Hillsborough County Contractor Application Process
Application Process
- Apply for the license
- Once approved by the board, you will be assigned to a testing company (GITS© or Prov©).
- Obtain the books for testing (tests are open book).
- Study for and take the exam.
Who shall file for a certificate of competency (Contractor's License)
Any resident or non-resident of Hillsborough County who intends to operate a business or qualify a partnership, firm or corporation; or contract or sub-contract (except where exempted by law) as an individual in the City of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and/or Hillsborough County under any regulated contractor classification. Approval for licensing is granted by the appropriate Hillsborough County Board of Adjustment, Appeals, and Examiners. The Boards are Building, Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing. Hereafter referred to as “Board”.
Application and Fees
The application fee is $280 and non-refundable. If applying for more than one license at the same time, a separate application is required for each license.
Criminal Background Check and Credit Report
Contractor Licensing will obtain a criminal background check and credit report will be made part of your application package. Should there be any items of concern, you will be provided with a copy.
Examination
Upon Board approval, Contractor Licensing will provide your contact information to a third-party testing agency. The agency will contact you via email and/or phone. All exam scheduling, payments, locations, and instructions will be handled by the testing agency. They will also provide a list of reference materials for the exams. There are 2 (two) exams and the minimum score required is 75%. One exam is on your knowledge in fundamentals of the trade; the second exam is on your knowledge of basic Florida business & law. They are both open-book. Verify with the testing agency their policy regarding open-book rules.
Special Exams for persons qualifying under the American Disabilities Act may be arranged through the testing agency. In order to qualify for special exams, the applicant must meet ADA requirements and furnish required documentation from a doctor to the testing agency.
Reciprocity
Exams are recognized for reciprocity in most counties in the state of Florida. Hillsborough County reciprocates only with jurisdictions which reciprocate in turn. Please have your original sponsoring county letter of reciprocity included with your application. If you did not score a minimum of 75% on either part of the exam, the Board may require that you retest.
Registration Fees
The registration fee is $140 for a 2 year cycle. The cycle begins on August 31st of odd years. Contractor Licensing can provide an exact fee due when you are ready to register for your license.
License Renewals
If a Registration is not renewed for 2 consecutive years, the license holder must apply for reinstatement and appear before the appropriate Licensing Board. The Board may require re-testing. If the license is not renewed for a period of 5 years or more, the license becomes invalid and the individual must apply as a new applicant. If approved, the applicant must be re-tested.
State Registration
Some trades must be registered with the State before their licenses can be activated in Hillsborough County. See page 6 for trades which do or do not require state registration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the Department of Business & Professional Regulation to register their license. Information can be found on the DBPR web site http://www.myfloridalicense.com. Please note: You are required to continue renew both the Hillsborough County registration and State of Florida registration (inquire with the DBPR regarding their renewal process).
Registration Requirement
If a license is not activated within 18 months of Board approval, both the license and Board approval become void and you must begin the licensing process as new applicant.
Application Submittal
Hillsborough County will not process an incomplete application. See page 4, Checklist for Application Submittal. Applications must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to appropriate Board Hearing. The Building Board meets monthly. The Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing Boards meet quarterly. Contact the Contractor Licensing Team for a schedule of Board meeting dates.
The application should be submitted in person; however, if it is not possible to do so, the application may be mailed with payment. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your receipt to be returned to you. If paying by check, make check payable to Hillsborough County BOCC. For applications sent by mail, this may result in additional delays in processing as incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant. Hillsborough County will not hold an incomplete package.
Mail to: Hillsborough County Contractor Licensing, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 19th Floor, Tampa, FL 33602
Denied Applications
Applications which are denied by the Board cannot re-apply less than 6 months from date of Board denial. Re-submittals will require payment of the full application fee. A new background check and credit report will be made a part of the resubmittal package. Denied applications are kept for a period of 18 months from date of the original Board Hearing.
Credit and Criminal background Check
Members of the Board are required to ascertain whether an applicant for a Contractor’s License (Certificate of Competency) demonstrates current good credit. Therefore, it is incumbent upon an applicant to review his or her credit report prior to appearing before the Board and be prepared to explain any discrepancies existing at that time. If there are significant issues with your credit report or if you believe there are errors, it is in your best interest to supply additional information to the Board from other sources showing evidence of good credit, such as the establishment of a recent line of credit with a business partner/suppliers, or updated accounts reflecting their current payment status. These items should be officially issued by companies on letterhead or company statements and have account numbers (where applicable).
