Tag: how to get a contractor license

Get Your Electrical Contractor License

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An electrician is a great career, especially if you end up working for yourself as your progress. Electricians can make a very good living and it is a rewarding job. In order to be an electrician, you need to be licensed and certified through the Electrical Contractors Licensing Board (ECLB).

There are four different ECLB certificates you can get including: Electrical contractor, Alarm contractor I (includes fire alarms), Alarm contractor II (excludes fire alarms), Specialty: residential, lighting, utility line, etc.

To become certified, you need to do at least one of the four requirements:

  • Operate as a manager in your trade for at least three years that must be within the last six years.
  • Act as a supervisor in your field for at least four years that must be within the last eight years.
  • Show at least six years of education, training and/or experience in electrical work that must be within the last 12 years)
  • Work as a licensed, professional electrical engineer for 3 or more years.

For each specific electrical specialty, there are different requirements needed so you must follow those. After you’ve met all the qualifications and taken the tests, you can apply and submit your application for your Florida electrical contractor’s license. Remember, there are fees with some of the things you will do throughout this process.

Take note that your application may be denied. Your work experience may not be enough, or maybe you missed a deadline or didn’t pass the test with a high enough score. There’s a varied number of reasons why you may have been denied. However, if you work with licensing professionals, we can make sure your electrical license application does not get denied. We know exactly what you need to qualify.  We will help you fix your application and get everything up to the board’s standards.

Getting your Florida electrical license involves a lot of planning. You must know the requirements and deadlines. The contractor licensing application process can be extensive and stressful, but it doesn’t need to be. To get easily approved, it’s best to seek help from a contractor license professional. While Florida rejects 90 percent of contractor applications the first time, our team of contractor licensing professionals has a 95 percent approval rate. To schedule a free consultation and get started on your Florida contractor license application, click our Florida contractor’s license page or call us at 239-777-1028. Let’s get you your electrical contractor license today!

 

Florida Contractors Must Continue Their Education

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In Florida, as a contractor, you have to keep up with your education and further your education. Every two years, you must complete 14 hours of Construction Industry Licensing Board approved education courses (CEU) before you renew your license. This is true for both certified and registered contractors.

 

Why is this necessary? These courses help keep you abreast the latest in the field and help keep you competitive against people who are just entering the industry with the newest knowledge.

 

According to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), your courses have to be specific. As a contractor, you must complete at least one hour about workplace safety, one hour on worker’s compensation, one hour on business practices, one hour on Florida laws and rules, two hours of false alarm prevention (for alarm contractors and electrical contractors who perform alarm work), and one hour on Florida Building Code advanced modules.

 

Your other seven course hours will be about the specific type of technical contracting work you do (electrical, construction, home inspector, mold).

If you have remaining hours, these are general credit hours. It’s great to receive courses in a bunch of different subjects, so you become a more valuable and knowledgeable worker.

 

In the state of Florida, you have a choice to either take these courses in the classroom or online – it’s up to you. Here are some places for you to take classes:

Gold Coast Schools –  This school offers classes for many fields, including contractor education. Whether you’re getting your license for the first time or looking to renew, this school has courses for both. You can go to this school in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Tamarac, North Miami, and South Dade, but they also offer online courses.

 

Red Vector – If you prefer the online route, Red Vector offers online education and training for contractors, and other industries. Red Vector has been helping contractors renew their licenses for more than a decade.

 

Get Your Florida Contractor’s License

Knowledge is power. If you decide to not further your education, you’re only hurting yourself. Be the best contractor you can be by learning as much as you can. You’ll be more sought out. If you are up to date on the latest trends, technology, laws, and more, you will have a higher success rate at the job with more referrals and positive customer feedback.

Looking to get your Florida contractor’s license but don’t know what to do? Need help renewing your license?  We can help you with that! We are a Florida contractor licensing company and we’ve helped thousands of contractors get their license.

If you have any questions about getting your Florida contractor license, continuing your education or renewing your license, click Florida contractor’s license or call us at 239-777-1028.

 

2018 Florida Contractor Exams

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If you want to be a contractor, you must do it the right way. You’ve got to take courses, get experience, take exams, and apply for a license. If you want to be a licensed contractor in the state of Florida, you must pass the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board’s contractor exam. You need to score a 70 percent or higher to pass. This test is a 2-day exam that is offered a few times throughout the year across the state.

Starting in August 2018, general, building and residential exams are computer-based, while plumbing exams are still paper/pencil format in Orlando.

Test dates are: August 14-15, October 16-17, and December 11-12.

For testing, tower specialty, demolition specialty, and industrial facilities specialty need to pass the general exam of contract administration, project management, and business and finance.

