Florida requires a state license for structural residential work: new construction, additions, remodels that touch framing, roofing, and most work that needs a permit. The license is public record. Anyone can look it up, free, in about five minutes.
Most homeowners never do. That is how unlicensed operators keep finding work after hurricanes, and it is why the worst renovation stories in Southwest Florida usually start with a handshake and no paperwork.
Run the check on the state's own site
Go to the Florida DBPR license portal at myfloridalicense.com and choose Verify a License. You can search by name, by license number, or by city. If a contractor gives you a number, search the number. If they only give you a company name, search both the company and the owner's name.
A licensed contractor will hand you the number without being asked twice. Ours is CRC1333975, and it is printed on this website, our paperwork, and our proposals. If someone hesitates, dodges, or says the license is under a friend's name, stop there.
What the record actually tells you
The DBPR record shows the license holder's name, the class of license, its status, and whether it is current. For residential work you will usually see either a Certified Residential Contractor (CRC), Certified Building Contractor (CBC), or Certified General Contractor (CGC) class. Each is legitimate; they differ in the scale of work allowed.
Check three things. First, the status should say Current, Active. Second, the name on the license should match the person or company you are dealing with. Third, look at complaints and discipline history if the portal lists any.
Red flags that end the conversation
A price that only works if you skip the permit. Permits are not optional on structural work in Charlotte or Sarasota County, and a contractor who suggests skipping one is asking you to hold the liability.
A license number that comes back to a different person. Some operators rent a license or borrow a number. The name on the record must match the person accountable for your job.
Cash-only terms, pressure to sign today, or a deposit that covers most of the job before any work starts. None of these are how licensed contractors who plan to be here next year do business.
Questions worth asking after the license checks out
Ask who pulls the permit. The right answer is the contractor, under their license, not you as an owner-builder. Ask for the certificate of insurance and call the agent listed on it to confirm it is active. Ask how changes to the scope get priced, and expect a written answer.
A license check is the floor, not the ceiling. The contractors worth hiring welcome the question, because the check is what separates them from the people they keep getting confused with after every storm.
