Tag: contractor licensing help

How to Obtain a Registered Contractor License in Florida

On: By: admin

Whether you have been a Florida resident for years, or you just recently moved to the state and are looking to start a trade business or transfer your current certification to Florida, obtaining a Florida contractor license can be daunting when you aren’t sure of the proper steps to take towards receiving licensure.

 

Florida, unlike some other states, has a set of guidelines for both Certified Contractors and Registered Contractors. The guidelines and requirements for a certified contractor and a registered contractor are a little bit different from each other.

 

When it comes to becoming a Florida Registered Contractor, as previously stated, there are a few requirements that the state has before you are handed a license. Registered Contractors are required to meet local requirements for different counties and municipalities, along with obtaining a Local Competency Card and Occupational License. The competency card must be registered with Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

 

Most importantly, a Registered Contractor may only work in the county to which they have received their competency card. Certified Contractors can take work anywhere in the state.

 

  1. To be considered for a Registered Contractor license, you must have: Workers’ Compensation (or exempt forms), Liability, and Property Damage Insurance.
  2. You must also provide a credit report, proof of satisfaction of liens and any judgments, along with the ability to prove your financial stability, and proper net worth requirements set under Rule 61G4-15.005, FAC.

 

Obtaining a Registered Contractor License is a little easier than going through the Certified contractor process, as it has a few less requirements. Although, both types of licenses require many of the same steps.

 

Looking to get your Florida contractor’s license? We can help. We are a Florida contractor licensing company. We also help people get their Georgia contractor’s license, as well as other states.To get started on the contractor license process, click here or call 239-777-1028.

Certified Contractor License vs Registered Contractor License

On: By: admin

Which Option is Best For You and Your Business

 

If you are considering opening up your own Florida contracting business, it might be a bit hard to figure out which contractor license is best for you.

 

No matter what your trade is, whether you’re a carpenter, HVAC, electrician, etc., it is very important for you and your business to make the right choice when it comes to licensure.

 

It goes without saying that it is important that you have real and legitimate experience in your chosen field in which you are seeking licensure. And in the case of a Certified Contractor License, you must have legitimate proof that you have experience in the field to which you lay ownership.

Certified Contractor License

With a Certified Contractor License, you will have the ability to take work anywhere in the state of Florida without having to be registered at any specific municipality or county in which the work is to be performed.

 

The requirements are a bit more difficult, such as: you must have at least four years of experience in the field, and this experience needs to be proven and verified with the contractor you worked for. Also, at least one of the four years, you must have had a supervisor role.

 

You must also successfully complete the Florida Certified Contractor Examination. Both of these requirements are unique to the Florida Certified Contractor License.

Registered Contractor License

In contrast with the Certified Contractor License, a Registered Contractor License will only permit you to take and perform work in the county to which your Competency Card is registered.

 

You still have to obtain insurance and provide a credit report for both licenses.

Which License is Better?

It all comes down to your end goal. If you just want and have a small business, you will do fine with just a Registered Contractor License. You don’t have to jump through so many hoops to get this licensure, though you will have only a small area to seek out and perform work.

 

If you want a big booming conglomerate business, a Certified Contractor License is the better choice. This will help you spread your business across the entire state of Florida, and take work anywhere in the whole state.

 

All in all, what contractor license you decided to get is entirely your preference, and how much work you want to have available to you at any given time. Both options are great for different people and purposes.

 

If you are looking to get your Florida contractor’s license, certified or registered, and are looking to get into this industry, contact us today and let us help you. We are a Florida contractor licensing company. Click here or call 239-777-1028 to contact us.

How to Get a Florida Contractor’s License

On: By: admin

It goes without saying that getting a contractor license in Florida can be a headache.

This is good and bad for a few reasons but most importantly, it is good because it guarantees Florida citizens that the work they will receive will be top notch. On the other hand, contractors have to go through a strict, semi-complicated, and long process to achieve appropriate licensure within the state.

 

Florida has quite a few guidelines that aren’t followed in other states, but this just shows how important it is to take the proper necessary steps, and make the paperwork and effort you put in all the more perfect so you don’t waste your valuable time when you could be out getting work!

 

A Certified Contractor in Florida has the ability to contract work anywhere in the entire state of Florida. This is the better option for trade workers, as compared to Registered Contractors.

