Florida roofing license: what your CCC or RC license covers, gutters and siding, the 25% reroof rule, and your first 30 days

Published November 8, 2026 · Law checked November 8, 2026

• Free to read. The 30-day checklist is also a free printable (Google Docs, Word or PDF). The files come by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Every rule here links to the statute, code section or official page it comes from. Ask the Construction Industry Licensing Board, your building department or a Florida attorney before you bet a job on my reading.

A Florida roofing license is a certificate (CCC) or registration (RC) from the Construction Industry Licensing Board, and it covers "all kinds of roofing, waterproofing, and coating," with no dollar cap and no line between houses and commercial buildings. The definition also names skylights, roof-deck attachments, wood sheathing and fascia replaced during a roof job, and, since May 2025, roof-to-wall connections done with a reroof.^1,2 Gutters, siding and soffit aren't in it, and the state leaves them to cities and counties: one may require its own license for them, but only if it already did before 2021.⁴ A CCC works anywhere in Florida; an RC works only where you hold the local license.¹

Five things catch new Florida roofing companies before the next job:

• Sub crews. Florida lets an unlicensed sub work under a licensed contractor's supervision, but not on work that needs a trade license, and roofing is one. As I read the statute, your roofers are your W-2 employees or a sub that holds its own roofing license.³
• Workers' comp starts at one employee in construction, and a sole proprietor counts as an employee. Only officers owning 10% or more of a corporation or LLC can file an exemption, and it covers them alone.¹¹
• Permits. Florida's building code has no roofing exemption. Since July 1, 2026, work under $7,500 on a single-family home outside a flood zone can skip the permit, on a written request with the contract, and never for structural work.^13,14
• The 25% rule now mostly hits roofs last done before the 2007 code. A reroof on an older wood-deck home brings deck nailing, a secondary water barrier and, on homes insured for $300,000 or more in the wind-borne debris region, roof-to-wall work.¹² A new edition of the building code is scheduled to start December 31, 2026, 53 days from today.
• The numbers online are wrong in places. Google's AI answer for "florida roofing license" on November 8, 2026 called the registered license "Registered Roofing Contractor (CCC-R)" (CCC is the certified one; registered numbers start with RC) and put DBPR's application fee "Around $145." DBPR's own form says $245 until August 31, 2027.^24,7

This is the Florida paperwork behind a roofing company, each item with the rule behind it. What your contract must say is in Florida construction contract requirements, the claim rules in Florida roofing insurance claim law, and getting paid when a customer won't in Florida mechanics lien. Business qualification and the rules every CILB license shares are in the Florida general contractor license guide. Pricing, estimating, the contract clauses and insurance are in the national guides: roofing price per square, the roofing estimate template, the roofing contract template and roofing insurance and workers comp.

The 30-day checklist is also a printable: make your own copy in Google Docs (lands in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links. It's the same list as on this page, with tick boxes and blanks for your license, policy, exemption and permit numbers and your renewal dates.

Florida roofing contractor license basics: certified, registered, and the business

Florida licenses the person, and the person qualifies the business. Roofing is a Division II trade, and anyone who contracts roofing must be certified or registered.^1,6 If you contract as an LLC, a corporation or another business entity, you apply as the "qualifying agent" of that business, and DBPR puts the business name on your license. A sole proprietor trading under a fictitious name doesn't need that step, only the fictitious name filing. The general contractor license guide covers qualification, insurance, comp and renewals for every CILB license; below is what's different for a roofer.^5,6

Sources for the table: the statutes, DBPR's FAQ and its roofing application form.^4,5,6,7,8 A license issued less than 12 months before an August 31 renewal owes no continuing education; one issued 1 to 2 years before owes 7 hours. A CCC issued this month renews August 31, 2028 with 7 hours.⁶

The qualifier's job, and the 60 days

A primary qualifying agent is responsible "for supervision of all operations of the business organization; for all field work at all sites; and for financial matters," unless the board approves a financially responsible officer to take the money side.⁵ If the only qualifier leaves, the business tells DBPR and has 60 days to bring in another, and after day 60 it can't contract at all. DBPR can issue a temporary, nonrenewable license for up to 60 days so the company can finish contracts it already signed.^5,6

Qualifying more than one company, and renting your license

You can qualify a second business, but approval is the board's call and you must show you can supervise each one. The board's rule, as amended December 23, 2025, sets the trigger: you appear before the board unless you own 20% or more of the new business or are its W-2 employee. A third business means an appearance unless you own 20% or more of all three (being a W-2 employee doesn't waive that one), and a fourth always does.^5,6 Even your own sole proprietorship counts: a qualifier who wants to contract in their own name too applies to qualify it as an additional business.⁶

Florida roofers get asked to rent their license. In the Reddit threads we read for this series, the question came almost only from Florida and California, in words like these: "Now do you recommend me taking 10% like he said he would or just take 100,000 a year like he said was another option?" (r/Contractor). The law answers it. Letting your number be used by an unqualified business is a first-degree misdemeanor, and a felony the second time. When a license is used by a business "without having any active participation in the operations, management, or control," the board treats that as "prima facie evidence of an intent to evade."¹⁰ And as qualifier you carry every job's field work and money. Sign only for a company you run.

