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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

Fire and burglar

Florida Alarm Systems I Exam: 100 Questions, 5 Hours

Alarm Systems I is the paper behind the EF license, which covers fire alarms and burglar alarms. It's 100 questions over five hours, open book, and the reference list for it is longer than any other area.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. The license this paper leads to
  2. The paper itself
  3. The books for this area
  4. Money and booking
  5. The continuing education that follows
  6. How to prepare for it
  7. Questions people ask
  8. What this page cites

The license this paper leads to

Certified Alarm System Contractor I carries the prefix EF and the Know Your Scope chart puts fire alarms and burglar alarms inside it. The registered version is EY or EH and is limited to a single jurisdiction.

The experience rule has a split of its own. Section 489.511 asks alarm system contractor applicants for at least 40 percent of their work experience in commercial fire alarm systems, and the board's FAQ repeats it for the EF category.

The paper itself

100 questions. Five hours. Open book. The vendor codes it AI. The pass mark is 75 percent and a passing score stays good for three years.

The 50 question business paper applies here as well. Rule 61G6-6.015 is the alarm system contractor examination rule and carries an effective date of 24 December 1987.

The books for this area

The approved list gives this area more titles than any other. The ones marked for AI are:

The 2025 NFPA 72, the 2026 NFPA 780, the 2026 NEC, the 2025 OSHA volume, the 2025 NTC Blue Book, the 2014 UL 681 and the 2025 Florida Contractors Manual are all scheduled to take over on August 21, 2027.

A PDF reference has to be printed and bound before it comes in the room. The book rules page has the binding and tab rules.

Money and booking

The certified examination application to the department is $263.25. The computer based exam fee paid to the vendor is $123.75. A retake is $67.25. The board's page says application fees are not refundable.

Pearson VUE runs the paper for the department. It's computer based and the department's page says it's available on a daily basis at testing sites, so you're picking a date rather than waiting for a sitting. You become eligible to schedule within 72 hours after your application is approved.

Book by phone on 888.204.6230 or online through the vendor's Florida page. The booklet asks you to call at least five business days before the date you want.

The continuing education that follows

Once the license is issued the cycle is different from the electrical one. The board's table gives certified and registered Alarm System Contractor I and II seven hours per two year cycle: one workers' compensation, one workplace safety, one business practices, one Florida laws and rules, two false alarm and one Florida Building Code.

An electrical contractor who does alarm work carries two false alarm hours in addition to the eleven. The continuing education page has the full table.

How to prepare for it

Seven titles in the room is a lot of books to search under a three minute clock. Tab them by subject before the day, and decide in advance which book owns which kind of question.

The code side still matters. Limited energy circuits, cable types and equipment grounding turn up in alarm work, and the free sets for those are on the topic index.

We're not a training provider, an approved course or an examination vendor, and nothing here is endorsed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board or Pearson VUE. We're independent of all three.

Questions people ask

How many questions is the Florida Alarm Systems I exam?

100 questions with a five hour limit, open book, plus the separate 50 question business paper.

What's the passing score?

75 percent, the mark the booklet applies to both sections.

Which books can I take into the alarm exam?

The approved list marks NFPA 72 2019, NFPA 780 2017, NFPA 101 2018, UL 681, UL 365, the Fire Alarm Signaling Systems Handbook, Telecommunication Wiring, the NTC Blue Book and the 2023 NEC for this area, along with OSHA and the Florida Contractors Manual.

What's the difference between Alarm I and Alarm II?

The Know Your Scope chart puts fire alarms and burglar alarms in Alarm System Contractor I, and burglar alarms only in Alarm System Contractor II.

How much fire alarm experience do I need?

Section 489.511 asks alarm system contractor applicants for at least 40 percent of their work experience in commercial fire alarm systems.

Do I get the UL standards for free?

The reference list marks UL 681 and UL 365 as free PDFs for eligible candidates. A PDF has to be printed and bound before you bring it in.

Put it to the test

Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown

Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

Start the free practice testSee the $79 question bank

All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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