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Original data report · Florida

Florida certified contractor license renewals, 2026: where things stood eight weeks after the Aug. 31 deadline

81.4% of the Florida certified contractor licenses that had not renewed by late July had renewed by Oct. 27, 2026. Here is where the rest stood, county by county, and how to check a license before you hire.

Published by Mark Phaneuf, publisher · Updated First published Oct. 20, 2026 · Data: Florida DBPR public license files, July 27, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2026

59,016certified licenses had not yet renewed in the state's July 27, 2026 file
81.4%of those showed the new 2028 end date by Oct. 27, 2026 (48,043 licenses)
10,886were not in the state's file on Oct. 27, 2026: 18.4% of those due, about 1 in 10 of all certified licensesA license missing from the October file does not by itself mean the contractor stopped working, closed a business, or broke the law. The holder may renew late, hold another license, or have retired.
172came back with a 2028 date between Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2026Late renewals are still coming in.

Hiring someone to fix storm damage? Check the contractor's license before you pay.

Check a licenseWhat to look for
Four roofers in hard hats and harnesses unroll blue temporary roofing over a damaged shingle roof
Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Operation Blue Roof put temporary roofing on a home in Panama City, Fla., on Oct. 19, 2018, after Hurricane Michael. Photo: Patrick Bray, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (public domain)

Key findings

  1. Florida's state-certified contractor licenses renew every two years, by Aug. 31 of even-numbered years. 2026 was a renewal year.1 In the state's July 27, 2026 file, 59,016 of its 114,987 certified licenses had not yet renewed: their record still showed the old end date of Aug. 31, 2026.
  2. By Oct. 27, 2026, 48,043 of those 59,016 (81.4%) showed a new end date of Aug. 31, 2028. 4,759 of them renewed as inactive, which means the holder may not work under that license.
  3. 10,886 of the 59,016 (18.4%) were not in the state's file on Oct. 27, 2026. That is about 1 in 10 (9.5%) of all 114,987 certified licenses in the July file. A license missing from the October file does not by itself mean the contractor stopped working, closed a business, or broke the law. The holder may renew late, hold another license, or have retired.
  4. Late renewals are still coming in: 172 licenses that were not in the Oct. 20, 2026 file were back with a 2028 date on Oct. 27, 2026.
  5. Licenses that were inactive in July renewed far less often: 57.1%, versus 84.8% for active ones.
Where all 114,987 certified licenses stoodEvery certified license in the state's July 27 file; those still due then, as of Oct. 27, 2026
  • 55,928 Already showed the 2028 date in July (early renewals and new licenses)48.6%
  • 43,284 Renewed by Oct. 27, 2026, active status37.6%
  • 4,759 Renewed, but inactive4.1%
  • 10,886 Not in the state's file on Oct. 27, 20269.5%
  • 130 Other dates0.1%

Not being in the state's file does not by itself mean a contractor quit, closed, or broke the law. Source: state license files, July 27, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2026. Download the chart: PNG · SVG

What "not in the state's file" means, and what it doesn't

A license missing from the October file does not by itself mean the contractor stopped working, closed a business, or broke the law. The holder may renew late, hold another license, or have retired.

We looked up 14 of the missing licenses on the state's lookup site on Oct. 20, 2026, at least one of each license type. We picked them by license type, not at random. All 14 showed as delinquent. That is a small sample, not a check of every license.

The state's public file lists active and inactive licenses. It leaves out licenses that are delinquent (not renewed on time), null and void, or involuntarily inactive. So when a license that was due is missing from the October file, it is no longer current on the state's list.2 Here is how a license that isn't renewed on time moves through the rules:

  1. A license that is not renewed before it expires becomes delinquent.9
  2. Florida law says a contractor may not do contracting work unless the license is on active status. The state's licensing agency tells holders of a delinquent license that they may not work with it until it is updated.3,4
  3. A delinquent license can still be renewed late, with an extra $25 fee. If it is not fixed before the end of the next two-year cycle, the law says it becomes void.5,7
  4. A license that becomes void usually means starting over. Certified contractors generally have to take the state exam again.8
Hurricane Isaias · Panhandle

After Hurricane Isaias: check the license today, not last summer

Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on Oct. 9, 2026, as a Category 2 storm.10 The state's Department of Financial Services sent fraud detectives to Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Escambia and Walton counties to warn about fraud and to deter unlicensed and predatory contractors.11 Santa Rosa County tells residents they can check a contractor's license on the state's licensing website.12 The renewal deadline came about six weeks before the storm, so a license that looked fine in July may not be current now.

A two-story beach house with a blue tarp over its roof, behind mounds of storm-pushed sand
A blue tarp covers a damaged roof in Pensacola Beach, Fla., on Oct. 15, 2004, after Hurricane Ivan. Photo: Mark Wolfe, FEMA (public domain)

Escambia

Active roofing licenses, July 27 → Oct. 27
125 → 130
Certified licenses, all types, not yet renewed in July
448
Of those, not in the state's file on Oct. 27
96 (21.4%)

Okaloosa

Active roofing licenses, July 27 → Oct. 27
90 → 85
Certified licenses, all types, not yet renewed in July
456
Of those, not in the state's file on Oct. 27
86 (18.9%)

Santa Rosa

Active roofing licenses, July 27 → Oct. 27
100 → 103
Certified licenses, all types, not yet renewed in July
389
Of those, not in the state's file on Oct. 27
61 (15.7%)

Walton

Active roofing licenses, July 27 → Oct. 27
59 → 59
Certified licenses, all types, not yet renewed in July
392
Of those, not in the state's file on Oct. 27
57 (14.5%)

Together, 300 of these four counties' 1,685 due licenses (17.8%) were not in the file. That is about the same as the share for all licenses with a Florida county on record (17.6%). A license missing from the state's file does not by itself mean the contractor is unlicensed, quit, or broke the law; the holder may renew late or hold another license. Contractors from other counties and states can work here too.

Roofing counts are certified (statewide) plus registered (local) roofing licenses that were current and active, with an address in the county. The other numbers count every certified license type, not just roofing. Chart for this box: PNG · SVG

See these numbers as a table
CountyActive roofing licenses, July 27, 2026Active roofing licenses, Oct. 27, 2026Certified licenses, all types, not yet renewed in the July 27, 2026 fileOf those, not in the state's file on Oct. 27, 2026
Escambia12513044896 (21.4%)
Okaloosa908545686 (18.9%)
Santa Rosa10010338961 (15.7%)
Walton595939257 (14.5%)

A license that looked fine in July may not be current now.

View from above of a Panama City neighborhood with stripped trees, debris and blue tarps on many roofs
Blue tarps on damaged roofs across a Panama City, Fla., neighborhood on Oct. 21, 2018, after Hurricane Michael. Photo: Patrick Bray, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (public domain)

Look up your county

Pick a county to see its numbers. County means the address on the license record, which is not always where the contractor works.

Due licenses not in the state's file, by countyCounties with at least 300 licenses due. Dashed line: all licenses with a Florida county on record (17.6%).
  1. Citrus25.1% of 374
  2. Charlotte21.6% of 829
  3. Escambia21.4% of 448
  4. Monroe20.9% of 426
  5. Volusia20.8% of 1,498
  6. Brevard20.6% of 1,369
  7. Lake20.4% of 949
  8. Duval19.8% of 1,982
  9. Martin19.7% of 665
  10. Indian River19.6% of 521
  11. Alachua19.4% of 588
  12. St. Lucie19.2% of 891
  13. Orange19.1% of 2,382
  14. Okaloosa18.9% of 456
  15. Hernando18.7% of 450
  16. Seminole18.5% of 1,166
  17. Collier18.5% of 1,524
  18. Marion18.3% of 785
  19. Lee18.3% of 3,105
  20. Manatee18.3% of 1,092
  21. Sarasota18.1% of 1,656
  22. Clay17.8% of 493
  23. Pinellas17.5% of 2,583
  24. Pasco17.3% of 1,257
  25. Polk17.3% of 1,101
  26. Palm Beach16.9% of 3,746
  27. Hillsborough16.5% of 3,384
  28. St. Johns16.4% of 839
  29. Flagler16.1% of 304
  30. Santa Rosa15.7% of 389
  31. Broward15.4% of 4,291
  32. Osceola15.2% of 455
  33. Bay15.1% of 576
  34. Leon14.9% of 584
  35. Walton14.5% of 392
  36. Miami-Dade14.2% of 5,842

County = the address on the July license record, not where the contractor works. Not being in the file does not by itself mean a contractor quit or broke the law. Source: state license files, July 27, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2026. Download the chart: PNG · SVG

Show the table for all 67 counties

Rows marked * have fewer than 100 licenses due, so their rates can swing a lot. The last rows are licenses with an address outside Florida or no county on record; they are counted in the totals. "Due" means the license had not yet renewed in the July 27, 2026 file. Shares of due run higher than shares of all 114,987 certified licenses (statewide, 9.5% of all certified licenses were not in the file).

