Florida Electrical Contractor License Guide

Important: no statewide journeyman license

Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman or master electrician license. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), through the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB), licenses electrical contractors statewide (the credential you need to pull permits and run a business). Journeyman-level credentials, where required at all, are issued by individual counties and cities — verify with your local building department. Everything below is about the statewide Certified Electrical Contractor exam.

Source: DBPR Electrical Contractors

Exam vendor & format

Pearson VUE administers the computer-based exam for DBPR. The Certified Electrical Contractor (Unlimited EC) credential requires passing two open-book parts:

• Business — 50 scored questions, 2.5 hours (required for every certification type)
• Technical/Safety (Unlimited EC) — 100 scored questions, 5 hours

Both sections may include a handful of additional unscored pilot questions. Passing score is 75% on each part. Other specialty tracks (Residential EC, Alarm Systems I/II, Limited Energy, Sign, Lighting Maintenance) use the same Business exam plus their own 100-question Technical/Safety exam.

Source: DBPR Electrical Contractors' Candidate Information Booklet (PDF, saved locally, effective Feb 2026)

Experience requirements

To qualify for the Certified Electrical Contractor exam, an applicant must document at least one of:

• 3 years as a licensed professional engineer in the trade (within the last 12 years)
• 3 years of management experience in the trade (within the last 6 years)
• 4 years as a foreman, supervisor, or contractor (within the last 8 years)
• 4 years of military supervisory experience in the trade (within the last 8 years)
• 6 years of comprehensive technical training/education (within the last 12 years)
• 6 years of technical government/military experience (within the last 12 years)
• A combination of the above totaling 6 years

Source: DBPR Electrical Contractors FAQ

Fees

• Examination application: $263.25
• Computer-based exam, per part (paid to Pearson VUE): $123.75
• Retake application: $67.25
• Initial license (active): $296.00

Source: DBPR Electrical Contractors FAQ

Renewal cycle

Certified and registered electrical contractor licenses renew on August 31 of every even-numbered year. Renewal requires 11 hours of continuing education: 1 hour each of workers' compensation, workplace safety, business practices, Florida Laws & Rules, and a Florida Building Code advanced module, plus 6 hours of technical CE (and 2 more hours of false-alarm-prevention CE for licensees who do alarm work).

Source: DBPR Electrical Contractors FAQ

Code edition

The exam's current reference is NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition. DBPR has already published the transition date for the next cycle: the exam moves to the 2026 NEC effective August 21, 2027. Reference books must have only permanently-attached tabs — no loose notes, Post-its, or removable tabs are allowed in the exam room.

Source: DBPR Candidate Information Booklet (PDF, saved locally)