Florida Contractor License Lookup

DBPR’s public licensee search offers four starting points: name, license number, city or county, and license type. The service covers applicants and licensed individuals and businesses regulated by DBPR. Choose the search option that matches the information you have.

DBPR describes a license or application with two status terms: a primary status and a secondary status. Read both. Current means the department’s licensing requirements are up to date; Active means the licensee may operate under that license. Applicant means an application has been submitted but not approved. The portal’s glossary also distinguishes the legal name (Primary), an additional name such as a DBA (Alternate), and a correspondence contact (Related). Rank separates groups within a profession that have different licensing requirements. Address labels have different purposes: Main is the primary address on file, License Mailing receives correspondence about the license, and License Location identifies the physical place of business. These distinctions help interpret the record without confusing a contact, mailing address or application with the licensed person or business.

Ask the receiving state which verification it requires before requesting a Florida Certificate of Licensure. For a Florida construction-industry license, sign in to DBPR Online Services and select Request License Certification from the License Menu. Complete the application and pay $25 by credit card or electronic check. DBPR creates a copy of the license record and mails it directly to the address entered in the transaction. Allow 10 business days for the other state to receive the document. An email copy is also sent to you for your records. If certification is needed for more than one state, repeat the application and pay the $25 fee for each request.

Check which type of status you are reading before concluding that a record permits work. DBPR uses Expired for an expired application, while Delinquent, Lic Expired and Invol. Inactive mean the license was not renewed on time. Its secondary Inactive status means licensing requirements are met but work under that license is not allowed; returning to active status requires notifying the department and completing outstanding requirements. Primary, Alternate and Related are name types, not separate licenses: the legal name, an additional name such as a DBA, and a correspondence contact respectively. Main, mailing and location addresses can also differ. Use those labels to distinguish a naming or address difference from the license’s actual status.

A Florida certified contractor license permits work throughout Florida; a state registration based on a local county or city contracting license limits practice to that jurisdiction and adjoining areas that accept the registration. These are different geographic permissions. For out-of-state applicants, the Construction Industry Licensing Board offers endorsement and reciprocity routes, each subject to its requirements and approval. Reciprocity applicants must use an agreement that applies to their state and license, submit CILB 32, and obtain certification from the home state showing good standing. Endorsement is not guaranteed, and an application fee is nonrefundable if the Board denies the application. Applicants relying on ten years of out-of-state licensure should apply for the same license level and provide documentation of permitted work scope; a license held in a business name also requires proof of who took the exam and served as qualifier. Division I and roofing endorsement or reciprocity applicants must also complete a two-hour Florida Building Code course that includes wind-mitigation techniques.