Florida Residential Contractor License: Requirements and Exams

The certified residential contractor (CRC) license is the Division I license for home builders and remodelers. It covers new homes, additions and renovations on one to three family dwellings anywhere in Florida. The experience rules are built around residential structural work, so it is the realistic first license for someone who has spent their career framing, pouring slabs and running crews on houses.

What a residential contractor may do

F.S. 489.105(3)(c) limits a residential contractor to "construction, remodeling, repair, or improvement of one-family, two-family, or three-family residences not exceeding two habitable stories above no more than one uninhabitable story and accessory use structures in connection therewith."

In plain terms:

• Building type: single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, plus accessory structures like detached garages.
• Height: up to two habitable stories, which may sit above one uninhabitable story (for example, a ground-level parking or storage story in a flood zone).
• Not included: commercial buildings, four-unit and larger residential buildings, and homes with three habitable stories. Those need a building or general contractor license.

Like other Division I contractors, an RC must subcontract electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal, pool and air-conditioning work unless licensed in that trade (F.S. 489.113(3)). Two exceptions matter for home builders: an RC may install shingle and shake roofing on a new home of its own construction (489.113(3)(b)), and may do clearing, grading and excavation limited to the lot the home is on (489.113(3)(a)).

Certified vs registered

Certification lets you contract statewide (F.S. 489.105(8)). A registered residential contractor holds a license based on local competency and may contract only in that jurisdiction (F.S. 489.105(10)).

Eligibility and residential experience

Basic eligibility under F.S. 489.111(2): 18 or older, good moral character, and one of these: a degree in civil engineering, building construction or architecture plus 1 year of experience; 4 years as a skilled worker or foreman including 1 year as foreman; or a college credit and experience combination. One year equals 2,000 person-hours.

Rule 61G4-15.001(3) defines RC experience as work on detached one and two family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories above grade plane with a separate means of egress, in three or more of these areas:

1. Foundation, slabs and structural formwork
2. Masonry walls
3. Structural demolition
4. Structural wood framing (including trusses, excluding platform framing)
5. Column erection

Finish trades, drywall, painting or flooring experience alone will not meet this definition. You need structural work in at least three areas.

Moving up later

• Active CRC with 3 years of proven experience in the classification: eligible for building contractor after passing the BC exams (F.S. 489.111(2)(c)4.a).
• Active CRC with 4 years of proven experience in the classification: eligible for general contractor after passing the GC exams (F.S. 489.111(2)(c)4.b).

Candidates who already hold a contractor license do not retake Business and Finance, per PTI's 2026 instructions.

Financial responsibility and insurance

• Credit report with no unsatisfied judgments or liens; FICO-derived score of 660+ or a Board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course (Rule 61G4-15.006).
• Affidavit of workers' compensation, public liability and property damage coverage (F.S. 489.115(5)). Residential contractor minimum: $100,000 liability and $25,000 property damage (Rule 61G4-15.003), one third of the GC and BC liability minimum.
• Fingerprints (F.S. 489.115(9)) and 14 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle (F.S. 489.115(4)(b)).

Exams required

The DBPR FAQ gives the 45-question example directly: you must answer 32 of 45 correctly, because 31 of 45 is 68.9% and scores are not rounded. With only 45 questions, each miss costs more than 2 percentage points.

Exam volume

Pearson VUE exam performance reports for the Florida DBPR construction exams:

Both RC parts had lower 2025 first-time pass rates than the matching GC and BC parts, and Project Management was the lowest of the six Division I trade exams. The residential contractor exam guide covers the outline and the references.

References (titles only)

RC candidates use the same 2026 GC/BC/RC reference list as GC and BC candidates: AIA A201, A401 and A701; OSHA 29 CFR 1926; Contractors Manual; Principles and Practices of Commercial Construction; Energy Efficient Building Construction in Florida; the BCSI truss guide; and the Florida Building Code volumes (Building, Accessibility, Residential, Existing Building, Energy Conservation). For residential questions, the FBC Residential volume and the BCSI guide tend to be the most used.

Fees

Step by step

1. Map your experience to at least three of the five residential structural areas.
2. Register with PTI at floridaexam.com and pay $135.
3. Schedule your exams with Pearson VUE once approved (about 72 hours after approval).
4. Buy and prepare the bound references; highlighting is allowed, notes and removable tabs are not.
5. Pass all three within four years of your first scheduled exam. Wait 21 days between attempts.
6. Apply to DBPR for certification with credit, insurance and fingerprint documents.

FAQ

What is the easiest contractor license to get in Florida?

There is no official ranking. Among Division I licenses, the residential license has the shortest exams (45 questions each) and experience rules that fit home-building careers, but its exams had lower first-time pass rates than the GC and BC exams in 2025.

Can a residential contractor build a three-story house in Florida?

Only if no more than two stories are habitable and the third is a single uninhabitable story below them. Three habitable stories is outside the RC scope.

Can a residential contractor do commercial work?

No. The RC scope is limited to one to three family residences and their accessory structures.

Can I get a residential contractor license without a degree?

Yes. The standard path is 4 years of experience as a skilled worker or foreman, with at least 1 year as a foreman. College credit can replace part of the worker time.

How many questions can I miss on the RC exams?

13 of 45 on each RC part, and 36 of 120 on Business and Finance.

Start your exam prep

Business and Finance is the one exam every residential, building and general contractor candidate shares. Our Florida Business and Finance Exam Prep includes 90 days of original practice questions with explanations on lien law, payroll, insurance and job costing. Related: construction lien law.