How do I check a handyman's license in Florida?

Florida does not require a statewide handyman license. Florida does not license handymen at the state level. Counties may require an occupational license; trade-licensed work (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing) cannot be performed without the appropriate DBPR license.

When a state doesn't license a trade at the state level, verification leans on three things: (1) the local city or county building department's licensing or permit registry, (2) Secretary of State entity registration at Florida Division of Corporations, and (3) the contractor's public-record history — court judgments, liens, OSHA citations, and BBB complaints.

Step 1: Check whether the city or county where the work will be performed has a local contractor license. In Miami and Orlando, many handymen are required to register with the city building department.

Step 2: Confirm the business is registered with the Florida Division of Corporations (https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/) and that the filing status is active or in good standing. A dissolved or administratively revoked entity is a red flag — especially if the same address has a new entity registered.

Step 3: Run a free Groundcheck at earthmove.io/trust. The report pulls entity registration, court judgments, OSHA inspection history, and BBB complaints into one verdict. For unlicensed-at-state-level trades like handymen in Florida, the public-record history is where the trust signal lives.

The detailed Florida handyman rules are documented at earthmove.io/trust/license/handyman/florida.