Copies of evidence regarding your credit check shall be provided to the building department at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing. Bringing updated documents to the hearing is not recommended as the Board collectively spends hours of their own time reviewing applications and cannot give an accurate and thorough review of additional data during the hearing.
Contractor Licensing will independently pull a criminal background check. If any items are flagged, you will mailed a copy of the reports for review.
Experience Requirements
One year of experience is equivalent to 2,000 work-hours
- Trades which Do NOT Require State Registration
- Aluminum Structure | 1 Year
- Carpentry | 1 Year
- Concrete | 1 Year
- Concrete & Masonry | 1 Year
- Demolition | 1 Year
- Drywall | 1 Year
- Garage Door Installation | 1 Year
- Glass & Glazing | 1 Year
- Hurricane Shutters | 1 Year
- Insulation | 1 Year
- Irrigation | 1 Year
- Marine Contractor | 4 Years
- Masonry | 1 Year
- Painting | 1 Year
- Paving | 1 Year
- Plaster & Stucco
- Siding, Windows & Doors | 1 Year
- Signs, non-electrical | 1 Year
- Solar | 4 Years
- Structural Steel | 1 Year
- Tile & Marble | 1 Year
- Waterproofing, Guniting & Sandblasting | 1 Year
- Trades which Require State Registration
- General Contractor | 4 Years
- Building Contractor | 4 Years
- Residential Contractor | 4 Years
- Roofing Contractor | 4 Years
- Electrical, Master | 6 Years
- Electrical, Residential | 3 Years
- Electrical, Low Voltage | 3 Years
- Electrical, Alarm System Contractor I | 3 Years
- Electrical, Alarm System Contractor II | 3 Years
- Electrical, Signs | 3 Years
- Mechanical | 3 Years
- Class A Air Conditioning | 4 Years
- Class B Air Conditioning | 4 Years
- Plumbing | 4 Years
- Natural Gas | 2 Years
- Pool/Spa Commercial | 4 Years
- Pool/Spa Residential | 4 Years
- Pool/Spa Servicing | 1 Year
- Underground Utility & Excavation | 4 Years
Verification of Construction Experience
Members of the Board are required to ascertain whether applicants demonstrate the appropriate amount of hands-on experience to qualify for the Certificate of Competency (Contractor’s License) in the trade in which you are applying. Please provide explicit information and/or explanations to make it easier for the Board to evaluate your past work. You may do this on your Work History form. Also, have the Contractor on your Verification of Experience form include such details. Describe the type of hands-on work performed. Describe the kind of buildings, structures, or projects worked upon. Give any details that might aid in evaluating your experience. Attach additional page(s) as necessary.
If you are from a State that does not license contractors or trade specialties, the Board will most likely require a verification from a registered architect or professional engineer that can attest to your past work experience. Verification from a family member is not acceptable. Furthermore, the person verifying your work experience must have his/her signature notarized in accordance with applicable laws. Please verify these requirements.
- You must renew your registration every 2 years
- If you have a State of Florida CERTIFIED license, you only need to register it with Hillsborough County, and do not need to go through our licensing process
- The license process will require testing on both the trade and basic Florida business law.
- If you were previously licensed and let it lapse for longer than 2 years, but less than 5 years, you can apply for reinstatement
- If you have let your license lapse for longer than 5 years, you will need to reapply as if you have never had a license and will need to take the appropriate exam and pay the full fees
Reciprocity
The reciprocity process applies only to contractors already licensed in another county.
- The exams are recognized for reciprocity in almost all counties in the state of Florida. We reciprocate only with jurisdictions that reciprocate in turn.
- Normally, when applying for reciprocity to another jurisdiction, you will not have to retest if your scores meet the requirements of that jurisdiction. You will still need to meet other additional requirements of any jurisdiction.
- If you are seeking reciprocity INTO Hillsborough County, please use the State Registered (Local) Contractors application
- If you need a letter of reciprocity FROM Hillsborough County, please email your request to
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