Florida · Roofing licensing · official-source guide
The Construction Industry Licensing Board, part of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, licenses roofing statewide. A Certified Roofing Contractor passes a state exam and can work anywhere in Florida. A Registered Roofing Contractor holds a local license first and can only work in that jurisdiction. Certified applicants need four years of experience, insurance, and a passing exam score.
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Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing BoardState-level license
Yes
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-18. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Roofing contracting in Florida is regulated at the state level. The Construction Industry Licensing Board, operating inside the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), issues and disciplines roofing contractor licenses under Chapter 489, Part I of the Florida Statutes and Chapter 61G4 of the Florida Administrative Code. DBPR confirms on its own construction industry site that the board regulates construction contractors and their businesses and that Chapter 489 and Chapter 61G4 are the governing law and rule. Roofing is one of the contractor categories the board lists as requiring either state registration or state certification, alongside general, building, residential, sheet metal, air-conditioning, mechanical, swimming pool and spa, plumbing, underground utility and excavation, solar, and pollutant storage contracting. There is no separate city or county board that issues a roofing license independent of this state system for a contractor who wants to work anywhere in Florida. Local governments still issue building permits and business tax receipts, and some counties add product approval rules on top of the state license, but the underlying qualification to act as a roofing contractor comes from DBPR and the Construction Industry Licensing Board. A person who performs roofing work requiring licensure without holding a valid, active DBPR certificate or registration is engaged in unlicensed contracting regardless of any local card or permit history. Homeowners and general contractors hiring a roofer in Florida should expect a DBPR license number, not just a city occupational license number, before work begins.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com
Florida issues two distinct levels of roofing license, and DBPR's own construction industry FAQ page states the difference directly. A Certified Roofing Contractor has completed the Florida contractor examination, met the board's financial stability requirements, and proven the required experience in the roofing category. Certification allows the holder to practice roofing contracting anywhere in the state of Florida. A Registered Roofing Contractor instead holds a local, county, or city roofing license first, and the state registration is layered on top of that local license. A registered contractor may only practice in the county or city that issued the underlying local license, along with any adjoining jurisdictions that agree to accept that registration. Working outside that geographic scope is treated by statute as unlicensed activity even though the contractor holds a valid registration somewhere in Florida. Certified contractors renew on a different calendar than registered contractors, and the two paths also diverge on how a contractor gets in the door: certification requires passing the state exam, while registration requires already holding a qualifying local competency license. A roofing contractor who wants to bid statewide, including storm and hail restoration work that follows severe weather across county lines, generally needs the certified credential rather than a local registration, since a registered contractor cannot lawfully cross into a county that has not agreed to honor that registration.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com
Anyone acting in the capacity of a roofing contractor in Florida, meaning taking contracts to install, repair, or replace roofing systems, must hold a state registration or certification in the roofing category, per DBPR's listed contractor categories requiring licensure. This applies to residential reroofing, commercial roof replacement, and roof repair work alike, since the statute and board rule do not split roofing into separate residential and commercial license classes. DBPR's FAQ page is explicit that roofing work cannot be subcontracted to an unlicensed roofer. A roofer performing the physical roofing work under a licensed contractor's permit must either be a direct employee of the licensed contractor or be leased through a licensed employee leasing company; simply handing the job to an unlicensed sub-crew does not satisfy the law even if the general or roofing contractor holding the permit is properly licensed. A general or building contractor's certified license, which is a broader classification than roofing, also authorizes roofing work within its scope, so a homeowner may legitimately see a general contractor's license number on a roofing contract instead of a roofing-specific number. Work that does not require a state license is limited; DBPR's FAQ lists examples such as cabinets, countertops, paint, wallpaper, carpet, tile, and window treatments, none of which cover roof system work. There is also a narrow exemption for handyman-scale jobs under a fixed dollar threshold of casual, minor, or inconsequential work, discussed later in the penalties section, but ordinary roof repair or replacement falls outside that exemption.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com
To qualify for the Certified Roofing Contractor exam and license, DBPR requires four years of documented field experience in roofing, or a combination of college credit and experience, according to the board's own checklist for the Certified Roofing Contractor application. The construction industry FAQ page adds detail: an applicant needs four years of field experience in the licensed category, and at least one of those years must be supervisory experience. Up to three of the four years can instead come from military service or accredited college credit hours, in any combination, and the military service or coursework does not need to be construction related to count. Military time is documented with a copy of form DD214. Even when substituting military time or college credit for most of the requirement, the applicant must still show a minimum of one year of supervisory construction experience within the roofing category itself; that supervisory year cannot be waived by education or unrelated service. Registered Roofing Contractor applicants follow a different path: instead of proving years of field experience directly to the state board, they must already hold a qualifying local, county, or city roofing competency license, which is the credential the local licensing body used to judge experience. All applicants, certified or registered, must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must also pass a background check, submitted through electronic fingerprints filed with an FDLE-registered Livescan provider after the license application itself has been submitted, not before.