Registered (RC): where you can work

An RC contracts "only in such jurisdictions" where it met the local requirements, and "Persons working outside the geographical scope of their registration are guilty of unlicensed activity."^1,10 Report every local license you hold to the board within 30 days of getting it. After a hurricane there's an opening: in an area under a declared state of emergency for a natural emergency, an RC may do the work its registration covers until 24 months after the emergency expires.⁴

What a Florida roofing license covers, and whether gutters and siding are included

The definition, in full: a roofing contractor's services "are unlimited in the roofing trade," to "install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or design, if not prohibited by law, and use materials and items used in the installation, maintenance, extension, and alteration of all kinds of roofing, waterproofing, and coating, except when coating is not represented to protect, repair, waterproof, stop leaks, or extend the life of the roof. The scope of work of a roofing contractor also includes all of the following and any related work: skylights; required roof-deck attachments; any repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia as needed during roof repair or replacement; and the evaluation and enhancement of roof-to-wall connections for structures with wood roof decking."¹ On the jobs that raise questions:

• Shingles, tile, metal, flat and low-slope membranes: "all kinds of roofing." No split by material, by house or commercial, or by contract size.¹
• Coatings: yours when sold to protect, waterproof, stop leaks or extend the roof's life.¹
• Decking: replacing wood sheathing "as needed during roof repair or replacement" is yours, re-decks included, and so is re-nailing the deck to code.^1,12
• Rafters, trusses and other framing: no. A roof structure is a "structural component," and structural work belongs to general, building and residential contractors.^1,3
• Skylights: named in the definition since before 2023.¹
• Fascia: yours when it's replaced as needed during a roof job.¹
• Roof-to-wall connections (straps and clips): added by HB 715, effective May 2025, on wood-deck buildings, done "in conjunction with a roof covering replacement or repair."^1,2
• Solar panels: no. Installing, relocating or replacing panels is the solar contractor's scope, and the wiring is electrical.¹

Gutters, siding, soffit and fascia: the plain answer

Gutters, siding and soffit aren't in the roofing definition, and the statute treats them as a local matter. It bars cities and counties from licensing job scopes the state doesn't, with one carve-out that's about you: "A local government may continue to offer a license for veneer, including aluminum or vinyl gutters, siding, soffit, or fascia ... if the local government imposed such a licensing requirement before January 1, 2021."⁴ So:

• Gutters and siding: your roofing license neither covers nor blocks them. Ask the city or county where the house is whether it kept a local license from before 2021. If it did, hold it or sub the job; if not, you can do it.
• Fascia during a reroof: yours under the roofing license. Fascia or soffit as a job of its own: the same local question as gutters.^1,4
• A residential, building or general contractor can supervise unlicensed specialty work on a single-family home without a local license, so a GC-led remodel follows different rules.⁴

Your business name and ads count too: a GC, building or residential contractor certified after 1973 may not "advertise himself or herself to be a roofing contractor" without a roofing license.³ And a general contractor "shall subcontract all ... roofing" work unless it holds a roofing license, except shingles on a new building of its own construction.³ That's why GCs call you.

Where your license stops

• Structure. Rafter, truss and wall repairs, a new roof where none was, cutting a new skylight opening through framing: a general, building or residential contractor. The roofing definition covers the deck, not what holds it up.^1,3
• Electrical. Attic fans, heat cable and solar wiring: an electrical contractor (see the Florida electrical contractor license).¹
• Plumbing vents. The boot and flashing are roofing; moving or extending the vent pipe is plumbing ("venting systems" are in the plumbing definition; see the Florida plumbing license).¹
• HVAC. Setting or moving a rooftop unit or duct is mechanical or air-conditioning work. The curb flashing is yours.¹
• Solar panel removal and reinstall: a solar or electrical contractor.¹
• Chimney masonry. The flashing is roofing; rebuilding brick or a crown isn't in the roofing definition (my reading: sub it to a general, building or residential contractor).¹
• On a mixed job you can be the prime contractor if most of the work is roofing, and sub "that remaining work" to licensed contractors.³

Florida roof permit requirements and inspections

Florida's building code requires a permit to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair" a building, and its list of work exempt from permits has gas, mechanical and plumbing items but nothing on roofs. Ordinary minor repairs can skip a permit only "with the approval of the building official."¹³ So plan on a permit for every reroof and most repairs, with one new exception.

The $7,500 exemption (since July 1, 2026). HB 803 made cities and counties "exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner's contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit to perform any work valued at less than $7,500." It doesn't apply in a flood hazard area or to "electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work," you can't split a project to get under it, and you have to submit "a written request for exemption ... with a copy of the contract."¹⁴ A shingle repair on a house outside a flood zone fits. Whether new sheathing counts as structural, ask the building department before you rely on it.

