Florida Contractor Bond & Insurance Requirements
Four separate financial-responsibility requirements: the financially responsible officer bond, public liability insurance, the workers' compensation affidavit, and the credit-score / course alternative. Amounts are published only where the rule text was verified.
01 Bonds
| Bond | Amount | Obligee / rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor bond BOND-FL-LOCAL-CAP | up to $5,000 | A county or municipality MAY require one bond per contractor up to $5,000, conditioned only on Florida Building Code compliance, payable to the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund and filed in each county or municipality where a permit is requested; reciprocity statewide (F.S. §489.131(3)(e)). STATE CAP on a LOCAL bond — the amount (if any) below the $5,000 cap is a local decision: LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED. No local bond amount is published as a Florida state figure. | S-FL-131 |
| Financially responsible officer bond (FRO) BOND-FL-FRO | $100,000 | Bond or irrevocable letter of credit payable TO THE BOARD for fines and costs, provided by the financially responsible officer of the business organization (FAC 61G4-15.0021(2)). NOT a contractor license bond: Florida has no state contractor bond requirement for individual licensees in Part I — this bond attaches to the business organization's financially responsible officer. Stored in the 'bqi' slot as the closest schema fit; the obligeeRule text is authoritative for the distinction. | S-FL-150021 |
If the business organization has a financially responsible officer, the financially responsible officer shall comply with the requirement of subsection 61G4-15.006(1), F.A.C., and shall provide to the Department a bond or irrevocable letter of credit, in the amount of $100,000 payable to the Board for fines and costs (FAC 61G4-15.0021(2)).
Source S-FL-150021 — Florida Department of State — Florida Administrative Rules (flrules.org)
FAC 61G4-15.0021 — Business Organizations (financially responsible officer bond) — FAC 61G4-15.0021(2) (effective 12/23/2025)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-r-61G4-15-0021
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01 · effective 2025-12-23
Effective date verified VERBATIM on flrules.org 2026-10-01 (latest amendment 12/23/2025). Rule text read via the Cornell LII mirror (older version). The $100,000 amount in subsection (2) is CURRENT because the Florida Register notice of change for the 2025 amendment states '(1) Through (2) No Change' — only subsection (3) changed (FAR Vol. 51/210, 2025-10-28, indexed on flrules.org). Corroborated by the DBPR FAQ. §3 CONFLICT-FL-001: resolved this way on 2026-10-01.
Verification chain (2026-10-01): rule history and effective date read on flrules.org; rule text read via the Cornell LII mirror (older version); the $100,000 amount is CURRENT because the Florida Register notice of change for the 2025 amendment states '(1) Through (2) No Change'. DBPR FAQ agrees. §3 CONFLICT-FL-001 resolved this way.
The $100,000 FRO bond attaches to a business organization's financially responsible officer — it is not a per-licensee contractor bond like California's. The only per-project bond is the local Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund bond, capped at $5,000 by statute (§489.131(3)(e)). S-FL-131
02 Public liability and property damage
| Category | Combined single limit | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|
| General and building contractors | $300,000 | $50,000 |
| Every other category | $100,000 | $25,000 |
Public liability and property damage insurance required as a prerequisite to the initial issuance or renewal of a certificate or registration (F.S. §489.115(5)(a)) must be maintained in at least the amounts established by rule: a combined single limit of $300,000 with $50,000 aggregate for general contractors and building contractors, and a combined single limit of $100,000 with $25,000 aggregate for every other licensing category — residential, sheet metal, roofing, air-conditioning, mechanical, pool, plumbing, underground utility, solar, pollutant storage and specialty (FAC 61G4-15.003).
Source S-FL-15003 — Florida Department of State — Florida Administrative Rules (flrules.org)
FAC 61G4-15.003 — Public Liability and Property Damage Insurance — FAC 61G4-15.003 (effective 11/15/2007)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-r-61G4-15-003
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01 · effective 2007-11-15
Rule text read verbatim in §3 research (2026-10-01). Amount table: general and building contractors $300,000 combined single limit + $50,000 aggregate; every other category $100,000 + $25,000. Implements §489.115(5).
03 Workers' compensation
As a prerequisite to the initial issuance or the renewal of a certificate or registration, the applicant shall submit an affidavit on a form provided by the board attesting to the fact that the applicant has obtained workers' compensation insurance as required by chapter 440, public liability insurance, and property damage insurance for the safety and welfare of the public, in amounts determined by rule of the board (F.S. §489.115(5)(a)).
Source S-FL-115 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.115 — Certification and registration; renewals; continuing education — F.S. §489.115(5)(a)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (4)(a) renew every 2 years; (4)(b)1. at least 14 classroom hours of ≥50 minutes each per biennium (workers' compensation, business practices, workplace safety, wind mitigation for applicable categories, 1 hour laws and rules); (4)(b)3. board must require advanced Florida Building Code module courses by rule; (5)(a) insurance affidavit (ch. 440 WC + public liability + property damage, amounts by board rule); (5)(b) credit report; (6) criminal history check; (9) fingerprints.
Amount not verified in current research. The coverage amounts are set by board rule; that rule text has not been read, so no number is published here.
AMOUNT NOT VERIFIED IN CURRENT RESEARCH: the exact workers'-compensation coverage amounts are set by board rule and were not read; no number is published. The board verifies affidavits by random sample; an initial applicant needing a ch. 440 exemption must obtain it within 30 days of issuance (§489.115(5)(d)).
04 Financial responsibility — FICO 660 or 14-hour course
As a prerequisite to the initial issuance of a certificate, the applicant shall furnish a credit report from a nationally recognized credit agency reflecting financial responsibility (F.S. §489.115(5)(b)); rule 61G4-15.006 requires the report to reflect no unsatisfied judgments or liens and the applicant to provide evidence of a minimum credit score of 660 or higher, OR to complete a 14-hour financial responsibility course approved by the board (FAC 61G4-15.006).
Source S-FL-15006 — Florida Department of State — Florida Administrative Rules (flrules.org)
FAC 61G4-15.006 — Financial responsibility / credit report (FICO) — FAC 61G4-15.006 (effective 5/5/2024); F.S. §489.115(5)(b)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-r-61G4-15-006
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01 · effective 2024-05-05
Rule text read verbatim in §3 research (2026-10-01): credit report with no unsatisfied judgments or liens + minimum credit score 660, or the 14-hour board-approved financial responsibility course as the alternative. Corroborated by the DBPR FAQ (S-FL-FAQ).