Licensing Requirements for Orange County

Each applicant must submit letters of experience from licensed contractor for whom they have worked.

• Letters must be on company letterhead and must be notarized.
• They must specifically state the type of work performed and exact dates of employment.

A person shall be entitled to take the examination for the purpose of determining whether he/she is qualified to engage in contracting throughout Orange County if the person:

• Passes the examination with a score of 75%
• Is 18 years of age
• Is of good moral character and meets eligibility requirements according to one of the following criteria:
  1. Has received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four (4) year college in the appropriate field of engineering, architecture, or swimming pool construction and has one (1) year of proven experience in the category in which the person seeks to qualify. For the purpose of this part, a minimum of 2,000 man-hours shall be used in determining full-time equivalency.
  2. Has a total of at least four (4) years of active experience as a workman who has learned his trade by serving an apprenticeship as a skilled workman who is able to command the rate of a mechanic in his particular trade or as a foreman who is in charge of a group of workmen and usually is responsible to a superintendent or a contractor or his equivalent, provided, however, experience shall be as a foreman.
  3. Has a combination of not less than one (1) year of experience as a foreman and not less than three (3) years of credits for any accredited college-level courses; has a combination of not less than one (1) year of experience as a skilled workman, one (1) year of experience as a foreman, and not less than two (2) years of credits for any accredited college level courses; or has a combination of not less than two (2) years of experience as a skilled workman, one (1) year of experience as a foreman, and not less than one (1) year of credits for any accredited college-level courses. For the number of years of credits for any accredited college-level courses, the applicant shall show completion of an equal number of courses in the appropriate field of engineering, architecture, or swimming pool construction. All junior college or community college-level courses shall be considered accredited college-level courses.
• The applicant must also pass the Business & Law exam with a score of 75% or better in order to receive a State Registered License from the State of Florida.