Florida · Checked October 22, 2026
State license. Florida licenses roofers under Chapter 489 through the Construction Industry Licensing Board. A Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC) may work statewide after passing both state exams and showing four years of experience; a Registered Roofing Contractor (RC) works only in the local jurisdiction that issued its certificate of competency. There is no small-job exemption — a license is required for roofing at any price, including as a subcontractor.
| Item | Florida |
|---|---|
| Regime | State license — Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC, statewide) or Registered Roofing Contractor (RC, local) |
| Exam | Business and Finance Exam plus Roofing Trade Knowledge Exam (Pearson VUE / DBPR testing) — pass mark 70% on each exam. Total examination cost is approximately $295 for first-time applicants covering both parts. A failed part may be retaken after 21 days. Scores remain valid for four years. Registered (RC) applicants qualify through their local competency certificate instead of the state exams. |
| Experience | Four years of roofing experience (education and military service may substitute for part of it, with at least one year in a supervisory/foreman role within the four years). Experience must be verified; a construction-related degree can substitute for up to three years, but at least one year must be field experience. |
| Application fee | Certified: $249 if applying May 1 of an even year through August 31 of an odd year, or $145-$149 range in the September 1 odd-year through April 30 even-year window (DBPR/CILB biennial cycle pricing; published summaries vary between $145 and $149 for the off-cycle figure) |
| License / registration fee | Initial license fee is included in the cycle-priced application total above; qualifying a business adds a $50 business qualification fee |
| Total state cost | About $249 plus roughly $295 in exam fees for a certified applicant in the full-price window, plus fingerprinting (about $57-$87) and insurance/bond costs. Registered contractor initial fees are published in a similar cycle-priced range (about $151-$263 in secondary summaries). — Florida prices contractor applications by where the application falls in the two-year renewal cycle, which is why published totals differ; verify the current window price on MyFloridaLicense before filing. |
| Bond | No general license bond for a certified roofer with a FICO score of 660 or higher. If the credit score is below 660, the applicant must show financial responsibility — by completing a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course and/or posting a bond or irrevocable letter of credit (the bond amount can be reduced by 50% on completing the course). |
| Insurance minimums | State minimums for roofing (a Division II category): $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage. Workers' compensation coverage is required for construction employers (or a valid Division of Workers' Compensation exemption for qualifying officers/owners). Note: the $300,000 / $50,000 figures quoted by some guides are the Division I (general/building/residential contractor) minimums, not the roofing minimums. |
| Who qualifies | A business is licensed through a qualifying agent (the certified or registered contractor who qualifies the business and signs an affidavit of authority). The primary qualifying agent is responsible for the business's construction activities and its financial responsibility. |
| Timeline | DBPR/CILB reviews can take up to about 90 days once exams, fingerprints, experience verification, credit report and insurance proof are complete; incomplete packets are the main cause of delay. |
| Renewal | Every two years, by August 31 of even-numbered years for certified contractors, with board-required continuing education, current insurance and financial responsibility maintained. |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC) | both | Statewide. Requires both exams, four years of experience, fingerprints, financial responsibility and the state insurance minimums. |
| Registered Roofing Contractor (RC) | both | Local only: based on a certificate of competency from a local licensing authority, registered with the state; may work only where the local competency was issued. No state exam for the registered route. |
A roofing subcontractor must itself be certified or registered in the roofing classification — Florida has no exemption that lets an unlicensed sub roof under a licensed prime's license.
State license governs; local business tax receipts and building permits still apply. A Registered (RC) license is valid only in the local jurisdiction(s) where the underlying certificate of competency was issued.
Paying, waiving or advertising a deductible waiver is an offense. Citation: Fla. Stat. §489.147. Section 489.147 bans offering a residential property owner a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, waiver of any insurance deductible, or any other thing of value in exchange for allowing a roof inspection or making an insurance claim, and bans referral inducements for insurance-paid roofing work; a contractor who violates the section faces discipline and up to a $10,000 fine per violation (§489.147(3)), and an unlicensed violator faces unlicensed-contracting penalties plus up to $10,000 per violation. Separately, §817.234(7)(d) makes it a third-degree felony to knowingly submit or help submit a false or inflated invoice to an insurer to offset a deductible. Emergency rule: a residential roofing contract entered into during a declared state of emergency may be cancelled by the owner within 10 days after execution (or before work officially starts, if sooner) without penalty (§489.147(6)). Claim deadlines that drive these jobs: a property claim must be filed within 1 year and supplemented within 18 months of the loss. Assignment-of-benefits agreements are void for policies issued on or after January 1, 2023 (§627.7152(13)).
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