On a permitted job:

• Your license number goes on every permit application, and the building department checks it.⁵ You show proof of workers' comp to get the permit, and a city or county may refuse or suspend permits for a contractor who can't show the liability insurance and comp the license requires.^13,3
• Over $5,000, a copy of the recorded notice of commencement goes to the building department before the first inspection. The lien page covers the notice itself.¹⁵
• Roofing products need Florida product approval, which covers roofing and skylights.¹⁵
• The code's roofing inspection covers dry-in, insulation, roof coverings and flashing. Reroofs need no plan review.¹³
• Homeowners can pull an owner-builder permit for their own home, and after a declared emergency they can repair or replace shingles on their own one- to three-family home. An owner-builder must supervise the work and can't hire an unlicensed person to run it.⁹

What the big counties ask:

• Miami-Dade and Broward are the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, with their own chapter of roofing rules.¹³ Miami-Dade requires its Uniform Roofing Permit Application "for all roofing permits," plus a section for each roof system (shingle, tile, metal, built-up, single-ply), retrofit forms and an "Affidavit of Compliance with Roof-To-Wall Connection." Qualified roofing contractors can pull some residential roofing permits online in unincorporated areas.¹⁶
• Hillsborough: the re-roof page has you attest, "under penalty of perjury," that the decking, underlayment and covering will meet the code. A Progress Check inspection (in person or virtual, with photos or video) checks that roof attachments were strengthened, before the final.¹⁶
• Orange County: roof permits go through Fast Track, and the county wants the notice of commencement "If value of work exceeds $5000."¹⁶

The Florida 25% roof rule and reroof requirements

The Existing Building code's section 706.1.1: "Not more than 25 percent of the total roof area or roof section of any existing building or structure shall be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period unless the roof covering on the entire existing roof system or roof section is replaced or recovered to conform to the requirements of this code."¹² A 2022 law (s. 553.844(5)) cut it back: if the roof or section "was built, repaired, or replaced in compliance with the requirements of the 2007 Florida Building Code, or any subsequent editions," and 25% or more is being worked on, "only the repaired, replaced, or recovered portion" has to meet today's code, and no local government may amend that exception.¹² So write down the year the roof was last permitted on every repair estimate. A storm-damaged 2005 roof with 30% gone becomes a reroof of that whole roof or section to today's code; the same damage on a 2012 roof is a repair.

Recovering. No new roof over one that's water-soaked or too deteriorated, over wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, over "two or more applications of any type of roof covering," or over unrepaired blisters. Standing-seam metal systems that carry their own loads are an exception.¹²

Mitigation on a reroof. When a roof covering on a wood-deck building is removed and replaced, the code lets the roofing contractor do two things, and on older buildings requires them:¹²

• Deck attachment: existing 8d nails must be at least 0.113 inch by 2 1/4 inches to count, and panels nailed farther apart than 6 inches (or with staples or 6d nails) get supplemental ring-shank nails at 6 inches on center.
• A secondary water barrier, installed to the current code, except on slopes under 2:12 with a continuous roof system and on tile systems installed to code.
• Buildings first permitted under the Florida Building Code are exempt from both: this is for older homes.

Roof-to-wall connections come in when the building is in the wind-borne debris region and has an insured value of $300,000 or more (or, uninsured, a just value that high). They must be improved to resist the uplift in the code's table, but retrofits "shall not be required beyond a 15 percent increase in the cost of reroofing," and not at all where the connections were required when the house was built.¹² The wind-borne debris region is set by design wind speed: within a mile of the coast with open water upwind at 130 mph or more, and anywhere at 140 mph or more.¹³ Get the insured value from the homeowner's declarations page before you price.

The 9th edition of the Florida Building Code is scheduled to take effect December 31, 2026 (the rule adopting it was proposed on September 23, 2026 and wasn't final when I checked on November 9). It keeps section 706 and the 25% rule, and adds a recover exception where you remove the top of two layers and leave a sound substrate. Hillsborough already tells contractors that permit submissions from that date "must indicate 9th Edition (2026) Florida Building Code."¹²

Wind mitigation inspections and My Safe Florida Home

Insurers give wind discounts based on the uniform mitigation verification form, and the statute lists who insurers must accept it from: trained home inspectors, building code inspectors, "A general, building, or residential contractor licensed under s. 489.111," engineers and architects. Roofing contractors aren't on the list. An insurer may still accept your signature, but it doesn't have to.¹⁷ What you can do is the work the form rewards (deck nailing, secondary water barrier, roof-to-wall straps) and give the owner the permit, product approvals and photos for their inspector.

My Safe Florida Home pays homeowners for that work. The grant matches $2 for every $1 up to $10,000, with no match for low-income owners, for a homesteaded, site-built home built before 2008 with an insured value of $700,000 or less. A 2026 change limits grants to low- and moderate-income applicants.¹⁸ For you as the contractor:

• The homeowner picks you. Roofing contractors are on the program's list of license types, and it "no longer maintains a list of authorized contractors."¹⁸
• Your name and state license number go on the grant application, and the program checks them.¹⁸
• "Do not begin any mitigation construction PRIOR to receiving your official grant approval notice." Start early and the owner loses the money.¹⁸
• Payment is a reimbursement to the owner after a final inspection, with your invoice, closed permits and (except for low-income owners) proof they paid you in full. Plan your deposit and payment terms around that.¹⁸
• On November 8, 2026 the program listed application dates as "TBD," opening first to low-income applicants aged 60 or older. Check its FAQ before you sell a job on the grant.

