Bathroom Remodel — Florida license requirements
01 The project
The starting point is the work itself — Bathroom Remodel in Florida. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.
| Component | Trade |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | Plumbing |
| Electrical | Electrical |
| Tile | Tile |
| Framing | Framing |
| Drywall | Drywall |
| Painting | Painting |
02 Jurisdiction
This project is evaluated for Florida — a state credential (certificate or registration) issued by DBPR through the Construction Industry Licensing Board under F.S. Chapter 489 Part I, plus the LOCAL layers: registered contractors are bound to the jurisdictions where they met local licensing (§489.105(10)), and building permits are issued locally (§489.131(3)(a)). Florida jurisdiction page.
County and city licensing, registration processes and permit fees were not verified for any Florida locality — LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED. State requirements are not the complete story for any locality.
03 Trade → license
Relations below are recorded per state — only this jurisdiction's classifications are shown.
Trades involved: Plumbing, Electrical, Tile, Framing, Drywall, Painting.
- May require (c) — Residential Contractor confirmed S-FL-105F.S. §489.105(3)(c): construction, remodeling, repair or improvement of one-family, two-family or three-family residences not exceeding two habitable stories above no more than one uninhabitable story. For such structures a bathroom remodel falls inside the residential contractor's scope.
- May require (b) — Building Contractor confirmed S-FL-105F.S. §489.105(3)(b): remodeling, repair, or improvement of any size building if the services do not affect the structural members. WHICH of the two categories applies depends on the property type (1-3 family residence vs another building ≤3 stories / non-structural work) — the discriminator is stated explicitly and the prime path is deliberately NOT concluded, the same discipline as the California B vs B-2 page.
- Component basis (m) — Plumbing Contractor confirmed S-FL-105Plumbing component basis: §489.105(3)(m) covers installation, maintenance, repair, alteration and extension of plumbing. The electrical component of the same project falls under Part II (Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, §489.505) which is NOT researched — no electrical relation is asserted.
04 Scope
What the official sources say about the work involved — typed assertions, never a boolean "covers". Interpretations are marked as such.
- Officially included (m) Work Listed In 489 105 3 M Without Additional Local License (may_perform) F.S. §489.105(3)(m) S-FL-105 Officially included list: sanitary/storm drainage facilities, water and sewer plants and substations, venting systems, public or private water supply systems, septic tanks, drainage and supply wells, swimming pool piping, irrigation systems, solar heating water systems and related appurtenances, boilers and pressure process piping, and installation of water, natural gas and LP gas with venting and storm/sewer lines — performed WITHOUT obtaining an additional LOCAL regulatory license, certificate or registration. This is a local-license dispensation, NOT a state licensing exemption.
05 Requirements
| Requirement | Kind | Statement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subcontract rule for 7 trade categories unless credentialed in that category F.S. §489.113(3), (3)(b)-(c) | contract rule | A contractor shall subcontract all electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal, swimming pool, and air-conditioning work, unless such contractor holds a state certificate or registration in the respective trade category (F.S. §489.113(3)). Exceptions include: a general, building, or residential contractor need not subcontract the installation, or repair made under warranty, of wood shingles, wood shakes, or asphalt or fiberglass shingle roofing materials on a new building of his or her own construction (§489.113(3)(b)); a general contractor need not subcontract structural swimming pool work (§489.113(3)(c)). | S-FL-113Source S-FL-113 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)Florida Statutes §489.113 — Qualifications for practice; restrictions — F.S. §489.113(3), (3)(b)-(c) Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01 Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (1) statewide certification requires the board-approved examination (degree shortcut: business & finance portion only); (2) must be certified or registered + supervised-subcontractor proviso; (3) subcontract rule for electrical/mechanical/plumbing/roofing/sheet metal/swimming pool/air-conditioning with exceptions (b)-(g); (4) certified contractor exhibits the certificate locally and pays the permit fee like others; (6)(a) specialty categories are VOLUNTARY statewide unless a statute mandates them; (7) oral examination petition. |
| Permit issuer must verify state credential; permit systems themselves are local F.S. §489.131(5); §489.131(3)(a),(d) | permit | Any official authorized to issue building or other related permits shall, before issuing a permit, ascertain that the applicant contractor is certified or is registered in the area where the construction is to take place (F.S. §489.131(5)). The permit system itself — systems of permits, fees and inspections, and plan submission and approval — is a power expressly preserved to counties and municipalities (F.S. §489.131(3)(a), (d)), so permit specifics are determined by each local authority, not by the state. | S-FL-131Source S-FL-131 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)Florida Statutes §489.131 — Applicability (local powers, permits, inspections) — F.S. §489.131(5); §489.131(3)(a),(d) Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01 Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (3)(a)/(d) counties and municipalities keep systems of permits, fees and inspections and plan approval; (3)(e) local bond capped at $5,000 (Florida Building Code compliance, payable to the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund); (3)(f) no local professional license/fee for certificateholders within statewide scope; (5) the permit issuer must ascertain certification/registration before issuing a permit; (6)(a) no local examination for certificateholders. |
06 Residential vs building — the discriminator
WHICH of the two categories applies depends on the property: a 1–3 family residence falls under the residential contractor (§489.105(3)(c)), other buildings under the building contractor (§489.105(3)(b), non-structural work). The prime path is stated explicitly and NOT concluded — the same discipline as California's B vs B-2 page. The plumbing component basis is §489.105(3)(m). S-FL-105
The ELECTRICAL component of this project falls under Part II (Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, §489.505), which was NOT researched — no electrical relation is asserted.
07 Local permit layer
The permit issuer must ascertain that the applicant is certified or registered in that area before issuing the permit (F.S. §489.131(5)); permit systems and their fees remain local (§489.131(3)(a), (d)). S-FL-131
Unenforceability guard: a contract entered by an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable and carries no lien or bond claim (F.S. §489.128) — verify status on the official lookup before relying on any outcome here. S-FL-128
Source S-FL-131 — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine)
Florida Statutes §489.131 — Applicability (local powers, permits, inspections) — F.S. §489.131(5); §489.131(3)(a),(d)
Retrieved 2026-10-01 · last verified 2026-10-01
Read verbatim 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200). (3)(a)/(d) counties and municipalities keep systems of permits, fees and inspections and plan approval; (3)(e) local bond capped at $5,000 (Florida Building Code compliance, payable to the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund); (3)(f) no local professional license/fee for certificateholders within statewide scope; (5) the permit issuer must ascertain certification/registration before issuing a permit; (6)(a) no local examination for certificateholders.