How to Check a Florida Contractor's License Before Hiring

To check a Florida contractor's license, look the contractor up on the state's license search at MyFloridaLicense.com and confirm three things: the license is current and active, its type covers your job, and it qualifies the same business named on your contract. Then check any local registration, such as Brevard County's Licensed Contractor Search, and confirm workers' compensation coverage with the state. None of this proves a contractor does good work, so the last part of this guide covers what a license check can't tell you.

Before you search: get these details

Ask each contractor, in writing if you can, for:

• the license number, state and county if they hold both
• the legal business name and any names it trades under
• the name of the qualifier, the licensed person the business operates under
• the insurance agent's contact details, so you can request certificates directly

A contractor who won't share a license number or the exact business name is a warning sign.

Step 1: Look up the state license

Go to MyFloridaLicense.com, the website of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), and use its license search. Search by license number if you have it, since business names can be similar. DBPR says you can also verify a license in its free DBPR Mobile App or through its Customer Contact Center.

What to look for in the record

• Status. It should read current and active. If it shows anything else, such as inactive, delinquent, suspended or revoked, don't sign until the contractor explains it and the record shows active again.
• License type. It should cover your project. General, building and residential contractors generally must subcontract electrical, plumbing, roofing, air conditioning and other licensed trades unless they hold those licenses too. Our guide to general contractors vs. individual trades explains which license fits which job.
• Certified or registered. A certified license is valid anywhere in Florida. A registered license is valid only in the local jurisdictions where it's registered, so confirm it covers your city or county.
• The business. The company on your contract should be the business the license qualifies, not a similar name or another company the same person owns.
• Complaints and discipline. If the record shows public complaints or disciplinary action, read what happened rather than just noting that something is listed.

If you can't find the contractor, ask for the exact license number and business name and search again. If there's still nothing, treat the contractor as unlicensed for any work that requires a license.

Step 2: Check local licensing and registration

A state license isn't always the whole picture. Some Florida counties still issue their own certificates of competency for certain trades, and some building departments require state-licensed contractors to register locally before they pull permits. Local licensing has also narrowed. HB 735, a 2021 state law, bars local governments from requiring licenses for certain job scopes the state doesn't license, such as painting, flooring and tile, and after extensions that phase-out took full effect on July 1, 2025. Where a local license or registration still applies, check it with the county or city.

Example: Brevard County

• County certificates and state registrations. The county's licensed trades page lists trades that need a state certificate of competency, a county certified license, or both, including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, pool and solar work. County certified licenses go to contractors in a trade who limit their work to Brevard. State-certified contractors register with the county "for permitting purposes only."
• The Licensed Contractor Search. The county links its Licensed Contractor Search from the licensed trades page. It says the search lists a contractor only if they hold a current active license, current general liability insurance, and workers' compensation insurance or an exemption. If a license number returns no results, the county says the contractor either isn't registered with Brevard or the record has a deficiency.
• No handyman license. The county says there is no handyman license in Brevard and that a handyman may only do unregulated specialty trades. It says county code and state law require construction, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and roofing work, including remodeling, renovations and repairs, to be done by a licensed contractor. The county sends questions about business tax receipts for unregulated specialty trades to the Tax Collector; a tax receipt isn't a contractor's license.

Brevard's licensing pages may not fully reflect HB 735 yet. As of October 2026, the licensed trades page didn't mention the law, and the handyman page still listed county certificates of competency for a range of trades. If you're unsure whether a trade needs a county certificate today, or you can't find the search, ask the county's contractor licensing office.

Cities in Brevard can add their own rules

• Palm Bay requires state-licensed contractors to register with the city before they pull permits there, including proof of liability and workers' compensation coverage. The city tells contractors to check each Brevard city's own rules.
• Melbourne Beach. The town's building permit application says a contractor's insurance and licensing information must be current with Brevard County, so the county search is a good check there too.
• Melbourne and other cities and towns. Ask the building department that will issue your permit whether your contractor is registered with it. Our Brevard County permit guide explains which office covers which area, and our guide to hiring a contractor in Melbourne covers Palm Bay registration and the rest of the local process.

Other counties

Local checks look different elsewhere. Miami-Dade, for example, has a contractor inquiry and complaint search covering county-licensed contractors, which shows complaints and insurance information. The table below summarizes the licensing notes for each county we cover.

