The quick answer
No license needed: volunteering on your own association's board, or doing purely clerical and ministerial tasks (sending notices, taking minutes, basic bookkeeping) without exercising management judgment.
License needed: managing a community association for compensation when it has more than 10 units or an annual budget over $100,000 — including controlling association funds, preparing budgets, or running meetings and contracts on the association's behalf. That is regulated community association management under Chapter 468, Part VIII of the Florida Statutes, and it requires a CAM license.
When you do not need a license
Anyone can volunteer on the board of the association where they live. A volunteer director or officer of a condominium, cooperative, or homeowners' association is not “managing for compensation,” so no CAM license is required — even if they handle a lot of the association's day-to-day decisions.
Florida law also carves out work that is purely clerical or ministerial. If someone is only sending out notices, taking and transcribing minutes, doing routine bookkeeping data entry, or other administrative tasks — without making management decisions, controlling association funds, or interpreting the governing documents — that activity generally falls outside the CAM license requirement.
When you do need a license
Under Chapter 468, Part VIII, you need a Florida Community Association Manager (CAM) license once you are paid to manage an association that has more than 10 units or an annual budget greater than $100,000, and your work involves management responsibilities such as:
- Controlling or disbursing association funds
- Preparing budgets or other association financial documents
- Assisting with the noticing or conduct of association meetings and elections
- Coordinating maintenance for the residential development and other day-to-day operations
- Negotiating or administering contracts on the association's behalf
- Other management responsibilities that require judgment under the governing documents and Florida Statutes 718, 719, or 720
Rule of thumb: if you're paid to manage an association above the 10-unit / $100,000-budget line, you need a CAM license. Volunteer board service and purely clerical help are what fall outside it.
Volunteer vs. paid manager — quick reference
| The role | CAM license? |
|---|---|
| Serve on your own association's board as an unpaid volunteer | No |
| Do purely clerical/ministerial tasks (notices, minutes, data entry) | Usually no |
| Manage, for pay, an association of more than 10 units | Yes |
| Manage, for pay, an association with a budget over $100,000 | Yes |
| Control or disburse association funds for compensation | Yes |
| Prepare association budgets or financial reports for compensation | Yes |
| Run board/member meetings and elections for compensation | Yes |
The DBPR sets and interprets these requirements and the details change over time. Always confirm the current rules in the DBPR Candidate Information Booklet and with the DBPR before you act.
What counts as “community association management”?
Florida defines the practice broadly. It's not just collecting dues — it includes controlling or disbursing association funds, preparing budgets and financial reports, assisting with noticing and conducting meetings, coordinating maintenance, and otherwise carrying out the management responsibilities of the association for compensation. When those duties are performed for an association above the statutory size threshold, the person doing them needs a CAM license.
Do small associations need a licensed manager?
The license requirement is tied to size. Associations with 10 or fewer units and an annual budget of $100,000 or less generally fall below the threshold, so a paid manager for one of those may not be required to be licensed. Once an association is above either limit, paid management is regulated and a CAM license is required. If you're close to the line, treat it as a licensed activity and verify with the DBPR.
Can a board member be paid without a CAM license?
Be careful here. Volunteer board service is exempt, but the moment a board member is compensated to perform management duties for an association over the size threshold, that crosses into regulated community association management. Paying a director to manage doesn't avoid the license requirement — it can trigger it. When in doubt, the safe path is to use a licensed CAM.
What happens if you manage without a license?
Practicing as a community association manager without the required license in Florida is not a small thing. It can mean:
- Cease-and-desist orders and administrative fines from the DBPR
- Unlicensed-activity penalties — unlicensed practice of a regulated profession can carry serious consequences under Florida law
- Contracts and management fees that may be unenforceable, with no clean legal footing to collect
- Personal exposure if association funds are mishandled, with no licensed-manager standing or protections behind you
Managing associations for a living? Get licensed.
If the work you want is paid management of condos, HOAs, and co-ops, the path is the Florida CAM license. Flcampro is built to get you through the DBPR Community Association Manager exam: 308 practice questions across all 5 official content areas, with statute-referenced explanations.