After a hurricane: storm work, out-of-state crews and the felony

• Unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor, but "during the existence of a state of emergency declared by executive order of the Governor" it's a third-degree felony.¹⁰
• An out-of-state roofing company needs a Florida license to contract here: by exam, by endorsement (roofing endorsement applicants take a 2-hour Florida Building Code course with wind mitigation), or a one-project limited registration the board approves at a meeting.^8,4,6
• Out-of-state workers can work as your employees under your license. They need a Florida comp policy or endorsement "which utilizes Florida class codes," and an employer who skips that commits a second-degree felony.^9,11
• RC holders can work in the declared area until 24 months after the emergency ends (above).⁴

Insurance claims get one paragraph here. Section 489.147 bars a roofer from offering anything of value for a roof inspection or a claim, from waiving a deductible, from ads that invite a roof claim without the required wording, and from interpreting a policy or adjusting a claim without a public adjuster license, with fines up to $10,000 per violation. Every residential roof repair or replacement contract carries two notices, and a contract signed within 180 days of a declared emergency can be canceled within 10 days or by the official start date.¹⁹ The full rules, with assignment of benefits, claim deadlines and a claim addendum, are in Florida roofing insurance claim law; the contract notices are also in the contract article.

Federal rules every Florida roofing business meets

Fall protection: 6 feet, and what a written plan is for

Florida has no state job-safety plan, so federal OSHA covers private employers here.²⁰ The rule: "Each employee engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system."²⁰ On a house that means a harness, lanyard and anchor for each roofer, or guardrails or nets. A written fall protection plan is the exception: you may use one only when you can show those systems are infeasible or more dangerous at that site, written by a qualified person for that job and kept there.²⁰

EPA's lead rule: painted fascia, soffit and trim on pre-1978 homes

Shingles aren't painted, so a plain reroof rarely triggers EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. Painted wood fascia, soffit, trim or siding on a home built before 1978 does. Florida doesn't run its own program, so EPA's rule applies to "all firms, even sole proprietorships."²¹ The minor repair exemption stops at "20 square feet or less of painted surface for exterior activities," and never covers window replacement or "demolition of painted surface areas." Tear out a run of painted fascia and you're past it: the firm needs EPA certification and a certified renovator on the job.²¹

Asbestos in old roofing

The federal asbestos rule for demolition and renovation excludes "residential buildings having four or fewer dwelling units," so it generally doesn't reach a house reroof.²² Florida adds its own line. A roofing contractor doesn't need an asbestos contractor's license to remove asbestos roofing, but only if the work is "performed under the direction of an onsite roofing supervisor" who has completed a DBPR-approved asbestos roofing course, and you keep the training records.²² If you'll tear off old asbestos-cement shingles or commercial built-up roofs, get a supervisor trained first.

Crews, subs and workers' comp

Who can work under your license

Your employees work under your license, and Florida defines that tightly: an employee is paid by and under the control of an employer "who regularly deducts the F.I.C.A. and withholding tax and provides workers' compensation."⁹ A 1099 crew isn't that.

Subs are where Florida differs from most states. An unlicensed sub may work under a licensed contractor's supervision only if "the subcontractor being supervised is not engaged in construction work that would require a license as a contractor under any of the categories listed in s. 489.105(3)(d)-(o)." Roofing is category (e).³ As I read it, a sub crew that installs roofing needs its own CCC or RC (and the business qualified), and the board can discipline you for "Performing any act which assists" unlicensed contracting.¹⁰ I found no board ruling on labor-only roofing crews. Ask the board or a Florida attorney before you build your crew model on one.

Workers' comp

• Construction employers need coverage at "one or more employees," owners who are corporate officers or LLC members included.¹¹
• A sole proprietor or partner in construction counts as an employee, and exemptions go only to corporate officers and LLC members, so a one-person roofing company that wants no policy forms an LLC or corporation first.¹¹
• The construction exemption: up to three officers per corporation or affiliated group, each owning at least 10% and listed with the Division of Corporations, filed with DFS for $50, good for 2 years, covering only the officer named. See DFS's construction exemption page.¹¹
• Your license needs comp or the exemption: a new licensee attests it will get the exemption within 30 days of the license.^7,8
• Your subs' workers are yours unless the sub has comp. "A contractor shall require a subcontractor to provide evidence of workers' compensation insurance," and an exempt officer hands you a copy of the exemption. An exemption covers that officer, never his crew.¹¹ You can also register with a sub's carrier to be told if the policy is canceled.¹¹
• Owners price the difference: "100/sq for an insured sub and 75-80 if I'm having to cover WC for them" (r/Roofing). And an audit can arrive as one bill: "I got audited by my previous workman's comp insurance and the bill came out to over 200k!" (r/Roofing, a California owner, since removed). The comp rate for roofing in your state is in the roofing insurance guide.

Liability insurance

Florida does set a minimum. Roofing licensees must carry $100,000 of public liability and $25,000 of property damage insurance (general and building contractors $300,000 and $50,000), and keep it "at all times."^6,7 That's a floor, not what a homeowner's lawyer will ask for. Read the class code on any quote: "Alot of roofers get a binder for a GL policy to show they have GL insurance but the policy EXCLUDES roofing" (r/Roofing).

Sales tax on materials, and your business tax receipt

On a lump sum, cost plus, fixed fee, guaranteed price or time-and-materials job, the Florida Department of Revenue treats a roofer as "the final consumer of materials and supplies." You "Must pay sales tax to suppliers" and "Should not charge tax to the customer." The alternative is a retail sale plus installation contract, where you list and price every material before work starts, buy them tax-exempt for resale and charge tax on them.²³ Most roofers do the first: pay the tax and county surtax at the supply house and build it into your price per square.

