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Exam Requirements

An exam is required in order to obtain a Supervisor Certificate for all general contractor licensing categories and many of the specialized trade contractor licensing categories.

The City of Fort Collins adopted the 2006 IBC (International Building Code) July 1, 2008 for commercial and multi-family construction. As as result of this new code adoption, we will no longer provide a City of Fort Collins supervisor certificate exam for the following license/certificate categories; Class A, Class B, Class C-1, Class C1-RR, Class C-2, Class E, Class E2 and theSpecialty Trade categories of Roofing (Conventional), Roofing (Conventional+)and HVAC-Boilers. An applicant for any of the aforementioned license/certificates must provide documentation of a passed ICC (International Code Council) administered exam. A list of approved ICC testing centers is available from the ICC website: www.iccsafe.org See specific license categories below for more details on exam requirements.

For those General Contractor license categories noted below where a City of Fort Collins exam is still offered, testing is done on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, at 9:00 a.m. at the Neighborhood & Building Services Department located at 281 N. College Avenue. Check in time is at 8:30 a.m. Tests are open-book and cover the applicable code, local amendments and contractor licensing information. If you wish to use a code book when taking the contractor test, you will need to provide your own.

A first-time exam fee of $75 must be paid prior to taking a City of Fort Collins exam. The minimum passing score is 75%. An applicant who does not pass the exam on the first try may retake an exam covering the same license category at the next available test date. A fee of $50 is charged for any subsequent re-examination. An applicant is limited to two (2) attempts on exams covering the same license category within any six month period unless the applicant can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Building Official, that they have completed additional coursework covering the building code, or other applicable codes, or unless they receive approval from the Building Review Board. It is required that you pre-register for the test since seating is limited. The format is a mix of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false responses. Questions are not intended to be trick questions. All have only one correct response and should be read carefully and completely since there are many exceptions and conditions in the Code. Only basic mathematics is required and a simple calculator is useful.

The following exams are accepted for the General Contractor license categories noted:

  • A document showing a passing score from the ICC Contractor A (National) Exam #614 over the 2006 IBC would be accepted for all General Contractor license categories. Additionally, a Supervisor Certificate applicant must take the appropriate City of Fort Collins Amendments exam(s) (2006 IBC and 2003 IRC), or have attended an approved City of Fort Collins Amendment class for the certificate to become active.
  • General Contractor Class A, Class B, Class C1 and Class C1-RR:
  • ICC Contractor A (National) Exam #614 over the 2006 IBC and City of Fort Collins 2006 IBC Amendment exam (or 06 IBC Amendment class participation.) If requesting residential capabilities (single family/single family attached), then the City of Fort Collins 2003 IRC Amendment exam must be taken in addition to the above.
  • General Contractor Class C2, Class E and Class E2 (also could be accepted for D1, D2, D2-RR):
  • ICC Contractor B (National) Exam #615 over the 2006 IBC/2006 IRC; City of Fort Collins 2006 IBC Amendment exam (or 06 IBC Amendment class participation) and City of Fort Collins 2003 IRC Amendment exam.
  • General Contractor Class D1, Class D2, Class D2-RR & E2 (Residential Only Licenses):
  • City of Fort Collins exam based on the 2003 International Residential Code, the City of Fort Collins 2003 Amendments to the 2003 IRC and contractor licensing information (4 hour exam). Also accepted in lieu of City of Fort Collins exam; ICC Contractor C (National) Exam #616 over the 2006 IRC and the City of Fort Collins 2003 IRC Amendment exam.

    The following exams are accepted for the Specialized Trade Contractor license categories noted:

  • Miscellaneous & Minor Structures:
  • City of Fort Collins exam based on the 2003 International Residential Code, the City of Fort Collins 2003 Amendments to the 2003 IRC and contractor licensing information (4 hour exam). Also accepted in lieu of City of Fort Collins exam; ICC Contractor C (National) Exam #616 over the 2006 IRC and the City of Fort Collins 2003 IRC Amendment exam.

Pending the updated exam to the 2006 IBC, the following City of Fort Collins specialty trade exam will remain based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code, Volume 1, the City of Fort Collins Amendments to the 1997 UBC (35pgs) and contractor licensing information:

  • Cast-in-Place Concrete (2 hour exam)

The following exam is currently based on 2006 International Building Code, the City of Fort Collins amendments to the 2006 IBC, and contractor licensing information:

  • Wood Framing (4 hour exam)

The following exam is currently based on the 2003 International Mechanical Code, the 2003 International Fuel Gas Code, the Code amendments and contractor licensing information:

  • HVAC-C, HVAC-R, HVAC-RR (4 hour exam)
  • We will also accept testing with a passing score from International Code Council administered exams #221 (Heating & Venting, Class A Supervisor - Denver) or #670 (Mechanical Standard Master.)

The following exam is currently based on the 2003 International Fuel Gas Code, the City of Fort Collins amendments and contractor licensing information:

  • Gas Piping (4 hour exam)
  • We will also accept testing with a passing score from International Code Council administered exam #677 (Gas Pipe Fitter, Master)

The following exam is currently based on 2003 International Residential Code, 2003 International Mechanical Code, the City of Fort Collins amendments and contractor licensing information:

  • Refrigeration (2 hour exam)
  • We will also accept testing with a passing score from International Code Council administered exam #670 (Mechanical Standard Master)

The Solar Energy exam requirements will be met once the applicant is certified with the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA.) Contact COSEIA at 303-333-7342 or visit their website www.coseia.org for more information regarding the COSEIA certification requirement.

No exams are required for the following Specialized Trade contractor licenses:

  • Alarm Systems (requires a background investigation and police department approval)
  • Awnings
  • Demolition
  • Fire Sprinkler Systems (requires fire department approval)
  • Signs
  • Special Fire Extinguishing (requires fire department approval)
  • Flammable Fuel Facilities (requires fire department approval)
  • Wireless Telecommunication Systems (WTS)
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