Florida · DBPR
Florida contractor license search.
Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) publishes the license record. This guide explains the search, the certified versus registered difference and what active, inactive and delinquent mean under Florida law.
Short answer: open DBPR's licensee search and search by name, license number, city or county, or license type. Then check whether the contractor is certified or registered and on active status.
What does the term mean?
Result and official links
How the DBPR search works
DBPR's licensing portal lets the public verify a licensee. Its search page offers four routes: by name, by license number, by city or county, and by license type. DBPR also lists an unlicensed activity search among its online services.
Florida law does not set a printed number format in the statute chapter reviewed here, so this guide does not check number shapes. Use the number exactly as it appears on the contractor's contract, advertising or license card.
Certified or registered
Chapter 489 distinguishes two kinds of contractor. A certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from the department and may contract in any jurisdiction in Florida. A registered contractor met the competency requirements of a particular jurisdiction and may contract only in those jurisdictions. A registered contractor working outside their jurisdiction is a point to ask about.
Insurance and bonds
Section 489.114 requires certified or registered contractors to provide evidence of workers' compensation coverage under chapter 440 as a condition of issuing or renewing the certificate or registration. If coverage is cancelled, the contractor must certify compliance and pay a $500 administrative fine, and failure to maintain coverage is grounds to revoke, suspend or deny the license. The statute chapter reviewed does not set a flat state surety bond amount for contractors.
Reciprocity
Section 489.115(3) lets the board certify by endorsement an applicant who holds a valid license from another state or territory, if that license's criteria were substantially equivalent to Florida's, or if the other state has a reciprocal agreement with the board, or after at least 10 years of valid licensure elsewhere, among other conditions. The applicant must still meet the statute's other requirements.
What a status means
Under section 489.116, a holder may not contract unless the certificate or registration is on active status. Holders choose active or inactive at renewal. If the holder does not apply to renew before expiry, the license becomes delinquent, and one who misses the full licensure cycle must reapply as a new applicant. The interactive box above summarizes each term.
Sources
- DBPR: Licensing Portal, License Search (retrieved October 2026)
- Florida Statutes, Chapter 489 (Online Sunshine) (retrieved October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How do I search a Florida contractor license?
Use DBPR's licensee search and choose name, license number, city or county, or license type.
What is the difference between certified and registered?
A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida; a registered contractor can work only in the jurisdictions where they registered, per section 489.105.
What does a delinquent license mean?
Under section 489.116 it means the holder did not apply to renew before expiry. A delinquent holder must apply for active or inactive status in the current cycle.
Can a contractor from another state work in Florida?
Not automatically. Section 489.115(3) allows certification by endorsement if specific criteria are met. The applicant has to be certified or registered before contracting.
A guide, not a verification
TNAADO is not a licensing board and this page does not check anyone's license or imply official verification. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere. Use the official links to confirm status, and check the board's site for current rules.