Florida Sub-660 BondMost contractors do not need this. If your FICO is under 660, here is what you are buying.
This is a credit-triggered bond, not a license-wide requirement. If your FICO is 660 or higher, the Construction Industry Licensing Board does not require a bond at all under FAC 61G4-15.006(2). If you are below 660, you have three legal paths to satisfy the financial-responsibility rule, and we map all three on this page so you can pick the cheapest one.
Quick answer for the impatient sub-660 reader: Division I caps at $20,000 ($10,000 with the course); Division II caps at $10,000 ($5,000 with the course). Premium runs roughly 3% to 15% of bond amount per year depending on credit band. Indicative pricing only — final premium needs a soft credit pull.
Do You Actually Need This Bond? Start With Your FICO.
Before you spend a minute pricing the bond, run the threshold check from FAC Rule 61G4-15.006(2). The rule does the qualifying-out work for you — most Florida contractors stop at step one and never touch this product.
You satisfy the CILB financial-responsibility rule on credit alone. There is no bond requirement, no course requirement, no additional filing. The rule text only addresses applicants "unable to provide a credit score, FICO derived, of 660 or higher." That language explicitly carves you out.
You are in the fair-credit band and triggered by the rule. Almost everyone in this band goes with the 14-hour course (cheapest path). The bond is a valid alternative — run the math on the calculator. A typical Division I bond at this band is $600 to $1,000/yr versus a one-time ~$50 to $150 course.
Read the 14-hour course savings guide →Bond premium for a Division I applicant in this band runs roughly $1,000 to $1,600 a year. The course is still ~$100. Unless your carrier flat-declines the course-only path (rare), take the course. The numbers do not survive contact with arithmetic.
Below 580, some bond markets decline outright; others quote 10% to 15%+ of bond amount. Course completion is still the cleanest path under FAC 61G4-15.006(2), but some applicants prefer bond + course (halved) for underwriting reasons on parallel commercial bonds. We will route your file across our subprime panel and find the cheapest combination. Do not buy blind at this band.
Why FICO and not net worth? F.S. 489.115(7) lists three things the Board may set minimums on: net worth, cash, and bonding. The Board chose FICO as the screening proxy in FAC 61G4-15.006 because pulling a credit score is faster and cheaper than auditing financials. That is why the 660 trigger is in the rule, not the statute — it is the Board’s administrative implementation choice and the Board can amend it without going back to the Legislature.
Division I vs Division II: Which Cap Applies to You
F.S. 489.115(7) sets two ceilings. Which one applies depends entirely on the trade you certified in under F.S. 489.105(3). The complete verified list is below.
Official Florida Requirements
"minimum requirements for net worth, cash, and bonding for Division I certificateholders of no more than $20,000 and for Division II certificateholders of no more than $10,000. Fifty percent of the financial requirements may be met by completing a 14-hour financial responsibility course approved by the board."Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board • Florida Statutes Section 489.115(7)
Source: F.S. 489.105(3)(a)-(q). The Division II list above is the complete verified set as of the 2025 statute text. The statutory caps in F.S. 489.115(7) are ceilings — the Board sets the operative amount by rule.
Your Three Exits from the Sub-660 Bond Requirement
FAC 61G4-15.006(2) and F.S. 489.115(7) together give you three legal paths. Pick the one with the lowest total cost, not the one the first quote you get tries to upsell you on.
Under FAC 61G4-15.006(2) the course satisfies the financial-responsibility requirement on its own. No bond needed. One-time cost typically $50 to $200 across Board-approved providers.
Best for: most sub-660 applicants whose only blocker is the FICO threshold.
Course ROI math →Division I drops from $20,000 to $10,000; Division II drops from $10,000 to $5,000. Useful if a parallel commercial bond market wants to see bond posture AND course completion before extending broader credit.
Best for: contractors who also carry larger commercial bonds where underwriting wants both signals.
Run the calculator →The 660 threshold is evaluated at the financial-responsibility verification point. Once you cross 660 at a future renewal you fall out of the rule and need neither bond nor course. Worth the discipline for applicants in the high-630s/640s already.
Best for: contractors already close to 660 with a clear credit-improvement plan.
Why we lead with the course
On the math alone, the course beats the bond for almost every sub-660 applicant. A Division I bond at a 600 FICO runs ~$1,000/yr forever; the course is ~$100 once. Even spread over a 2-year license cycle and across multiple renewals, the course wins by an order of magnitude.
We still write the bond for applicants who specifically want it (commercial-bond underwriting tie-ins, personal preference, or carrier-decline cases on the course-only path). Just walk in with eyes open.
Bond Cost by FICO Band (Division I $20,000 Example)
The sub-660 population is subprime by definition, so rates run higher than a typical license bond. The table below is indicative 2026 pricing across our admitted-surety panel for the full Division I $20,000 amount. For Division II ($10,000) divide by two; for course-halved bonds, divide again.
Typical Annual Sub-660 Bond Premium (Division I $20,000)
Based on a $20,000 bond amount
- 620 - 659 (fair, just under cutoff)Rate: 3.0% - 5.0%$600 - $1,000
- 580 - 619 (subprime)Rate: 5.0% - 8.0%$1,000 - $1,600
- Below 580 (challenged)Rate: 8.0% - 15%+$1,600 - $3,000+
- FICO 660+ (reference only)Rate: No bond required$0
Rates are indicative 2026 market pricing for the sub-660 cohort. Some carriers decline below 580; some require additional collateral or co-indemnitors. Personal credit of all owning principals is reviewed.
Want a precise number?
Use the Florida contractor bond calculator to model bond-only, course-only, and bond+course paths side by side. The calculator surfaces total cost across a 2-year license cycle.
Want the full pricing model?
