Hiring a contractor in Florida
Two checks prevent almost every bad outcome: verify the licence, and confirm the contractor pulls the permit. A licence is required for work over $2,500† or anything requiring a permit, and both checks take minutes.
Do you even need a licensed contractor?
Not for everything, and it is worth saying so plainly. Below $2,500† with no permit required, a handyman is entirely legal — painting, minor repairs, fixture swaps, assembly, general maintenance. Insisting on a licensed contractor for a $400 job wastes money.
Ring the building department and ask whether your specific job needs a permit. If it does, it needs a licensed contractor, because the permit office will not issue to anyone else. That single call answers the licensing question without any argument about thresholds.
How to choose one
- Verify the licence yourself — active, correct category for the work, and in the same name as the contract and your cheque. Borrowed licences are a recurring problem here.
- Get insurance certificates direct from the insurer, not forwarded by the contractor. General liability and workers’ compensation both.
- Ask for recent addresses, not testimonials. Work you can drive past is worth more than a page of quotes.
- Get three itemised quotes. Not three numbers — three breakdowns, so you can see what differs. A quote that is a single figure is not comparable to anything.
- Check the permit history at their other addresses if the job is large. Closed permits are a record of finishing what they start.
Deposits, and what the law requires
A contractor taking more than 10% of the contract price† must apply for the required permits within 30 days† and start work within 90 days† of the permit issuing. Missing those is not merely a breach — a violation is prosecutable as theft, not merely a breach of contract†.
- A modest mobilisation payment is normal. Half the contract before anyone appears is not.
- Tie every payment to a milestone that you can see has happened.
- Hold the final payment until the final inspection has passed.
- Never pay in cash, and never pay a person rather than the business on the contract.
What to have in the contract
- A written scope specific enough that a dispute about it would be short.
- The licence number, and the business name matching it.
- A payment schedule tied to milestones, with the final payment after final inspection.
- Lien releases with every payment — from the contractor and from anyone who serves you a Notice to Owner.
- Who pulls the permit. It should be them.
- Start and completion dates, and what happens if they slip.
- Change order procedure in writing, because there will be change orders.
A supplier or subcontractor you never hired can lien your home even after you have paid the contractor in full, provided they served notice and record within 90 days† of their final furnishing. Releases collected as you go are the entire defence against paying twice.
Warning signs
- Asking you to pull the permit as owner-builder. That moves the liability to you, and there is a reason they want that.
- A large deposit demanded before any work, particularly in cash.
- A price well below the others, which usually means something is missing from the scope.
- Pressure to decide today, or a discount that expires this afternoon.
- No written contract, or a contract that will not name the licence.
- Door-knocking after a storm, especially with an assignment of benefits or an offer to waive your deductible.
Verifying the licence
Florida licences are public and searchable by name or number through DBPR. Confirm three things: that it is active, that the category covers your work — a roofing licence does not cover an addition — and that the name matches the contract. If the licence belongs to someone who will not be on site, ask why.
What happens if you skip the licence check
The law gives you a backstop: an unlicensed contractor’s contract is unenforceable in law or in equity by the unlicensed contractor — while the other party keeps its rights†. So they cannot sue you and cannot lien your property. That sounds better than it is. In practice they are also uninsured, cannot pull permits, leave you with unpermitted work that surfaces when you sell, and are frequently not worth suing even when you win.
Related
Common questions
When do I need a licensed contractor in Florida?
For work over $2,500 or anything requiring a permit. Below that with no permit needed, a handyman is legal. If the building department says the job is permittable, it needs a licensed contractor.
How do I check a contractor’s licence in Florida?
Search by name or number through DBPR. Confirm it is active, that the category matches the work, and that the name matches both the contract and your payment — borrowed licences are a recurring problem.
How much deposit should I pay a contractor?
A modest mobilisation payment, tied to a schedule. Beyond 10% of the contract price the law imposes duties: permits applied for within 30 days and work started within 90 days of the permit issuing, with failure prosecutable as theft.
Who should pull the building permit?
The contractor. If they ask you to pull it as owner-builder, the liability shifts to you — and that request is usually a sign the licence will not support the application.
What if I hire an unlicensed contractor?
Their contract is unenforceable by them and they cannot lien your property, which protects you on paper. In practice they are uninsured, cannot pull permits, and leave unpermitted work you must disclose when selling.
What are lien releases and do I need them?
Written confirmations that a party has been paid and waives lien rights. You need them with every payment, because a supplier you never hired can lien your home even after you have paid the contractor in full.
Contractor licensing sits in Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes, deposit duties in §489.126 and liens in Chapter 713. Permit requirements are administered locally — confirm with your own building department.