Certified Roofing Contractor applicants, other than swimming pool specialty applicants who do not apply here, must pass a state certification examination before DBPR will issue an active license, according to the board's own application checklist. The examination process for contractor categories generally covers a General or Trade Knowledge portion and a Business and Finance portion. DBPR's FAQ confirms the Business and Finance exam runs six and one-half hours and is open-book, and that a licensee who already holds a current, active CILB license is exempt from retaking the Business and Finance portion when adding another license category. Paper-and-pencil Trade Knowledge, Project Management, and Contract Administration exams are given by the department in Tallahassee, Orlando, and Miami on scheduled dates, while the Business and Finance exam and other computer-based tests are delivered through the department's vendor, Pearson VUE, at sites across the state. A candidate who fails one section does not have to retake sections already passed, but must complete every remaining section within four years of the first attempt or all prior passing scores expire and the candidate must start over. Once all sections are passed, the candidate has four years to file the initial licensure application before those exam results also expire. Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree in building construction from an accredited four-year program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher can attest to that degree in place of taking the Trade Knowledge portion, leaving only the Business and Finance exam to pass, a rule effective since July 1, 2020.
DBPR's official application form for Certified Roofing Contractor as an Individual, form DBPR CILB 5-I, lists the initial certification fee as a flat amount that depends on when in the two-year licensing cycle the application is filed. Applying between May 1 of an even-numbered year and August 31 of an odd-numbered year costs 245 dollars. Applying between September 1 of an odd-numbered year and April 30 of the following even-numbered year costs 145 dollars, reflecting less time remaining before the next scheduled renewal. Payment is made to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, by check if mailed or by credit card or electronic check if filed online. Beyond the initial license fee, DBPR's FAQ page lists two other standard charges: reactivating a license outside its normal renewal period costs 250 dollars, and voluntarily switching an active license to inactive status outside a renewal period costs 50 dollars, though there is no fee to go inactive during an actual renewal window. Requesting a certificate of licensure to send to another state costs 25 dollars per request. Continuing education providers pay their own separate fees: 250 dollars to register or renew a providership, and 25 dollars per course hour for course approval, capped at 150 dollars per course. Military veterans, their spouses, and Florida National Guard members may qualify for a fee waiver, reimbursement, or discount on the license application fee itself, per DBPR's military services guidance referenced on the same application checklist.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com 1www2.myfloridalicense.com 2myfloridalicense.com 3
Active Florida contractor licensees, including Certified and Registered Roofing Contractors, must carry minimum public liability and property damage insurance at all times, and DBPR's FAQ page states the roofing-category minimums directly: since roofing falls outside the general and building contractor classes, the minimum is 100,000 dollars of liability coverage and 25,000 dollars of property damage coverage, or amounts set by board rule. General and building contractors, by comparison, must carry a higher 300,000 dollars of liability and 50,000 dollars of property damage coverage. Every active licensee must also carry workers compensation coverage or hold an exemption from it; an applicant may still be licensed while attesting that the exemption will be obtained within 30 days of the license being issued. Florida does not require a demonstrated minimum net worth, but it does require a credit report showing a FICO-derived credit score, and DBPR's board rule treats 660 or higher as the benchmark. An applicant whose score falls below 660 must instead complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility and stability course as part of the application. Contractors who use a Financially Responsible Officer, someone other than the qualifying agent who takes on financial responsibility for the business, must have that officer post a bond of 100,000 dollars payable to the Construction Industry Licensing Board, or an irrevocable letter of credit in the same amount; a letter of bondability alone is not accepted in place of the bond.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com