You are allowed to have reference materials, but you only have 6.5 hours to complete the test. You should definitely prepare and study before this exam.

All other state licenses (i.e. Mechanical, Class A Air Conditioning, Class B Air Conditioning,Commercial Pool, Gas Line,Glass and Glazing, Gypsum Drywall, Irrigation, Marine, Pollutant Storage, Residential Pool, Roofing, Service Pool, Sheet Metal, Solar, Specialty Structure, Underground Utilities, and electrical trades) use a different testing company and do not follow schedule, so you can test whenever you are ready.

If you fail, you must wait 21 days before you take the test again. It costs at least $215 to take the test, so you don’t want to keep retaking it.

Once you past the test, you’re still not a licensed contractor. You must apply with the state to get your contractor’s license. There’s a lot of forms to fill out and deadlines to meet. If you miss anything or fill out something wrong, your application can be easily rejected. You can avoid this by having a professional contractor licensing company do all the paperwork for you. You don’t want to be part of the 90 percent of people whose application gets rejected the first time.

As a Florida contractor licensing company, we have been helping contractors get their licenses for years. We make the process simple, and we know what the contractor licensing board is looking for. If you have need help getting your Florida contractor license, continuing, click our Florida contractor’s license page or call us at 239-777-1028. Let’s get you licensed today!

 

 

Form your Florida Contractor Business

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Did you know a Florida contractor licensing company could help you with forming your contractor business? It’s true! Don’t go at it alone! We can help you get your business up and running. We offer business licenses services and have helped so many contractors form their business.

The business license services we offer include: corporation registration, limited liability company, and foreign qualification.

We will help you with the business license set up. In this process, there’s a lot of paperwork that can be time consuming and tricky, so let us do it for you! We’re streamlined and officiant and can help you get a new business formed in 2 to 3 days. Our expertise is specifically trained for the construction industry.

Our services cost a fraction of what an attorney would charge you to set up a business. An attorney might always take 2-4 weeks to get your business up and running. That’s a lot longer than 2-3 days! In this process, we fill out all forms for you, acquire needed information, and request needed documents. After all is said and done, we also offer license and business maintenance services.

What is in our business formation package?

  • We research the desired company name for availability with the state
  • We fill out Corporation or LLC forms and file with the state’s Division of Corporations
  • We acquire an EIN using SS4 form from the IRS
  • We prepare a 2553 (S-corp) document
  • We provide stock / Membership certificate(s)
  • We provide sample Bylaws and Organizational Meeting Minutes
  • We organize corporate documents provided electronically
  • We apply for your Workers Compensation exemption
  • We fill out your Local Business Tax/Occupational License form
  • We fill out forms to Register your state license with the local municipality

 

If you’re ready to start up your own business, let us help you! In a matter of three days, you could have your own business set up! Also if you need help with your contractor’s license, we can help you with that too. Click our Florida Contractor License contact page to learn more or call us at 239-777-1028. We help people get their licenses and businesses running fast!

 

Need Help with Your Contractor Business?

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You’ve got your contractor license. You’ve formed your business. Now, you’ve just been running the business day-to-day. Running a business can be a big undertaking, whether a large company or small. Besides getting work down, there’s so much to remember in terms of paperwork and filings and deadlines. You want to make sure you keep up to date so your business is running legally.

However, as a business owner, you may be spreading yourself too thin, especially if you’re out on the job daily working. It can be hard to keep up with the emails, mailings, paperwork, etc.

If you need help running your business, let a contractor licensing company help you! We offer license and business maintenance services.

When it comes to corporate changes and filings, we can help you with corporate amendments, foreign qualification, corporate name change, s-corp election, and DBA / Fictitious Business Name. We also help with annual reports and registered agent services.

We can keep you on track with all your deadlines and fees for your contractor license, business license and business. You don’t want to be getting stuck with late fees or reinstatement fees. We will give you a list of all the requirements needed in your state and county for your business and licenses. We will tell you when everything is due whether it’s your annual report or when your continued education courses (CEUs) need to be completed.

After we compile a list, we offer a maintenance service to take care of the things we can, and we let you know what you have to do own your own in advance so you won’t face any penalties or fees. We work to keep your business going.

Need help with your business? Forgetting too much? We can help Contact our contractor license team now by clicking our Florida contractor license  business page or by calling 239-777-1028 for a personalized quote! We’ve helped many contractors maintain their business. We make the process easy.

