Florida Roofing License Requirements

Florida’s Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) licenses Certified Roofing Contractors statewide and Registered Roofing Contractors through the applicable local-competency path. Roofing is a Division II classification under Chapter 489. The statutory scope covers the roofing trade, including installation, maintenance, repair, alteration, extension, and permitted design work, with specified work on skylights, roof-deck attachments, wood sheathing/fascia, and roof-to-wall connections when incidental to roofing work. Certified applicants must meet the current experience, examination, fingerprint, financial-responsibility, and insurance requirements.

Regulatory Body

Authority over this credential rests with Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation — Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR / CILB), which issues and polices it under Florida Statutes Chapter 489 Part I; Florida Administrative Code Chapter 61G4. State regulator for certified roofing contractors with statewide authority and registered roofing contractors whose registration rests on a local competency credential.

Official portal: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/construction-industry/
Address: 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399
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

The application requires disclosure of criminal and licensing history. CILB evaluates the application under Chapter 489 rather than treating every conviction as an automatic bar.

Background investigation

Mandatory FDLE/FBI fingerprint-based background check.

Experience and Education

A minimum of four years of qualifying worker or foreman experience, including at least one year as a foreman; the current application also lists college-credit and qualifying military-service combinations. must be documented and verified. Unless the board publishes a different lookback period, applicants should keep payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records that support the claimed experience.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

The current CILB 5-I application’s employment-history section, completed for the qualification route selected
Employer contact and license information, employment dates, role, duties, and the required roofing experience areas
Any supporting documentation requested by DBPR when reviewing the application

Education substitution

A four-year construction-related degree from an accredited college counts as three years plus one year of applicable experience; the application also lists other college-credit/experience combinations.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: Professional Testing, Inc. approval; Pearson VUE computer-based testing. 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:

Roofing Trade Knowledge examination — 80 questions, 300 minutes, passing score 70%
Business and Finance exam — Florida construction law, lien law, contract law, accounting — 120 questions, 390 minutes, passing score 70%

Examination fee: Confirm current registration and Pearson VUE fees with Professional Testing, Inc. and DBPR before scheduling.

Retake policy: Follow the current CILB 1 application and test-vendor rules for retakes. DBPR says the license must be obtained within four years after the examination score.

Insurance and Bonds

No license surety bond is mandated statewide here under the cited sources, though project-specific or public-works bonding obligations can still attach to a given job.

General liability

For an active Roofing Contractor application, DBPR lists $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage insurance. The old $20,000 financial-responsibility bond path should not be treated as the current alternative.

Workers' compensation

The active application asks for workers’ compensation insurance or an applicable exemption. Construction businesses must also comply with Chapter 440 coverage requirements.

Additional financial requirements

Active applicants submit a nationally recognized credit report with a FICO-derived score and local, state, and federal public-record search. A score below 660 requires a Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course; the application also addresses unsatisfied liens, judgments, and bankruptcies.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$145
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 roofing.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Florida Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC) — DBPR / CILB must be renewed every 2 years. The fee to renew is presently $205. Certified Roofing Contractors renew on August 31 of even-numbered years. DBPR currently lists a $205 renewal fee plus $50 for each qualified business.

Continuing education: 14 hours of CILB-approved CE each biennium: at least one hour each in specialized/advanced instruction, workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, laws and rules, and wind mitigation; remaining hours may be Board-approved construction instruction.

Downloadable Asset

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

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

Florida grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

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

Florida law permits endorsement when the out-of-state examination or licensing criteria are substantially equivalent, when a reciprocal agreement applies, or for a same/similar license held for at least 10 years (subject to the statute’s conditions). Roofing applicants using the 10-year path must complete the required two-hour Florida Building Code/wind-mitigation course. Use CILB’s current endorsement application; do not assume a named state has automatic reciprocity.

