To perform demolition work in Florida, you need a Florida demolition license, which the state issues not as a standalone credential but as part of a broader contractor license administered by the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Which license you need depends on what you plan to tear down, and getting one means clearing experience, financial, insurance, and examination requirements before the CILB will certify you.
Which Contractor License Covers Demolition Work
Florida Statutes Section 489.105 defines “demolish” for licensing purposes as tearing down steel tanks over 50 feet tall, towers over 50 feet tall, other structures over 50 feet tall, and any building or residence over three stories.1Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – License Types Any work in those categories requires a state-certified contractor license in one of three classes:
- A Certified General Contractor can demolish any structure without restriction on type or size.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 489.105
- A Certified Building Contractor is limited to commercial buildings and residential buildings not exceeding three stories, plus remodeling or repair of any size building where the work does not affect structural members.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 489.105
- A Certified Residential Contractor is limited to one-, two-, or three-family residences not exceeding two habitable stories above one uninhabitable story.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 489.105
Work that falls outside that statutory definition, such as interior tearouts or non-structural selective demolition on low-rise buildings, is generally governed by local licensing rather than state certification. Many counties and municipalities issue their own demolition contractor certificates of competency for that kind of work. If you go the local route, you need a separate certificate in every jurisdiction where you intend to work, and you must register that local credential with the DBPR. A state-certified contractor, by contrast, can work anywhere in Florida without satisfying additional local competency tests.1Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – License Types
What You Need Before You Apply
Four Years of Experience
You need four years of field experience in the license category you are pursuing, with at least one year in a supervisory role such as foreman. Up to three years can be substituted with accredited college credit or military service, but the one year of hands-on supervisory experience is not waivable.3Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – FAQs
General contractor applicants carry an extra requirement: at least one year of their experience must involve new construction of structures four stories or taller, and they must show experience in at least four of six categories including foundations, masonry walls, steel erection, elevated slabs, column erection, and formwork for structural reinforced concrete.3Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – FAQs
Financial Responsibility
Every applicant submits a personal credit report from a nationally recognized agency that includes a FICO score. A score of 660 or higher satisfies the financial responsibility requirement outright. If it comes in below 660, you must complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course before your application can move forward.4Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Financial Responsibility and Stability Requirements for Contractor Applicants The report must also show no unsatisfied liens or judgments against you or your company and must cover federal, state, and local public records.
Insurance
You must carry general liability and property damage insurance before the CILB will issue your license. General and building contractors need at least $300,000 in public liability coverage and $50,000 in property damage coverage. All other categories need $100,000 in public liability and $25,000 in property damage.5Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Certified Contractor as an Individual – Residential
Workers’ compensation insurance is required for any construction employer with one or more employees.6Florida Department of Financial Services. Important Workers Compensation Information for Contractors Officers of a Florida corporation and LLC members who own at least 10% can apply for an exemption by submitting an affidavit at the time of application and finalizing the exemption within 30 days of license issuance. Exemption holders cannot collect workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured on the job.7Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 489.115
Fingerprints and Background Check
All applicants go through a statewide criminal history records check. You submit a full set of fingerprints electronically through a LiveScan provider registered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.8Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. About Fingerprinting Do this immediately after submitting your application; any FDLE-registered provider will work.9Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Current Registered LiveScan Submitters
Taking the Exam and Getting Certified
The CILB certification exam is administered by Professional Testing, Inc. (PTI), the state’s contracted vendor. It has a business and finance section and a trade knowledge section, and some categories add components such as contract administration or project management.10Professional Testing, Inc. Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board Examinations You register and pay fees directly with PTI, and completed applications must reach the vendor at least 30 days before your chosen exam date.
Once you pass both parts, you submit a full licensure application package to the DBPR with proof of insurance, your credit report, fingerprint confirmation, and experience verification. The CILB reviews the package and issues your certificate if everything is in order.
Watch one deadline closely: you must pass all parts of the exam within four years of your first scheduled exam date. Attempts within that window are unlimited, but if the four years run out before you have passed every section, you start over.11Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Examination Application Package
Keeping the License Active
Certified contractor licenses expire on August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered contractor licenses expire on August 31 of every odd-numbered year. Renewal costs $205, plus $50 for each additional business you qualify, and requires 14 hours of continuing education.12Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – Renewal Requirements
Those 14 hours are not fully elective. Building, general, and residential contractors must complete at least one hour each in workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, laws and rules, wind mitigation, and a specialized or advanced module. The remaining hours can come from any board-approved construction instruction.12Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – Renewal Requirements You also submit an updated credit report at renewal.7Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 489.115
What the License Does Not Cover
Certification gives you legal authority to contract for demolition work in your license class, but it does not replace the project-level approvals every job still requires.
You still need a local demolition permit. Florida Building Code Section 105.1 requires a permit for any demolition of a building or structure, and the local building department sets the specifics. A typical application involves a site plan showing erosion controls, proof that utilities have been disconnected, an authorization letter from the property owner, and documentation of your contractor license. Commercial, industrial, and larger residential projects usually require additional items such as an asbestos survey, the DEP asbestos notification, and a notice of commencement if the contract price exceeds $5,000.
You still need an OSHA engineering survey. Before any employee steps on a demolition site, a competent person must complete a written survey evaluating the framing, floors, walls, and risk of unplanned collapse, along with any adjacent structures where workers could be exposed. The employer keeps written documentation of the survey.13Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1926.850 – Preparatory Operations
You still need to file the federal asbestos notification. The NESHAP asbestos rule under 40 CFR Part 61, Subpart M requires written notice at least 10 working days before demolishing a regulated structure, whether or not asbestos has been identified.14eCFR. 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M – National Emission Standard for Asbestos In Florida, EPA delegated enforcement to the Department of Environmental Protection in 1982, so notices go to the appropriate DEP district office. As of March 2025, DEP charges $200 per paper notification, or $100 for electronic submission and immediate payment through the DEP Business Portal.15Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Asbestos Skipping this notification, even on a building you believe to be asbestos-free, is a federal violation.
Penalties for Demolishing Without a License
Unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor for a first offense. A second violation, or a first violation committed during a governor-declared state of emergency, becomes a third-degree felony. Local code enforcement boards can also impose civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day per violation.16Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 489.127
The knock-on effects last longer than the fines. Contracts performed without a license may be unenforceable, so collecting payment gets difficult. Insurance carriers can deny claims arising from unlicensed work. And a criminal conviction shows up on the background check the CILB runs on every future application, which makes getting licensed later substantially harder.