Cities and counties issue a local business tax receipt, and won't issue it without your active state license. You pay it where your office or branch is, and no other city or county may charge you one for temporary work there. A qualified business applies in the business's name and the qualifier's, with the license number on the receipt.^23,5

Can I take this job? A table for Florida roofing contractors

The verdicts assume you hold a CCC, or an RC and the house is inside your registration area.

Sources for the table: the roofing definition and scope rules,^1,3,4 the existing building code and the 25% statute,¹² permits,^13,14,15 claims,¹⁹ lead and asbestos,^21,22 penalties and local tax.^10,23

Your first 30 days: a checklist for a new Florida roofing contractor

This is the same list as the printable. Week 1 keeps the next job legal, week 2 covers the people on the roof, and weeks 3 and 4 get permits, the code, tax and contracts settled before they cost you.

Week 1: license and paperwork

1. Look yourself up on DBPR's Verify a Licensee. Write down the license number (CCC or RC), status, expiration date and the business name the license qualifies.⁶
2. If you contract as an LLC or corporation, make sure the business is qualified by your license. File any fictitious name you trade under.⁵
3. RC: list every city and county where you hold the local license, and report any new one to the board within 30 days.⁴
4. Workers' comp policy, or the DFS construction exemption within 30 days of your new license.^7,11
5. Liability insurance of at least $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage, with the agent's written confirmation that roofing isn't excluded.⁷
6. Local business tax receipt where your office is (county and city), showing your state license.²³
7. Your license number on every offer, proposal, bid, contract and ad, and on any truck that carries your company name.⁵
8. Gutters, siding and soffit: ask each city and county you work in whether it kept a local license from before 2021.⁴

Week 2: crews, comp and safety

9. Your roofers are W-2 employees (taxes withheld, on your comp policy) or subs with their own roofing license. No unlicensed sub crews doing roofing.^3,9
10. Every sub, before the first job: license number checked on DBPR, a certificate of comp or an exemption certificate for each officer on the roof, kept on file for your audit.¹¹
11. Out-of-state workers: on your Florida policy with Florida class codes.¹¹
12. Fall protection on every roof: a harness, lanyard and anchor for each worker 6 feet up, or guardrails or nets. A written plan only where those can't work.²⁰
13. Asbestos roofing: an onsite roofing supervisor with a DBPR-approved asbestos roofing course before any tear-off, and the records kept.²²
14. Painted fascia, soffit or siding on pre-1978 homes: EPA firm certification and a certified renovator.²¹

Weeks 3 and 4: permits, code, tax and the contract

15. Open a permitting account in each county and city you'll work in (Miami-Dade e-permitting, Hillsborough HillsGovHub, Orange Fast Track) and ask how it takes the under-$7,500 exemption request.^14,16
16. Add to your estimate steps: the year the roof was last permitted (the 2007 line), how much of the roof you're touching, layers, deck nailing, the secondary water barrier, and for wood-deck homes in the wind-borne debris region, the insured value and the roof-to-wall price (capped at 15% of the reroof).¹² The roofing estimate template has the line items.
17. Florida product approval numbers for the system you sell, and in Miami-Dade and Broward, the HVHZ forms for it.^15,16
18. Notice of commencement: on jobs over $5,000, a recorded copy goes to the building department before the first inspection.¹⁵
19. Contract: your license number, the two s. 489.147 notices on every residential roof contract (wording in the claim law article), the items in the contract article, and prices per extra layer and per sheet of decking (the roofing contract template has those clauses).¹⁹
20. Sales tax: pay it at the supply house on lump-sum jobs, build it into your price, and don't charge it on the invoice.²³
21. December 31, 2026: the 9th edition building code is scheduled to apply to permit applications from that date.¹²

On the calendar

22. License renewal: CCC August 31 of even years (a license issued now: August 31, 2028, with 7 hours of continuing education), RC August 31 of odd years (2027). The full 14 hours include 1 hour of wind mitigation.⁶
23. Comp exemption: expires 2 years from its issue date; DFS sends notice 60 days before.¹¹
24. If the qualifier leaves: a new one within 60 days.⁵
25. Liability and comp renewals, and the comp audit after each policy year.

What happens if you cross the line

No license, or outside your registration area

• Unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor, a third-degree felony the second time, and a third-degree felony the first time during a declared state of emergency.¹⁰
• DBPR can fine an unlicensed person up to $10,000, and local code officers can cite up to $2,000, with boards able to impose up to $2,500 a day.¹⁰
• The contract is unenforceable by the unlicensed contractor, with no lien or bond claim, and a customer who sues an unlicensed contractor over negligent work can recover three times the actual damages plus costs and attorney's fees.¹⁰
• An RC working outside its area is unlicensed. A licensee's first offense gets a notice of noncompliance.¹⁰

Licensed, but cutting corners

The board can fine up to $10,000 per violation, suspend or revoke, for proceeding "on any job without obtaining applicable local building department permits and inspections," for helping an unlicensed sub, or for letting someone use your license. Letting your number be used is also a misdemeanor, then a felony.¹⁰

