What Florida Law Says About Contractor Licensing: When a GC Must Hold the License vs. Subcontract

Florida has one of the most comprehensive contractor licensing systems in the country. Florida Statute 489 governs who can perform what work, what license category covers each trade, and what consequences follow from unlicensed work. For homeowners and commercial owners in Jacksonville, understanding this system isn't just academic — it determines whether the work on your property is legal, insurable, and warrantied.

This post explains Florida's two-tier licensing structure, what a general contractor (GC) can self-perform under their own license, which trades require a separately licensed contractor, how to verify any contractor's license, and what the qualifier-versus-license-holder distinction means in practice.

Florida's Two-Tier Contractor Licensing System

Florida Statute 489 creates two tiers of contractor licensing: Certified and Registered.

Certified contractors hold a license issued directly by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). A Certified license is statewide — the contractor can pull permits and perform work anywhere in Florida without additional county or municipal registration.

Registered contractors hold a license that is county- or municipality-specific. A Registered GC licensed in Duval County can pull permits in Jacksonville but may not be authorized to work in other Florida jurisdictions without separate registration. Registered licenses are less common for contractors who work across regions.

For the owner's purposes: a Certified contractor is verified to have met statewide examination and qualification standards. Ask any GC whether they hold a Certified or Registered license, and verify through DBPR.

GC License Categories in Florida

General contractors in Florida operate under two primary license categories:

CGC — Certified General Contractor: The broadest GC license. A CGC can contract for construction of any building or structure — residential or commercial — and can supervise work across virtually all trades within the project scope.

CBC — Certified Building Contractor: Covers construction of one, two, and three-family dwellings and commercial buildings up to three stories in height. More limited than the CGC in multi-story commercial scope.

For a custom home in Jacksonville or a commercial renovation under three stories, a CBC is sufficient. For multi-story commercial construction, a hospital project, or a warehouse, the GC should hold a CGC.

JK Prestige holds the appropriate Florida certifications to perform residential and commercial construction of all types — including multi-story commercial and healthcare.

What a GC Can Self-Perform Under Their Own License

A Certified General Contractor (CGC) can supervise and perform general construction work under their own license without separately licensed trade contractors for:

• General building construction: Structural framing, sheathing, exterior envelope, rough carpentry
• Concrete: Foundation work, slab-on-grade, elevated slabs, tilt-up panels
• Drywall: Interior partitions, ceilings, firewall assemblies
• Finish carpentry: Millwork, cabinetry installation, doors and hardware, trim
• Roofing: With a CCC (Certified Roofing Contractor) license or Certified General Contractor scope that includes roofing, or as a separately licensed roofing sub

JK Prestige self-performs all of these under in-house crews — not brokered subcontractors. JK framing crews, JK concrete crews, JK drywall crews, and JK finish carpentry crews are direct employees. This is the operational advantage of self-perform: the GC's license covers the work, and the GC's personnel execute it, with direct quality accountability.

What Requires a Separately Licensed Subcontractor

Florida law requires separately licensed contractors for specific trades, regardless of the GC's license tier. These are the three primary trade licenses:

Electrical — Certified Electrical Contractor (CEC/EC): All electrical work — service entrance, panel, branch circuits, devices, fixtures, low-voltage systems if connected to line voltage — must be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed electrical contractor. The GC cannot perform electrical work under a general contractor license alone.

Plumbing — Certified Plumbing Contractor (CFC): All plumbing work — supply lines, drain-waste-vent systems, fixtures, water heater — must be performed by a licensed plumbing contractor. In healthcare settings, medical gas work is performed by licensed medical gas contractors separate from the general plumbing scope.

HVAC — Certified Air Conditioning Contractor (CAC): All HVAC work — refrigerant systems, ductwork installation, equipment, controls — must be performed by a CAC-licensed contractor. Some limited ductwork installation may fall under the GC's scope, but refrigerant work requires the CAC license without exception.

Roofing — Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC): Roofing has its own license in Florida. A GC without a CCC must use a CCC-licensed subcontractor for roofing work. JK Prestige holds the appropriate roofing credentials and self-performs roofing on residential and commercial projects with in-house crews.

For the owner, this means a legitimate project has verifiable licensed trade contractors for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC — each pulling their own permit under their own license, with their own insurance. If a GC tells you "I handle all the trades under my license," ask specifically about electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. A CGC cannot legally self-perform those trades.

How to Verify Any Contractor's License in Florida

The DBPR Contractor Licensing Portal is the authoritative source for verifying any Florida contractor's license. Access it at myfloridalicense.com.

What to verify:

1. License status: Active, suspended, or revoked
2. License type: CGC, CBC, EC, CFC, CAC, CCC — match to the work scope
3. Expiration date: License must be current at time of work, not just at time of contract signing
4. Qualifier name: See the section below — this is critical

Search by contractor name or license number. Every licensed contractor in Florida has a license number beginning with their license type (CGC, EC, etc.) followed by a numeric sequence. JK Prestige can provide license numbers for all licensed contractors on any project — and owners are encouraged to verify them directly through DBPR.

What "Qualifier" vs. "License Holder" Means — and Why It Matters

This distinction matters more than most owners realize. In Florida, a contractor license is held by an individual (the "qualifier") but can be associated with a business entity (the company). The qualifier is the individual who passed the examination, meets the experience requirements, and maintains the license in good standing.

The license holder (qualifier) doesn't have to be physically present on the jobsite at all times — but they must be the responsible party who supervises the permitted work, signs permits, and is accountable to the DBPR for the work performed under that license.

Why this matters for owners:

If the qualifier for a GC company has a different name than anyone you've met on the project — if the qualifier is a "paper qualifier" who lends their license to the company without active involvement — the oversight structure the licensing system is designed to create isn't functioning.

Ask your GC: who is the qualifier on your license? Is that person the principal who will be managing this project? If the qualifier and the project manager are two different people and you've never met the qualifier, ask why.

At JK Prestige, the principal who signs your contract is the same person responsible for the licensed work on the project. Principal-led accountability is not a marketing phrase — it's the operating structure. The person whose name is on the license is the person walking your jobsite.

Learn more about how JK Prestige operates or contact us to verify JK Prestige's license credentials and confirm trade coverage for your project.