STATE LICENSE
NoneSee what applies
There is no flooring category in Chapter 489, and § 489.117(4)(a)1. bars local governments from requiring a licence for flooring or for decorative stone, tile, marble, granite or terrazzo installation. Both the hard-surface and the soft-surface sides of the trade are covered by name.
Section 489.117(4)(a)1. also confirms the upstream rule: a person whose job scope does not substantially correspond to a state contractor category is not required to register with the board at all. Flooring installers register with nobody.
The general preemption in § 163.211 runs underneath it — occupational licensing is expressly preempted to the state, licences imposed before January 1, 2021 expired July 1, 2025, and local licensing not authorized under that section or by general law may not be enforced. What remains is a business tax receipt, workers' compensation from the first employee, and the discipline of not letting a floor job grow into licensed work.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Local governments may not license flooring or hard-surface installation — the scopes are named in § 489.117(4)(a)1. — and § 163.211 preempts occupational licensing generally with the pre-2021 grandfather gone since July 1, 2025. What local governments still do is collect a business tax receipt, enforce zoning, and issue building permits for any structural work that goes beyond the floor covering itself.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Florida county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of September 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
The statute lists flooring and, separately, decorative stone, tile, marble, granite or terrazzo installation — so carpet, LVP, hardwood and hard-surface work are all outside local licensing.
Section 489.117(4)(a)1. says a person whose job scope does not substantially correspond to a state contractor category is not required to register with the board. There is no state paperwork to file at all.
Replacing a floor covering is unlicensed. Repairing or altering the structure under it is contracting, and takes a Division I licence and a permit.
A practical sequence for a new flooring contractor in Florida. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Local licensing of an occupation not authorized under § 163.211 or otherwise authorized by general law does not apply and may not be enforced.
Contracting for structural subfloor work, remodeling that includes licensed tasks, or holding yourself out as a contractor without a licence.
One or more employees in the construction industry without workers' compensation coverage.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on September 2026.
Pending verification: Whether any county in an area of critical state concern retains a flooring-related licence under the § 489.117(4)(a)2. exception · Current EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting firm certification and renovator training fees — the EPA RRP fee schedule was not retrieved for this record · Where individual building departments draw the line between floor-covering replacement and structural subfloor repair for permitting purposes
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.