Florida Contractor License Renewal (CILB)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 4 min read

Florida construction licenses under the CILB (general, building, residential, plumbing, mechanical, A/C, roofing, pool and more) all expire on August 31, every two years. Certified licenses (starting with C) renew in even-numbered years and registered licenses (starting with R) in odd-numbered years. You need 14 hours of continuing education each cycle, with set topics, and a license not renewed on time goes delinquent: you can't contract with it until it's renewed.

At a glance

Deadline: August 31, every 2 years
Certified (license starts with C): Even-numbered years. Next: August 31, 2028
Registered (license starts with R): Odd-numbered years. Next: August 31, 2027
Renewal notice: DBPR emails you when the renewal period opens, 90 to 120 days before the expiration date. Keep your email address current with DBPR
Continuing education: 14 hours each renewal cycle, including at least 1 hour each of a specialized or advanced module course, workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation, and laws and rules regulating the construction industry
Category hours: General, building, residential, roofing, specialty structure, and glass and glazing contractors also need 1 hour of wind mitigation; DBPR's renewal table also lists it for other structural specialties (such as window and door, garage door and structural carpentry), so check your category there. General, building, residential and specialty structure contractors also need 1 hour of cementitious cladding, stucco, plastering and lath. Commercial pool/spa, residential pool/spa, swimming pool/spa servicing and residential pool/spa servicing specialty contractors also need 1 hour of pool electrical requirements
First renewal: No CE for a license issued less than 12 months before the August 31 renewal date. Issued more than 12 months before it, you owe 7 hours
More than one license: You complete the CE once per renewal cycle, not once per license
Fee: $205, plus $50 for each business you qualify
Renew: Online through your DBPR account, or by mailing the renewal form and fee to DBPR
Insurance: Renewing an active license, you sign an affidavit that you have the workers' compensation insurance Florida law requires, plus public liability and property damage insurance. General and building contractors need at least $300,000 of liability and $50,000 of property damage coverage; residential contractors and the other categories $100,000 and $25,000. The board audits licensees at random for proof
Missed the deadline: The license becomes delinquent and you can't contract with it until it's renewed. Renewing late adds a $25 delinquency fee
Void: A delinquent license that isn't renewed (active or inactive) by the end of the next two-year cycle becomes void. After that you generally start the licensure process over, and a certified contractor must retake the state exam. DBPR can reinstate a license that lapsed because of illness or economic hardship
Inactive status: You can choose inactive status at renewal and renew it every two years without CE. To reactivate, you show 14 hours of CE for the cycle before

Keep your CE completion records for three years: proving the hours is the license holder's job.

A certified contractor can contract anywhere in Florida; a registered contractor only in the county or city of the local license, plus any adjoining places that accept the registration.

Qualified business licenses are no longer issued or renewed, but a license that qualifies a business pays the $50 business qualification fee with each renewal.

How to renew

Check whether your license number starts with C (certified, even years) or R (registered, odd years).
Complete your CE hours (14, or fewer on a first renewal) with a board-approved provider, including the five required topics and any your license category adds (wind mitigation, cementitious cladding or pool electrical).
Make sure your liability, property damage and workers' comp coverage is in force: you attest to it when you renew.
Renew online through your DBPR account once the renewal period opens, and pay $205 (plus $50 for each business you qualify) by August 31.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

120 days outWatch for DBPR's renewal email (sent 90 to 120 days before August 31) and check which CE hours you still owe in your DBPR account.
60 days outBook the remaining CE hours, including the hours your license category needs.
30 days outCheck your insurance is current, then renew online and pay the fee.
August 31Last day to renew. After it, the license is delinquent: you can't contract with it, and renewing costs $25 more.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

The liability and property damage insurance you attest to at renewal
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When do Florida contractor licenses expire?

August 31, every two years. Certified licenses (starting with C) renew in even-numbered years; registered licenses (starting with R) renew in odd-numbered years.

How many CE hours do Florida CILB contractors need?

14 hours each renewal cycle, including at least 1 hour each of a specialized or advanced module course, workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation, and laws and rules regulating the construction industry. Some categories add 1 hour of wind mitigation, cementitious cladding, stucco, plastering and lath, or pool electrical requirements: check your category in DBPR's renewal table.

How much does it cost to renew a Florida contractor license?

$205, plus $50 for each business you qualify. Renewing late adds a $25 delinquency fee.

What happens if I miss the August 31 deadline?