Our surety bond cost guide walks through every variable surety underwriters use, plus why subprime contractor bonds price differently than the CSLB-style license bond.
How to File: From FICO Pull to CILB Acceptance
The bond and/or course completion certificate is submitted as part of your CILB application package — there is no separate CILB form number for the certificate. Plan the timing so the financial-responsibility documentation lands in the same packet as the rest of your license application.
Verify your FICO
0:00Pull your FICO before applying. If you are 660+, stop here — no bond and no course needed under FAC 61G4-15.006(2). If under 660, proceed to step 2.
Pick your exit (course, bond, or both)
~10 minRun the math on the calculator. For most sub-660 applicants the course-only path wins. If you have a reason to also post a bond (commercial bond underwriting tie-in, carrier requirement), choose bond + course (halved).
Complete the 14-hour course (if chosen)
14 hoursPick a Board-approved provider. Course is self-paced or instructor-led; final cost typically $50 to $200. Save the completion certificate the provider issues.
Get the bond placed (if chosen)
Same daySubmit your quote request, soft credit pull, sign the indemnity agreement, pay premium. Bond is issued on the CILB-accepted form by an admitted Treasury-listed surety. Same-day issuance is typical for fair-credit applicants.
Submit financial-responsibility documentation to CILB
With applicationCourse certificate and/or original bond are included in your CILB application package alongside the rest of your application materials. The CILB licensing analyst handling your file verifies the documentation as part of normal application review.
CILB reviews and issues the license
Per CILB cycleStandard CILB application review timing applies. There is no separate financial-responsibility approval step that delays issuance beyond the Board's normal cycle.
A note on form numbers: some online templates reference a "Form 4359" for the financial-responsibility certificate. We have not been able to verify a current CILB form by that number — the certificate of completion is submitted as part of the application package without a separate Board form. If the CILB updates the process to introduce a specific form, we will revise this page.
Need a process-only walkthrough that applies to any surety bond? Read how to get a surety bond.
Get My Sub-660 Bond QuoteElectrical Contractors: This Bond Is Almost Certainly Not Yours
Florida electrical contractors are licensed under Chapter 489 Part II by the Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board (ECLB) — a separate board from the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). F.S. 489.115(7) and FAC 61G4-15.006 sit inside the CILB chapter and govern CILB licensees. They almost certainly do not apply to ECLB licensees, who operate under their own statutes and rules.
This is one of the most common bond-page mistakes we see: a sub-660 electrician googles "Florida contractor bond" and ends up on a CILB-focused page that does not address ECLB licensing at all. If you hold or are applying for an electrical contractor license under Chapter 489 Part II, do not buy this bond off this page.
Call us (1-844-810-BOND) and we will route you to the correct ECLB bond if one applies to your situation. Two minutes on the phone saves you a wrong-product purchase that the CILB cannot accept.
Florida Contractor Bond Cluster: The Other Three Pages
The Sub-660 bond is one of four related Florida contractor products. Each addresses a different trigger, statute, or use case.
Florida Contractor Bond Products
Different triggers, different statutes. Most applicants only need one.
| Page | Trigger | Bond/Tool | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-660 Bond (this page) | FICO under 660 | $10K-$20K bond (or course) | Sub-660 CILB applicants |
| FRO Bond | Non-owner financial responsibility officer | $100,000 corporate bond | Companies using a non-owner qualifier |
| 14-Hour Course Guide | Replaces bond requirement | 14-hour Board-approved course | Sub-660 applicants choosing course-only path |
| Florida Bond Calculator | N/A | Interactive tool | Anyone comparing bond/course costs |
Pick the page that matches your trigger, not your job title. The Sub-660 product is FICO-triggered; the FRO bond is corporate-structure-triggered.
Source: F.S. 489.115, FAC 61G4-15.006
FRO Bond ($100K)
Different trigger entirely: required when a company uses a financial responsibility officer who is not an owner.
Read the FRO bond page →14-Hour Course Savings
The cheapest exit from the sub-660 requirement. ROI math and provider walkthrough.
Read the course guide →Florida Bond Calculator
Model bond-only, course-only, and bond+course paths side by side across a 2-year license cycle.
Run the calculator →Important nuance: the $20K/$10K numbers in F.S. 489.115(7) are statutory ceilings, not mandates. The Board sets the operative amount by rule, and the rule has historically used the full ceiling. If the Board ever lowers the operative amount by rule, the statutory cap stays the same but your actual bond requirement drops. Always check the current FAC rule text before assuming the ceiling is the active number.
Frequently Asked Questions
The exact questions producers field on sub-660 calls every day.
Do I actually need a Sub-660 bond if my FICO is 661?
My FICO is below 660 — is the bond gone since 2022? I read a blog post saying so.
What does the Sub-660 bond actually cost if my FICO is 590 and I am a Division II plumber?
Why is the Division I cap $20,000 and Division II cap $10,000?
I am an electrical contractor with a 600 FICO. Do I file the Sub-660 bond?
If I take the 14-hour course, is the bond requirement gone entirely?
My FICO improved from 620 to 690 between license cycles. Can I drop the bond at renewal?
How do I prove course completion to the CILB?
Official Florida Sources
Bond statute: F.S. 489.115 (flsenate.gov)
Division definitions: F.S. 489.105 (flsenate.gov)
660 FICO rule: FAC 61G4-15.006 (cornell.edu)
Keep Going: Florida Contractor Bond Resources
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All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov) and verified before publication. BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-certified, A-minimum rated surety carriers serving all 50 states.
Get Your Sub-660 Bond Quote
FICO under 660? We will quote the bond, walk you through the course-only alternative, and pick the cheapest legal path under F.S. 489.115(7) and FAC 61G4-15.006.
Treasury-listed carriers • A- minimum AM Best rating • F.S. 489.115(7) compliant