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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Florida

How to become a general contractor in Florida

Most general contractors in Florida start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

41registered apprenticeship programs$36.44median an hour in Florida

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In FL
41 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In FL
25 schools with programs
Compare 25 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Florida is $36.44 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Florida
  3. Run your own shop

    General contractor: 4 years of experience (or a combination with college credit; a 4-year construction degree counts as 3 years), experience in at least 4 of the listed areas and 1 year on structures of 4 stories or more (Rule 61G4-15.001, per the CILB 5-A form). Upgrade route for an active Building or Residential contractor with 4 years in class.

    Issued by
    Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB)
    Florida contractor license
Pay once you're working

$75,790

a year is the median for general contractors in Florida ($36.44 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Naples–Marco Island$37.84
  2. Jacksonville$37.39
  3. Miami–Fort Lauderdale$37.28
  4. North Port–Bradenton$37.10
  5. Palm Bay–Melbourne$36.67
Florida median $36.44 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Florida?

Yes. Florida licenses general contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB).1

Are general contractors in demand in Florida?

Projections Central expects about 7,620 general contractor openings a year in Florida through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

41 registered programs in Florida. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Florida

Sources

  1. Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB) contractor licensing (www2.myfloridalicense.com)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Florida, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)