The license becomes delinquent and you can't contract with it until it's renewed. A delinquent license that isn't renewed by the end of the next two-year cycle becomes void; after that you generally start over, and a certified contractor must retake the state exam.

Do I need CE for my first Florida contractor license renewal?

No CE for a license issued less than 12 months before the August 31 renewal date. Issued more than 12 months before it, you owe 7 hours.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Florida guides

All Florida guides on one page

General contractor guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for general contractors

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Florida Contractor License Renewal (CILB)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 4 min read

At a glance

Deadline: August 31, every 2 years
Certified (license starts with C): Even-numbered years. Next: August 31, 2028
Registered (license starts with R): Odd-numbered years. Next: August 31, 2027
Renewal notice: DBPR emails you when the renewal period opens, 90 to 120 days before the expiration date. Keep your email address current with DBPR
Continuing education: 14 hours each renewal cycle, including at least 1 hour each of a specialized or advanced module course, workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation, and laws and rules regulating the construction industry
Category hours: General, building, residential, roofing, specialty structure, and glass and glazing contractors also need 1 hour of wind mitigation; DBPR's renewal table also lists it for other structural specialties (such as window and door, garage door and structural carpentry), so check your category there. General, building, residential and specialty structure contractors also need 1 hour of cementitious cladding, stucco, plastering and lath. Commercial pool/spa, residential pool/spa, swimming pool/spa servicing and residential pool/spa servicing specialty contractors also need 1 hour of pool electrical requirements
First renewal: No CE for a license issued less than 12 months before the August 31 renewal date. Issued more than 12 months before it, you owe 7 hours
More than one license: You complete the CE once per renewal cycle, not once per license
Fee: $205, plus $50 for each business you qualify
Renew: Online through your DBPR account, or by mailing the renewal form and fee to DBPR
Insurance: Renewing an active license, you sign an affidavit that you have the workers' compensation insurance Florida law requires, plus public liability and property damage insurance. General and building contractors need at least $300,000 of liability and $50,000 of property damage coverage; residential contractors and the other categories $100,000 and $25,000. The board audits licensees at random for proof
Missed the deadline: The license becomes delinquent and you can't contract with it until it's renewed. Renewing late adds a $25 delinquency fee
Void: A delinquent license that isn't renewed (active or inactive) by the end of the next two-year cycle becomes void. After that you generally start the licensure process over, and a certified contractor must retake the state exam. DBPR can reinstate a license that lapsed because of illness or economic hardship
Inactive status: You can choose inactive status at renewal and renew it every two years without CE. To reactivate, you show 14 hours of CE for the cycle before

Keep your CE completion records for three years: proving the hours is the license holder's job.

A certified contractor can contract anywhere in Florida; a registered contractor only in the county or city of the local license, plus any adjoining places that accept the registration.

Qualified business licenses are no longer issued or renewed, but a license that qualifies a business pays the $50 business qualification fee with each renewal.

How to renew

Check whether your license number starts with C (certified, even years) or R (registered, odd years).
Complete your CE hours (14, or fewer on a first renewal) with a board-approved provider, including the five required topics and any your license category adds (wind mitigation, cementitious cladding or pool electrical).
Make sure your liability, property damage and workers' comp coverage is in force: you attest to it when you renew.
Renew online through your DBPR account once the renewal period opens, and pay $205 (plus $50 for each business you qualify) by August 31.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

120 days outWatch for DBPR's renewal email (sent 90 to 120 days before August 31) and check which CE hours you still owe in your DBPR account.
60 days outBook the remaining CE hours, including the hours your license category needs.
30 days outCheck your insurance is current, then renew online and pay the fee.
August 31Last day to renew. After it, the license is delinquent: you can't contract with it, and renewing costs $25 more.

Put this renewal in your calendar

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

The liability and property damage insurance you attest to at renewal
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When do Florida contractor licenses expire?

August 31, every two years. Certified licenses (starting with C) renew in even-numbered years; registered licenses (starting with R) renew in odd-numbered years.

How many CE hours do Florida CILB contractors need?

How much does it cost to renew a Florida contractor license?

$205, plus $50 for each business you qualify. Renewing late adds a $25 delinquency fee.

What happens if I miss the August 31 deadline?

Do I need CE for my first Florida contractor license renewal?

No CE for a license issued less than 12 months before the August 31 renewal date. Issued more than 12 months before it, you owe 7 hours.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Florida guides

All Florida guides on one page

General contractor guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for general contractors

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet