How to Verify a Florida Contractor License

• In Florida, contracting without a license is a crime: a first-degree misdemeanor, and a third-degree felony if it happens during a declared state of emergency, like the weeks after a hurricane (§489.127).
• An unlicensed contractor can’t pull a permit in their own name. If they ask you to pull it yourself, the job’s legal responsibility lands on you.
• A contract with an unlicensed contractor can’t be enforced by that contractor (§489.128). That protects you in a dispute, but it doesn’t get your deposit back from someone who disappears.

Florida law requires a contractor’s license number on every offer of services, including bids, contracts, and ads (§489.119). If it isn’t on the quote, ask for it in writing. A pro who hesitates to give you a number is your first red flag.

A Florida construction license number starts with letters that tell you the type: for example, CCC or RC for roofing, CFC or RF for plumbing, CAC or RA for air conditioning, and EC or ER for electrical.

1. Go to the state’s license lookup at MyFloridaLicense.com, run by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
2. Search by license number, not the company name. In Florida, a license is usually held by a person, the company’s “qualifier,” with the company listed as the business name. A name search can miss it or turn up the wrong company.
3. Open the license record and check it against the next step.

Status. You want to see Current, Active. Anything else (delinquent, inactive, null and void, suspended, or revoked) means don’t hire until it’s fixed.

Expiration date. Make sure it hasn’t passed, and won’t pass before your job is done.

License type matches the work. A roofing job needs a roofing license, plumbing needs a plumbing license, and so on. A general, building, or residential contractor can run a bigger project, but by law the roofing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and air-conditioning work itself has to go to someone licensed in that trade, unless the contractor holds that license too (§489.113). Ask who is actually doing each part, and check their licenses too.

Certified or registered. A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor can only work in the local areas where they’ve met that area’s requirements (§489.105). Both are legitimate, but if the license is registered, make sure it covers your city or county.

Business name. The business name on the license should match the company on your quote and contract. If it doesn’t, ask why before you go further.

Some smaller trades are licensed by the county instead of the state. In Palm Beach County that’s the Contractors Certification division, which has its own lookup. State law has removed county licensing for some trades since July 1, 2025, so the list keeps changing. If you’re not sure whether a trade needs a county card, call the division at (561) 233-5525.

• Business entity. Look the company up on Sunbiz, the state’s business registry. It should be active, and the name should match the contract.
• Liability insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance with your name (or your company’s) as the certificate holder. Call the insurance agent listed on it to confirm the policy is active. A certificate is a snapshot, not a guarantee.
• Workers’ compensation. Look the company up on the state’s Proof of Coverage search. If they say they’re exempt, check the exemption search. An exemption only covers the named owners or officers, not anyone else on the crew.

• No license number on the quote, or a number that belongs to a different company.
• A license type that doesn't match the work, with no licensed trade named for that part of the job.
• Asking you to pull the permit yourself as an “owner-builder.”
• A large cash deposit up front. On residential work, a contractor who takes more than 10% up front must apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days of the permits being issued, unless you agree otherwise in writing (§489.126).
• Door-to-door offers right after a storm, especially from out-of-state trucks.
• Pressure to sign today.

On VendorSource, listings marked “FL license active” have a license we’ve matched to the business and checked against DBPR’s data, which we re-check every day. A confirmed license also moves a listing up in our rankings. Our license-checking rules are public.

• License number is on the quote
• State record shows Current, Active and isn't about to expire
• License type matches the work, or a licensed trade is named for each part
• Registered license covers your city or county (certified covers all of Florida)
• Business name matches the license, Sunbiz, and the contract
• Certificate of insurance confirmed with the agent
• Workers' comp coverage or exemption confirmed with the state