Licenses with a Florida county on record: 17.6% not in the file. Out-of-state addresses: 25.9%. No county on record: 21.8%. Together: 18.4% of all due licenses.

CountyDueRenewedRenewed (share of due)Not in the state's fileNot in file (share of due)
Alachua58847380.4%11419.4%
Baker *806682.5%1417.5%
Bay57648784.5%8715.1%
Bradford *605388.3%711.7%
Brevard1,3691,08279.0%28220.6%
Broward4,2913,62584.5%65915.4%
Calhoun *242291.7%28.3%
Charlotte82964878.2%17921.6%
Citrus37428074.9%9425.1%
Clay49340481.9%8817.8%
Collier1,5241,23781.2%28218.5%
Columbia13410276.1%3223.9%
DeSoto1028684.3%1615.7%
Dixie *342779.4%720.6%
Duval1,9821,58580.0%39219.8%
Escambia44835278.6%9621.4%
Flagler30425583.9%4916.1%
Franklin *332678.8%721.2%
Gadsden11410491.2%108.8%
Gilchrist *584272.4%1627.6%
Glades *282175.0%725.0%
Gulf *685479.4%1420.6%
Hamilton *161062.5%637.5%
Hardee *615183.6%1016.4%
Hendry1129988.4%1311.6%
Hernando45036581.1%8418.7%
Highlands24819377.8%5522.2%
Hillsborough3,3842,82483.5%55716.5%
Holmes *362877.8%822.2%
Indian River52141980.4%10219.6%
Jackson *685580.9%1319.1%
Jefferson *363288.9%411.1%
Lafayette *181477.8%422.2%
Lake94975479.5%19420.4%
Lee3,1052,53281.5%56918.3%
Leon58449785.1%8714.9%
Levy1049490.4%98.7%
Liberty *171694.1%15.9%
Madison *191473.7%526.3%
Manatee1,09289181.6%20018.3%
Marion78564181.7%14418.3%
Martin66553280.0%13119.7%
Miami-Dade5,8425,00785.7%82814.2%
Monroe42633779.1%8920.9%
Nassau26321682.1%4717.9%
Okaloosa45636980.9%8618.9%
Okeechobee1098174.3%2724.8%
Orange2,3821,92680.9%45419.1%
Osceola45538684.8%6915.2%
Palm Beach3,7463,10782.9%63316.9%
Pasco1,2571,03982.7%21717.3%
Pinellas2,5832,12782.3%45117.5%
Polk1,10191082.7%19017.3%
Putnam14311580.4%2819.6%
Santa Rosa38932884.3%6115.7%
Sarasota1,6561,35581.8%30018.1%
Seminole1,16694781.2%21618.5%
St. Johns83970083.4%13816.4%
St. Lucie89171680.4%17119.2%
Sumter15111475.5%3724.5%
Suwannee *815871.6%2227.2%
Taylor *232191.3%28.7%
Union *292482.8%517.2%
Volusia1,4981,18479.0%31120.8%
Wakulla1149583.3%1714.9%
Walton39233585.5%5714.5%
Washington *816681.5%1518.5%
Out of state4,9613,67274.0%1,28725.9%
Outside the U.S. *33100.0%00.0%
Not recorded2,1961,71378.0%47821.8%
All due licenses59,01648,04381.4%10,88618.4%

A license missing from the October file does not by itself mean the contractor stopped working, closed a business, or broke the law. The holder may renew late, hold another license, or have retired.

Before you hire: four checks

  1. Look up any contractor's license yourself before you hire, and again before you pay a big deposit.

  2. On the state's lookup site, look for a status of Current and Active. Inactive, delinquent, or suspended means the license may not be used to do the work right now.

  3. Make sure the license type fits the job. A roofing license is for roofs, a pool license is for pools.

  4. If a license shows as delinquent, ask the contractor about it. It may be renewed late, but until then it may not be used for contracting.

Check a Florida contractor license

Type the license number from the contractor's quote or business card. The state's live record opens in a new tab, and this page stays open.

No number? Search by business or person name

Many people share names, so the license number is the surest match.

The search runs on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's site; we don't see or store what you type. If the box stops working, use the state's search page.

What the status means
Current, Active
Up to date with the state and allowed to work under the license.
Current, Inactive
Up to date with the state, but not allowed to work under this license.
Delinquent
Not renewed on time. It may not be used for contracting until it is renewed.
Probation
The state put the license on probation, as discipline or as a condition of licensure. Ask the contractor about it.
Suspended
The license holder's work privileges are suspended for a period of time.
No records found
Check the spelling or number, and ask the contractor for the license number in writing. Some trades are licensed by a city or county instead of the state.

