Contractors and tradesman working in Miami-Dade County are licensed by the Building Code Compliance Office's Contractor Licensing Section. The Construction Trades Qualifying Board has authority over these types of licenses and scopes of licenses that are issued. There are different requirements for each of these license types:
More than 100 different types of licenses are issued within these six major license categories (click to see the license types):
- Maintenance
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Plumbing
- Building
- Building Specialties
Examinations
Examinations for certificates of competency and eligibility are offered once a month. The exams are open book and the required books for each exam category can be found on the licensing requirements for each license.
Exams are offered in English or Spanish and special accommodations can be made for those who have disabilities.
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Licenses
The county issues personal and business licenses.
To obtain a new personal license from the Building Code Compliance Office you must first meet certain experience requirements as well as maintaining a level of financial responsibility. You must submit an application to include proof of experience through letters from employers stating the dates of employment and description of work performed and submittal of W-2 tax documents covering the employment period.
If the category you are applying for is an exam category, you must take the exam and pass with at least a grade of 70% (with the exception of Journeyman license). Journeyman must at least obtain a passing grade of 75% or better to pass. Once you submit your application it will take no longer than 30 days before your application is reviewed for approval.
Once you have obtained a personal certificate of eligibility or competence, you are eligible to obtain a business license. This does not apply to Journeymen or Maintenance personnel.
To obtain a business license you must complete an application, as a sole proprietor, partnership, or a corporation. As a Qualifying Agent for a business you must have a significant interest or financial interest in the entity you qualify as evidenced by the position as an officer or partner or principal stockholder in accordance with Section 10-6 (E) 5 of the Code of Miami Dade County.
State Registration of Miami-Dade County Certificates
Miami-Dade County Certificate holders, if required by Chapter 10 of the Code of Miami-Dade County and Florida Statute 489 must be registered with the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Failure to comply will result in a restriction of your permitting privileges.
A significant number of State Registrations expire as of August 31, 2010. Please ensure that your State Registration is updated and provide the Building Code Compliance Office Contractor Licensing Section with your current and active registration number.
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Journeyman Certificate of Competency
- Requires three years of proven field experience in the trade or, education equivalent or a combination of the two, but not more than one-half consisting of education equivalent.
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Requires submittal of an application to include proof of experience through letters from employers stating the dates of employment and description of work performed and submittal of W-2 tax documents covering the employment period.
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Requires successfully passing an examination with a grade of 75% or above. Exam is open book and a list of the books is provided to you at the time you request an application.
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Requires payment of $240
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This license does not entitle you to perform as a contractor; you may only work under the direction of a Master in your respective trade.
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Masters Certificate of Competency
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Requires an applicant to have held for two years a Certificate of Competency as a journeyman issued by the CTQB and have at least two years of prior field experience or at least six years of specialized training or registration as a professional engineer in the discipline concerned.
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Requires submittal of an application to include proof of experience through letters from employers stating the dates of employment and description of work performed and submittal of W-2 tax documents covering the employment period.
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Requires successfully passing an examination with a grade of 70% or above. Exam is open book and a list of the books is provided to you at the time you request an application.
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Requires payment of $315.00
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After completing the application to obtain your personal license, you must complete a business application to obtain your business license. You will be required to pay an additional $315.00. Proof of liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance is required after Board approval.
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If you conduct business without meeting the minimum requirements, you will be subject to citations for violating chapter 10 of the Miami-Dade County Code.
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Building and Building Specialty Licenses
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Requires from one to four years of proven field experience in the trade. The number of years experience is dependent on the license you are applying for.
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Requires submittal of an application to include proof of experience through letters from employers stating the dates of employment and description of work performed or submittal of W-2 tax documents covering the employment period.
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Requires successfully passing an examination with a grade of 70% or above. Exam is open book and a list of the books is provided to you at the time you request an application.
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Requires payment of $315.00
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After completing the application to obtain your personal license, you must complete a business application to obtain your business license. You will be required to pay an additional $315.00. Proof of liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance is required after Board approval.
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If you conduct business without meeting the minimum requirements you will be subject to citations for violating chapter 10 of the Miami-Dade County Code.
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Maintenance License
- Requires one year of proven field experience in the trade.
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Requires submittal of an application to include proof of experience through letters from employers stating the dates of employment and description of work performed and submittal of W-2 tax documents covering the employment period
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Requires successfully passing an examination with a grade of 70% or above. Exam is open book and a list of the books is provided to you at the time you request an application.
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Requires payment of $240.00
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This license only allows you to work for an owner who has a premise permit.
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Renewals
If you are a tradesman or a contractor you must renew your license generally every two years. You will receive a renewal notice 2 months before the expiration of your active license.
You can return the notice by mail or you may drop it off at our office located at 140 W. Flagler, Suite 1603, Miami, Florida 33130, between the hours of Monday thru Thursday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The office is closed Fridays. The notice should be submitted with the requested fee in the form of a personal check or money order payable to Miami-Dade Building Code Compliance Office.
In addition to the aforementioned requirements, each licensed holder is required to have 16 hours of continuing education credit hours. A certificate holder is not required to complete any continuing education requirements for the term in which a certificate is initially issued pursuant to Chapter 10 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Section 10-13.1(3). Individuals holding a business license must present a certificate of liability insurance and proof of worker’s compensation coverage.
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Other Services
In addition to the above-mentioned services, we also process applications for Change of Affiliations, Inactive Status, and issue reciprocal licenses with other counties. For a Change of Affiliation, a Business Application, Outgoing Affidavit (Change of Affiliation) and Applicant Financial History form must be completed.
In regards to Reciprocity, Miami-Dade County only reciprocates with Broward County in the Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical categories; and Palm Beach County in the Electrical categories and certain Building and Building Specialty categories.
To reciprocate to Miami-Dade County you must have passed and exam and obtained a score of 75% or higher in the journeyman level and 70% or higher in all other reciprocal categories.
To place a certificate on inactive status, an Outgoing Affidavit (Inactive Status) and Applicant Financial History form must be completed.
See Related Forms below to obtain applications.
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Related Forms
Applications and forms are available here as an Adobe Acrobat files (in order to use these pdf files, you must have Acrobat installed on your computer).
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files, you can download 
