{"id":33961,"date":"2021-01-19T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/?post_type=publications&p=33961"},"modified":"2025-11-21T20:38:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:38:22","slug":"10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam","status":"publish","type":"publications","link":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In July 2020, Florida changed its contractor licensing statute to make it easier for contractors who have been licensed in other states for at least 10 years to obtain a Florida contractor license without having to take a licensing exam. While Florida has not entered into any formal reciprocity agreements with other states, we do finally have guidance on exactly how to apply for a Florida contractor license using an existing license from another state. The good news is: It\u2019s a much simpler process than anticipated and does not require a licensing exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new 10-year rule applies to nearly every type of contractor license in Florida, including residential, builder, general, HVAC, plumbing, pool, electrical, and specialty contractors. Out-of-state license holders must meet the following requirements to become a licensed Florida contractor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Have been licensed in their state for 10 years in the same category that they will be applying for in Florida.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The existing license must be active or have been active within the last two years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. For certified general, building, residential, and roofing contractors, take a two-hour Department of Business and Professional Regulation-approved (DBPR) course on the Florida Building Code, including information on wind mitigation techniques.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Pay a filing fee to the Florida DBPR.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Obtain electronic fingerprints from an Florida Department of Law Enforcement-approved vendor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Submit a personal credit report (NOTE: If your credit score is below 660, you will need to obtain a contractor\u2019s bond in the amount of $10,000-$20,000, depending on license type. This can be cut in half by taking a 14-hour financial responsibility course).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. If you plan to operate in Florida through a business entity, you must also submit a credit report for your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Pass a background check.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Have commercial general liability insurance with limits ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, depending on license type.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Obtain workers\u2019 compensation insurance or be exempt.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    It appears that Florida is now fully open for business for licensed contractors in other states to obtain a license and begin work in Florida. If you have any questions, please contact your Dinsmore attorney.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In July 2020, Florida changed its contractor licensing statute to make it easier for contractors who have been licensed in other states for at least 10 years to obtain a Florida contractor license without having to take a licensing exam. While Florida has not entered into any formal reciprocity agreements with other states, we do\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"publication-type":[11],"class_list":["post-33961","publications","type-publications","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","publication-type-insight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam - Dinsmore & Shohl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dinsmore & Shohl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-21T20:38:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/\",\"name\":\"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam - Dinsmore & Shohl\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-19T20:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-21T20:38:22+00:00\",\"description\":\"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/\",\"name\":\"Dinsmore & Shohl\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Dinsmore & Shohl\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dinsmore-Final-Logo-Navy.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dinsmore-Final-Logo-Navy.svg\",\"width\":413,\"height\":54,\"caption\":\"Dinsmore & Shohl\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam - Dinsmore & Shohl","description":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam","og_description":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/","og_site_name":"Dinsmore & Shohl","article_modified_time":"2025-11-21T20:38:22+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/","name":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam - Dinsmore & Shohl","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-19T20:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-21T20:38:22+00:00","description":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/srl-crops\/shutterstock_528579187.srl-crop-1.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/10-steps-for-out-of-state-contractors-to-get-licensed-in-florida-without-an-exam\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10 Steps for Out-of-State Contractors to Get Licensed in Florida Without an Exam"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/","name":"Dinsmore & Shohl","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#organization","name":"Dinsmore & Shohl","url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dinsmore-Final-Logo-Navy.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dinsmore-Final-Logo-Navy.svg","width":413,"height":54,"caption":"Dinsmore & Shohl"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications\/33961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/publications"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications\/33961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61519,"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications\/33961\/revisions\/61519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33961"},{"taxonomy":"publication-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication-type?post=33961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}