Florida roofing licenses run on a two-year cycle, and the renewal date depends on which license type is held. Certified contractors, including Certified Roofing Contractors, renew on August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered contractors renew on August 31 of every odd-numbered year, per DBPR's own construction industry FAQ. An inactive license still must be renewed every two years even though the holder is not actively practicing. Each renewal cycle requires 14 hours of board-approved continuing education. Within those 14 hours, DBPR requires at least one hour each in Workplace Safety, Workers Compensation, Business Practices, an Advanced Building Code Module, and Laws and Rules. Roofing contractors, along with General, Building, Residential, Specialty Structure, and Glass and Glazing Specialty contractors, must also complete one additional hour of Wind Mitigation Methodology inside that same 14-hour total; the remaining hours can be general credit courses from a board-approved provider. A license issued less than 12 months before the August 31 renewal date owes no continuing education for that first cycle. A license issued between one and two years before that date owes 7 hours of general credit instead of the full 14. Reactivating a lapsed license only requires the continuing education for the single renewal cycle immediately before reactivation, not for every cycle the license sat inactive, under a 2012 change DBPR cites as House Bill 517. Continuing education can be completed online through providers approved for that delivery method.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com
Florida offers more than one route for an already-licensed out-of-state roofing contractor to become licensed in Florida, according to DBPR's construction industry FAQ. Since June 1, 2021, a contractor licensed in a state that has a reciprocity agreement with the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board may apply through that agreement using CILB form 32, along with a certification from the home state confirming the license is in good standing; the specific list of reciprocity-agreement states is maintained on DBPR's site and should be checked directly rather than assumed. Separately, Florida statute allows endorsement of an out-of-state license where the applicant shows the other state's exam or licensing requirements were substantially equivalent to Florida's, though DBPR describes this path as strictly construed and rarely approved. A more workable path for many roofing contractors uses the National Association of State Contractor Licensing Agencies exam: an applicant who has passed the NASCLA exam, the Florida Business and Finance exam, and an exam covering the Florida Building Code can apply for endorsement on CILB form 10, available since March 10, 2019. Since July 1, 2020, a contractor who has held a valid, current out-of-state license for at least ten years may also apply to endorse into Florida; DBPR's FAQ specifies that Division I and roofing endorsement applicants under this ten-year path must also complete a 2-hour course on the Florida Building Code that includes wind mitigation techniques, reflecting the added storm-related content Florida expects of its roofing licensees.
Sourceswww2.myfloridalicense.com
Florida treats unlicensed contracting as a criminal offense as well as an administrative one. Under Florida Statute 489.127, a person who acts as a contractor, or advertises as available to act as a contractor, without holding a valid state registration or certification commits a misdemeanor of the first degree for a first offense. A second violation, after having already been found guilty once, is a felony of the third degree. The statute also singles out storm-driven conditions: any unlicensed person who violates the section during a state of emergency declared by executive order of the Governor commits a felony of the third degree even on a first offense, which matters directly for roofing given how much roofing demand follows hurricanes and other declared emergencies in Florida. Separately, Florida Statute 489.13 allows DBPR to impose an administrative fine of up to 10,000 dollars against an unlicensed person for unlicensed contracting, plus the department's investigative and legal costs; up to half that fine can be waived if the person becomes licensed within one year of the fine. A local government that reports an unlicensed contractor to the state collects 30 percent of any fine ultimately assessed. A first-offense unlicensed contractor who nonetheless holds some other valid state or local construction license receives a notice of noncompliance rather than an immediate criminal or civil case. Local building departments are also barred by statute from issuing a permit to anyone who cannot show a valid Construction Industry Licensing Board registration or certification number for work that requires one, which closes off unlicensed roofing work at the permit counter.
