§ 6-237. Application; examination; issuance of contractor's certificate.

(a)

A contractor's certificate of competency shall be obtained in the following manner:

(1)

Any person required or desiring to be qualified shall make application on a form approved by the contractors examining board and forwarded to the secretary for review of completeness and accuracy. The secretary will ascertain that all indicated experience in the various trades is fully documented. Completed applications will be reviewed by a quorum of the board at a meeting prior to a scheduled examination. The building official or designee shall notify the applicant of the date and time of the examination to obtain a license for their desired discipline. If the applicant has not passed the required examination(s) within the two-year time frame, it is the applicant's responsibility to re-apply to the contractors' examining board to review and re-approve.

(2)

Should the applicant be a firm, the application shall be executed by the president, or one legally qualified to act for the firm shall show his authority to so act on the application, and shall name an authorized agent on behalf of the firm showing his authority:

a.

To act for the firm in all matters in any manner connected with the contracting business;

b.

To supervise the construction under the business tax receipt issued to the firm; and

c.

To take the qualifying examination for the firm, unless holding a current certificate of competency of the class and type necessary.

The firm shall be qualified only through the qualifications of such agent taking the examination, or through an agent currently qualified, and if the agent (qualifier) shall sever his affiliation with such firm, the certificate of competency held by such firm shall be automatically canceled. An agent (qualifier) shall be registered to the work of the firm he is currently qualifying.

(3)

No application shall be considered unless the applicant gives all information required on the form, that shall include:

a.

A statement of applicant's proposed contracting business;

b.

The type of certificate being applied for;

c.

The name, residence, business address of the applicant; and

d.

If the applicant is a firm, the name and business address of the firm and the name, residence of all directors and officers of the firm and their interest therein, and the name, residence of the applicant's qualified representative and information contained above; if the applicant is a corporation, a certificate of incorporation.

(4)

The examination will be provided by such examining agency as is designated by the contractors examining board. The designation as examining agency shall continue unless and until a request for qualifications process results in a determination that a new examining agency should be designated or there is a new sole source provider. The examination will be ordered by category by the secretary as approved by the board. It will be administered and proctored as designated by the board. Administrative support will be provided by the building department as required.

(5)

Examinations shall be provided by an independent agency that is designated by the contractors examining board as the examining agency for the county.

(6)

A minimum grade of 70 percent is considered passing.

(7)

The initial certificate of competency will be issued by the contractor's examining board. Renewals will be issued by the building official. As a prerequisite to the initial issuance or the renewal of a certificate of competency, the applicant shall submit a certificate of insurance attesting to the fact that the applicant has obtained workers' compensation insurance as required by F.S. ch. 440, public liability insurance, and property damage insurance for the safety and welfare of the public, in the amount set forth in section 6-241(c).

(b)

Testing, except for administrative exams, shall not be required for licensing in the specialty trades enumerated, provided the applicant has had at least two years of experience in the field, demonstrated to the satisfaction of the licensing board for the following specialty trades:

(1)

Acoustical ceiling;

(2)

Aluminum specialties;

(3)

Cabinet and millwork;

(4)

Drilling auger;

(5)

Fence erection;

(6)

Fire alarm;

(7)

Flooring;

(8)

Garage door opener/installation;

(9)

Glazing;

(10)

Gunite and sandblasting;

(11)

Heating, ventilation and A/C duct installation;

(12)

House setter;

(13)

Insulation;

(14)

Landscaping;

(15)

Low voltage;

(16)

Masonry;

(17)

Mobile home maintenance and repair;

(18)

Mobile home set-up and tie-down;

(19)

Painting and decorating;

(20)

Plastering;

(21)

Satellite, TV antenna, telephone and other communications equipment installation;

(22)

Septic tank cleaning;

(23)

Sign electrician;

(24)

Solar products;

(25)

Solar window tinting;

(26)

Steel reinforcing and iron;

(27)

Tile, marble and terrazzo; and

(28)

Waterproofing and roof painting.

(c)

The following list of specialty trades shall always require testing for purposes of licensure:

(1)

Burglar alarms;

(2)

Demolition;

(3)

Drywall;

(4)

Gasoline tank and pump;

(5)

House moving;

(6)

Lawn sprinkler;

(7)

Structural steel erection;

(8)

Sign erection;

(9)

Swimming pool servicing; and

(10)

Welding.

(d)

Persons seeking a certificate of competency in any of the specialty trades other than burglar alarms, demolition, drywall, gasoline tank and pump, house moving, lawn sprinkler, structural steel erection, sign erection, swimming pool servicing, and welding may substitute for the two years of experience in the field, a minimum grade of 70 percent on the respective technical examination provided by an independent examination agency that is designated by the contractors examining board.

(e)

All applicants for certificates of competency shall be tested for administrative and general business knowledge through an examination provided by Block & Associates, or such alternate examiner as designated by the contractors examining board. A minimum grade of 70 percent is considered passing.

(Code 1979, § 6-59; Ord. No. 16-1975, § 11; Ord. No. 27-1984, §§ 3—6; Ord. No. 12-1986, § 1; Ord. No. 21-1986, § 31; Ord. No. 2-1990, § 1; Ord. No. 3-1991, § 2; Ord. No. 17-1992, § 1; Ord. No. 31-1993, §§ 1, 2; Ord. No. 16-1995, § 1; Ord. No. 16-1996, § 1; Ord. No. 55-1996, § 1; Ord. No. 29-1997, § 1; Ord. No. 56-1997, § 1; Ord. No. 024-2003, §§ 1—3; Ord. No. 027-2013, § 1 ; Ord. No. 023-2015 , § 3)