 

Reasons to Become a Roofer

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Trade jobs are becoming more and more popular. College degrees, although still wanted, are becoming so expensive that many are turning to careers in a trade instead. Trade jobs cost less than a college degree and there is a higher demand for these jobs than many of the college-degree level jobs. For this article, we wanted to talk about the job of a roofer.

A career as a roofer can be rewarding. As a Florida contractor licensing company, we have helped hundreds of people get their roofing contractor’s license. You can make the switch into this field at any time in your life due to the quicker nature of the schooling and training.

For this article, we wanted to share with you some reasons you should consider a career as a roofer.

  • You get paid while working as an apprentice.
  • Skilled roofers are always in demand, especially now with the construction boom and the aftermath of many natural disasters across the country.
  • You get to work outdoors.
  • Average salary is $37,000.
  • You get to meet a lot of different people and work in many different areas.
  • You don’t need a college degree to be a roofer.
  • You get to work with your hands.
  • You get to do a lot of problem-solving.
  • It is a skilled trade, which is admired.
    There are more than 146,000 roofer jobs in America.
  • Roofing is a respected trade.
  • Roofing is a hard job, so people are always willing to hire roofers.
  • Schooling for becoming a roofer is affordable.
  • Job opportunities for roofers are expected to grow 11% in the next 10 years.

Does being a roofer sound like a good job to you? Let our contractor licensing team help you get your license fast and easy! Let us help you get your Florida contractor’s license. We will help with all the necessary paperwork and filing for you. We know the exact deadlines and the requirements for the roofing contractor’s license. To get started on the Florida contractor license process, click our electrical contractor’s license page, click  here or call us at 239-777-1028.

Renewing a Florida Contractor License

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Is your Florida contractor’s license up for renewal? Do you know how to renew it? If not, this article is for you. As a Florida contractor licensing company, we wanted to share with you how to go about renewing your Florida contractor license so you can continue to work and keep your business up and running.

In order to renew a license, you need to pay a renewal fee and complete a continuing education course (CEU) or courses, depending on your license.

As a registered Florida contractor, you can login to the Florida’s Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR)’s website where you can update your profile, attach documents, check your application status, renew a license, make a payment, view your educational history, and work on incomplete submissions.

If you are not registered with the DBPR online or you need a new account, click here for a tutorial on how to create your account and how to link your contractor license to the online account.

Here are the steps to renew your contractor license online:

  1. Click on the license that you like to renew.
  2. Select “Renew” from the options shown.
  3. A disclaimer screen explaining CEU information will pop up. Read it, then select “Next.”
  4. A screen with your name, birthday and SSN will pop up. Select “Next.”
  5. A screen with your main address will pop up. If you need to change the address, click the “Main Address” button, and you can update it. If you’d like to add an additional address (license location, license mailing) or add a new phone number, click “Add.” Otherwise, click “Next.”
  6. A summary page will pop up to conform any changes. It will provide the information about to be saved into the system. Read this page. If it looks good, select “Next.” Otherwise, select “Previous” to go back and make any changes.
  7. Complete the Attest Statement by selecting “Yes,” followed by “Submit.”
  8. A payment screen will pop up showing the price of your renewal. Click “Pay Now” to complete the transaction or click “Submit Additional Applications” if you have more than one license that needs to be renewed.
    1. You can pay by credit card or electronic check. Once you have entered the proper information, select “Next.” Your card will be processed and a confirmation number will be provided for you.

As of 2018, the current two-year license renewal fee is $209 for both certified and registered contractors. For your educational requirements, Florida says contractors to complete 14 hours of board-approved CEU hours for each two-year renewal cycle. A contractor must complete at least one hour about workplace safety, one hour on worker’s compensation, one hour on business practices, one hour on Florida laws and rules, two hours of false alarm prevention, and one hour on Florida Building Code advanced modules.  Seven course hours will come from the specific type of technical contracting work you do.

You can take your continuing education courses online or in the classroom based on your schedule and needs. The following places offer courses:

 

Gold Coast Schools: www.goldcoastschools.com

 
Red Vector: www.redvector.com

 

If you need additional help renewing your Florida contractor license, our team would love to help. Click our Florida Contractor License contact page to learn more and reach us or call us at 239-777-1028. We help people get their licenses fast!

 

Contractor Licenses are Now Paperless

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On May 7th 2018, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation began issuing paperless licenses to contractors in Florida. Contractors can now print their own licenses. By going on the DBPR’s website and logging onto a Florida contractor , a person can access their license. The DBPR is no longer mailing out licenses.

What changes? With this new system, contractors will be able to enter the work force 7-10 business days earlier than if they were waiting for a license in the mail.

The DBPR’s website also allows contractors to check the status of their license, update info, and renew a license at any time.

