There are three different ways you can use an existing California contractor’s license to obtain a license in Florida, depending on the type of license and how long you have been licensed.

Option 1 - Florida’s New 10 Year Rule (No Exam Required)

Thanks to a new statute passed in July 2020, California contractors with a residential, building, general, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, gas, or other specialty license can become licensed in Florida without having to take the exam! You can view our original write up on the July 2020 statute by clicking here. The new “10 year rule” applies to nearly every type of contractor license in Florida, including Residential, Builder, General, HVAC, Plumbing, Pool, Electrical, and Specialty contractors. California license holders must meet the following requirements to obtain a Florida license of the same type:

Have been licensed in California for 10 consecutive years in the same category that you will be applying for in Florida.
The existing license must be active or have been active within the last 2 years.
For Certified General, Building, Residential, and Roofing contractors, take a 2-hour DBPR-approved course on the Florida Building Code, including information on wind mitigation techniques.
Pay a filing fee to the Florida Division of Business and Professional Regulation
Obtain electronic fingerprints from an Florida Department of Law Enforcement-approved vendor
Submit a personal credit report (NOTE, if your credit score is below 660, you will need to obtain a contractor’s bond in the amount of $10,000-$20,000 depending on license type. This can be cut in half by taking a 14-hour financial responsibility course)
If you plan to operate in Florida through a business entity, you must also submit a credit report for your business
Pass a background check.
Have commercial general liability insurance with limits ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, depending on license type.
Obtain workers’ compensation insurance or be exempt.

We can assist you with the entire application process to make sure that it goes smoothly and to answer any questions you may have. As part of that we can help setup a Florida corporation or LLC for you to business as and ensure that you understand and use Florida’s construction lien laws and contractor licensing laws to your benefit. Many times we can do this for a flat fee. To learn more, please contact me at jason.lambert@dinsmore.com or (813) 543-9823.

Option 2 - Have a Valid California Contractor’s License and Have Passed an Exam Substantially Equivalent to Florida’s

This option is available for California contractors who want to be licensed in Florida but have not held a license for at least 10 years. It requires you to still meet the same credit, background, and insurance requirements set forth above, and to have taken an exam that is substantially equivalent to Florida’s licensing exams.

California contractors are in luck, because while it is very difficult to establish that an exam from another state is substantially equivalent to Florida’s, Florida’s construction industry licensing board has already determined that the exams for California’s General Contractor, Building Contractor, and Solar Contractor licenses are substantially similar to Florida’s.

While this alleviates the examination requirement, you still must be able to demonstrate sufficient work experience to support the award of the license (between 1 and 4 years depending on the license type and experience type).

Option 3 - Have a Valid California Contractor’s License Obtained Through a Process Substantially Equivalent to Florida’s Licensing Criteria

This option is similar to option 2, however it assumes that you have not taken an exam. For California contractors, this may occur when they received their license by working with an RMO for a period of time to obtain their license. Florida does not have a similar process by which contractor’s can become licensed using an RMO, so it may not be possible for a California contractor who did not take California’s licensing exam to use their existing California license to obtain a Florida contractor’s license. But if you have had a California contractor’s license for at least 10 years, even if you obtained it using an RMO, you should still be able to obtain a Florida contractor’s license using the new 10 year rule described in option 1.