Proving Experience for a Florida Certified General Contractor License
The DBPR CILB 5-A proves Certified General experience in two parts: Part A carries the method of qualification claimed, Part B the experience areas and a project-by-project employment history. Rule 61G4-15.001(2)(a) requires four or more of six experience areas for the general or building categories, and (2)(b) adds a year on structures not less than four stories in height for the general contractor classification.
The two conditions Rule 61G4-15.001 adds
Part B of the 5-A — the Certified General individual application incorporated by Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. — states it in one sentence:
“Applicants for licensure as a Certified General Contractor must have experience in four or more of the experience areas listed in Part B AND must provide at least one year of experience in the construction of structures at least four stories in height, pursuant to Rule 61G4-15.001 (2)(a) and (2)(b), Florida Administrative Code.”
Both tests sit on top of whichever Part A method is selected, but the rule does not reach the same applicants: 61G4-15.001(2)(a) speaks to “applicants for certification in the general or building contractor categories”; (2)(b) is confined to the general contractor classification and carries an exception:
“An applicant (other than those contractors designated in sections 489.111(2)(c)4.b. and c., F.S.) for certification in the general contractor classification must submit proof that she or he possesses at least one year of “active experience” or “proven experience” as defined above in the construction of structures not less than four stories in height.”
Rule 61G4-15.001(2)(c) takes “story” from Rule 61G4-12.011(1), F.A.C.: a level “accessible at grade, or through a staircase landing or elevator stop” containing “space in which humans may safely work or live in reasonable comfort.” The form is on DBPR’s Construction Industry licensing pages.
The six experience areas in Part B
Part B lists six areas as a check-all-that-apply block. Rule 61G4-15.001(2)(a) requires four or more, and limits what counts to “commercial construction experience … except storage, utility, and miscellaneous structures of an accessory character including but not limited to agricultural buildings, aircraft hangers, barns, carports, garages, sheds, silos, tanks, towers, and any work exempted pursuant to section 489.103, F.S.”:
| # | Experience area (Part B of the CILB 5-A) |
|---|---|
| 1 | “Foundation/Slabs greater than 20,000 sq. ft.” |
| 2 | “Column erection” |
| 3 | “Masonry walls” |
| 4 | “Formwork for structural reinforced concrete” |
| 5 | “Steel erection” |
| 6 | “Elevated slabs” |
The Part A methods of qualification
One method is selected in Part A; the Part B totals are measured against it:
| # | Method of qualification (Part A) |
|---|---|
| 1 | “Four year construction-related degree from an accredited college (equivalent to three years experience) and one year proven experience applicable to the category for which you are applying.” |
| 2 | “One year experience as a foreman and not less than three years of credits from accredited college-level courses.” |
| 3 | “One year experience as a worker, one year experience as a foreman, and two years of credits from accredited college-level courses.” |
| 4 | “Two years experience as a worker, one year experience as a foreman, and one year of credits from accredited college-level courses.” |
| 5 | “Four years experience as a worker or foreman of which at least one year must have been as a foreman.” |
| 6 | The “Upgrade Method”: “A certified residential or building contractor holding an active current license for a minimum of 4 years in the classification in which he or she is certified.” |
Methods 2 to 4 substitute college-level credits for site years without removing the foreman year. Method 6 is a licensure-history route: an applicant meeting it is “exempted from the Employment History section of this application” on providing the license number.
The military service pathways
Part A carries a separate veteran provision, “A veteran will qualify for a certified license by meeting on[e] of the following,” with three combinations:
- “Three years of military service and one year experience as a foreman applicable to the category for which you are applying.”
- “Two years of military service, one year experience as a foreman, and one year experience as a worker or foreman…”
- “One year of military service, one year experience as a foreman, and two years experience as a worker or foreman…”
Each combination still names a foreman year, and Rule 61G4-15.001(2) applies as elsewhere.
What Part B asks of every project claimed
The employment-history block asks the same of every project claimed:
- The employer — name, address and phone, the dates employed, a contact.
- The employer’s qualifying contractor — the “Name of qualifying contractor for employer” and the “License number of qualifying contractor,” the verification hook back to the qualifying agent who holds the certification.
- The role — “Role (Check only one): Worker OR Foreman.” One or the other, not both.
- The project — dates, name, address and type as New Construction or Renovation, plus duties.
- The project specifics — “specify the number of stories, square feet, materials, etc.”
- The height question — “Was this experience in the construction of structures 4 stories or higher? Yes/No” — where the four-story year is proved.
The entries are then totaled: “TOTAL TIME OF EXPERIENCE FROM EMPLOYMENT HISTORY IN PART B: Worker ___ Foreman ___ … The total time should equal or exceed the number of years of experience required for the qualification method selected in Part A.”
Experience earned outside Florida
Rule 61G4-15.001(1)(b), F.A.C., addresses out-of-jurisdiction experience directly, though the 5-A form does not:
“Such experience from outside jurisdictions will be accepted toward the category for which the applicant has applied so long as the experience complies with section 489.105, F.S. However, experience acquired by providing services that are exemptions as established in section 489.103, F.S., will not be accepted.”
The experience must match the Fla. Stat. 489.105 definition of the category applied for, and work inside a Fla. Stat. 489.103 exemption is excluded. The rule text is published at Rule 61G4-15.001.
Where the General rule stops
Rule 61G4-15.001(2)(a) reaches the general or building contractor categories, (2)(b) only the general contractor classification, and neither is the test for every certification: Rule 61G4-15.001(3) sets a different definition and a shorter list of areas for the residential category, with no four-story condition.
Common questions
How do you prove experience for a Florida general contractor license?
Part B of the CILB 5-A proves it project by project: each employer, the license number of that employer’s qualifying contractor, the role as Worker or Foreman, and each project’s stories, square footage and materials. The totals must reach the years the Part A method requires, and Rule 61G4-15.001 adds four or more of six experience areas under (2)(a) and, for the general contractor classification, the four-story year under (2)(b).
Does Florida accept out-of-state construction experience?
Rule 61G4-15.001(1)(b) accepts it toward the category applied for “so long as the experience complies with section 489.105, F.S.”, and excludes experience “acquired by providing services that are exemptions as established in section 489.103, F.S.” The same Part B employment history evidences it.
Does the CILB 5-A ask whether experience was W-2 or 1099?
No. The 5-A does not distinguish employment tax status: it records the employer, the employer’s qualifying contractor and license number, the role as Worker or Foreman, and the project details, but no W-2, 1099 or self-employed category appears on it. How a particular arrangement is treated is for DBPR and the board to determine on the record submitted.
Where this fits in the process
Experience is one of four things the certified path tests; the rest sit in the four core licensing requirements, and Parts A and B travel with how the completed application is filed. The overview is Florida’s general contractor licensing path.
This page summarizes Florida law and is general information, not legal advice. Verify every detail with the Florida DBPR before acting.
Last verified: 2026-08-30
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Not legal advice. This is general information, not legal or professional advice, and does not create any advisory relationship. For your situation, consult a qualified professional.