No workers' comp

DFS issues a stop-work order, charges $1,000 a day for working under it, and assesses twice the premium you should have paid over the past 12 months (minimum $1,000). Each worker you called an independent contractor who doesn't qualify adds up to $5,000. DBPR adds a $500 fine and can discipline your license.^11,8 I found no Florida rule on what unlicensed or out-of-scope work does to your liability policy. That's in the policy wording: ask your agent in writing and keep the reply.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is the field service software I build, and it doesn't know Florida's roofing rules. It won't tell you a job needs a permit or pull one, check a sub's license or comp certificate, track your license, insurance or exemption dates, measure a roof, or handle an insurance claim. What it does: the estimate terms you set once are copied onto every new estimate, so your license number rides on each quote, and the invoice footer goes on every invoice. Price book items take a free-text unit (square, sheet, foot) and quantities take decimals, so 23.5 squares is one line. The shop sales tax rate starts at 0, which suits a Florida roofer who pays the tax at the supply house. On Pro, the built-in contract templates include a residential roofing contract for any state, with per-layer and per-sheet prices, filled with your license number and signed by the customer on screen. There's no Florida template yet, so copy it and add the s. 489.147 notices yourself. The editor does bold but has no font-size setting, and the law wants the insurance statement in bold type of at least 14 points, so check the printout. Change orders the customer signs (also Pro) cover the extra sheets you find after tear-off. A checklist you build once (year last permitted, layers, sheets replaced, nailing, permit number) can go on each estimate for your crew to tick; the customer never sees it. Free covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team; Pro is $29 a month with unlimited estimates and invoices (pricing).

Frequently asked questions

Is a roofing license required in Florida?

Yes, for roofing work you do for pay. Florida's statute lists roofing among the trades that need a state certificate (CCC, good anywhere in Florida) or a state registration (RC, good only where you hold the local license). The only gap is casual, minor work under $2,500 total, and it disappears the moment you advertise as a contractor. Your employees work under your license; a sub crew doing roofing needs its own.

Do I need a license to install gutters or siding in Florida?

Not from the state, as I read the statute. Gutters, siding and soffit aren't in the roofing definition, and the statute treats them as a local matter. A city or county may keep requiring its own license for 'veneer, including aluminum or vinyl gutters, siding, soffit, or fascia,' but only if it already did before January 1, 2021. So the answer depends on the city or county where the house is: ask its licensing or building department before you sell the job.

What is the 25% roof rule in Florida?

The building code says you can't repair, replace or recover more than 25% of a roof or roof section in 12 months unless the whole roof or section is brought up to the current code. Since 2022 a state law carves out roofs built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later: on those, only the part you work on has to meet today's code, and no city or county may amend that exception. In practice the 25% rule now bites on roofs last done before the 2007 code.

Can a general contractor do roofing in Florida?

Only if they also hold a roofing certificate or registration. A general, building or residential contractor must subcontract roofing work. The one exception: they may install wood shingles, shakes or asphalt or fiberglass shingles on a new building of their own construction. A GC certified after 1973 may not advertise as a roofing contractor without a roofing license.

Can a registered (RC) roofer work in another county?

Not normally. A registered contractor may contract only where they hold the local license, and working outside it counts as unlicensed activity. The exception is a declared state of emergency for a natural disaster: in that area a registered roofer may work for the type covered by the registration, until 24 months after the emergency ends. A certified (CCC) roofer works statewide.

Do I need workers' comp as a Florida roofer with no employees?

In construction, Florida counts a sole proprietor or partner as an employee, and only corporate officers and LLC members can file an exemption. So a one-man roofing company either buys a policy or forms an LLC or corporation and has the owner file a construction exemption: at least 10% ownership, listed with the state, $50, good for 2 years. The exemption covers the owner only. The first employee needs a policy, and an uninsured sub's crew counts as yours.

What happens if you do a roof without a permit in Florida?

Starting work that needs a permit without one is a prohibited act under the contractor law, and the licensing board can fine a licensed roofer up to $10,000 per violation or suspend the license. Since July 1, 2026, work under $7,500 on a single-family home outside a flood hazard area can skip the permit, but only after you send the building department a written request with the contract, and not for structural work.

What is the new Florida roof law?

Three changes matter to a roofer. HB 715 (May 2025) added roof-to-wall connections to the roofing license and put new notices into every residential roof contract. HB 803 (July 1, 2026) exempts work under $7,500 on single-family homes outside flood zones from a permit, on request. And the 9th edition of the Florida Building Code is scheduled to take effect December 31, 2026, keeping the 25% rule and the reroof mitigation rules in section 706.

How do I look up a Florida roofing license?

On DBPR's Verify a Licensee search at myfloridalicense.com. Search the person or the business. Certified roofing licenses start with CCC, registered ones with RC. The record shows the status, the expiration date and the business the license qualifies. Check every roofing sub there before they set foot on a roof.

