Florida Plumber License Requirements

The Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), licenses plumbing contractors under Chapter 489, Part I of the Florida Statutes. A Certified Plumbing Contractor may contract statewide; a Registered Plumbing Contractor may work only in the jurisdictions for which it is registered. Plumbing trade knowledge is the only current CILB construction examination still given by paper and pencil; the 2026 administrations are scheduled in Kissimmee, while Business and Finance is computer based.

Regulatory Body

Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB / DBPR) administers and enforces this credential under the authority of Florida Statutes Chapter 489, Part I (Construction Contracting); Fla. Admin. Code Chapter 61G4. CILB licenses certified and registered plumbing contractors and conducts licensing and disciplinary proceedings.

Official portal: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/
Address: 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783
Phone: (850) 487-1395

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. No Florida residency requirement.

Good moral character

Applicants must answer the application’s criminal-history, liens/judgments, prior-denial, and discipline questions and provide supporting documentation for affirmative answers. DBPR evaluates the application under the governing statutes and rules.

Background investigation

Electronic fingerprinting is required for initial licensure; fingerprints are electronically submitted to FDLE and the FBI.

Experience and Education

Eligibility requires four years of qualifying plumbing-related worker or foreman experience, with at least one year as a foreman, unless qualifying through an approved education or military combination, documented and independently verifiable. Payroll, tax, project, and supervisor records are the usual proof the board will accept.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Completed employment-history and experience sections of the applicable initial-license application (CILB 5-M for an individual or CILB 6-M when qualifying a business)
Employer details, including dates, license number, contact, and the applicant’s plumbing duties and worker/foreman role
Accredited college transcripts for any claimed education substitution
DD-214 for U.S. military plumbing experience

Education substitution

A four-year accredited construction-related degree counts as three years plus one year of applicable experience. Other listed routes combine one foreman year with accredited college credit and worker experience; veterans have separate listed military-service routes.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: Professional Testing, Inc. (under contract to DBPR/CILB). The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

Business and Finance — 120 questions, 390 minutes, passing score 70%
Plumbing Trade Knowledge — 110 multiple-choice questions plus five isometric drawings (paper and pencil) — 110 questions, 540 minutes, passing score 70%

Examination fee: Examination and scheduling fees are paid to Professional Testing, Inc. and Pearson VUE as applicable. DBPR directs candidates to the current vendor registration process; it does not publish a single combined fee on the current construction-examination page.

Retake policy: Candidates have four years from first sitting for the initial examination to pass all required parts; a passing grade is valid for four years from Board approval of successful candidates. Retake procedures and fees are provided with grade reports.

Insurance and Bonds

The cited state source set does not require a contractor license surety bond for this credential. Contractors should still confirm project-specific bond, permit-bond, or public-works bond requirements before bidding.

General liability

For an active Certified Plumbing Contractor, the current CILB application lists at least $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property-damage coverage. The prior citation to Rule 61G4-15.005 was obsolete; that rule is repealed.

Workers' compensation

An active applicant must have workers’ compensation coverage or file for an exemption with the Division of Workers’ Compensation; the application permits an attestation to obtain an exemption within 30 days after license issuance.

Additional financial requirements

For an active license, submit a nationally recognized credit report with a FICO-derived score and public-record search statement. Financial responsibility is demonstrated by a score of 660 or higher and no unsatisfied judgments or liens; below 660, complete the Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Initial license	$145
Renewal (every 2 years)	$205

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Florida plumber.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Renewal of the Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC) comes due every 2 years. As cited, the renewal fee stands at $205. Certified licenses renew August 31 of every even-numbered year. Licensees issued less than 12 months before that deadline owe no CE; those issued more than one but less than two years before it owe seven general CE hours.

Continuing education: Fourteen CILB-approved hours each two-year cycle: at least one hour each of specialized or advanced module, workplace safety, workers’ compensation, business practices, and laws and rules; remaining hours may be Board-approved construction instruction.

