License Scope

A licensed general contractor can perform structural construction with no height restrictions on all types of buildings, including residential, condominiums, apartments, commercial buildings, industrial structures and agricultural buildings.

Method of Qualification

In order to become licensed, you must meet the following qualifications.

(a) – Is 18 years of age,
(b) – Is of good moral character, and
(c) – Meets eligibility requirements according to one of the following criteria:

1. Has received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited 4-year college in the appropriate field of engineering, architecture, or building construction and has 1 year of proven experience in the category in which the person seeks to qualify. For the purpose of this part, a minimum of 2,000 person-hours shall be used in determining full-time equivalency.
2. Has a total of at least 4 years of active experience as a worker who has learned the trade by serving an apprenticeship as a skilled worker who is able to command the rate of a mechanic in the particular trade or as a foreman who is in charge of a group of workers and usually is responsible to a superintendent or a contractor or his or her equivalent, provided, however, that at least 1 year of active experience shall be as a foreman.
3. Has a combination of not less than 1 year of experience as a foreman and not less than 3 years of credits for any accredited college-level courses; has a combination of not less than 1 year of experience as a skilled worker, 1 year of experience as a foreman, and not less than 2 years of credits for any accredited college-level courses; or has a combination of not less than 2 years of experience as a skilled worker, 1 year of experience as a foreman, and not less than 1 year of credits for any accredited college-level courses. All junior college or community college-level courses shall be considered accredited college-level courses.
4. An active certified building contractor is eligible to take the general contractors’ examination if he or she possesses a minimum of 4 years of proven experience in the classification in which he or she is certified.
5. An active certified residential contractor is eligible to take the general contractors’ examination if he or she possesses a minimum of 4 years of proven experience in the classification in which he or she is certified.

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Licensing Steps

Step 1. Register for the Power Pack Online course program, or the Pro Pack Live class plus online course program. Include the exam ready book rental option, or the exam ready book purchase option.  Please note: You are allowed to use the exam ready books at the open-book Florida contractors State exam!

Step 2. Register for your Florida contractors State exam. Let us help you with your exam registration - telephone CEI at: 800-423-7058. If you are confident with the required registration process and steps then you can register through Professional Testing Inc. at: www.floridaexam.com.

Step 3.  Prepare for and pass your exam.

Step 4. Mail application with your passing exam scores to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. You will receive your license within approximately 60 days after submitting the completed application.

For detailed information please visit the State of Florida website.

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Exam Details - What to Expect

The Applicant will be required to pass 3 separate exams with a score of 70% or higher.

• Business & Finance Exam – 6.5 hour computer-based exam
• Contract Administration - 4.5 hour computer-based exam
• Project Management - 4.5 hour computer-based exam

All exams are open-book, multiple-choice, and timed.

Reference books should be brought to all three open book exams. Permanent book tabs and highlighting in books is allowed for the examinations.

Business & Finance Exam

The Business and Finance Examination is composed of 120 questions. It will be administered in one session via computer in the calm atmosphere of a convenient testing center at a time of your choosing.

Contract Administration and Project Management Exams

The Contract Administration and Project Management examinations each contain 60 questions. The Contract Administration examination will consist of 60 questions covering the management and operation activities of a construction company. The Project Management examination will consist of 60 questions covering managing, controlling, and conducting projects.

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Preparing for Your Exam

Applicants will need to get familiar with all of their exam books. Applicants must know how to properly read the test questions and quickly locate the answers. Knowing which books to use for each content area is essential to passing the exam. A quality exam preparation class is the best way to prepare for the exam. We recommend either the Pro Pack or the Power Pack to prepare for your exam.

100% One Year Course Guarantee

Students receive access to their course for a full year from the date of their registration!

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The licensing exam is an open-book exam. You will need to purchase or rent a set of books to take with you to the exam. CEI stocks all books required for the general contractor exam. 

EXAM READY BOOKS (Highlighted & Tabbed for the Exam) 

Exam Ready Books are specially prepared to make passing the exam easier. Exam Ready Books are professionally highlighted and tabbed by CEI's staff to indicate the answers to common test questions. Book tabs will help you find the correct section of the books much more quickly when looking for the answer to an exam question, and highlights detail parts of the books from where questions are often asked. This tabbing and highlighting is free for CEI students (anyone purchasing an online or live course from CEI) or $275 for non-students.

BOOK RENTAL PROGRAM

Save money by renting your books. The $295 rental fee covers six months of rental time. A refundable $1,200 deposit is required and will be refunded in full provided the books are returned to CEI in good condition within six months of the original rental date.

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BOOK EXCHANGE AVAILABLE

Purchased books elsewhere? Enroll in a power pack or pro pack and we will ship you a a set of CEI's Exam Ready Books in exchange for your books. 

Book set includes all references required for the Trade and Business & Finance exams:

• AIA Documents: (A-201, A-401, A-701)
• Builder's Guide to Accounting
• Florida Contractor's Manual
• Florida Statutes Chapter 455                               
• Code of Federal Regulations. OSHA Title 29, Part 1926
• Building Estimator's Reference Book
• Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures
• Placing Reinforcing Bars
• Principles of Commercial Construction
• Application and Finishing of Gypsum Panel Products
• Energy Efficient Building Construction in Florida 
• Building Component Safety Information 
• Florida Building Code, Building
• Florida Building Code, Residential
• Florida Building Code, Existing Building     
• Florida Building Code, Accessibility     
• Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation

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