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11 permits · verified 2026-09-05

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Jacksonville?

In short

A contractor or trade in Jacksonville, FL has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division charges $112 new certificate of use or relocation of business for the certificate of use. 6 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Jacksonville

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Local Business Tax Receipt — ContractingDuval County Tax Collector, Business Tax DivisionBanded by the maximum number of persons employed or to be employed during the license year (all principals count as employees): 1–10 employees $11.25; 11–20 $22.50; 21–30 $33.75; 31–40 $45.00; 41–50 $56.25; 51–100 $187.50; 101–150 $281.25; 151–200 $375.00; 201 or more $468.75.annual — every receipt expires 30 September, per Florida Statutes chapter 2052026-09-05
Certificate of Competency (CTQB)City of Jacksonville Construction Trades Qualifying Board$75.00 non-refundable application fee, then $25.00 for the Certificate of Competency once approved. Biennial renewal: $160.00 for a contractor category, $60.00 for master craftsman, $50.00 for journeyman craftsman, $160.00 for a specialty subcontractor category. Qualifying exam: $65.00 (contractor/administration or journeyman craftsman), $115.00 (master craftsman), or $150.00 (special contractor). A Craftsmen Certificate for Welding is $10.00, and reinstating a lapsed certificate is $150.00. No bond is required.2 years (biennial renewal)2026-09-05
Contractor LicenseFlorida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing BoardCertified: $335 non-refundable application and examination fee. Registered: $100 application fee. Both then pay $200 for the initial license, halved to $100 in the second year of a biennium, and $200 to renew every two years2 years2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Jacksonville

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity of Jacksonville Building Inspection DivisionVaries — formula on the Jacksonville pagenot applicable — one-time permit per project2026-09-05
Certificate of UseCity of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division$112 new certificate of use or relocation of businessnot a renewable or expiring document under normal operation2026-09-05

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

FL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$70 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (Corporation)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of RevenueNo fee — no fee to registerno fixed expiry2026-09-03
Local Business Tax ReceiptFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsNo feeannual — every receipt expires on 30 September2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Jacksonville?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a contractor or trade in Jacksonville, FL, 6 apply to every business of this type and 5 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 6 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $112.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Local Business Tax Receipt — Contracting: Banded by the maximum number of persons employed or to be employed during the license year (all principals count as employees): 1–10 employees $11.25; 11–20 $22.50; 21–30 $33.75; 31–40 $45.00; 41–50 $56.25; 51–100 $187.50; 101–150 $281.25; 151–200 $375.00; 201 or more $468.75.

Certificate of Competency (CTQB): $75.00 non-refundable application fee, then $25.00 for the Certificate of Competency once approved. Biennial renewal: $160.00 for a contractor category, $60.00 for master craftsman, $50.00 for journeyman craftsman, $160.00 for a specialty subcontractor category. Qualifying exam: $65.00 (contractor/administration or journeyman craftsman), $115.00 (master craftsman), or $150.00 (special contractor). A Craftsmen Certificate for Welding is $10.00, and reinstating a lapsed certificate is $150.00. No bond is required.

Contractor License: Certified: $335 non-refundable application and examination fee. Registered: $100 application fee. Both then pay $200 for the initial license, halved to $100 in the second year of a biennium, and $200 to renew every two years

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Jacksonville permits page and the FL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Jacksonville?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Jacksonville, FL come from 6 separate offices: Duval County Tax Collector, Business Tax Division, City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division, City of Jacksonville Construction Trades Qualifying Board, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Jacksonville that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Jacksonville: Local Business Tax Receipt — Contracting, Certificate of Competency (CTQB) and Contractor License.

Local Business Tax Receipt — Contracting

Per the text of section 770.307, this tax covers anyone who contracts, subcontracts, or otherwise engages in the construction, alteration, repair, dismantling or demolition of buildings, roads, bridges, sewers or utility lines. This is layered alongside, not a substitute for, the CTQB Certificate of Competency and the Florida CILB state license already recorded elsewhere.

Certificate of Competency (CTQB)

Every fee figure above was read directly from the city's own published CTQB fee schedule. The Board's own transactional portal (contrades.coj.net) has refused every connection this research attempted, so these figures rest on the city's published schedule alone rather than a second Board-run source. No bond is currently required: the Code of Ordinances section that used to state a CTQB bond amount, section 342.106, is now marked "Reserved," with its own editor's note stating the former bond provisions were deleted as part of the Code's Super Supplement — the current text is affirmatively silent, not merely unreached. A $5,000 bond figure circulating on third-party surety-bond marketing sites is not supported by that text and is not used here. This local certificate sits alongside, not instead of, the state Construction Industry Licensing Board license already recorded at the Florida state layer — a contractor working in Jacksonville needs both for a state-registered trade category.

Contractor License

The two routes cost the same to keep and differ sharply at entry: certification is $335 for application and examination, registration is $100. What you get differs too — a certified license works anywhere in Florida, while a registered one is valid only where you hold local competency approval, so the cheaper route can cost more in practice if you work across county lines. Qualifying a business organisation is a separate license again at $50, with its own $50 biennial renewal, and it is the piece most often missed. An inactive license renews at $50. Letting a license go null and void costs $100 to reinstate, and a delinquency fee is $25.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Jacksonville, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Jacksonville permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across FL and are covered on the FL state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Jacksonville?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Local Business Tax Receipt — Contracting, Certificate of Competency (CTQB) and Contractor License. A auto repair shop needs Local Business Tax Receipt — Professions & Retail Store, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Jacksonville, FL, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1031
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops4034
Fitness studios1031
Food trucks3033
Restaurants4034
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers3033
Veterinary clinics3033

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Jacksonville permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Jacksonville / Duval County Code of Ordinances chapter 770, part 3, sections 770.306 (cafes, restaurants and other eating establishments), 770.307 (contracting), 770.322 (professions, businesses, occupations) and 770.324 (retail store) — verbatim ordinance text, supplied directly by the requester after Municode returned 403 to every automated attemptMunicode (Jacksonville, Florida Code of Ordinances) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  2. City of Jacksonville — Construction Trades Qualifying Board fee scheduleCity of Jacksonville · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  3. City of Jacksonville Code of Ordinances chapter 342, section 342.106 — marked "Reserved," with an editor's note that the former bond provisions were deleted as part of the Code's Super Supplement; cross-checked directly by the requester after Municode returned 403 to automated accessMunicode (Jacksonville, Florida Code of Ordinances) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
  4. Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-12.009 — construction industry licensing fees (effective 30 October 2017)Florida Department of State, Administrative Code · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.