All states Florida

1. Get the license number from the contractor

   Ask for the license number before anything else. A licensed contractor has it on the bid, the contract, the business card and often the truck. If someone says "we're licensed and insured" but can't produce a number on the spot, treat that as your first answer.

   Florida license numbers start with letters that say what the license is for: CGC is a certified general contractor, CBC building, CRC residential, CCC roofing, CFC plumbing, CAC air conditioning, EC electrical. A number starting with R (RG, RR, RC) is a registered license, good only in the county that issued it.

2. Search the number on the official site

   Search the number on the official site. In Florida that is the Florida DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board (opens official site) license search at myfloridalicense.com. Search by the number first; a name search can miss a business that is licensed under a different legal name.

   You can also look the contractor up here . Our results come from Florida's own published license file, so they are a fast first check, but the official record is live and also shows complaints and discipline.

   Florida splits licensing across more than one board: Florida DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board; Florida DBPR Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board. Electrical, plumbing or HVAC work may be licensed by a different board than general construction, so make sure you are searching the right one.

3. Read the record: status, name, expiration

   Three things have to line up. The status should say active, current or valid, not expired, inactive, suspended or revoked. The name on the license should be the business or person on your contract. The expiration date should be after the day the work finishes, not just after the day you sign.

   Look for a complaints or discipline section on the record. Most Florida license searches show open complaints, past discipline and sometimes bond claims. One old complaint on a long-running license is normal; several recent ones are not.

4. Check that the license covers your job

   Florida licenses general, building, residential, roofing, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, sheet metal, pool and spa, underground utility, solar, electrical and alarm system work at the state level. A license covers one kind of work, so a roofer's license doesn't cover your electrical panel, and a specialty license doesn't cover a whole remodel. Check that the classification or license type on the record matches the job you are hiring for.

   In Florida there are two kinds of license. Certified licenses (numbers starting with C) are good anywhere in the state. Registered licenses (numbers starting with R) only work in the county or city that issued them, so a registered contractor from another county can't legally take your job.

   Hiring for one trade? Florida may license it through a different board. See electricians in Florida , plumbers in Florida or HVAC contractors in Florida .

5. Check the city or county license too

   Florida licenses some trades statewide and leaves others to cities and counties. If the state search comes up empty for the trade you need, the license may be local. Check with the building department where the work will happen.

   Local searches we've confirmed: Miami-Dade County (opens official site) (Miami-Dade County Board and Code Administration (Contractor Licensing)). Not listed? Call the building department for your city or county.

6. Know the small-job line

   Florida lets unlicensed people do small jobs under $2,500. Casual, minor work where the aggregate contract price for labor, materials and all other items is under $2,500 is exempt; it does not apply to work split to evade the law, part of a larger project, or anyone who advertises as a contractor. Above that line, the person doing the work needs a license, and the exemption doesn't cover someone who splits a big job into small invoices.

7. Ask for proof of insurance

   Florida requires insurance to hold a license: General and building contractors need $300,000 liability and $50,000 property damage; residential need $100,000 and $25,000.

   Whatever the state requires, ask for a certificate of insurance made out to you, and call the insurer on the certificate to confirm it is current. A license search tells you the contractor met the requirement when the license was issued or renewed, not that the policy is still paid.

8. Make sure the permit is pulled in the contractor's name

   Any job that needs a permit should have the permit pulled by the contractor, under the contractor's license. A contractor who asks you to pull the permit as the homeowner is usually hiding a license problem. Building permits in Florida (opens official site) .

9. If something goes wrong, file with the board

   If the contractor stops showing up, does work the permit doesn't cover, or the license turns out to be wrong, put it in writing to them first, stop paying, then file a complaint in Florida (opens official site) . Boards can suspend licenses, which gets attention a lawsuit doesn't.