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Florida General Contractor license renewal
Last reviewed 2026-09-19. Not legal advice — confirm fees, hours, and forms on the official .gov page before you file. Rules change.
Florida’s Construction Industry Licensing Board, under the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, issues certified (statewide) and registered (local) contractor licenses. Certified general, building, and residential contractor licenses expire together on August 31 of even-numbered years. If your shop still thinks “contractor licenses last a couple of years, we’ll see,” you will miss a statewide deadline that does not move.
Florida CILB contractor licenses renew on a fixed biennial calendar — certified cards land on August 31 of even years — with 14 hours of structured CE. This is not a rolling 1–3 year mystery cycle.
- Board / agency
- Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) via DBPR
- Renewal cycle
- Certified licenses expire August 31 of even-numbered years. Registered licenses expire August 31 of odd-numbered years.
- Continuing education
- 14 hours per biennium, including 1 hour each of workplace safety, workers’ compensation, business practices, Advanced Module Building Code, and laws/rules. Several classifications also need 1 hour of wind-mitigation methodology.
- Fees (verify before paying)
- Certified timely active renewal $205 (or $255 with qualified business) for the 2026 cycle as published by DBPR. Inactive and late fees differ.
- Official source
- DBPR Construction Industry (CILB)
Certified vs registered
A certified contractor (occupation codes starting with C, such as CGC for certified general contractor) may contract anywhere in Florida without repeating local competency exams. A registered contractor is tied to a local jurisdiction’s competency card and a state registration. They are different licenses with different expiration calendars.
Certified construction licenses expire August 31 of every even year (next deadline in this cycle: August 31, 2026). Registered construction licenses expire August 31 of odd years. Do not copy one employee’s date onto the whole roster.
Continuing education
CILB requires 14 hours of board-approved CE each renewal. At least one hour each must be workplace safety, workers’ compensation, business practices, Florida laws and rules, and an Advanced Module Building Code course. General, building, residential, roofing, specialty-structure, and glass/glazing classifications also need one hour of wind-mitigation methodology. The rest is general credit.
DBPR’s construction FAQs: if the license was issued less than 12 months before expiration, CE may be waived for that first renewal; 12–24 months before expiration often means a reduced (7-hour) requirement. After that, plan on the full 14. Providers report hours into the DBPR account — verify them before you pay.
How renewal actually opens
DBPR emails when the renewal window opens, typically 90–120 days before August 31. You renew online, complete CE, and pay. After the deadline the license is delinquent and fees increase; remaining unrenewed long enough can make the license null and void.
Keep the qualifying business entity and workers’ compensation status aligned. A paid individual license with a lapsed qualifier or dead entity still fails bids and permit pulls.
What to track
- Certified vs registered status and the exact August 31 odd/even year
- 14-hour CE breakdown (safety, WC, business, laws/rules, advanced code, wind if required)
- Qualifying business entity and any additional business licenses
- Workers’ compensation and liability dates
- Local competency cards for registered contractors
Renewal checklist
- Tag every license CGC/CBC/CRC vs registered and set the correct odd/even year
- Finish CE by mid-July of a renewal year — August is a rush
- Log into myfloridalicense.com and confirm hours posted
- Renew the individual and the qualified business if both apply
- Download the digital license after payment; DBPR emails the copy
Common mistakes
- Using a rolling “every two years from issue date” reminder
- Skipping wind-mitigation hours on a general/residential license
- Renewing the person and forgetting the qualified business
- Assuming a registered license follows the certified August even-year calendar
FAQ
When do Florida certified contractor licenses expire?
August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered CILB licenses expire August 31 of odd-numbered years.
How many CE hours does Florida require?
Fourteen hours per biennium for CILB contractors, with specific topic hours. First-cycle licenses issued close to expiration may have a reduced or waived requirement.
Where do I renew?
DBPR online services at myfloridalicense.com, Construction Industry / CILB.
Sources
Published General Contractor guides
Other published Florida guides
Pillars: when OSHA 10/30 expires · CDL medical card timeline · audit checklist · NYC SST vs OSHA
Track renewals for your whole crew — reminders before anything lapses.
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