Why You Shouldn’t Work as an Unlicensed Contractor

In Florida, working as an unlicensed contractor is illegal. In fact, it’s a criminal offense. For this topic, the information we will share comes directly from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

If you want to be a contractor, it is in your best interest to get a contractor’s license. If you don’t, not only will you be eligible for fewer jobs, but you run the risk of getting caught working unlicensed, and being charged with a misdemeanor or felony.

Besides having an offense against you on your record, you can also be subject to court-ordered monetary restitution.

If you are in trouble, the homeowners you work for don’t even have to end up paying an you, as an unlicensed contractor, even if the work was done well. Now, not all contracting work requires a license, and there are exemptions. In order to fall under an exemption, you must to make sure you are working legally and properly (licensed required or not) so you will not get in trouble with the homeowner, state, or DBPR.

Currently, the DBPR has a hotline and a mobile app that allows people to report unlicensed activity on the go. This makes it very easy for people to report unlicensed work and workers. It’s not easy to work unlicensed anymore. The DBPR also has a Division of Regulation hosts events to spread awareness to perform stings and sweeps in the communities to stop and educate on unlicensed activity.  In 2016, the organization has conducted more than 921 unlicensed activity outreach events, 49 stings, and 828 sweeps.

Don’t risk your future or career by practicing unlicensed activity illegally. If you are worried about the contractor licensing process, don’t be. We can help you. We can make it easy and achievable for you, so you can have a successful career as a contractor instead of having a felony against you.

We are a group of trained professionals that will help you get your Florida contractor’s license fast. To get started on the process, click our contractor’s license page or our Florida contractor license page call us at 239-777-1028.

 

How to Upgrade Certain Florida Contractor Licenses

When you get certain contractor licenses, you can always upgrade down the line, especially if you want to pursue a higher-level job. After a period, certain certified licenses are eligible to be upgraded. Licenses that can upgrade include: HVAC – Class C, HVAC –Class B, Residential, Building, Swimming Pool Servicing, Residential Pool Contractor.

If you have one of the above contractor specialty licenses, you may be eligible to upgrade your license. When you upgrade your license, you will have access to more jobs, better jobs, and higher-paying jobs. With a higher-level license, you are beginning to work your way up the contracting world. You will have more work opportunities and options due to your advanced license.

However, there are some stipulations that occur for eligibility; these include:

  • Trade tests for the higher-level license must have been passed within four years of submission.
  • Business and Finance Exam needs to be taken for the original licensure process.
  • License must be in active status for a certain amount of time.

It’s always a good idea to upgrade your contractor license. More money. More work. More credibility. More skills.

At our contractor licensing company, we are a team of professionals that help people get their contractor’s licenses, as well as renew and upgrade their licenses. We don’t just fill out forms for people, but rather we analyze each individual situation and use a person’s information strategically to build an application that will be easily approved. We give unlimited time to our clients by answering any and all questions. With us, clients have no forms to fill out. Ninety-five percent of our clients work with us through email or fax.

 

Our contractor licensing company can make upgrading a Florida contractor’s license easy. We will pull together all the things needed to complete the Florida contractor license application. We will let you know what courses, tests, exams, and experience you need or are missing.  Our goal is to make the process smooth and simple for you.

We are a Florida contractor licensing company but help people in all states get licensed. To get started on the process, click our contractor’s license page or our Florida contractor license page call us at 239-777-1028.

 

Steps to Get a Demolition Specialty Contractor License

Five years ago, the state of Florida created a new specialty license available for demolition contractors called “certified building demolition specialty contractor.”

Why was this type of license created?  This license became available, so people and businesses can demolish any residential or commercial structure under four stories tall. If a four-story or taller structure is in the project, the license holder must hold a valid certified general contractor license. For a more technical definition, “this license has been added so that individuals and businesses who work solely with the execution of contracts requiring the experience, financial means, knowledge, and skill to demolish, if not prohibited by law, steel tanks 50 feet or less in height; towers 50 feet or less in height; other structures 50 feet or less in height, other than buildings or residences over three stories tall; and buildings or residences three stories or less in height. Nothing in this rule shall be deemed to restrict or limit in any manner the scope of work authorized by law of other contractor classifications.”

To get a demolition specialty contractor license, you need to pass the state certification exam, and you must get your license within four years of getting your exam score. Also, for this license, you need to have four years of experience or a combination of college credits and experience. All demolition specialty contractor license candidates go through a background check that includes fingerprinting.

For this type of license, you need public liability and property damage insurance. You also need to obtain workers compensation insurance within 30 days of getting your license.

Want a demolition specialty contractor’s license? We can help you. We know all the requirements necessary for you to obtain this type of license as we are a contractor licensing company. We will let you know if you’re missing anything. We will let you know about all deadlines and fees. We have helped thousands of contractors in Florida and in other states get their contractor license.

To get your contractor license, click our click our Florida contractor’s license page or our  contractor license page call us at 239-777-1028 with any questions about a demolition specialty contractor license or any contractor license.

 

 

 

Steps to Get a Marine Contractor License

The contractor world continues to grow and needs skilled workers. With college continue to skyrocket with tuition, more people are gravitating toward a career in contracting, as they will have little to no debt and a good salary starting out in their careers. With the current contractor labor shortage, it is a great time to entre the field. In the contracting industry, there’s many different types of work and you can easily find something that matches your interests and skills.

As a contractor licensing company, we wanted to share with you details about being a marine contractor. If you like the water, boats, and working with your hands, this is the contracting job for you! We help people get their marine contractor licenses in Florida, Georgia, and all other states.