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

Roofing 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 Roofing License Requirements — Alabama Residential Roofer and Commercial Contractor License Guide
Georgia Roofing License Requirements — Georgia Roofing Work — Specialty-Contractor Exemption and Local Requirements

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Document a qualifying experience route. Use the current CILB 5-I application. Its standard work/foreman route requires four years with at least one as a foreman; it also lists college-credit and qualifying military-service routes.
Apply to take the examinations. Certified applicants generally pass the state certification examination before filing the initial CILB 5-I license application. DBPR directs candidates to Professional Testing, Inc. for approval.
Pass the two Division II examination parts. Roofing and Business & Finance are computer-based. DBPR’s current overview lists 80 scored Roofing questions in five hours and 120 Business & Finance questions in 6.5 hours.
File the current individual application and fingerprints. CILB 5-I identifies the $245 fee from May 1 of an even year through August 31 of an odd year, and $145 from September 1 of an odd year through April 30 of an even year. Electronic fingerprints are required.
Meet financial-responsibility requirements. For an active license, provide the specified credit report and public-record search. A FICO-derived score below 660 requires the Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course.
Meet active-license insurance requirements. The application lists $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage insurance for this category, plus workers’ compensation coverage or an applicable exemption.
Renew the active certified license. Certified Roofing Contractors renew on August 31 of even-numbered years. DBPR currently lists 14 hours of CE and a $205 renewal fee, plus $50 for each qualified business.

Application Checklist

Before submitting to DBPR / CILB, the applicant should have each of the following ready:

Current CILB 5-I application documenting the selected experience/education qualification route
Employment history and roofing experience information required by the application
DBPR CILB 5-I application with the applicable $145 or $245 fee
FDLE/FBI fingerprint clearance
Pass certificates for Roofing Trade Knowledge and Business and Finance examinations
Credit report and public-record search; an approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course if the FICO-derived score is below 660
Public liability/property-damage insurance ($100,000/$25,000 for this category)
Workers’ compensation coverage or an applicable exemption

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the recurring mistakes that most often delay or reject a Florida Roofing application, based on the official instructions cited here.

Using outdated insurance or bond figures

The current CILB 5-I application lists $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage for this category and uses the 14-hour financial-responsibility course for a FICO-derived score below 660.

Treating the roofing scope as unlimited construction authority

A Certified Roofing Contractor has statewide authority only for the work covered by the roofing classification. Confirm permits and other trade requirements for every project.

Missing the current examination path

Roofing is Division II: the current DBPR materials identify Business & Finance plus Roofing Trade Knowledge, not the three-part Division I sequence.

Overlooking insurance-practice rules

Residential roofing marketing and contracts can implicate Section 489.147. Use the current statute and qualified legal advice instead of relying on storm-chasing summaries.

Mixing up CCC and RC scope

A registered credential depends on the applicable local competency path, while a certified credential carries statewide authority within the roofing classification. Confirm the local permit process before bidding.

Study and Reference Materials

The list below collects the board's cited references and the materials applicants typically study from. CLR is not paid to recommend any of them.

DBPR Construction Examinations — Roofing and Business & Finance — Florida DBPR. Official information on approval, computer-based scheduling, content outlines, and candidate materials.
DBPR Construction Examinations Reference Lists — Florida DBPR. Use the current Roofing and Business & Finance lists; only approved materials may be brought to the examination.
Florida Statutes Chapter 489 and the CILB 5-I application — Florida Legislature / DBPR. Primary sources for scope, certification, financial responsibility, insurance, and renewal.

Other Florida Trade Licenses

For a different Florida credential, see these companion guides published by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Certified (CCC) and Registered (RC) roofing contractor in Florida?

Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC) is a statewide DBPR credential that authorizes roofing in any Florida county. Registered Roofing Contractor (RC) is also issued by DBPR but is valid only in the local jurisdiction that administered the underlying competency exam.

What is F.S. §489.147 and how does it affect roofing contracts?

Section 489.147 regulates specified property-insurance practices and contract terms for residential contractors. Review the current statutory text before marketing or contracting after a loss; this guide does not substitute for legal advice.

Does Florida require workers compensation for one-person crews?

The CILB active-license application requires workers’ compensation insurance or an applicable exemption. Coverage obligations for construction businesses are governed separately by Chapter 440, so verify the business’s current status with the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

What is the financial responsibility requirement?

The active CILB 5-I application requires a credit report with a FICO-derived score and specified public-record search. A score below 660 requires a Board-approved 14-hour financial-responsibility course; the outdated automatic $20,000 bond statement should not be relied upon.

When does the CCC license renew?

Certified Roofing Contractor licenses renew every two years on August 31 of even-numbered years. DBPR currently lists 14 hours of approved CE and a $205 renewal fee, plus $50 for each qualified business.

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.