Sources

1. Florida Statutes § 489.105 (2026): (3) Division I and Division II; (3)(e) roofing contractor, quoted in full above; (3)(m) plumbing contractor ("venting systems"); (3)(o) solar contractor; (8) certified contractor; (10) registered contractors "may contract only in such jurisdictions"; (15) structural component includes "a roof structure." leg.state.fl.us. The 2023 and 2024 editions already named skylights, roof-deck attachments and sheathing or fascia; the roof-to-wall clause first appears in 2025. Read November 8, 2026.
2. HB 715 (2025), "Roofing Services," Chapter 2025-40, approved by the Governor May 20, 2025: "Revises definition of term 'roofing contractor'" and requires specified language in residential roof contracts. flsenate.gov, read November 8, 2026.
3. Florida Statutes § 489.113: (2) unlicensed subcontractors under supervision, excluding work requiring a license under § 489.105(3)(d)-(o); (3) "A contractor shall subcontract all electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal, swimming pool, and air-conditioning work"; (3)(a) structural components; (3)(b) shingles on a new building of the contractor's own construction; (3)(g) advertising as a roofing contractor; (4)(c) permits denied without proof of insurance and comp; (9)(a) prime contractor. leg.state.fl.us, read November 8, 2026.
4. Florida Statutes § 489.117: (1)(b) and (c) registration area and reporting local licenses within 30 days; (2)(b) new registrations; (3) limited nonrenewable registration for one project; (4)(a)1 and 3 local licenses, including "veneer, including aluminum or vinyl gutters, siding, soffit, or fascia" if imposed before January 1, 2021; (4)(d) specialty work under a general, building or residential contractor; (5) registered contractors in a declared natural emergency area, until "24 months after the expiration of the declared state of emergency." leg.state.fl.us, read November 8, 2026.
5. Florida Statutes § 489.119 (qualifying agents; 60 days after the only qualifier leaves; fictitious names; business tax receipt in the names of the business and qualifier; license number on permit applications and "in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract, or advertisement, regardless of medium"; vehicles; additional businesses at the board's discretion) and § 489.1195 (primary qualifier's responsibilities; financially responsible officer). 489.119, 489.1195, read November 8, 2026.
6. DBPR, Construction Industry FAQs: categories requiring registration or certification include roofing; certified renewals August 31 of even years, registered August 31 of odd years; 14 hours of continuing education with one hour each of workplace safety, workers' compensation, business practices, advanced building code, and laws and rules, and for roofing contractors one hour of wind mitigation; no CE if licensed under 12 months before the renewal date, 7 hours if 1 to 2 years; insurance of "$100,000 liability and $25,000 property damage" for categories other than general and building; qualifying an additional entity (20% ownership, three or more businesses); 60 days and the temporary nonrenewable license when a qualifier leaves; limited nonrenewable registration. myfloridalicense.com, read November 8, 2026. Florida Administrative Code Rule 61G4-15.0021, Business Organizations, effective December 23, 2025: (3)(a) an appearance for an additional business unless the applicant owns 20% or more or "has been hired as a W-2 employee"; (3)(b) qualifying "three or more business organizations" means an appearance unless it is the third and the applicant owns "20% or more of all three businesses." flrules.org, read November 9, 2026.
7. DBPR Form CILB 5-I, Application for Certified Roofing Contractor as an Individual, effective July 2024 (fee $245 between May 1 of an even year and August 31 of an odd year, $145 otherwise; credit score of 660 or a 14-hour financial responsibility course; "All other categories - $100,000 public liability; $25,000 property damage"; workers' comp or an exemption "within 30 days after your license is issued"), myfloridalicense.com; Rule 61G4-15.003, F.A.C., Public Liability Insurance (effective November 15, 2007), flrules.org. Read November 8, 2026.
8. Florida Statutes § 489.111 (4 years of experience, at least 1 as a foreman, or college-credit combinations), § 489.114 (evidence of comp; $500 fine) and § 489.115 ((3) endorsement, with "a 2-hour course on the Florida Building Code which includes information on wind mitigation techniques" for roofing contractors; (4) 14 hours of continuing education; (5) insurance affidavit, credit report, and the exemption within 30 days). leg.state.fl.us, read November 8, 2026.
9. Florida Statutes § 489.103: (2) employees of a licensee, defined as paid by and under the control of an employer "who regularly deducts the F.I.C.A. and withholding tax and provides workers' compensation"; (7)(a) owner-builders, including shingle repair or replacement after a declared emergency; (9) work under $2,500, not for anyone who advertises as a contractor. leg.state.fl.us, read November 8, 2026.
10. Penalties: Florida Statutes § 489.127 ((1)(f) and (h); (2) first-degree misdemeanor, third-degree felony on a repeat or "during the existence of a state of emergency declared by executive order of the Governor"; (4) use of a license number; (5) local citations up to $2,000 and up to $2,500 a day), § 489.128 (unenforceable contracts, no lien or bond claim), § 489.129 ((1) fines up to $10,000 per violation; (1)(d) assisting unlicensed contracting; (1)(e) license use without "active participation"; (1)(o) no permits or inspections), § 489.13 ((1) working outside a registration's area; (2) notice of noncompliance; (3) fines up to $10,000) and § 768.0425 (three times damages). 489.127, 489.128, 489.129, 489.13, 768.0425, read November 8, 2026.