By definition, a marine contractor “is a specialty contractor qualified and certified by the board to perform any work involving the construction, repair, alteration, extension and excavation for fixed docks, floating docks, boathouses, mooring devices, mooring fields, seawalls, bulkheads, piers, wharfs, boatlifts, boat ramps, revetments, cofferdams, wave attenuators, dune crossovers and other marine structures and activities, including pile driving, framing, concrete, masonry, dredge and fill, and wood shingle, wood shakes, or asphalt or fiberglass shingle roofing on a new structure of his or her own construction. Nothing in this rule shall be deemed to restrict or limit in any manner the scope of work authorized by law of other contractor classification.”

Sound like an interesting job?

The requirements to become a marine contractor include.

  • Four years of experience, which can be reduced by up to three years with college credits and/or military experience.
  • At least one year out of the four years of experience must have been as a foreman.
  • You must show experience from this employment period that demonstrates substantial compliance with statutory experience:
  • Floating Marine Structures:
    • Floatation
    • Framing
    • Decking
    • Anchor
    • Access Gangway
    • Mooring
  • Fixed Marine Structures:
    • Framing
    • Concrete Deck
    • Roof System
  • Foundation:
    • Concrete Footers
    • Structural Pilings

Our company can make obtaining this marine contractor’s license easy. We will pull together all the things needed to complete the marine contractor license application. We will let you know what courses, tests, exams, and experience you need or are missing.  Our goal is to make the process smooth and simple for you.

We are a Florida contractor licensing company. To get started on the process, click our contractor’s license page or our marine contractor license page call us at 239-777-1028.

Steps to Get Your Solar Contractor License

If you’re thinking about a career in contracting, what about being a solar contractor? With a eco-friendlier outlook, the world is more in demand for solar technology, so the job of solar contractor is in demand.

According to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), a solar contractor is defined as a contractor whose services “consist of the installation, alteration, repair, maintenance, relocation, or replacement of solar panels for potable solar water heating systems, swimming pool solar heating systems, and photovoltaic systems and any appurtenances, apparatus, or equipment used in connection with these systems.”

There are two types of solar contractors: you can either become a certified solar contractor (CV) and a residential solar water or a heating specialty contractor (CW).

To work as a solar contractor in many states, you need to have a contractor’s license; however, if you are working under a licensed contractor you do not need to be licensed yet. If you do work on your own that requires installing, altering, repairing, maintaining, relocating or replacing any type of solar thermal or PV system, you need a certification and/or license to work legally in the state of Florida.

It is in your best interest to have a solar contractor’s license regardless of what state you work in. Why? People will trust you more and you will likely be paid better for your work.

If a person needs a solar water heater or solar pool heater installed, only a CV or CW licensed worker or a plumbing contractor can do that job. A photovoltaic system must be installed by a CV license holder or an electrical contractor, but not a CW license holder. If these systems are not installed by these specific contractors, the owners are not eligible for Florida’s established rebate program for residential and commercial solar water heaters, solar electric systems, and residential solar pool heaters.

Some jurisdictions have a solar contractor certificate of competency that is considered an RX license; these contractors are limited to the installation of solar water or pool heaters.

Solar photovoltaic installers can receive a salary from $32K to $48K per year, depending on experience and knowledge.

Want to be a solar contractor?  We can help you get your solar contractor’s license. We are a licensed contracting company and we do the application process for you; we make it easy and fast.

To start the process, click our contractor’s license page or our solar contractor license page call us at 239-777-1028.

 

Help with Getting a Florida Contractor License

If you want to work as a contractor in the state of Florida, you need a Florida contractor’s license. We are a contractor licensing company, and we can help you get licensed in Florida and other states. Getting a Florida contractor’s license can be a complicated process as many contractors end up getting denied when the application isn’t filled out properly or things are missing. Since the process can be complicated, we wanted to share some frequently asked questions that we get during the contractor license application process.

HOW LONG ARE MY TEST SCORES VALID?

For construction contracting, it’s four years. For electrical contracting, it’s two years.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REGISTERED AND A CERTIFIED CONTRACTOR LICENSE?

A “certified contractor” is a state-wide contractor licensed at the state level.  A “registered contractor” is a contractor who has a county license (or multiple) who then had to register that license with the state because it was a major trade. Registered contractors can only work in the county in which they have a competency card.

AM I ABLE TO USE OUT-OF-STATE / OUT-OF-COUNTRY EXPERIENCE WHEN APPLYING FOR A CONTRACTOR LICENSE?

When it comes to contractor licenses, experience is important and valid no matter where it occurred, if it was legal experience and the projects meet requirements.

I HAVE A TROUBLED PAST; CAN I STILL GET A CONTRACTOR LICENSE?

It depends on the severity and number of incidences and how recent these incidences are. Click the link below to contact us and learn more.

HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO RENEW MY LICENSE AND/OR COMPLETE CONTINUING EDUCATION?

In Florida, a certified contractor needs to complete 14 hours of board-approved continuing education every two years by August 31 of an even-numbered year. For registered contractors, they need to renew in odd-numbered years.

If you’re looking to get your Florida contractor’s license, renew your license, or upgrade your license, we can help!

Our contractor licensing company can make getting a Florida contractor’s license easy. We will pull together all the things needed to complete the Florida contractor license application. We will let you know what courses, tests, exams, and experience you need or are missing.  Our goal is to make the process smooth and simple for you.

We are a Florida contractor licensing company but help people in all states get licensed. To get started on the process, click our contractor’s license page or our Florida contractor license page call us at 239-777-1028.