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CILB Division II Trade

Florida Plumbing Contractor BondA $10K Division II Bond — and Only If Your Credit Triggers It

Florida plumbers are licensed as a Division II trade, so the license bond is $10,000 — not the $20,000 Division I figure most pages quote. And since April 2022, it is required only when your FICO is below 660. The bigger 2025 story: HB 735 has been moving Florida toward statewide certification and narrowing the local registered pathway — confirm current status with DBPR before relying on it.

FICO 660 or Higher

No license bond required for a certified plumber (assuming no unsatisfied judgments or liens). If you bid commercial or public work, the bond you actually need is a performance and payment bond.

FICO Below 660

Division II bond required: $10,000, or $5,000 with the 14-hour course. Premiums start around $100/year and we approve every credit profile.

$10K
Div II Bond
$5K
With Course
660
FICO Trigger
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HB 735: Florida's Move Toward Statewide Plumbing Certification

The most consequential recent change for Florida plumbers has nothing to do with the bond amount. Florida's HB 735 has been narrowing the local “registered” contractor pathway in favor of statewide certification. A registered plumber used to hold a county-issued license valid only inside that jurisdiction; HB 735 moved the state toward eliminating that route. Confirm the current status of your local registered license with DBPR or your local building department before relying on it — plumbers newly entering the trade are directed toward a state Certified license issued by the CILB, which carries statewide reciprocity in every Florida county.

Before HB 735
Registered or Certified

A plumber could hold a local registered license, work only within the issuing county, and skip the statewide certification exam.

Post-HB 735 (verify with DBPR)
Moving Toward Certified Only

HB 735 has been phasing out the local registered pathway. New entrants are directed to state CILB certification for statewide mobility. Confirm how the reform applies to your existing license with DBPR or your local building department.

What did not change is the bond. It is still credit-conditional under Rule 61G4-15.001 and still a Division II $10,000 figure. If you previously held a county registration and are transitioning to a certified license, the same FICO rule and the same 14-hour course discount apply. For the underlying credit mechanics that carry over from the general contractor track, see our Florida sub-660 bond breakdown and the 14-hour course discount guide.

Official Florida Requirements

"Plumbing is a Division II contractor category. The board deems an applicant financially responsible with a 660 FICO-derived credit score or higher and no unsatisfied judgments or liens. Applicants who do not meet these criteria must post a surety bond of $10,000 for Division II contractors, reducible by 50% upon completion of a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course."
Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) • Fla. Stat. §489.105 / CILB Rule 61G4-15.001

Three Bonds, Three Triggers: Which One Applies to You

Florida plumbers confuse three completely different bonds. The license bond is small and credit-driven. The FRO bond is a corporate-structure trigger. The project bond scales to the job. Here is how they line up.

What the Sub-660 Bond Actually Costs

When the Division II bond does apply, the premium is a percentage of the bond amount set by your credit. On a $10,000 bond, even a thin-credit plumber pays a modest figure — and the 14-hour course halves the bond to $5,000, cutting the premium with it.

Commercial and Public Plumbing? The License Bond Is the Wrong Bond

Here is what trips up commercial Florida plumbers. The Division II license bond is a $10,000 credit formality that disappears once your FICO clears 660. It is not what a project owner is asking for. The moment you bid a hospital riser replacement, a school district plumbing package, a county utility upgrade, or any public job, the owner requires a performance and payment bond sized to the full contract — 100% of the contract value under Florida public-works law.

Florida's two public-works statutes spell out when a project bond is mandatory: Fla. Stat. §255.05 for state and local jobs, and FDOT §337.18 for transportation work. Both require performance and payment bonds at 100% of the contract. Underwriting for these reviews your financial statements, working capital, and bonding capacity — not a quick credit pull. For the Florida-specific thresholds and what carriers ask for, see our Florida performance bond breakdown.

Bidding commercial or public plumbing in Florida? Start a project bond application instead of a license bond — we underwrite both.

Get a Florida Plumbing Bond Quote

Where Florida Plumbing Shops Get the Bond Question Wrong

The most common call from a Florida plumber starts with “how much is my license bond?” — and the honest answer for most certified plumbers with a 660+ score is zero. The universal bond requirement went away in April 2022. What they actually need, the minute they start bidding anything beyond residential service calls, is a performance and payment bond for the project. A plumbing shop that walks in asking for a $10,000 license bond and walks out needing a six-figure project bond for a county utility contract is the single most frequent mismatch we untangle.

