Florida Contractor License Search: DBPR Status and Complaints

To run a Florida contractor license search, go to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s free Licensee Search at myfloridalicense.com and look up the contractor by license number, personal name, or business name. The result will tell you whether the license is active, what work it authorizes, and whether the contractor has a disciplinary history. The check takes about two minutes, and it matters: under Florida law, a contract with an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable, so a deposit paid to the wrong person can be a deposit you never see again.¹

Use the DBPR Portal, Not a Third-Party Site

The Construction Industry Licensing Board operates under the DBPR and licenses contractors under Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes.² Third-party lookup sites pull from the DBPR database but may not be current. Go straight to the source at myfloridalicense.com.

How to Run the Search

You can search three ways: by license number, by the contractor’s individual name, or by business name.²

Searching by license number is fastest and returns a single exact result. Any legitimate contractor should hand over their license number without hesitation. If they can’t or won’t, treat that as a warning.

A name search works too, but it takes more care. Try partial names if the full name returns nothing, because the database may store the name differently than what appears on a business card. You can also filter by license type, which helps when a common name produces dozens of hits. Confirm the address and the qualifying agent on the results page so you know you have the right person.

Confirm the License Type Matches Your Project

Florida issues two broad categories of contractor license. A certified contractor has passed a state examination and can work in every county and municipality in Florida. A registered contractor holds a license limited to specific local jurisdictions where they have obtained a local certificate of competency.³ If the record shows “Registered,” check that the listed jurisdictions include your county. A registered roofer licensed in Hillsborough County cannot legally take a job in Pinellas County without separate local authorization.

Look at the specific category too. Contractors are licensed for defined scopes of work: a General Contractor has no restriction on building type, a Building Contractor is limited to structures up to three stories, and a Residential Contractor is limited to one-, two-, and three-family homes up to two stories. Air-conditioning, roofing, sheet metal, and mechanical each carry their own categories with their own limits. Electrical contractors and plumbers are licensed by separate boards under Part II of Chapter 489.⁴ A residential contractor cannot legally build a four-story condo. If the scope on the license doesn’t fit your project, keep looking.

What Each License Status Means

The status field tells you whether the contractor can legally work today.

Current (Active). Valid and in good standing. This is the status you want before you sign anything.
Inactive or Voluntarily Inactive. The contractor has placed the license in an inactive state and cannot legally perform contracting work.
Delinquent. They failed to renew before the license expired. A delinquent license is not a valid license.⁵
Suspended. The board has suspended the license, usually as discipline. No work allowed.
Revoked or Null and Void. The license has been canceled, generally after serious violations.

Anything other than Current or Active means the contractor is not authorized to perform your work. Walk away.

Check the Disciplinary and Complaint History

An active license is not the same as a clean record. From the license record, follow the links to complaints and disciplinary actions tied to that license number. Each entry shows the date, classification, status, and disposition, including citations, fines, and suspension orders from the Construction Industry Licensing Board.⁶

Not everything shows up. Complaints stay confidential until the department finds probable cause or the contractor waives confidentiality.⁷ The DBPR also suggests calling your local building department, because some local disciplinary actions never reach the state database. A single old citation is not necessarily disqualifying. A pattern of complaints, or a recent suspension, is.

Verify Workers’ Compensation Separately

The license search does not tell you whether the contractor carries the insurance that protects you if someone is hurt on your property. Florida law requires contractors and subcontractors engaged in construction to secure workers’ compensation coverage for their employees.⁸ Some sole proprietors and corporate officers with no employees qualify for an exemption, but that exemption has to be on file with the state.

Check coverage through the Division of Workers’ Compensation Public Portal. The Exemption Search lets you look up a contractor by name or employer identification number and shows active coverage or a valid exemption certificate. Selecting the employer name pulls up carrier information, policy numbers, and up to five years of coverage history.⁹ If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property and the contractor has no coverage, you can end up facing a claim for medical bills and lost wages, and your homeowner’s insurance may not cover it.

Why the Check Matters

Under Florida Statutes Section 489.128, any contract entered into by an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable. The unlicensed contractor cannot sue you to collect payment, but you also cannot use the contract to enforce warranties, deadlines, or quality standards. If the work is abandoned halfway through, you have no contractual remedy. The unlicensed contractor also cannot place a lien on your property or make a bond claim.¹

There is another consequence. Florida runs a Construction Industries Recovery Fund for homeowners financially harmed by a licensed contractor’s mismanagement. It is a last resort, available after you have exhausted other civil remedies and performed an asset search against the contractor.¹⁰ The fund only covers work done by licensed contractors. Hire someone unlicensed and that safety net is gone.

When a License Isn’t Required

Not every home repair needs a licensed contractor. Florida exempts casual, minor, or inconsequential work where the total contract price for labor and materials is less than $2,500. Small jobs like replacing a faucet or patching drywall fall inside this exemption. It disappears, though, if the small job is really part of a larger project split up to dodge licensing, or if the person doing the work advertises as a contractor.¹¹

Homeowners can also act as their own contractor on property they own and occupy, as long as they supervise the work directly and on-site. For one-family or two-family residences there is no dollar cap on this owner-builder exemption, but the property cannot be offered for sale or lease. For commercial buildings, the exemption caps at $75,000. Even as an owner-builder, you still have to hire licensed subcontractors for specialty work such as electrical or plumbing.¹¹

If Your Search Turns Up Nothing

If a search returns no license and you believe someone is contracting without one, report them to the DBPR. The DBPR Mobile App lets you pick region and profession, describe the complaint, attach up to three photos, and submit. You can also call the DBPR Customer Contact Center at (850) 487-1395 or file online.¹²

You can stay anonymous, but emails to state agencies are public records under Florida law. To keep your identity confidential, report by phone or through the app without entering contact information. The DBPR can investigate and impose civil penalties without your ongoing participation.⁷

1
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 489.128 – Contracts Entered Into by Unlicensed Contractors Unenforceable
2
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – Business Information
3
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 489.105 – Definitions
4
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 455.271 – Inactive and Delinquent Status
6
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Licensing Portal – View Public Complaints
7
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction-Related Complaint Package
8
Florida Senate. Florida Code 440.10 – Liability for Compensation
9
Division of Workers’ Compensation. Exemption Search
10
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Construction Industry – Recovery Fund
11
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 489.103 – Exemptions
12
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Report Unlicensed Activity