How do I check if a contractor is licensed in Broward County?

Search the state license on DBPR’s site, myfloridalicense.com, and check with Broward County’s Building Code Division or your city’s building department for locally licensed trades. Confirm the license is active, covers your type of work and belongs to the company you are hiring.

Is a business tax receipt the same as a contractor license?

No. Florida law states that a business tax receipt is not a license for contracting purposes under s. 489.127.

What happens if I hire an unlicensed contractor in Florida?

The contractor commits a first-degree misdemeanor, or a third-degree felony for a repeat offense or during a declared state of emergency, and under s. 489.128 cannot enforce the contract or claim a lien. You may still face uninsured damage, failed inspections and liens from unpaid suppliers.

How much of a deposit can a Florida contractor take?

Florida does not set a single cap, but under s. 489.126 a contractor who takes more than 10 percent of the price for residential work must apply for permits within 30 days and start within 90 days after permits issue, unless you agreed in writing otherwise.

Can a roofer offer to pay my insurance deductible?

No. Section 489.147 prohibits contractors from offering a deductible waiver, gift or anything of value in exchange for a roof inspection or for making a roof damage claim.

How to Vet a Contractor in Broward County Before You Hire

Every hurricane season brings a wave of repair work to Broward County, and with it a wave of contractors knocking on doors in Plantation, Davie, Pompano Beach and everywhere in between. Most are legitimate. Some are unlicensed, uninsured, or using someone else’s license number. A few take a deposit and disappear. The time to find out which is which is before you sign. This guide walks through the checks any homeowner, landlord or condo board can do, the Florida rules that protect you, and when a deeper background investigation makes sense.

Step 1: verify the license, and whose it is

Many construction trades in Florida are licensed by the state through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). You can search licensees at myfloridalicense.com by name or license number. Other trades are licensed locally: Broward County’s Building Code Division handles contractor licensing and enforcement for the county, and your city’s building department can tell you what is required for your job. When you check, confirm:

The license is active, not expired, inactive or suspended. Florida law treats a contractor working on an inactive or suspended license as unlicensed (s. 489.127, F.S.).
The license covers the type of work you need. A licensed painter is not a licensed roofer.
The license belongs to the company and person you are dealing with. A license number printed on a truck may belong to someone else entirely.

Be careful with a business tax receipt. It is not a contractor license, and the statute says so expressly (s. 489.127).

Why unlicensed contractors are a serious problem

Unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, and a third-degree felony for a repeat offense or when it happens during a state of emergency declared by the Governor (s. 489.127(2)). It also affects the contract itself: under s. 489.128, F.S., a contract entered into by an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable by that contractor, and the contractor has no lien or bond claim for the work. Florida also prohibits a licensed contractor from letting an unlicensed person or business use their license number (s. 489.127(4)), a practice sometimes called license renting.

Step 2: confirm permits will be pulled

Permits protect you: they bring an inspector to check the work. Starting or performing work that requires a building permit without one is prohibited under s. 489.127(1)(h). Each Broward city has its own building department, and the county handles unincorporated areas. Ask who will pull the permit, and check the permit status yourself before work starts. A contractor who asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they will perform is a red flag worth discussing with the building department.

Step 3: check insurance directly

Ask for certificates of liability insurance and, where required, workers’ compensation coverage, and confirm them with the insurer or agent rather than relying on a PDF. If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, or the work damages a neighbor’s home, you do not want to discover the coverage was never in force.

Florida’s deposit and lien rules

Large deposits. Under s. 489.126, F.S., a contractor who receives more than 10 percent of the contract price as an initial payment for residential work must apply for necessary permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after the permits are issued, unless there is just cause or you agreed in writing to longer periods. The statute also sets out a written demand process if they do not.
Lien notice. For residential direct contracts greater than $2,500, Florida requires a specific Construction Lien Law notice in the contract (s. 713.015, F.S.). It warns that subcontractors and suppliers who are not paid can place a lien on your property even if you paid the contractor. Get lien releases as payments are made.
Roof and insurance claim solicitation. Under s. 489.147, F.S., contractors may not offer a residential owner a rebate, gift, cash, waiver of the insurance deductible or anything else of value in exchange for a roof inspection or for making a roof damage claim. An offer to “cover your deductible” is a warning sign, not a perk.

Step 4: look at the history

Lawsuits and liens. Search the Broward County Clerk of Courts for cases involving the company and its principals, and remember that a contractor may also have cases in Miami-Dade or Palm Beach.
The company behind the name. Florida’s Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) shows when the company was formed, who runs it, and whether the same people have run other companies that dissolved.
Disciplinary history on the DBPR license record.
References you choose, ideally recent jobs with permits you can look up.

Red flags

Door-to-door solicitation right after a storm, with pressure to sign today.
Cash only, or payment to an individual rather than the company.
A large deposit with vague dates and no permit plan.
A license number that does not match the name on the contract.
No physical address, or an address that turns out to be a mailbox store.
Reluctance to put the scope, price, schedule and lien notice in writing.

When a professional background check makes sense

For a small repair, the checks above are usually enough. For a large remodel, a new roof, a condo association project or a property manager hiring across a portfolio, a professional check adds depth: verified identities of the principals, litigation and lien history across counties, prior companies and how they ended, and whether the people behind a new LLC have a pattern of abandoned jobs. Our background investigations are scoped to the size of the project, and our business intelligence work supports associations and property managers vetting vendors.

Hypothetical example: a Coral Springs homeowners association is choosing a contractor for a large re-roofing project. The low bidder’s license is active, but a background check shows its principal ran two previous companies that dissolved with open liens and homeowner lawsuits. The board still has time to ask hard questions, or choose another bidder, before money moves.

If a contractor took your deposit and disappeared

Keep the contract, payment records and every message. Follow the written demand process in s. 489.126 with your attorney’s help, report unlicensed activity to DBPR, and report suspected theft to law enforcement. If you need to find the contractor to serve a lawsuit, or learn whether they have assets worth pursuing, our skip tracing and asset searches can help your attorney take the next step.