How Do I Renew My Florida Contractor's License?

If you’re a licensed contractor in the state of Florida, you want to hold onto that license. Not only does it make it legal for you to do your work, helping you avoid a misdemeanor, but it also legitimizes your business. Many companies and individuals use the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) license lookup tool to vet contractors before hiring them.

Since keeping your license current helps you avoid legal repercussions and land more business, you’re probably wondering how to renew a Florida contractor’s license. Don’t worry, it’s easy.

When to renew a Florida contractor’s license

Whether you’re a certified contractor — meaning you can work statewide — or a registered contractor — meaning you can work in the local jurisdiction in which you’re registered — you have to renew your license every two years. If you’re a registered contractor, your renewal is due by August 31 of every odd-numbered year (e.g., 2021, 2023). If you’re a certified contractor, renew by August 31 of every even-numbered year (e.g., 2020, 2022).

How to renew a Florida contractor’s license

Good news. The DBPR is pretty tech-savvy and they make it easy to renew your license online. Head to their online services portal and set up a username and password (if you haven’t already) to get started. This brief document contains links to help you set up your account, link your license number, and more.

When you log in to renew your license, be prepared to pay the renewal fee of $209, plus $50 per qualified business. But before you can renew, you have to complete a set number of continuing education hours.

The continuing education requirements for Florida contractor license renewal

If you’re a building contractor, general contractor, mechanical contractor, or plumbing contractor, the DBPR requires that you take 14 hours of continuing education each renewal period. You need to finish these hours before you can renew.

Those 14 hours need to include one hour on each of the following topics:

Workplace safety
Business practices
Workers’ compensation
Laws and rules
Specialized or advanced module

If you’re a building or general contractor, the DBPR also requires that you take one hour on wind mitigation.

The remaining hours can be on any other relevant topics, but don’t just take them anywhere. For your hours to count toward renewal, you need to complete them with a DBPR-approved education provider. Fortunately, the DBPR offers a tool that allows you to look up approved providers of the specific courses you need.

Or, if you don’t want to piece your requirements together course-by-course, you can choose an approved provider who offers a 14-hour package (click to see the one we offer here) that meets all the Florida contractor license renewal requirements. You can even complete these courses online at your convenience.

Special requirements in Miami-Dade County

If you’re a contractor in Miami-Dade County, be advised that you have extra requirements. Specifically, be ready to take two extra hours of continuing education. Fortunately, some DBPR-approved education providers offer courses specifically for contractors in Miami-Dade County so you can easily meet your specific requirements.

Once you finish your required continuing education, you can head to the DBPR license portal to renew your license online. Do it before the August 31 deadline and you can keep your license current without any issues.