To check a contractor license in Florida, use the “Verify a License” search on myfloridalicense.com, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) site, and confirm the license is active and matches the company you are hiring. Green Home Remodeling is a Florida State Certified General Contractor, license CGC1534542, and we invite you to look us up before you call (813) 536-3976. It takes about two minutes and it is the single best thing you can do before signing a contract.
Most remodeling problems we hear about start the same way: someone hired a contractor on a referral or a low quote and never checked the license. In Florida, a license means the contractor passed state exams, carries required insurance and answers to a state board. Here is how to check one and what the results mean.
Key takeaways
- Verify every contractor on myfloridalicense.com before you sign anything.
- Make sure the license is active and the name matches the company on your contract.
- CGC, CBC and CRC are different license types with different scopes.
- Ask for a certificate of insurance for general liability, plus workers’ comp or an exemption.
- Florida residential contracts above a certain amount must include a notice about the Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund.
How do I look up a contractor license on DBPR?
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licenses construction contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board. Its public lookup is free.
- Go to myfloridalicense.com and choose Verify a License.
- Search by name (the person or the business) or by license number.
- Open the result and review the details.
What to check in the result
| Item | What you want to see |
|---|---|
| License type | A contractor license that fits your project, such as CGC, CBC or CRC |
| Status | Current and active |
| Licensee name | Matches the person or company on your proposal and contract |
| Qualified business | If you are hiring a company, the license should be tied to that company |
| Expiration date | Not expired |
| Complaints or discipline | DBPR may show public complaints or final orders |
If the name on the license does not match the company on your contract, ask why before you go any further.
Try it with our license
You can practice on us. Search for CGC1534542 on myfloridalicense.com and review what DBPR shows for Green Home Remodeling. We would rather you verify it yourself than take our word for it.
CGC vs CBC vs CRC: what is the difference?
Florida has several license classes for contractors who build and remodel. In broad terms:
- CGC, Certified General Contractor. The broadest scope. A general contractor can generally work on residential and commercial buildings of any size, including structural work.
- CBC, Certified Building Contractor. A narrower scope than a general contractor, with limits on the size and type of buildings.
- CRC, Certified Residential Contractor. Focused on homes, generally single-family and small multi-family residential buildings, with limits on height.
The exact limits are set in Florida law and can change, so check the license class against your project, especially for structural work or a home addition. For a kitchen or bathroom remodel, any of these may be appropriate. For anything outside a contractor’s scope, the right license matters.
Specialty trades, like plumbing, electrical, roofing and air conditioning, have their own licenses. A general contractor typically hires licensed subcontractors for that work and stays responsible for the project.
Certified vs registered licenses
You will see two kinds of contractor licenses in Florida.
- Certified licenses, which start with a “C” like CGC, are issued by the state and generally let the contractor work anywhere in Florida.
- Registered licenses, which start with an “R” like RG, are based on a local certificate of competency and are limited to the jurisdictions where the contractor is registered.
Both are legitimate. If you hire a registered contractor, make sure they are registered for the county or city where your home is. A certified license avoids that question.
What insurance should a remodeler carry?
A license is the first check. Insurance is the second. Ask for:
- General liability insurance, which covers damage to your property or injuries to others caused by the contractor’s work
- Workers’ compensation coverage, or a valid exemption, which matters if a worker is hurt on your property
- A certificate of insurance (COI) showing the policy, the coverage and the dates
Ask the contractor’s insurance agent to send the certificate to you directly, and check that the named insured matches the company you are hiring. If you live in a condo, your association will likely ask for its own certificate as well. Our post on HOA and condo remodeling rules explains what associations typically require.
What is the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund notice?
Florida runs the Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund, which may help homeowners recover certain financial losses caused by a licensed contractor’s violations, such as specific cases of financial misconduct. There are conditions and limits on what the fund pays.
Florida law requires residential construction contracts above a set amount to include a written notice telling you the fund exists and how to contact DBPR. If your contract is above that amount and has no such notice, ask about it. It is also one more reason to hire a licensed contractor, because the fund is tied to licensed contractors.
You may also see a separate notice about Florida’s construction lien law. Read both before you sign.
Who should pull the permit?
The licensed contractor doing the work should pull the permit in their own name. That ties the job to their license, puts inspections on their schedule, and gives you a record with the building department, whether that is Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, Pinellas County or a city like Clearwater or St. Petersburg.
Florida does allow owner-builder permits, but they come with real responsibility. The owner becomes the party accountable for the work, the inspections and any workers on site. A contractor who asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they are doing is shifting that risk onto you. Before you agree to anything like that, read the owner-builder disclosure your building department provides.
Red flags before you hire
Watch for these warning signs:
- The contractor cannot or will not give you a license number.
- The license is inactive, expired, or in a different name.
- They ask you to pull the permit as an owner-builder for work they are doing.
- They want a large payment in cash before any work or materials.
- There is no written contract, or the contract has no scope, no payment schedule and no timeline.
- They cannot provide a certificate of insurance.
- They pressure you to sign today or skip the permit to save time.
- They showed up after a storm with no local address.
Online reviews help too. Read them on Google, look for real details like project managers’ names and project types, and see how the company responds. You can read ours on our reviews page.
Why we put our license up front
Green Home Remodeling is licensed and insured, pulls permits in our own name, and gives every client a written, line-item proposal with a projected timeline. As your general contractor, we coordinate the licensed trades and inspections, and one project manager stays your point of contact.
Get a free estimate from a licensed contractor
Look us up on myfloridalicense.com under CGC1534542, then call Green Home Remodeling at (813) 536-3976 or request your free estimate.
About the author
Written by the Green Home Remodeling team, a Florida Certified General Contractor (CGC1534542) remodeling kitchens, bathrooms and homes across Tampa Bay from our Town 'n' Country office. This guide is general information. Rules and requirements change, so confirm specifics with your building department.