The second snag is the FRO trap, and it catches LLC-structured plumbing shops specifically. An owner forms a plumbing LLC, hires a master plumber to pull the certificate as the qualifying agent — but that qualifier holds no ownership stake. Under Fla. Stat. §489.1195, that structure triggers a separate $100,000 FRO bond on top of (or instead of) the small license bond, and it applies no matter how good everyone's credit is. If the owner can also serve as the qualifying agent, the FRO requirement evaporates. It is worth deciding before you finalize the corporate paperwork, not after.

Not sure which bond your situation calls for? Compare the full menu of Florida contractor bond requirements, read the $100K FRO bond explainer, or estimate a number with the Florida contractor bond calculator.

Florida Plumbing Bond Questions, Answered

Division II amounts, the HB 735 shift, the FRO trap, and when a project bond replaces the license bond.

Does a certified Florida plumber actually need a license bond?
Usually not. Plumbing is a Division II trade under the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), and Florida abolished the universal contractor bond requirement in April 2022. Under CILB Rule 61G4-15.001, a license bond is required only when your FICO-derived credit score is below 660, or you carry unsatisfied judgments or liens. A certified plumber with a 660+ score and a clean record satisfies the financial responsibility rule without posting any bond. The Division II amount, when it does apply, is $10,000 — or $5,000 if you complete the 14-hour board-approved financial responsibility course.
Why is the plumbing bond $10,000 and not $20,000?
Because Florida tiers the bond by division, not by trade name. Division I covers General, Building, and Residential contractors and carries a $20,000 bond. Plumbing falls under Division II (Fla. Stat. §489.105) alongside roofing, HVAC, sheet metal, and other specialty trades, and Division II bonds are set at $10,000. If you have seen a $20,000 figure quoted for a plumber, that figure belongs to Division I and does not apply to a plumbing certificate.
How did HB 735 change Florida plumbing licensing in 2025?
Florida HB 735 has been narrowing the local registered contractor pathway in favor of statewide certification. Before the reform, a plumber could hold a county-issued registered license and work only within that jurisdiction. HB 735 moved Florida toward eliminating that route — new entrants are directed to a state Certified license issued by the CILB, which carries statewide reciprocity. Confirm how the law applies to any existing registered license with DBPR or your local building department before relying on it. The bond rule itself did not change — it is still credit-conditional and still $10,000 for Division II.
What is the $100,000 FRO bond and does it apply to my plumbing company?
If the qualifying agent who holds the plumbing certificate does not have an ownership interest in the company, Florida requires the business to designate a Financially Responsible Officer (FRO) under Fla. Stat. §489.1195. The FRO must post a $100,000 surety bond (or a $100,000 cash deposit). This applies regardless of credit score and is entirely separate from the sub-660 Division II license bond. Plumbing shops organized as LLCs with a hired non-owner qualifier are the most common trigger — if you can keep an owner as the qualifying agent, you avoid the FRO requirement.
I am a commercial plumber bidding public work — which bond do I need?
Not the Division II license bond. Once you bid a municipal water-main job, a school district contract, or any public project, the owner requires a performance and payment bond sized to the full contract value — 100% of the contract under Florida public-works law. Fla. Stat. §255.05 governs state and local jobs and FDOT §337.18 governs transportation work. That is a separate product underwritten on your financial statements and bonding capacity, not a flat credit-driven figure. Most commercial Florida plumbers need a P&P bond, not the license bond.
How much does a Florida plumbing contractor bond cost?
For the sub-660 Division II license bond ($10,000, or $5,000 with the course), annual premiums typically run $100 to $300 depending on credit and the bond amount. Completing the 14-hour course halves the bond and pulls the premium down again. The $100,000 FRO bond is underwritten separately and costs more because of the larger penal sum. Project performance and payment bonds run roughly 1% to 3% of the contract value.

Official Sources & Related Florida Bond Resources

Government Sources

DBPR Construction Industry LicensingFla. Stat. §489.105 (Division definitions)Fla. Stat. §255.05 (public-works bonds)

Florida CILB Bond Family

Florida contractor license bond overviewSub-660 bond: the credit trigger explainedThe $100K FRO bond14-hour course: halve your bond

Project Bonds & Tools

Performance & payment bondsFlorida performance bond (§255.05)Plumbing contractor bonds (all states)Plumbing bond requirements guidePlumbing contractor bond calculatorSurety bond cost guide
Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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Eric Drummond, Licensed Surety Producer
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Certified Florida Plumber? Find Out If You Even Need a Bond.

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