 

The guidelines and requirements for each license are a bit different, but here we will focus mainly on the requirements and guidelines to obtain a Certified Contractor License in the state of Florida.

 

  1. The person seeking a contractor license must have at least four years of experience in the field that they are seeking certification. At least one of the four years must be in a supervisor role. The four years of experience must be verified by a pre-existing Florida Certified Contractor, or a licensed engineer, building official, or architect.
  2. Applicants must successful complete the Florida Certified Contractor’s Examination.
  3. Candidates must have Worker’s Compensation (or exempt forms), Liability, and Property Damage Insurance.
  4. Applicants must also provide proof of satisfaction of liens and judgments, proper showing financial stability, a credit report, and a net worth requirement under Rule 61G4-15.005, FAC.

 

It sounds like a lot of work, but if you have the right people on your side helping you with the paperwork, it is a breeze to receive your Certified Contractor License in Florida. This contractor license will allow you to take work anywhere in the state, which will help you build your business, and open new doors for work opportunities.

 

If you need helping getting your Florida contractor’s license, let us help you. We have helped thousands of people in Florida get licensed. We are a Florida-based contracting company, but we also help people get licensed in other states, as well. Click here or call 239-777-1028 to get the process started today.

 

GEORGIA ANNUAL REGISTRATION SEASON IS OPEN

On: By: admin

Georgia’s annual registration season for 2017 is from January 1 to April 1 2017. If your annual registration and payment are not postmarked by April 1, you will be fined a $25 filing penalty fee.

This website allows you to file your annual registration without a username and password on the website The Express Annual Registration section allows you to make changes to your entity. The One Click Annual Registration section allows you to pay the annual registration quickly if there are no changes to the entity.

You can file your annual registration with or without making changes after logging into eCorp.sos.ga.gov Annual registration fees are: $50 for profit corporations, LLCs, and LPs; $30 for nonprofit corporations; and $25 for foreign LLPs. If the amount listed for your entity is larger than expected, then the total reflects amounts due from previous years and any late fees.

To keep your entity in “good standing” with the Office of Secretary of State, you should file your annual registration online with a credit card.  You can also file by mail and require a printed annual registration form and payment with a check, certified bank check or money order. Feels can be mailed with your completed annual registration form to: Office of Secretary of State, Annual Registration Filings, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., 313 West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334.

A paper registration form can be printed from here https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov. All checks must be pre-printed with a complete address in order to be accepted. Cash is not accepted.

Any person authorized by the entity may sign and file an annual registration.

The Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State created a how-to guide to help people through the annual registration process. The guide is here: http://sos.ga.gov/Corporations.

For more help, reach out to the Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State  at corporationswebmail@sos.ga.gov, at 404-656-2817 or toll-free at 844-753-7825.

If you’re looking for help getting a Georgia Contractor’s License or a Florida Contractor’s Licenses, our team can help you with the process. Click here or call 239-777-1028 to contact us.

 

What is a specialty structure contractor?

On: By: admin

In the world of contracting, there are a lot of different specialties a person can choose from. For this post, we wanted to share with you one in particular: a Florida Specialty Structure Contractor. In the state of Florida, a specialty structure contractor fabricates, assembles, handles, erects, installs, replaces, dismantles, adjusts, alters, repairs, services, and designs work in accordance with accepted engineering data to manufacturers specifications. This would be done in metal, canvas, vinyl, fiberglass screening, doors, windows, hurricane-protection devices and construction materials.

As a specialty structure contractor, they work with: fabric coverings, metal substructures, screened porches, pool and screened enclosures, preformed panel-post and beam roofs, manufactured housing roof-overs, guardrails, handrails, vinyl and aluminum fences, residential glass window and door enclosures, sunrooms, siding, gutters, and a few other items.

Applicants for a specialty structure contract must have experience in concrete in siding, soffit, fascias, gutters, downspouts, corner cables, rigid bracing, post and beam structures, vinyl and glass windows, screen roofs, screen walls, framed solid panel walls, screen and storm doors, composite metal panel walls, concrete slabs, CMU kneewalls, excavating, laying out, forming and placing pier-type post footings.

These contractors cannot perform work that alters the structural integrity of a building including working with roof trusses, lintels, load-bearing walls and foundations. When it comes to masonry concrete work, these contractors’ work is limited to foundations, slabs, and block kneewalls.