From the state's license status glossary. For the final word on any license, use the state's record.

Or open the state's license search page. Step by step: how to check any contractor's license. What a handyman may do without a license: Florida's handyman and contractor rules.

Renewals by license type

"Due" means the license had not yet renewed in the July 27, 2026 file. Shares of due run higher than shares of all 114,987 certified licenses (statewide, 9.5% of all certified licenses were not in the file).

Share of due licenses renewed, by license typeLicense types with at least 50 licenses due. * Fewer than 100 due; treat the rate with care.
  1. Plumbing (4,393 due)85.9%
  2. Air Conditioning (6,107 due)83.6%
  3. Mechanical (1,287 due)83.1%
  4. Roofing (6,006 due)82.0%
  5. Underground Utility and Excavation (1,436 due)81.8%
  6. Specialty (1,958 due)81.7%
  7. General (19,601 due)81.3%
  8. Pool/Spa (2,384 due)81.1%
  9. Building (10,592 due)80.7%
  10. Pollutant Storage System (178 due)77.0%
  11. Solar (290 due)76.2%
  12. Residential (4,730 due)76.1%
  13. Sheet Metal (54 due) *64.8%

Source: state license files, July 27, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2026. Download the chart: PNG · SVG

Show the numbers for every license type
License typeDueRenewedRenewed (share of due)Not in the state's fileNot in file (share of due)
Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC)4,3933,77285.9%62014.1%
Certified Air Conditioning Contractor (CAC)6,1075,10783.6%99616.3%
Certified Mechanical Contractor (CMC)1,2871,07083.1%21716.9%
Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC)6,0064,92382.0%1,06417.7%
Certified Underground Utility and Excavation Contractor (CUC)1,4361,17481.8%26218.2%
Certified Specialty Contractor (SCC)1,9581,59981.7%35818.3%
Certified General Contractor (CGC)19,60115,92681.3%3,64218.6%
Certified Pool/Spa Contractor (CPC)2,3841,93381.1%44518.7%
Certified Building Contractor (CBC)10,5928,54780.7%2,02519.1%
Certified Pollutant Storage System Contractor (PCC)17813777.0%4123.0%
Certified Solar Contractor (CVC)29022176.2%6923.8%
Certified Residential Contractor (CRC)4,7303,59976.1%1,12823.8%
Certified Sheet Metal Contractor (CSC) *543564.8%1935.2%
All due licenses59,01648,04381.4%10,88618.4%

Rows marked * have fewer than 100 licenses due, so their rates can swing a lot.

A license missing from the October file does not by itself mean the contractor stopped working, closed a business, or broke the law. The holder may renew late, hold another license, or have retired.

Active vs. inactive licenses

An inactive license is one the holder keeps up with the state but is not allowed to work under.6 In July, 51,850 of the due licenses were active and 7,166 were inactive. 277 were also on probation or suspended at the time.

Active in July84.8%renewed (43,954 of 51,850)
Inactive in July57.1%renewed (4,089 of 7,166)
Show the table
Status in JulyDueRenewedRenewed (share of due)Not in the state's fileNot in file (share of due)
Active51,85043,95484.8%7,82315.1%
Inactive7,1664,08957.1%3,06342.7%

A license missing from the October file does not by itself mean the contractor stopped working, closed a business, or broke the law. The holder may renew late, hold another license, or have retired.

How we did this, and what it can't tell you

The files we compared

We downloaded the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's public construction license file on July 27, 2026 (269,790 rows, 118,811 of them contractor licenses), again on Oct. 20, 2026, and on Oct. 27, 2026 (264,006 rows, 110,567 contractor licenses). We matched licenses by license number. We counted only contractor licenses, not the business, officer, and course records in the same file.

What we counted

  • "Due" means the July record still showed an expiration date of Aug. 31, 2026, so the license had not yet renewed. In the Oct. 27, 2026 file, 84 due licenses still showed the old 2026 date and 3 showed another date. With 43 licenses that already showed an older end date in July, they make up the 130 "other dates" in the first chart.
  • The 55,928 licenses that already showed the 2028 date in July include early renewals and licenses first issued with that date, so they are not a count of renewals.
  • 2,734 contractor license numbers appear in the Oct. 27, 2026 file but not in July's.
  • Our Oct. 20, 2026 version counted 11,048 not in the file; since then 172 came back and 10 more dropped out.

