Florida Contractor License Lookup

About Florida contractor licensing

Florida gives homeowners a strong statewide search tool through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The most important Florida nuance is the difference between certified and registered contractors: both may be legitimate, but one can work statewide and the other is tied to specific local jurisdictions where it is registered.

How licensing works in Florida

Florida licenses many contractors through DBPR, and the credential type matters. Certified contractors can work anywhere in the state, while registered contractors are limited to the local jurisdictions where they have met local competency requirements and then registered with the state. Homeowners should not assume both are interchangeable. If your contractor is registered rather than certified, you need to make sure the contractor is authorized in the county or city where your property is located.

What to verify in Florida

Use the DBPR license search and look up the contractor by license number, business name, or qualifier name. Check whether the license is active and read the credential description carefully so you can see whether it is certified or registered. Review any discipline, expiration date, and business association details shown in the state record. If the license is registered, confirm separately that your city or county is one of the jurisdictions where the contractor can legally work.

State-specific tips

• › Ask early whether the contractor is certified or registered; in Florida that is a practical permission question, not just a label.
• › For coastal roofing and storm repairs, verify the exact classification instead of assuming a general contractor can lawfully handle every scope.
• › If the property is in a different county from the contractor's office, double-check local authorization before signing.
• › Use DBPR records to confirm the qualifying individual tied to the company, especially on larger corporate contractors.
• › After hurricanes, be wary of out-of-area companies that have a Florida entity name but no valid local authorization for your county.