If you are still looking to get your own contractor’s license and need help, our team can get the job done for you! We are a Florida contractor licensing company and have worked with thousands of contractors helping them get or renew their contractor license. We can also help you with the DBPR’s website if you’re having any trouble. We are experts in the contractor licensing world, so ask us anything!

The contractor licensing process can be difficult, and many times, people’s applications get rejected due to missing information. If this occurs, a contractor will have to respond to deficiency letters sent by the state, and this can be a several-month long process. If you tried to do your contractor license on your own, have issues, or were denied, we can help you get out of the mess. Don’t stay stuck and discouraged. We can help fix your application so you’re back on track to getting your contractor’s license. We know what the contractor licensing board wants in an application and will prepare it for you.

We have processed thousands of applications, which have gone through easily and correctly. Our team is happy to help you with the application process. If you have any questions about the printable licenses, ask us. For help with your Florida contractor’s license, call us at 239-777-1028, or visit our Florida contractor’s license page.

 

Should You Become an HVAC Tech?

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Thinking about a trade job? How about being an HVAC contractor?

When you get your HVAC contractor’s licenses, there are 2 types of licenses. A HVAC-A contractor’s license is unlimited in the execution of contracts requiring the experience, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend, or design, central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems. A HVAC-B contractor license limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system. They install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend, or design, central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems.

People will always need cooling and heating systems in their homes, so the demand for HVAC jobs is there. HVAC people work in homes, office buildings, warehouses, and more. As a Florida contractor licensing company, we wanted to share with you some reasons why you should become an HVAC tech:

  • The HVAC field is growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic, the employment rate is growing 21 percent from 2012 to 2022. This is faster than other occupations. This means around 55,900 jobs will be added to the HVAC world.
  • You don’t need a college degree.
  • It takes only 1 to 2 years to get your trade school degree.
  • The median pay in 2012 for an HVAC tech is $43,640. The top 10 percent of HVAC techs made $68,990.
  • There is always room for growth in this field. You can go from entry-level to sales to marketing to managerial positions.
  • There’s always a need for HVAC workers cause heating/cooling systems generally need to be replaced every 1 to 15 years. Also, these systems need to be maintained, as well, throughout the years.

Does being an HVAC contractor or tech sound like a good job to you? Let our contractor licensing team help you get your HVAC license fast and easy! We can help you get your Florida contractor’s license. We will help with all the necessary paperwork and filing for you. We know the exact deadlines and the requirements for the HVAC contractor’s license. To get started on the Florida contractor license process, click our HVAC contractor’s license page, click  here or call us at 239-777-1028.

 

Reasons to be an Electrician

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Not sure what you want to do after high school? Not happy with your college degree? Bored at your current job? Don’t sweat it! Become an electrician. A career as an electrician can be extremely rewarding for many reasons. As a contractor licensing company, we have helped hundreds of people get their electrical contractor’s license. The schooling and training is a lot less money and time than other degrees, so you can make the switch into this field at any time in your life. Whether you’re 18 or 38.

For this article, we wanted to share with you some reasons you should consider a career as an electrician.

  • Get paid while you’re doing an apprenticeship program. Unlike a four-year college, you will get paid as you learn.
  • Skilled electricians are always in demand, especially now with the construction boom and the aftermath of many natural disasters.
  • Master electricians can make around $100,000 per year.
  • The pay is good for lower-level or entry level electricians, as well. The average hourly pay for electricians is $25 per hour.
  • The job isn’t predictable. Every day is different. Different locations, different issues.
  • You don’t need a college degree to be an electrician.
  • You get to work with your hands while also solving problems.
  • You will know a skilled trade, which is in high demand.
  • There is an advancement path that goes from apprentice to journeyman to master.
  • You can choose where you work, either as an independent contractor or as a full-time employee. If you start your own business, you can make your own hours.
  • The education to become an electrician is affordable and you can take night classes, if needed.
  • Electricians are highly respected.
  • Working with electricity is dangerous, so people often don’t do DIY jobs when it come to wires, so you will always find work.
  • From schools and homes to malls and streetlights, you can work in so many different environments. You can also work for public or private jobs.
  • Job opportunities for electricians are expected to grow 14% in the next 10 years.

 

Does being an electrician sound like a good job to you? Let our contractor licensing team help you get your license fast and easy! Let us help you get your Florida contractor’s license. We will work with you every step of the way, and do all the necessary paperwork and filing for you. We know the exact deadlines and the requirements for the electrical contractor’s license. To get started on the Florida contractor license process, click our electrical contractor’s license page, click  here or call us at 239-777-1028.