What it can't tell you

  • "Renewed" means the license showed a new end date of Aug. 31, 2028, in the Oct. 27 file. Some of these were renewed late, after Aug. 31.
  • The state updates the file about once a week, and updates can be delayed. For the most current status, use the state's online license search.
  • The county is the one in the July 27 license record, which follows the address on file. It is not always where the contractor works. Certified licenses can be used anywhere in Florida.
  • Electricians and alarm contractors are licensed by a separate state board and are not in this file. Registered (local) contractor licenses renew in odd years, next in 2027, so they are not in these counts.
  • License numbers that appear in October but not in July may be new, reinstated, or re-numbered licenses. The file does not say which.
  • A license is not a person. One person can hold more than one license.

AI, funding and corrections

  • How AI was used: AI tools helped write the code and the text. A script matched the state files license by license. On Oct. 27, 2026, a second script, written separately without our counting code, recounted every number on this page from the raw state files, and they matched. The 14 status lookups were made on the state's public lookup site on Oct. 20, 2026. No one at Safe Home Experts is a contractor, attorney or state official. Publisher Mark Phaneuf is accountable for this report and its corrections.
  • Funding: no outside company, trade group or government agency paid for or reviewed this report. Safe Home Experts is owned by Ikan Media Inc. See how we make money.
  • Updates and corrections are posted on What's new.

For reporters

Cite as:

Source: Safe Home Experts analysis of Florida DBPR public construction license files, July 27 and Oct. 27, 2026.

The numbers, charts and data files are free to use under CC BY 4.0, with credit and a link to this page. Please keep the limits with the numbers: not being in the state's file does not by itself mean a contractor quit or broke the law.

Charts (1200 pixels wide):

Statewide chart
Statewide: PNG · SVG
Hurricane Isaias counties chart
Hurricane Isaias counties: PNG · SVG
Counties chart
Counties: PNG · SVG
License types chart
License types: PNG · SVG

Data (counts only):

Questions: Mark Phaneuf, Publisher, Safe Home Experts (Ikan Media Inc.), at [email protected]. We answer in writing. For official comment, contact the state licensing agency's media office.

We publish counts only. We don't share names, addresses or license-number lists. The state's file itself is public. Press page →

Photo credits: Patrick Bray, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (public domain); Mark Wolfe, FEMA (public domain); Patrick Bray, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (public domain). The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement. The photos show earlier storms, not Hurricane Isaias.

Sources

  1. Construction Industry Licensing Board FAQs — Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)Certified contractors renew their licenses on August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered contractors renew their licenses August 31 of every odd-numbered year.
  2. Construction Industry public records download — Florida DBPRActive, inactive and voluntarily inactive licensees. NULL & VOID, delinquent and involuntarily inactive records are not included in this download.
  3. Fla. Stat. § 489.116, Inactive and delinquent status; renewal and cancellation — Florida LegislatureA certificateholder or registrant may not engage in contracting unless the certificateholder or registrant has an active status certificate or registration.
  4. Construction Industry Licensing Board FAQs: delinquent and null and void licenses — Florida DBPRYou may not practice with this license until the status has been updated.
  5. Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G4-12.009(11)(a), Fees (rule text, last amended Oct. 30, 2017) — Florida Department of StatePursuant to Section 455.271(7), F.S., the delinquency fee for certification or registration shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
  6. DBPR glossary: Inactive — Florida DBPRInactive - the licensee has met the department's requirements for licensure but is not allowed to work under this license.
  7. Fla. Stat. § 489.116(5): when a delinquent license becomes void — Florida LegislatureFailure by a delinquent status certificateholder or registrant to become active or inactive before the expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the certificate or registration void, and any subsequent licensure shall be subject to all procedures and requirements imposed on an applicant for initial licensure.
  8. Construction Industry Licensing Board FAQs: null and void licenses — Florida DBPRGenerally, you must start the licensure process over. If you are certified, you must retake the state contractor’s examination.
  9. Fla. Stat. § 489.116(4): delinquent status — Florida LegislatureFailure of a certificateholder or registrant to so apply shall cause the certificate or registration to become a delinquent certificate or registration.
  10. Governor's office: response and recovery updates on Hurricane Isaias — Executive Office of the Governor of FloridaHurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin at approximately 9:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, October 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
  11. CFO: Hurricane Isaias response efforts (Oct. 13, 2026) — Florida Department of Financial Servicesdeter unlicensed and predatory contractors from exploiting vulnerable homeowners
  12. Santa Rosa County Building Inspections: beware of unlicensed contractors and scams — Santa Rosa County, FloridaYou can verify licenses through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) at www.MyFloridaLicense.com
  13. Construction license public records file (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), downloaded July 27, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 2026 — Florida DBPR