Contractor licensing: how Florida counties compare

County	What the published guidance says
Miami-Dade County	Contractors need a state license or, for some trades, a Miami-Dade Certificate of Competency. The county's contractor search shows county-licensed contractors and complaints; check state licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com.
Broward County	Since July 1, 2025, state law (HB 735) has ended Broward County licenses for some trades. Where a license is still required, the contractor needs a Broward County certificate of competency or a state license valid for the trade. The county's contractor licensing pages list the affected trades; check state licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com.
Palm Beach County	Since July 1, 2025, the county no longer issues local Certificates of Competency for trades such as painting, tile and wood flooring; those installers need a county business tax receipt. Licensed trades still need a state license, checked at MyFloridaLicense.com.
Hillsborough County	Check the contractor's state license at MyFloridaLicense.com. The county also issues some local licenses, which you can check through its contractor licensing page. Painting, flooring, tile and similar trades don't need a state license, so references and insurance matter more for those jobs.
Orange County	Check the contractor's state license at MyFloridaLicense.com, and make sure the license type covers the work. Orange County's Division of Building Safety also licenses some contractors locally.
Jacksonville (Duval County)	Homeowners can pull their own permit for work on their primary residence if it isn't for sale or rent and is in their name on the deed. Otherwise, check the contractor's state license at MyFloridaLicense.com, or a local certificate issued through the city's Construction Trades Qualifying Board.
Pinellas County	Check the contractor's state license at MyFloridaLicense.com, or a county license through the county's contractor licensing page, and confirm insurance before work starts.
Lee County	Lee County requires either an active county certificate of competency or a state license registered with the county; check state licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com. During a declared state of emergency, unlicensed contracting is a felony in Florida, which matters when out-of-area crews arrive after a storm.
Brevard County	Check contractors on the county's Licensed Contractor Search and at MyFloridaLicense.com. Brevard still lists county certificates of competency for several trades, and a state license can be registered with the county. The county says there is no handyman license in Brevard, so handymen are limited to unregulated work.
Indian River County	Check state licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com. State-certified contractors must register with the county Building Division before working in unincorporated areas or Vero Beach. Ask the county's contractor licensing staff about locally issued certificates; Indian River Shores stopped accepting county certificates of competency on July 1, 2025.
Volusia County	The county's contractor licensing FAQ says its former local specialty licenses are no longer issued or recognized under HB 735, so check the contractor's state license at MyFloridaLicense.com. The county's contractor listing program is voluntary and isn't a license; it gives contractors access to the online portal.
Flagler County	The county runs its own contractor licensing program. In April 2026 it approved an ordinance aligning local licenses with the state's license categories, after a 2025 state change limited which local specialty licenses counties may issue. Check state licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com and ask the county about local ones.

Step 3: Check workers' compensation

In Florida's construction industry, a business with one or more employees must carry workers' compensation, and corporate officers and LLC members count as employees for this purpose. Some corporate officers can be exempt, but an exemption covers that person only. See contractor insurance in Florida for the full rules.

To check coverage:

1. Search the business on the Division of Workers' Compensation's proof of coverage database, which shows policies and exemptions. The Division points contractors to it for checking coverage, and it works just as well for homeowners.
2. Read any exemption closely. Check that it names the officer you're dealing with and that its effective and expiration dates cover your project.
3. Match it to the crew. If anyone other than the exempt owner will work on your home, you should see a workers' compensation policy, not only an exemption.

In Brevard, the county search is a useful cross-check, since the county says a contractor appears there only with workers' compensation coverage or an exemption on file.

Step 4: Confirm liability insurance

Florida-licensed contractors must carry public liability and property damage insurance, but the licensing board doesn't check every policy every day. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly by the contractor's agent or insurer, with you as certificate holder. Check that the named insured matches the company on your contract and that the policy dates cover your project.

If you'd like help finding someone, we may be able to connect you with a contractor serving your area. Run these same checks on any contractor, including one you find through us.

Need a contractor for this project?Find a Contractor

What a license check can't tell you

A current, active license is the minimum. It doesn't tell you:

• Whether the work will be good. A license doesn't measure workmanship, communication or reliability. Talk to recent customers with similar projects and ask how the job went, including inspections.
• Whether insurance is in force today. The license record isn't an insurance certificate. Get the certificate from the agent, as in Step 4.
• Whether the person in front of you works for the licensed business. A salesperson or crew lead may not be the licensee. The contract should name the licensed business and its license number.
• Whether the subcontractors are licensed. A general contractor's license doesn't cover the electrician, plumber or roofer they bring in. Ask who they are and look them up too.
• Whether the company is on solid footing. For a large project, search your county clerk's public records for liens or judgments against the business and its owners.
• Anything about unlicensed trades. Painting, flooring, tile and similar work don't need a state license, so there's nothing to look up. References, insurance and a clear written contract carry more weight.

A license can also lapse during a long project. Look it up again before you make a large payment.

Reporting unlicensed activity

If someone is contracting without a required license, report it to DBPR. Its report unlicensed activity page lists the hotline, and DBPR also takes reports by email at ULA@MyFloridaLicense.com, through the "Report Unlicensed Activity" option in the DBPR Mobile App, or by fax. Keep copies of the contract, ads, business cards, texts and payment records.

A report is an enforcement step, not a way to get your money back. Contracts with unlicensed contractors also aren't eligible for Florida's Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund, so recovering a loss usually means other legal remedies. That's one more reason to check before you pay anything.

After a hurricane the stakes rise. During a declared state of emergency, contracting without a license is a third-degree felony in Florida. See storm repair scams in Florida before you hire anyone who shows up after a storm.

Common mistakes

• Checking the person, not the company. The qualifier's license can be valid while the business on your contract is a different company.
• Trusting a screenshot or a card. A photo of a license, a printed certificate or a forwarded PDF shows what was true when it was made. Look it up yourself.
• Assuming one license covers everything. A remodeler can't do the electrical or plumbing work themselves unless they hold those licenses too.
• Skipping the local check. A valid state license may still need county or city registration before your permit can be pulled.
• Treating a business tax receipt or an exemption as more than it is. A tax receipt isn't a contractor's license, and a workers' comp exemption covers only the named officer, not the crew.
• Pulling the permit yourself for their work. If a contractor asks you to apply as an owner-builder for work they'll do, treat it as a warning sign.

After you hire

• Make sure the contract names the licensed business and its license number and includes the notices Florida requires. Use our renovation contract checklist.
• Confirm the permit is issued before work starts. In unincorporated Brevard, anyone can look up permit records in BASS, the county's online permit system; cities have their own systems.
• Keep the deposit reasonable and tied to the schedule. See contractor deposits in Florida.
• Ask for updated insurance certificates if a policy renews mid-project.

For the full hiring process, from quotes to payments, read our guide to hiring a contractor in Florida.