How to check a Florida contractor license

How do I check a contractor's license in Florida?

Use the licensee search run by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) at MyFloridaLicense.com. It is the state's official public database. Run these steps for every contractor you consider.

1. 01

   Open Verify a Licensee

   On myfloridalicense.com, choose Verify a Licensee under Online Services. The Licensee Search Options page offers four search types: by Name, License Number, City or County, and License Type.

2. 02

   Search by license number

   If the contractor gave you a number, choose Search by License Number and enter it. Set License Category to Construction Industry, optionally pick the License Type the contractor claims, and press Search.

3. 03

   Or search by name

   Choose Search by Name. Enter a person's last and first name, or type the company in the Organization/Establishment Name field. You can narrow by License Category and county, and include alternate spellings.

4. 04

   Read the results list

   Each row shows License Type, Name, Name Type (Primary or DBA), License Number, Status with the expiration date, and a main address.

5. 05

   Open the record

   Click the name. The record shows License Type, License Number, Status, Licensure Date and Expires, with two buttons: View Related License Information and View License Complaint.

6. 06

   Check related licenses and complaints

   Related License Information shows which business a person's license is tied to, and View License Complaint lists public complaints. Both are explained below.

How do I confirm the license fits the work?

The record should show a certified general, building or residential contractor license whose scope covers your work. For a kitchen remodel in a single-family home, our guide to the difference between a contractor and a general contractor explains what each category allows and what certified versus registered means. A registered license is valid only in the local jurisdictions named on the record.

Trades are separate. A contractor must subcontract electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing and air-conditioning work, among others, unless it holds a state license in that trade (s. 489.113(3)). Search the plumber and electrician the same way; the portal lists electrical contractors as their own license category.

What should the license status say?

You want “Current, Active” with a future expiration date. Current means the licensee is up to date with the department's requirements, and Active means the licensee is allowed to operate under the license. Anything else needs an explanation before you sign.

Under s. 489.127, a person or business operating on an inactive or suspended certificate is considered unlicensed. A business tax receipt is not a contractor license either.

Is the business on my contract the one that is licensed?

It has to be. In Florida, a person holds the contractor license and qualifies a business through it. Under s. 489.128, a business is unlicensed if it has no primary or secondary qualifying agent for the scope of the work. Match the exact business name on your contract to the record.

On the portal, open View Related License Information. It lists the business and the relationship, such as Primary Qualifying Agent for Business. A Construction Business Information record is labeled a business tracking record only. It is not a license, so look for the related license. Florida law also bars a licensed contractor from letting an unqualified business use their license number (s. 489.127(4)), so “we work under someone's license” is not an answer until the record shows it.

How do I check complaints and discipline?

Open View License Complaint on the licensee's record. It lists public complaints with class, incident date, status, disposition and discipline date. DBPR notes that the list may not reflect every public complaint, and it encourages you to also ask your local building department whether a contractor has disciplinary action that affects the ability to work on your project.

Read what a complaint was about and how it ended. One old, closed item is different from a pattern. Complaints against people who were not licensed at the time are searched separately in DBPR's Unlicensed Activity Search.

How do I check a contractor's insurance?

The license search does not show insurance, so verify it separately. Applicants for a Florida contractor license submit an affidavit that they carry workers' compensation, public liability and property damage insurance, in amounts set by board rule, and the board verifies those affidavits by random sample (s. 489.115). A license record is not proof of coverage today.

1. Ask the contractor's insurance agent for a certificate that shows general liability and workers' compensation, the policy dates, and you as certificate holder.
2. Check workers' compensation on the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation public portal. Its Proof of Coverage Database searches by employer name (three characters minimum), federal employer ID or policy number, and a separate Exemption Search covers people who have filed for an exemption.
3. If the contractor uses a professional employer organization (PEO) or leases employees, ask who is covered. The portal warns that only workers reported to the PEO have coverage.
4. Ask subcontractors for the same proof.

What else should I check before signing?

Check the contract itself, because a license is only part of your protection. Look for these items:

• Recovery Fund notice. Residential contracts must include a written statement about the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund, unless all labor and materials total $2,500 or less (s. 489.1425). That $2,500 line is separate from the permit rules; see how the dollar thresholds differ.
• Who pulls the permit. A licensed contractor normally applies for permits. Florida's owner-builder exemption (s. 489.103) lets owners act as their own contractor, but the owner must personally sign the permit application and directly supervise the work, so understand what you take on.
• Deposit and start terms. If the first payment is more than 10 percent of the contract price, the contractor must apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after permits issue, unless there is just cause or you agree otherwise in writing (s. 489.126).
• Permit records. Ask your city or county building department how to look up permits for your address.

Run these checks on every contractor you consider, and compare prices only after they pass. Our cost guide shows how to read a quote, and the timeline guide explains how permits and inspections fit the schedule. To see how a turnkey project is organized, read about kitchen remodeling and the areas we serve. For the rest of the shortlist, see how to choose a kitchen remodeler beyond the license.

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