Downloadable Asset

2026 Florida Plumber License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

The NASCLA Accredited Examination is not accepted by Florida for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Do not rely on a generic state-pair reciprocity claim. Florida law provides certification by endorsement when the applicant meets statutory requirements, including a substantially equivalent examination or qualifying out-of-state licensure criteria; DBPR’s Certified Plumbing Contractor page supplies an endorsement application.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Plumber license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Plumber Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Florida's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Alabama Plumber License Requirements — Alabama Master Plumber Certification and Company Registration
Georgia Plumber License Requirements — Georgia Master Plumber (Class I or Class II)

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Document four years of qualifying plumbing experience. Accumulate the required combination of worker, foreman, and college-credit time. The foreman year is mandatory.
Pull a credit report. Obtain a FICO-derived credit report with the required public-record search statement. A score below 660 requires the Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course.
Apply for the required examinations. Apply directly with Professional Testing, Inc. for Business and Finance and Plumbing Trade Knowledge. Passing the examinations alone does not establish eligibility for the license.
Schedule Business and Finance. After Professional Testing approval, schedule the computer-based Business and Finance examination with Pearson VUE.
Register for Plumbing Trade Knowledge. The paper-and-pencil Plumbing examination is offered multiple times per year. DBPR’s current 2026 dates are in Kissimmee and the completed application and fees are due 30 days before the examination date.
File the initial issuance application. After passing required examinations, submit CILB 5-M (individual) or CILB 6-M (qualifying a business), with the applicable original-license fee, fingerprints, experience/education evidence, and financial-responsibility documentation.
Provide active-license insurance and workers’ compensation information. For active status, provide at least $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property-damage coverage plus workers’ compensation coverage or an applicable exemption.

Application Checklist

These are the pieces to lock down before filing with CILB / DBPR:

CILB 5-M individual application or CILB 6-M qualifying-business application after passing required examinations
Employment history documenting the selected worker/foreman, education, or military qualification route
FICO-derived credit report with required public-record search statement (and 14-hour financial-responsibility course if below 660)
For active status, insurance of at least $100,000 public liability / $25,000 property damage
Workers compensation coverage certificate or signed Notice of Election to be Exempt

Common Filing Mistakes

Drawn from the board instructions and sources cited on this page, the pitfalls below are the ones most likely to slow down or sink a Florida Plumber application.

Missing the bi-monthly Trade Knowledge registration window

Plumbing Trade Knowledge is not offered daily. DBPR currently posts multiple dates in Kissimmee and requires the completed application and fees 30 days before the examination date.

Underestimating the foreman year

CILB requires at least one full year of plumbing foreman experience supervising other plumbers. Lead-installer or journeyman titles without supervisory responsibility do not qualify.

Letting Business and Finance expire

Candidates have four years from the first examination sitting to pass all required parts, and the Board-approved passing grade is valid four years. Track both deadlines.

Skipping the workers compensation election

An active applicant must show workers’ compensation coverage or file for an exemption; the application permits an attestation to obtain an exemption within 30 days after issuance. Confirm eligibility with the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

Confusing Certified vs Registered

A Registered Plumbing Contractor (RF) may only work in jurisdictions that recognize its local competency card. The CFC is the only state-wide credential.

Study and Reference Materials

The references below are either cited by the board, used during the application, or standard preparation for the trade. They are listed purely for convenience — CLR earns no commission on any of them.

DBPR Plumbing examination content information and reference list — Florida DBPR. Use DBPR’s current official content and reference documents; the construction examination page states that examinations are open book.
Builder's Guide to Accounting (Walker) — Craftsman Book Company. Standard reference for the Business and Finance portion.
Florida Statutes Chapter 489 and Fla. Admin. Code Chapter 61G4 — State of Florida. Licensing law and rules.
Florida Plumbing Contractor Exam Prep (1 Exam Prep) — 1 Exam Prep. Widely used by Florida applicants.

Other Florida Trade Licenses

If the Plumber license is not the right fit, the following published Florida trade guides are also covered by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Florida Plumbing Trade Knowledge exam paper-and-pencil?

DBPR’s current examination page says Plumbing Trade Knowledge is the paper-and-pencil exception and lists multiple 2026 administrations in Kissimmee. Other CILB construction examinations, including Business and Finance, are computer based after Professional Testing approval.

How many years of experience does Florida require for a Plumbing Contractor license?

Four years of qualifying construction experience with at least one year as a foreman. Combinations of accredited college credit can substitute for one to three of the worker years, but the foreman year must be on-the-job.

What is the passing score on the Florida Plumbing Contractor exam?

Business and Finance has 120 scored questions and 6.5 hours. The paper-and-pencil Plumbing examination has 110 multiple-choice questions plus five isometric drawings, for 160 possible points; DBPR’s candidate booklet sets the passing score at 112 points (70%).

What credit score does Florida require for a CFC?

For an active license, the financial-responsibility standard is a FICO-derived score of 660 or higher and no unsatisfied judgments or liens. An applicant below 660 must complete the Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course.

When does the Florida Plumbing Contractor license renew?

August 31 of every even-numbered year. Renewal requires fourteen hours of CILB-approved continuing education on the same subject breakdown as other CILB construction trades.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.