Want to get your Florida contractor’s license and become a specialty structure contractor? Our team of experienced professionals are here to help answer all your questions and get you your license. We have help thousands of contractors get their license. We have been a company since 2007. And around 95 percent of our Florida contractor licensing packages get approved the first time with no issues. To learn more about us click here. To get started on your Florida contractor’s license, click here or call 239-777-1028.

 

What is a Residential Contractor?

On: By: admin

Ever thought of a career in contracting? Like building things? Working with your hands? Thinking critically? Solving problems? If you said yes to all of these things, you may want to look into being a contractor. A contractor is a rewarding career. You get to work on a project and see the fruits of your labor. Hard work pays off in this industry. Plus, you’ll most likely stay in great physical shape because of it. There are also a number of different specialties in the contracting community. One of the biggest contracting specialties is a residential contractor. A residential contractor must obtain a license in the state of Florida to work.

What does a residential contractor do? A residential contractor constructs, remodels, repairs or improves homes (single, two-family, three-family etc) that do not go above two stories. If you want to work on buildings more than three stories, you must get another license, a Florida building contractor’s license. Or, if you want less restrictions on what t=you can build or work on, a general contractor’s license would be your best bet.

Before getting a license, a person must take three different exams: the Residential Contract Administration exam; the Residential Project Management Exam; and the Business and Finance Exam. The Residential Contract Administration Exam is 45 questions long, open book and lasts 4 hours and 45 minutes. The subjects on the exam include: pre-construction activities, project contracts, obtaining licenses, permits and approvals, construction procedures and operations. The Residential Project Management Exam is 60 questions, open book and lasts 4 hours and 45 minutes. Subjects in the test include: construction methods, materials, tools, equipment, safety, reading plans and specifications. The Business and Finance Exam is 120 questions is 6 hours and 30 minutes. Subjects on this test include: establishing contracting business, managing admin duties, managing trade operations, conducting accounting functions, managing human resources, and complying with government regulations.

If you have taken the exams and are ready to apply for a Florida contractor’s license, let us help you. The process can be confusing, and often times, people fail to get their license if things are missing or filled out incorrectly. We are an experienced team of professionals who have helped thousands of people get their contractor’s license. Click here to get your license process started today or call 239-777-1028.

Is a carpenter a contractor?

On: By: admin

Is a carpenter a contractor? Usually, a carpenter is not a contractor, but is usually employed by one. In essence, they are a sub-contractor. However, a carpenter can be a contractor. Contractors provide carpenters, and other workers, with jobs to do and instructions.

Often, many carpenters do not have an education beyond high school,  and can be both skilled and unskilled; they work with materials and tools to build a new or unfinished project. They are a laborer designated for construction tasks.

Carpenter construct, install and repairs structures from wood and other materials; they work on homes, buildings, kitchens, bridges, highways, and more. A carpenter’s skills can be huge. Some carpenters know how to frame walls, put in doors, put in windows, build stairs, install molding, install cabinets, build tunnel bracing, build concrete tunnels, replace glass, replace tiles, repair furniture, change locks, move machinery and more.

This job is a good 40 hours a week, and it is a very physically demanding job. Carpenters do a lot of heavy lifting, standing, bending, kneeling, climbing, and more. They work with a lot of sharp, heavy, and rough materials so safety is a concern.

After high school, many people interested in becoming a carpenter work with a carpenter or attend a trade or vocational school. Some companies offer apprenticeships to people to learn the craft of carpentry; these apprenticeships combine classroom studies with on-the-job training. These programs are usually three to four years.

Skills needed and required of a carpenter include: good hand-eye coordination, physical fitness, manual dexterity, balance, good at math, and more.

If your state requires a license to be a carpenter, it’s essential you get one, or else you will be working illegally. By being licensed, this shows you have experience, that you’ve passed certain tests, and you know the laws.

If you’re looking to get a Florida contractor’s license, let us help! We are a team of professionals who has helped thousands of contractors get their license so they are able to work. We make the process easy and fast for you. To learn more, click here or call 239-777-1028.

What is an Irrigation Contractor?

On: By: admin

Contracting is a huge industry. When a person things of contracting, often times, construction or electrical industries, come to mind. However, there are so many specialties in the world of contracting. Whether you like working with pipes or wood or windows, there is a type of contracting out there to suit a person’s interests and skill set. For this particular article, we wanted to focus on: a irrigation contractor.

