Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor License Requirements (2026)

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. Florida issues two tiers — the Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC), which authorizes plumbing work statewide, and the Registered Plumbing Contractor (RF), which is competency-tested at the local level. Plumbing is the only Florida construction trade whose Trade Knowledge examination is still administered as a paper-and-pencil test (held bi-monthly in the Orlando area), rather than the year-round computer-based testing used for other trades.

Regulatory Oversight

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, adopts the Florida Plumbing Code by reference, and conducts disciplinary proceedings. The Board votes on plumbing applications at its bi-monthly meetings.

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

Who May Apply

To qualify, an applicant must have reached age 18 and hold a valid Social Security Number. No Florida residency requirement.

Good moral character

CILB conducts a moral character review on every applicant. Convictions for theft, fraud, or construction-related felonies are voted on individually at the Board meeting.

Background investigation

Mandatory FDLE/FBI Level 2 background check via Livescan electronic fingerprinting.

Required Experience and Education

Eligibility requires four years of qualifying construction experience including at least one year as a foreman, with various combinations of college-level credit allowed as substitution for worker years, documented and independently verifiable. Payroll, tax, project, and supervisor records are the usual proof the board will accept.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Form DBPR CILB 4359 — Verification of Construction Experience signed by each supervising licensed plumbing contractor
W-2, pay stub, or 1099 records covering the qualifying period
Accredited college transcripts for any claimed education substitution
DD-214 for U.S. military plumbing experience

Education substitution

A four-year construction-related accredited degree counts as three years of experience (one year of foreman experience is still required). Combinations of two- or three-year accredited credit with worker and foreman experience also qualify.

Examination Requirements

The licensing examination is delivered by Professional Testing, Inc. (under contract to DBPR/CILB). All of the following parts must be cleared prior to issuance:

Business and Finance — 120 questions, 390 minutes, passing score 70%
Plumbing Trade Knowledge (paper and pencil) — 100 questions, 360 minutes, passing score 70%

Examination fee: $199 per part. Trade Knowledge is paper-and-pencil and administered bi-monthly in the Orlando area only; Business and Finance is computer-based year-round.

Retake policy: Failed parts may be re-taken individually by paying a new $199 fee. Each passed part remains valid for four years; the application must be filed within that window.

Insurance and Financial Requirements

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

Minimum $300,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage insurance per Fla. Admin. Code 61G4-15.005, with CILB named as certificate holder.

Workers' compensation

Workers' compensation coverage is mandatory under Fla. Stat. Chapter 440 unless an officer exemption is filed within 30 days of licensure.

Additional financial requirements

FICO score of 660 or higher. Below 660: 14-hour CILB-approved financial responsibility course AND, for business qualifiers, a $20,000 surety bond ($100,000 if filed by a Financially Responsible Officer).

Licensing Fees

Fee	Amount
Application (non-refundable)	$249
Examination	$398
Initial license	$249
Renewal (every 2 years)	$209

Keeping the License Current

Renewal of the Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC) comes due every 2 years. As cited, the renewal fee stands at $209. Florida CFC licenses renew on August 31 of every even-numbered year. New licensees often face a partial first cycle.

Continuing education: Fourteen hours of CILB-approved continuing education each two-year cycle, including one hour each of workplace safety, workers compensation, business practices, laws and rules, and advanced building code, plus elective construction subjects.

Downloadable Asset

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

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity and License Transfer

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

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
Georgia	Trade exam waived	Reciprocal for active certified plumbing contractors in good standing.
North Carolina	Trade exam waived	Reciprocal under written agreement.

NASCLA does not administer a plumbing examination. CILB endorses out-of-state plumbing contractors from a small list of partner states.

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

Application Process, Step by Step

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 credit report. A score below 660 triggers the financial responsibility course and a bond requirement.
Submit the CILB Initial Application. File DBPR Form CILB 4357 with the $249 application fee plus $50 unlicensed activity fund fee. Include the experience verification forms.
Submit electronic fingerprints. Use a DBPR-approved Livescan vendor for the FDLE/FBI Level 2 background check.
Schedule the Business and Finance exam. Year-round at any Florida Pearson VUE / Professional Testing center. Pay $199 on the day of testing.
Register for the bi-monthly Plumbing Trade Knowledge exam. The Trade Knowledge exam is paper-and-pencil only and offered every other month in the Orlando/Kissimmee area. Registration deadlines close approximately 30 days before each test date.
Submit insurance and workers compensation documentation. File the certificate of $300,000/$50,000 liability and the workers compensation coverage or exemption.
Pay the initial license fee. $249 issuance fee. The license is issued on the next print cycle.

Recommended References

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.

Florida Plumbing Code, current adopted edition — International Code Council / Florida Building Commission. Primary technical reference for the Plumbing Trade Knowledge exam. Open-book at the test center.
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.

Frequent Application Errors

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

The Plumbing Trade Knowledge exam is offered only every other month in Orlando/Kissimmee. Registration deadlines close roughly 30 days in advance. Candidates who miss the deadline lose two months of progress.

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

Each passed exam part is valid for only four years. Candidates who pass Business and Finance early and then delay the Trade Knowledge sitting can lose credit.

Skipping the workers compensation election

A new licensee who does not file the Notice of Election to be Exempt within 30 days is presumed to need full workers compensation coverage.

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.

Document Checklist

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

☐ DBPR CILB 4357 Initial Issuance Application with $249 fee
☐ Form CILB 4359 Verification of Construction Experience signed by each supervising licensed plumbing contractor
☐ FICO credit report of 660+ (or 14-hour financial responsibility course completion plus bond)
☐ Certificate of Insurance — $300,000 public liability / $50,000 property damage with CILB as certificate holder
☐ Workers compensation coverage certificate or signed Notice of Election to be Exempt

Other Florida Trade Licenses

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

Questions Applicants Ask

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

CILB has not migrated the Plumbing Trade Knowledge exam to computer-based testing. It remains paper-and-pencil and is administered bi-monthly in the Orlando/Kissimmee area only. All other Florida CILB trade exams are year-round computer-based at Pearson VUE.

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?

A score of 70% or better on each part — Business and Finance (120 questions, 6.5 hours) and Plumbing Trade Knowledge (100 questions, paper-and-pencil).

What credit score does Florida require for a CFC?

A FICO score of 660 or higher. Applicants below 660 must complete a 14-hour financial responsibility course and post a surety bond.

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 2026-05-28 · Next scheduled review 2026-08-26