Licensing Requirements

Experience

Depending on your classification, you must have the following years of practical construction experience:

• Acoustic ceiling | 1 year
• Aluminum specialty structure | 3 years
• Awning erection | 3 years
• Bridges, Overpasses, Underpasses | 4 years
• Business financial management | 1 years
• Cabinetry | 2 years
• Cable Television (for pre-wiring buildings, apply with Electrical Board) | 3 years
• Carpentry | 3 years
• Clearing and Grading | 3 years
• Concrete Driveways, Curbs, Gutters, Driveway Entrances and Sidewalks | 4 years
• Concrete Placing & Finishing | 2 years
• Demolition (non-explosive) | 2 years
• Directional Drilling | 4 years
• Dredging | 3 years
• Drywall/lathing | 2 years
• Elevator installation & maintenance | 4 years
• Excavating | 4 years
• Fabric awning | 1 years
• Feeder Distribution Interface (FDI Telephone Boxes) Installer | 3 years
• Flatwork concrete | 2 years
• Fence erection | 1 years
• Finished carpentry | 2 years
• Flooring | 1 years
• Fuel Transmission and Distribution Lines | 6 years
• Garage Door | 2 years
• Glazing | 3 years
• Gunite | 3 years
• Heavy Marine | 6 years
• Insulation | 1 years
• Jack and Bore Installer | 4 years
• Light Marine | 4 years
• Major Roads | 6 years
• Masonry | 2 years
• Minor Roads | 4 years
• Miscellaneous metals erection | 3 years
• Painting | 1 years
• Painting – unlimited | 2 years
• Pavers | 4 years
• Pile Driving | 4 years
• Pipe Bursting | 4 years
• Pipeline Rehabilitation | 4 years
• Plant Construction | 6 years
• Plastering/stucco | 2 years
• Pool/spa contractor – commercial | 6 years
• Pool/spa contractor – residential | 4 years
• Pool/spa servicing | 2 years
• Residential interior remodeling | 3 years
• Roof decks | 2 years
• Roofing | 4 years
• Roof painting & cleaning | 6 months
• Rough carpentry | 2 years
• Sandblasting | 1 years
• Screen enclosures | 1 years
• Sealcoating | 1 year
• Secondary Utility and Excavation | 4 years
• Shutter/opening protective | 1 years
• Sign erection (non-electric) | 1 years
• Solar | 4 years
• Steel reinforcing & iron | 3 years
• Striping, Marking and Signage of Roadways (including pavements) | 3 years
• Structural steel | 6 years
• Terrazzo | 1 years
• Tile, marble & granite | 2 years
• Underground and Aerial Utility Transmission and Distribution Lines | 4 years
• Underground Utility and Excavation | 6 years
• Waterproofing | 2 years
• Window & door | 2 years
• Electrical and Specialty Electrical Contractor | 7 years
• Engineered Construction Contractor | 10 years
• Master Plumber | 7 years
• Irrigation Specialty Contractor | 4 years
• Mechanical Contractor | 6 years
• Class A Air Conditioning | 6 years
• Sheet Metal | 6 years
• Insulation | 3 years
• Test and Balance – Class A Unlimited* | 4 years
  *Must have held a Class A Air Conditioning license for 3 years and have AABC or NEEB certification
• Central Vac System | 3 years
• Pneumatic Control | 3 years
• Class B Air Conditioning* | 3 years
  *Limited to 25 tons
• Test and Balance – Class B Limited* | 3 years
  *Limited to 25 tons; must have held a Class B Air Conditioning license for 3 years and have AABC or NEEB certification
• Transport Assembly | 3 years

Appearing Before the Board

The Board highly recommends that if you have any concerns about your application – such as a low credit score, inability to supply references, lack of relevant work experience, etc. – you should request to appear before the Board when submitting your application. This will help reduce delays and expedite your application.

Affidavits

Please advise anyone preparing an affidavit that they may be contacted by Broward County to verify information provided. Affidavits must be submitted to substantiate the aforementioned required experience. Affidavits must be completed by your present or former licensed contractor employer.