A Florida Irrigation contractor maintains, repairs, alters, extends, manages, monitors, audits and designs irrigation systems, including excavation work. Irrigation systems including piping, fittings, sprinklers, drip irrigation products, valves, irrigation controllers, control wiring, water pumps, rain sensors, water conservation devices, water harvesting systems, irrigation main lines, utility alternative water supply distribution lines, and dedicated backflow prevention devices.

To become an irrigation contractor in the state of Florida, a person must take and pass two state certification exams. The Irrigation exam and the Business & Law exam. The Irrigation exam is an open-book test consisting of 80 questions and people are tested on the topics of: pre-construction, construction, maintenance and repair, scheduling and water conservation, rules, laws, and codes. The Business and Finance exam last 6.5 hours and is 120 questions. Topics on the test include: establishing the contracting business, managing administrative duties, managing trade operations, conducting accounting functions, managing HR, and complying with government regulations.

People can take classes to prepare and pass for the two exams. If a person does not take the exams, he or she cannot apply for a license.  In-person classes for these exams are not mandatory; there are also online classes. There are also a variety of books available that can prepare a person for these exams.

Thinking about getting a Florida contractor’s license? In irrigation? Or any other contracting specialty? Our team of professionals can help you. We work with our clients to help them get through the contracting process fast and easy. We do in-depth reviews of licenses packages to ensure everything is exactly right and everything is included. Contact us today. To learn more or start the process, click here or call 239-777-1028.

Florida and Georgia Annual Report filing time

On: By: admin

The annual report time has come and contractor business owners need to file this report before May 1. If a person or company files late in the state of Florida, there is a $400 late penalty that will be given.

The annual report lists important information about a business including: address, registered agent information, officer information and more. When doing this filing, a person also needs to pay the annual renewal fee; this keeps the company active for another whole year. The fee for a corporation is $150 while the fee for a LLC is $138.75.

Like stated above, this filing is necessary because it lets the Secretary of State know you want to keep your company active for another year. This is also the time for any updates you have to outdated or wrong information about your company.

If by the month of September you still do not file this annual report, the corporation or LLC will become administratively dissolved. You can however reinstate and you’ll be subject to any and all annual report payments missed in previous years. A business name is only held for one year.

In Georgia, the annual report filing fee is $50 for both corporations and LLCs. If you file after April 1, the fine is $25 for being late.

Have any questions about the annual report? Need assistance with the filing of the report? Whether you live in Florida or Georgia, we can help! We are a company who helps contractors get their Florida contractor licenses and their Georgia contractor licenses. We make the process easy and it goes by fast. We will help you with any question you may have. Contact us at 239-777-1028 or at support@licensesetc.com. If you want to learn more about or services or contact us online, visit our website here.

How Do I Get A Florida Contractor’s License?

On: By: admin

Are you looking to get your Florida contractor’s license? Great! We hope this blog article helps. In the state of Florida, you need your contractor’s license to practice legally. The Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board issues certified contractor’s licenses to:

Division 1: general, building, and residential
Division 2: Mechanical, roofing, plumbing, Air conditioning class A, Air conditioning class B, Pollutant storage systems, Dry wall specialty, Solar, Sheet metal, Underground utility and excavation, Tank lining applicator, Gas line specialty, Solar water heating specialty, Commercial pool/spa, Residential pool/spa, Pollutant storage systems, Glass and glazing specialty, Pool/spa Servicing, and specialty.

To get a Florida contractor’s license, an applicant must pass an exam. To qualify for the exam, a person must be at least 18 years old and has to meet at least one of the following bulleted items from the list below.

  • A person must have a four-year construction-related degree from an accredited college and one year related experience (that can be proven).
  • A person must have one year of experience as a foreman and no less than three years of credits for any accredited college-level courses.
  • A person must have one year experience as a workman, one year experience (proven) as a foreman, and two years of credits for any accredited college level courses.
  • A person must have two years of experience as a workman, one year experience as a foreman, and one year of credits for any accredited college level courses
  • A person must have four years of experience as a workman or foreman of which at least one year must have been as a foreman
  • A person must have hold an active certified or registered Florida contractor’s license.

If you need help applying for your Florida contractor’s license, we are here to help make the process fast and easy for you. Click here to get started on the process today, or call 239-777-1028.