

Verified September 17, 2026· 7 sources

Issued by Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (Department of Business and Professional Regulation)

Florida's unlimited tier is the Certified General Contractor (occupation code CG), issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board within DBPR. Section 489.105(3)(a), F.S. describes it as a contractor 'whose services are unlimited as to the type of work which he or she may do', subject only to the trade-license carve-outs in s. 489.113. Between residential and general sits the Certified Building Contractor (CB), limited to commercial buildings and residential buildings of not more than three stories, plus remodeling of any size building where the work does not affect structural members; General, Building and Residential together make up the Board's Division I. As at every level, a certified contractor holds a department certificate of competency good in any Florida jurisdiction, while a registered contractor (RG) has satisfied a county or city competency board and may contract only in those jurisdictions. The license is held by the individual who qualifies on experience and examination; qualifying a business organization is a separate application, so a contractor moving to Florida is licensed personally first. The practical difference between the General and Building classes for an arriving applicant is the four-story rule: a Certified General Contractor must document at least one year of experience on the construction of structures at least four stories in height.

How local licensing works in Florida

Why this level is Hybrid. Sections 489.105(8) and (10), F.S. create two tracks that both run through DBPR: state certification, valid statewide, and state registration of contractors who met a local jurisdiction's competency requirements, valid only in those jurisdictions. That is why the Board's application list pairs CG with RG, CB with RB and CR with RR. An arriving contractor who obtains the certified license never needs a local competency card, though local building departments still issue permits and may require registration of the state license.

Miami-Dade County. The Construction Trades Qualifying Board licenses Building and Building Specialties contractors, among other trades, under Chapter 10 of the county code. It reciprocates only with Broward and Palm Beach counties in specific trade categories (75 percent on journeyman exams, 70 percent on other reciprocal category exams) and offers state-certified contractors a voluntary registration that speeds permitting in unincorporated Miami-Dade by pre-verifying license status and insurance.

Broward County. The Building Code Division's Central Examining Boards issue Certificates of Competency; the applications, the examining board calendar and the list of mandatory and voluntary certifications are published in the county's contractor packet (954-765-4400 x9876).

Out-of-state applicants. The county programs reviewed publish no rule recognizing an out-of-state contractor license. The state routes, Form CILB 32 for reciprocity and Form CILB 10 for endorsement, are the ones that produce a statewide license.

Moving to FloridaLeaving Florida

Common questions

Do I have to take the Florida general contractor exam if I'm licensed in California?
The trade exam is waived, but Florida requires a law or code exam.
How long do I need to have held my California license?
At least 10 years before applying.
What does it cost to get a Florida general contractor license from California?
Published fees on this path total $765, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my California work hours count in Florida?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Florida's eligibility requirements.

Sources

  1. Broward County Building Code Division - Get a License (Central Examining Boards) · Broward County Building Code Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  2. DBPR Construction Industry - Frequently Asked Questions · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
  3. DBPR - Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) home page · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  4. CILB Reciprocity list (states with reciprocal licensing agreements) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3)(c) · Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
  5. Form DBPR CILB 10 - Application for Certification by Endorsement (Eff. June 2024) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3); Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  6. Form DBPR CILB 32 - Application for Certification by Reciprocity (Eff. July 2024) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3)(c); Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  7. DBPR Bureau of Education & Testing - Florida State Construction Examination Registration Instructions and Application 2026 (Professional Testing, Inc.) · Rule 61G4-16, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation / Professional Testing, Inc. · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  8. Miami-Dade County - Contractors & Building Trades (Construction Trades Qualifying Board) · Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  9. Rule 61G4-12.009, F.A.C. - Fees · Rule 61G4-12.009, F.A.C. · Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  10. Rule 61G4-15.006, F.A.C. - Financial Responsibility and Financial Stability, Grounds for Denial · Rule 61G4-15.006, F.A.C. · Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  11. Florida Statutes s. 489.105 - Definitions (Part I, Construction Contracting) · Fla. Stat. § 489.105(3)(a)-(c), (8), (10) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  12. Florida Statutes s. 489.111 - Licensure by examination · Fla. Stat. § 489.111(2) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  13. Florida Statutes s. 489.115 - Certification and registration; endorsement; reciprocity · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3), (5) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  14. NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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