Yes, Florida licenses plumbing contractors at the state level. To get a plumbing license in Florida and contract plumbing work on your own, you either become a Certified Plumbing Contractor, which is good anywhere in the state, or a Registered Plumbing Contractor, which is tied to the local jurisdictions where you’ve met competency rules. Both go through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, and journeyman plumber licenses are handled by counties and cities, not the state.
Who issues the license
The Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), part of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), issues and renews plumbing contractor licenses. The rules come from Part I of Chapter 489, Florida Statutes, including section 489.111 (who can sit for the exam) and section 489.115 (licensing, renewal, and endorsement).
Under state law, a plumbing contractor’s scope is unlimited in the plumbing trade: installing, maintaining, repairing, altering, extending, or designing plumbing.
Requirements change, so always confirm with the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board before you apply. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice.
License types
- Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC). You pass the state exams and can contract in any Florida county or city without meeting that area’s separate competency rules.
- Registered Plumbing Contractor (RF). You meet a local government’s competency requirements first, then register with the CILB. You can only contract in the jurisdictions where you’ve met those local requirements.
- Journeyman plumber. Not a state license. State law lets counties and cities issue journeyman licenses in plumbing, and they have to recognize a plumbing journeyman license issued by another Florida county or city. The statute sets the standard at a state-approved apprenticeship or at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, plus a proctored exam.
You may have heard the registered route is going away. Here’s the real story. A 2021 law (HB 735) preempted most local occupational licensing to the state, and grandfathered local licenses in non-state trades expired on July 1, 2025. Local licensing that general law authorizes, like plumbing competency for registered contractors and journeyman licenses, wasn’t wiped out by that. The DBPR still publishes a registered contractor application that lists plumbing. Whether you can actually get a local competency card depends on your county or city, so ask your local building department.
How to become a plumber in Florida
Most people start as a helper or apprentice, earn a local journeyman card if their county offers one, then go for the state contractor license once they have foreman time. For the Certified Plumbing Contractor license, you need to be at least 18, of good moral character, and qualify under one of these experience routes from the CILB application:
- Four years in the field. Four years as a worker or foreman, with at least one year as a foreman.
- College plus field time. One, two, or three years of accredited college credits can replace the same number of worker years, but you still need at least one year as a foreman.
- Four-year degree. A four-year construction-related degree counts as three years, plus one year of proven experience.
The board counts one year as 2,000 hours. Florida lets you register for and take the exams first, then prove your experience when you file the license application.
Exams
The certified license takes two exams, according to the DBPR’s construction exam materials:
- Business and Finance. A computer-based exam at Pearson VUE. The booklet effective July 2024 lists 120 scored questions over 6.5 hours, and you need 70% to pass.
- Plumbing Trade Knowledge. The only construction exam still given on paper, run by Professional Testing, Inc. It has 110 multiple-choice questions plus 5 isometric drawings worth up to 10 points each, split into a morning and afternoon session. You need 112 out of 160 points.
Both exams are open book, using only the approved reference list. The plumbing exam is offered in February, April, June, August, October, and December. Once you first sit for an exam, you have four years to pass all parts, with no cap on retakes in that window.
Renewal
Certified contractor licenses expire August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered contractor licenses expire August 31 of every odd-numbered year. Either way, you renew every 2 years.
You need 14 hours of board-approved continuing education each cycle. That includes 1 hour each of workplace safety, workers’ compensation, business practices, an advanced building code module, and laws and rules. The rest can be general credits. (The extra wind mitigation hour applies to general, building, residential, roofing, and a few other categories, not plumbing.)
To stay active you also need to keep insurance in force: at least $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage for plumbing contractors, plus workers’ comp coverage or an exemption.
Cost
- Business and Finance exam: $80 to Pearson VUE.
- Plumbing Trade Knowledge exam: $215 total, a $135 registration fee to Professional Testing plus an $80 exam fee to the DBPR.
- Certified license application: $145 or $245, depending on where you land in the 2-year licensing cycle.
- Registered license application: $205 or $305, also depending on timing.
- Endorsement application: $350.
- Renewal (certified, active): $205, or $255 if you qualify a business. Late renewals cost $25 more.
So plan on roughly $440 to $540 in state and exam fees for a certified license, before fingerprinting, reference books, and insurance.
Reciprocity
Florida doesn’t have a reciprocity deal for plumbing. The CILB’s reciprocity agreements with Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina cover only general, building, and residential contractor licenses. If you’re licensed out of state, the route in is certification by endorsement under section 489.115. You qualify if any of these is true:
- Equivalent exam. You passed a national, regional, state, or territorial licensing exam that’s substantially equivalent to Florida’s.
- Equivalent license. You hold a valid license from another state or territory whose criteria were substantially equivalent to Florida’s current certification criteria.
- Ten years licensed. You held a valid license in another state or territory for at least 10 years, and it’s active or was active within the last 2 years.
You still go through the credit, fingerprint, and insurance steps. The board decides equivalency case by case, so contact the CILB before you count on skipping exams. For more on how this works around the country, see our plumbing license reciprocity guide.
How to apply
- Register for exams. Use the DBPR construction exam application packet and pay the testing fees.
- Pass both exams. Business and Finance at Pearson VUE, the trade exam with Professional Testing.
- File the license application. Use the Certified Plumbing Contractor application (CILB 5-M) or apply online, and document your experience.
- Submit fingerprints. Electronic fingerprints are required.
- Show financial responsibility. Send a credit report with a FICO score. If it’s under 660, you have to complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course. Also disclose any liens, judgments, or bankruptcies.
- Prove insurance. General liability and workers’ comp (or an exemption) for active status.
- Qualify your business. If you’ll contract through an LLC or corporation, file the business qualifier application too.
FAQ
How long does it take to get a Florida plumbing contractor license?
Most people need at least four years of field experience, with one as a foreman, before they qualify. After that, timing depends on the paper plumbing exam schedule (six dates a year) and board processing.
Does Florida have a state journeyman plumber license?
No. Journeyman plumber licenses are issued by counties and cities, and they must recognize a journeyman plumbing license from another Florida county or city.
Can I use my out-of-state plumbing license in Florida?
Not directly. Florida has no plumbing reciprocity agreements, but you can apply for certification by endorsement if your exam or license is substantially equivalent or you’ve been licensed for 10 years.
Can I do my own plumbing in Florida?
Yes, under the owner-builder exemption, for your own one- or two-family home that you’ll live in and not sell or rent. You have to supervise the work yourself, sign the permit in person, and selling within a year can be treated as a violation.
Next steps
Start logging your hours and foreman time now, and pull a credit report early so a low score doesn’t slow you down. To compare Florida with other states, see our plumbing license by state page and the full plumbing license guide. Working near the state line? Check the Georgia plumbing license page too. Once you’re certified, read how to start a plumbing business.
