Florida Contractor License Verification: How to Check One

Florida contractor license verification takes a few minutes on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) website. Search the license number or the name, confirm the status reads Current, Active, and check that the license type covers the job. If any of those three fail, do not sign.

This guide shows the exact checks, what each status means and what a license record does not prove. If you are working toward your own license, the Florida general contractor exam guide covers that path, and the last section here explains why your own record matters. Every fact below comes from DBPR or the Florida Statutes. Anything that can change is marked "check the source".

How does Florida contractor license verification work?

Florida contractor license verification works through the DBPR license portal, where users can verify a license by name or by license number. A search returns the public record: the licensee, the license type, the status and the expiration date.

DBPR's hiring guidance says to note the license number and confirm the license is current and issued to the company or person you want to hire. If a record looks confusing, DBPR's Customer Contact Center answers license questions at 850.487.1395.

Always make the final call on the official DBPR license search, the state's own record, rather than a third-party site that copies public data.

How do you verify a Florida contractor license step by step?

To verify a Florida contractor license, get the license number first, search it on DBPR, then read the record line by line. Searching by name works, but the number removes doubt when two contractors share a name or a company uses a trade name.

1. Ask for the license number. By law, contractors licensed by DBPR must include their license number in all advertising, so it should be on the estimate, the ad and the contract.
2. Use the DBPR license search and enter the number. If you only have a name, search by name and match the number to what the contractor gave you.
3. Check that the name on the record is the person or company on your contract, not just a similar name.
4. Read the status and the expiration date. The next section explains the status wording.
5. Check the license type against the job.
6. Open the record details and look for complaints. DBPR's consumer brochure tells hirers to verify the number and check for any complaints.
7. Save a dated screenshot of the record. If a dispute comes up later, you can show what it said the day you hired.

A Florida contractor license lookup is the only check backed by the state.

What do Florida contractor license statuses mean?

The status tells you whether the contractor can legally work today. DBPR's construction FAQs define the main ones, and only one of them is a clear green light.

• Current, Active: the license is current and the holder may practice within the scope of the license. This is the status you want.
• Current, Inactive: the license is current, but the holder is not actively practicing in construction. An inactive license is not a license to take your job.
• Delinquent, Active: the license was not renewed by the expiration date, and the holder may not practice with it until the status is updated.
• Delinquent, Inactive: the license was also not renewed by the expiration date, and it was inactive before that.
• Null and Void: DBPR's FAQs say that once a license has gone null and void, a previously licensed person must reapply as though he or she never held a license.

Records can also show disciplinary information. For example, the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board tells consumers that a state certified contractor with a status of Current, Active or Probation, Active is eligible to work in Florida. If you see probation, suspension or revocation, read the details and ask the contractor to explain before you go further. A suspended or revoked certificate cannot lawfully be used: Section 489.127(1)(e), Florida Statutes, prohibits using one.

What should Florida contractor license verification confirm about the license type?

A valid license is only half the answer, because the category decides which jobs the holder may take. Under Section 489.105, Florida Statutes, a general contractor's services are unlimited as to the type of work, a building contractor is limited to commercial buildings and residential buildings up to three stories, and a residential contractor is limited to one, two and three family homes.

Two more details change how you read a record:

• Certified licenses work statewide. Registered licenses come from a local license and are limited to the locality that issued it and any adjoining locales that accept the registration, per DBPR's FAQs.
• A company needs a qualifier. Under Section 489.128, a business is unlicensed unless it has a primary or secondary qualifying agent for the scope of the work. Since October 2009, DBPR no longer issues a separate business license, so the qualifying agent's license is what backs the company.

In practice, ask for the qualifier's license number and confirm the business name on your contract is the one that person qualifies. Our guides on Florida contractor license types and CGC, CBC or CRC explain which category covers what.

What does a license record not prove?

A clean Florida contractor license verification proves the license is in good standing. It does not prove the contractor is insured, does good work or has the right local permits. DBPR's hiring guidance says properly licensed professionals are glad to show both their license and proof of insurance, so ask for a certificate, ask for references and ask your local building department about permits.

Some red flags show up before you ever run a search. DBPR lists them: no license number in an ad, only a name and a cell phone number, and a claim to be "licensed and insured" backed only by an occupational license or a corporate filing. An occupational license is a local tax receipt, and registering an LLC with the Division of Corporations does not qualify anyone to act as a contractor. Also, DBPR says it does not license concrete contractors, painters, drywall contractors, cabinetmakers, tile installers or anyone doing minor repairs, so for those trades check with your local building department instead.

What if the contractor is not licensed?

If the search finds nothing, or the status is anything but Current, Active, stop and get the work in writing from a licensed contractor instead. Hiring an unlicensed contractor is risky for the person who hires, not only for the contractor.

Section 489.128, Florida Statutes, says that, as a matter of public policy, contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or in equity by the unlicensed contractor. Section 489.127 also prohibits acting as a contractor, or advertising as available to act as one, without being duly registered or certified. If you already signed something, ask a Florida attorney.

To report suspected unlicensed activity, DBPR asks Floridians to email [email protected] or call 866-532-1440.

Why should future contractors care about this record?

Once you pass your exams and get licensed, you become the record that others search. Customers and suppliers can run the same check on you, and a lapsed status can cost you a job even if you are still working. Certified licenses are renewed on a state cycle, so read our Florida contractor license renewal guide to see the deadlines and continuing education.

Frequently asked questions

How do I verify a Florida contractor license?

Use the DBPR Verify a License page and search by name or license number. The record shows the license type and status, so run it before you sign anything.

What does Current, Active mean on a Florida contractor license?

It means the license is current and the holder may practice within the scope of the license, per DBPR's construction FAQs. It does not confirm insurance or the right category for your job.

Can I check a contractor license in Florida by company name?

Yes. To check a contractor license in Florida, search by name or by license number. Use the qualifier's number when you can, and make sure the company on your contract matches that qualifier.

Finish your Florida contractor license verification before you sign

Florida contractor license verification is the quickest protection a homeowner or a contractor hiring subs has. If you want to be the contractor whose record passes the check, License Fix School prepares you for the Florida general contractor exams, or call +1 888 538 1225 to talk with the team.

Checked against the DBPR Verify a License page, DBPR Construction Industry FAQs, DBPR Tips for Hiring Licensed Professionals, and Sections 489.105, 489.127 and 489.128 of the 2025 Florida Statutes in October 2026.