Sourcesflsenate.gov 1flsenate.gov 2
Florida Statute 489.119 sets specific display rules for a contractor's registration or certification number, and DBPR enforces them against roofing contractors along with every other licensed category. The contractor's license number must appear on every building permit application and on each building permit issued in that contractor's name; the local building department must verify that number before issuing the permit. The number must also appear in every offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract, or advertisement, regardless of medium, used by the contractor or the qualifying business in the practice of contracting, though the statute carves out business stationery and small promotional items like pencils or balloons from the definition of advertisement. If a vehicle bears the name of the contractor or business, or any text or artwork that would lead a reasonable person to believe the vehicle is used for contracting, the registration or certification number must be conspicuously and legibly displayed alongside that name, text, or artwork; the statute does not create a blanket requirement to put signage on every vehicle, only on ones already carrying contracting-related branding. Local governments may add their own requirement that locally licensed contractors display a local certificate of competency number as well. For the first violation of these display or advertisement requirements, the Construction Industry Licensing Board issues a notice of noncompliance rather than an immediate penalty. If the contractor does not correct the problem within 30 days, or commits a later violation, the board may then assess a fine or issue a citation.
Sourcesflsenate.gov
Florida Statute 489.147, titled prohibited property insurance practices and contract requirements, places specific limits on how roofing contractors can solicit storm and hail damage work tied to an insurance claim. The statute defines a prohibited advertisement as any written or electronic communication, including door hangers, business cards, magnets, flyers, pamphlets, and emails, that encourages a consumer to contact a contractor or public adjuster to make a roof-damage insurance claim, unless that communication discloses in a font at least 12 points and at least half the size of the largest font used that the consumer is responsible for the insurance deductible, and that paying, waiving, or rebating that deductible, or filing a false or misleading claim, is insurance fraud punishable as a third-degree felony. Contractors may not directly or indirectly solicit a residential property owner using such a prohibited advertisement, and may not offer a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, or deductible waiver in exchange for a roof inspection or for making an insurance claim. A contractor also cannot accept or pay compensation for referring a roofing job for which insurance proceeds are payable, though ordinary payment from the homeowner or insurer for the roofing work itself is not treated as referral compensation. Every roof repair or replacement contract must include a notice that the contractor may not offer these rebates or waived deductibles; leaving that notice out lets the homeowner void the contract within 10 days of signing it. Violations carry a fine of up to 10,000 dollars per violation under the disciplinary process in Florida Statute 489.129, and an unlicensed person who engages in these same practices is separately treated as engaged in unlicensed contracting with its own fine of up to 10,000 dollars per violation.
Sourcesflsenate.gov
Florida Statute 489.147 also draws a firm line between roofing contracting and public adjusting. A roofing contractor may not interpret the provisions of a property insurance policy, advise an insured about coverage or duties under that policy, or adjust a property insurance claim on the insured's behalf, unless that same person separately holds a public adjuster license issued under Part VI of Chapter 626 of the Florida Statutes. This means a roofing contractor can estimate the cost to repair or replace a roof, but cannot tell a homeowner what their policy covers or negotiate the claim amount with the insurer as though acting as the homeowner's adjuster. Before an insured signs an agreement authorizing repairs, the contractor must provide a good faith, itemized, and detailed estimate of the cost of services and materials; a contractor does not violate this rule simply because the insurer's own adjustment process later changes the final repair cost from that initial estimate. Roofing contractors who solicit storm-damaged residential properties within 180 days of a Governor-declared state of emergency covering that property face an added consumer protection: the homeowner may cancel the roof repair or replacement contract without penalty within 10 days of signing it, or by the official start date of the work if that comes first. A contractor executing such a contract during a declared emergency must add cancellation language in bold type of at least 14 points directly above the homeowner's signature line describing that 10-day right. These rules were built specifically around the pattern of storm-chasing and insurance-claim solicitation that follows Florida hurricanes and hail events, and they apply on top of, not instead of, the ordinary roofing license requirement.