Types of affidavits accepted:

• One notarized affidavit from a State of Florida or Broward County licensed contractor of equal or higher category of license than the one for which you are applying for; or
• One notarized letter from a licensed architect or engineer verifying required experience for the specific type of work performed; or
• Three notarized affidavits from out-of-state licensed contractors, with license numbers included, verifying the required experience for the specific type of work performed.

References

Please provide at least three credit references as follows:

• At least one from a local financial institution stating your accounts are in good standing.
• Two letters from supply houses or other similar business entities you have done business with.

All letters of reference should be notarized, include a contact number and, if applicable, a certificate of competency number. Providing more than the minimum number of required letters of reference will only enhance your application. The Board may or may not consider, at its discretion, letters of reference from homeowners you have performed work for.

Personal Credit Report

The Board highly recommends that you pull your credit report just prior to submitting your application. This will ensure the Board is presented with the most current information pertaining to your credit history. However, reports dated within 12 months or less may be used. If your report is over 90 days old, it must be accompanied by a notarized affidavit stating no material change has occurred since its preparation and that is substantially represents your current financial condition. Your personal credit report must include your credit score. If the credit score is less than 550, you will have to appear before the Board to explain any area(s) of concern.

Business Credit Report

If you already have an active corporation, you should also provide a credit report for your business – also including the credit score.

Personal Financial Statement

If you have a personal financial statement, please include it with your application. If you do not, please include copies of your most recent bank statements.

Corporate Financial Statement

If you already have an active corporation, please provide a comprehensive financial statement – notarized by your accountant. The financial statement should not be over 180 days old. If over 90 days old, it needs to be accompanied by a notarized affidavit stating that no material change has occurred since its preparation and that is substantially represents your current financial condition and the business organization.

Fictitious Corporate Name

If the firm is not incorporated but is operating under a trade name – other than your proper name – the company must conform to Florida Statute §865.09 and must be properly registered with the Florida Division of Corporations.

Business Organization

If you are qualifying a corporation, you are required to provide:

• A copy of the front page of your Article of Incorporation
• A copy of the page listing the corporate officers
• A written statement from the Secretary of State certifying the corporation is current

Certificates of Insurance

After you have passed your exam, you will be required to submit certificates of insurance. Reciprocity applicants will be required to submit insurance at the time of application. The minimum liability insurance amounts are:

• Bodily Injury $300,000
• Property Damage* $50,000

*for any one accident, including damage to rights-of-way and/or shrubbery

Worker’s Compensation Insurance

In addition to the certificates of insurance listed above, you will need to submit proof of worker’s compensation insurance or a waiver stating exemption from Florida’s Workers Compensation law.

Each certificate must list as a certificate holder:
Broward County Building Code Services Division
1 North University Drive, Mailbox 302
Plantation, Florida 33324
All Certificates must provide at least 30 days advance notice of cancellation

Photographs

You must include two passport-sized photos of yourself taken within the last three months.

Processing Fees

• Construction Specialty Trades $200
• Electrical & Specialty Electrical Contractors $300
• Engineered Construction Contractors $430
• General Contractor (Class A, B, C) $200
• Journeyman Electrical $115
• Journeyman Mechanical $120
• Journeyman Plumbing $115
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Contractors $250
• Mechanical & Specialty Mechanical Contractors $275
• Plumbing & Specialty Plumbing Contractors $250
• Specialty Engineered Construction Contractors $315

Please make checks payable to:
Broward County Board of County Commissioners
All fees are non-refundable

Notification

After the Board reviews your application, you will be advised of their decision by letter – or if you choose to appear before the board, at the meeting.

Testing

Once approved, your contact information will be sent to Gainesville Independent Testing Service, LLC (GITS©). They will contact you to schedule your exams. Applicants are required to pass a Trade and Business Exam with a minimum passing score of 70%
Answer all questions in full, please type or print clearly with sufficient detail to determine if you are qualified to take the examination. If not applicable indicate N/A. Attach additional sheets if necessary.