11. Workers' compensation: Florida Statutes § 440.02 ((11) LLC members owning 10% are officers; (18)(b) construction exemptions for no more than three officers owning at least 10%; (18)(c) subcontractors' workers, independent contractors in construction, and sole proprietors and partners in construction are employees; (20)(b)2 one or more employees in construction), § 440.05 (exemption filing, $50, 2 years, the named officer only, notice 60 days before expiry; registering with a sub's carrier), § 440.10 ((1)(b) contractor liable for subs' employees; (1)(c) evidence of comp from subs; (1)(f) $5,000 per misclassified worker; (1)(g) Florida policy with Florida class codes, a second-degree felony) and § 440.107 (stop-work orders, $1,000 a day, twice the premium over 12 months or $1,000). leg.state.fl.us. Florida Department of Financial Services, "Coverage Requirements," myfloridacfo.com, and "Construction Industry" exemptions, myfloridacfo.com. All read November 8, 2026.
12. Florida Statutes § 553.844 ((3) reroof mitigation for single-family homes; (5) the 2007-code exception, ch. 2022-269), leg.state.fl.us; 2023 Florida Building Code, Existing Building, 8th Edition, Section 706 (706.1.1 the 25% rule and exception; 706.3 recovering versus replacement; 706.7 deck attachment and secondary water barrier, with the exception for structures permitted under the Florida Building Code; 706.8 roof-to-wall connections, $300,000 insured value, 15% cap), codes.iccsafe.org; 2026 Florida Building Code, Existing Building, 9th Edition, Section 706, codes.iccsafe.org (effective December 31, 2026, codes.iccsafe.org); Hillsborough County, HillsGovHub, hcfl.gov. All read November 8, 2026. Florida Administrative Register notice 31378159, proposed rule 61G20-1.001, "To adopt the Florida Building Code, 9th Edition (2026)," published September 23, 2026 (Vol. 52/185); the rule in force (effective March 18, 2026) still adopts the 8th edition. flrules.org, read November 9, 2026.
13. 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th Edition: 105.1 (permits), 105.2 (work exempt from permit: gas, mechanical and plumbing items only), 105.2.2 (minor repairs with the building official's approval), 105.3.5 (proof of workers' comp), plan review not required for reroofs, 110.3 item 5 (roofing inspection), codes.iccsafe.org; Chapter 2 definitions ("HIGH VELOCITY HURRICANE ZONE. This zone consists of Broward and Miami-Dade counties"; wind-borne debris region), codes.iccsafe.org. Read November 8, 2026.
14. Florida Statutes § 553.79(1)(g) (permit exemption for work under $7,500 on a single-family dwelling; not in flood hazard areas or for "electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work"; written request with the contract), leg.state.fl.us; HB 803 (2026), "Building Permits and Inspections," Chapter 2026-63, effective July 1, 2026, flsenate.gov. Read November 8, 2026.
15. Florida Statutes § 713.135(1)(e) (copy of the notice of commencement before the first inspection when the direct contract is over $5,000), leg.state.fl.us; § 553.842(5) (statewide product approval for "roofing" and "skylights"), leg.state.fl.us. Read November 8, 2026.
16. Miami-Dade County, "Roofing Permits," miamidade.gov; Hillsborough County, "Re-Roof Inspection Information" (last modified April 14, 2025), hcfl.gov; Orange County, "Roof Permit," orangecountyfl.net. Read November 8, 2026.
17. Florida Statutes § 627.711(2) and (3) (authorized mitigation inspectors; personal inspection), leg.state.fl.us, read November 8, 2026.
18. Florida Statutes § 215.5586 (2026), My Safe Florida Home Program (grant eligibility including insured value of $700,000 or less, built before January 1, 2008, and low- or moderate-income applicants; $1 for $2 up to $10,000; the contractor's name and state license number; properly licensed contractors and all permits and inspections), leg.state.fl.us; My Safe Florida Home, "Frequently Asked Questions" (contractor license types including "Roofing Contractor"; no list of authorized contractors; "Do not begin any mitigation construction PRIOR to receiving your official grant approval notice"; reimbursement documents; application dates "TBD"), mysafeflhome.com. Read November 8, 2026.
19. Florida Statutes § 489.147 (prohibited advertisements and inducements, no deductible waivers, no interpreting policies or adjusting claims, up to $10,000 per violation, the notice in every residential roof contract, the 180-day cancellation right and the 14-point insurance statement; amended by ch. 2025-40), leg.state.fl.us, read November 8, 2026.
20. 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13), osha.gov; 29 CFR 1926.502(k) (plan "prepared by a qualified person and developed specifically for the site," a copy "maintained at the job site," a competent person supervising), law.cornell.edu; OSHA, "State Plans" ("Florida is not an OSHA-approved State Plan, and is under federal OSHA jurisdiction"), osha.gov. Read November 8, 2026.
21. EPA, "Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program" (authorized states, Florida not among them; "all firms, even sole proprietorships"), epa.gov; 40 CFR 745.83 (minor repair and maintenance), law.cornell.edu. Read November 8, 2026.
22. 40 CFR 61.141 ("Facility" excludes "residential buildings having four or fewer dwelling units"), law.cornell.edu; Florida Statutes § 469.002(2) (asbestos roofing removal by a roofing contractor under a trained onsite roofing supervisor) and § 469.012(3) and (5) (asbestos roofing course; training records), 469.002, 469.012. Read November 8, 2026.
23. Florida Department of Revenue, GT-800067, "Sales and Use Tax on Construction, Improvements, Installations and Repairs" (R. 09/14; roofing as real property work; the contractor as "the final consumer of materials and supplies"; retail sale plus installation contracts; Rule 12A-1.051, F.A.C.), floridarevenue.com; Florida Statutes § 205.194 (no local business tax receipt without an active state license) and § 205.065 (one business tax where the permanent business location is), 205.194, 205.065. Read November 8, 2026.
24. Google search results for "florida roofing license" (US), AI overview: "Registered Roofing Contractor (CCC-R)" and "DBPR Application Fees: Around $145," retrieved through DataForSEO on November 8, 2026.