STATE LICENSE
RequiredFlorida DBPR — Construction Industry Lice…
The plumbing contractor category is unlimited in the plumbing trade — sanitary and storm drainage, water and sewer plants, septic tanks, swimming pool piping and medical gas systems all sit inside it. That last item matters: medical gas carries its own board certification on top of the plumbing license.
Chapter 489 makes plumbing one of the seven trades a general, building or residential contractor must subcontract out unless that contractor personally holds a state certificate or registration in plumbing. The plumbing license is therefore not just permission to work — it is the thing that lets a GC hand you the scope at all.
Florida also splits the license geographically. Certification is statewide. Registration is limited to the counties, municipalities and districts where you complied with local competency requirements, which is why plumbing companies expanding across a metro area usually convert to certification rather than collect registrations.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Certification travels statewide; registration does not. Local governments issue the plumbing permit and the business tax receipt but no longer license the occupation — § 163.211 preempted local occupational licensing and the pre-2021 grandfather expired July 1, 2025. Local building departments are barred from issuing permits to anyone lacking a valid active state license.
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.
Section 489.113(3) forces a contractor to subcontract all plumbing work unless that contractor holds a state certificate or registration in plumbing. Your license is what makes you subcontractable.
Plumbing sits in Division II, so the insurance floor is $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage — a third of what a general contractor must carry.
The plumbing license covers medical gas systems in scope, but the board requires a medical gas certification before that work is performed.
A practical sequence for a new plumbing 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.
Contracting for plumbing work without the required certificate or registration.
DBPR may fine unlicensed persons directly and recover investigative and legal costs.
An unlicensed contractor cannot enforce the contract in law or in equity, while the other party keeps its own remedies.
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: The fee for the board's medical gas certification (Rule 61G4-15.031) — not stated in the CILB fee rule text retrieved · Whether certified licenses expire August 31 of even years and registrations August 31 of odd years — derived from the DBPR form fee windows and Rule 61G4-12.009(4)(a); the DBPR renewal page returned HTTP 403 · Local plumbing permit fee ranges, which are set independently by each county and municipality
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.