Sourcesflsenate.gov
A Certified Roofing Contractor's state license is valid statewide, so Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Orlando do not require a separate local contractor license on top of it. Local building departments in each of those cities and counties still require their own building permit for roofing work, and typically require a local business tax receipt to operate a business within the jurisdiction, in addition to the state license. Miami-Dade County and Broward County add a further technical layer that is specific to this trade: both counties sit inside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) defined by the Florida Building Code, and Miami-Dade's Regulatory and Economic Resources Department, through its Board and Code Administration Division, maintains a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) product approval program that roofing systems, underlayments, and components must satisfy before they can be used on an HVHZ roof, according to the county's own product approval notices page. That page confirms the county is actively updating NOA requirements for roofing underlayments and hip-and-ridge shingle systems as new editions of the Florida Building Code take effect, including changes tied to the Ninth Edition of the Florida Building Code becoming effective December 31, 2026. A roofing contractor working in Miami-Dade or Broward needs to confirm that the specific products going on the roof carry a current NOA number for that product, separate from and in addition to holding a valid DBPR roofing license. This NOA layer exists because the HVHZ portions of the Florida Building Code impose stricter wind uplift and impact testing standards than the rest of the state, reflecting South Florida's hurricane exposure.
Sourcesmiamidade.gov
DBPR maintains a public license search on its Online Services portal at myfloridalicense.com, listed on the department's own site as Verify a Licensee. A homeowner or a general contractor hiring a roofing sub can search by the contractor's name, by the license number itself, by city or county, or by license type, and the tool returns the license status, such as current active, current inactive, delinquent active, or delinquent inactive, along with the licensed category and the qualified business name tied to that license. DBPR's own FAQ explains what those statuses mean: a current, active license can be practiced on today; a current, inactive license is still valid on the books but the holder is not actively taking roofing jobs under it; a delinquent status means the license was not renewed by its August 31 expiration date and cannot lawfully be used until the status is brought current. Because a Registered Roofing Contractor is only authorized in the county or city that issued the underlying local license, the same DBPR lookup also shows the scope tied to a registered license, which matters when checking whether a roofer working outside their home county is doing so lawfully. DBPR separately runs an Unlicensed Activity Search on the same portal, letting a consumer check whether a name or business has already been flagged for unlicensed contracting. Checking the license before signing a roofing contract, particularly after a storm when unlicensed crews tend to move into an area quickly, is the most direct way a Florida property owner can confirm a roofer is legally allowed to do the work being proposed.
These are common details other guides publish about Florida, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes. The Construction Industry Licensing Board within the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation issues both Certified and Registered Roofing Contractor licenses under Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes.
A Certified Roofing Contractor passes the state exam and can work anywhere in Florida. A Registered Roofing Contractor holds a local license first and can only work in the county or city that issued it, plus any jurisdictions that accept that registration.
DBPR requires four years of field experience in roofing, with at least one year supervisory. Up to three years can be substituted with military service or college credit, but the one supervisory year cannot be substituted.
DBPR's minimum for roofing and most non-general categories is 100,000 dollars in public liability coverage and 25,000 dollars in property damage coverage, plus workers compensation coverage or an exemption.
Licenses run on a two-year cycle. Certified contractors renew on August 31 of even-numbered years, and registered contractors renew on August 31 of odd-numbered years, each cycle requiring 14 hours of continuing education.
No. Florida Statute 489.147 bans offering to waive, pay, or rebate a deductible in exchange for a roof inspection or an insurance claim, and treats doing so knowingly as insurance fraud that can be a third-degree felony.
No, unless that person separately holds a Florida public adjuster license under Chapter 626. A roofing contractor can give a repair estimate but cannot interpret policy coverage or adjust the claim for you.
The roofer risks a first-degree misdemeanor, or a third-degree felony for a repeat offense or for unlicensed work during a declared state of emergency, plus a DBPR administrative fine of up to 10,000 dollars.
Yes, for contracts signed within 180 days of a declared state of emergency covering the property. The homeowner can cancel within 10 days of signing or by the work start date, and the contract must state this in bold 14-point type.
Yes. Florida Statute 489.119 requires the registration or certification number on every offer, proposal, bid, contract, or advertisement, and on any vehicle carrying the contractor's name or branding.
Yes. Both counties sit in the Florida Building Code's High Velocity Hurricane Zone, and Miami-Dade's Board and Code Administration Division requires roofing products to carry a current Notice of Acceptance before use.
Use the Verify a Licensee search on DBPR's Online Services portal at myfloridalicense.com. It shows license status, category, and whether the license is active, inactive, or delinquent.
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