How to start a roofing business in Florida: the license, the claim rules and the deposit rule

Most states leave roofing to a general license or to the city. Florida does not. It names the roofing contractor in its licensing statute, writes a scope of work for the trade, and then adds a second statute that polices how roofers talk to homeowners about insurance claims. If you plan to roof in Florida, those two statutes shape your paperwork more than anything in our national roofing startup guide. Here we cover only the Florida differences. Crews, equipment and pricing by the square live there and in our roofing pricing guide.

Treat what follows as background from October 2026. Before you sign contracts, check each point with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) or a Florida attorney.

Does Florida license roofing contractors?

Yes. Section 489.105(3)(e) defines a roofing contractor as one whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade, covering installation, maintenance, repair, alteration and extension of roofing, waterproofing and coating. The statute adds to the scope: skylights, required roof-deck attachments, repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia needed during a roof repair or replacement, and evaluation and enhancement of roof-to-wall connections on structures with wood roof decking, when done together with a roof covering repair or replacement. That sheathing line matters on a hurricane-damaged roof, because rotten decking found at tear-off falls inside your license instead of requiring another trade.

Florida issues two kinds of contractor credential, defined in the same section:

The DBPR's Construction Industry Licensing Board page lists separate applications for a certified roofing contractor applying as an individual (form CILB 5-I) and one qualifying a business (CILB 6-I), plus an exam application (CILB 1). If you plan to chase storm work in several counties, the certified route is the one that travels.

What experience, exam and insurance does the license need?

Under section 489.111(2)(c), an applicant needs either a four-year degree in an appropriate field plus one year of proven experience in the category, or at least four years of active experience as a worker who has learned the trade, with at least one of those years as a foreman. The statute allows combinations of college credit with foreman and skilled-worker years, for example three years of college credits plus a year as a foreman.

Under section 489.115(5), you also submit an affidavit of workers' compensation coverage under chapter 440, proof of public liability and property damage insurance in amounts set by Board rule, and a credit report from a nationally recognized agency. The Board may accept minimum credit scores or bonds as proof of financial responsibility. The statute leaves the exact numbers to Board rule, so read the current rule before you budget.

Plan on time, not just money. A person who has run crews for years but never held a foreman title on paper should document that history before applying. Our national roofing license guide explains how qualifier rules usually work if the license holder leaves.

What happens if you roof without a license?

Two things in Florida law make unlicensed roofing expensive. Section 489.128 says contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or in equity by that contractor, and that no lien or bond claim exists in the unlicensed contractor's favor. You can finish the roof and have no legal route to collect.

Section 489.103(9), as summarized in our Florida startup page, exempts casual, minor or inconsequential work under $2,500 in total labor and materials. The exemption is lost if the job is part of a larger project, is split to stay under the limit, or you advertise as a contractor. Roofers should treat the exemption as nearly useless, since a roof repair that small is rare and an advertised roofing company has already given it up.

What can a Florida roofer say to a homeowner about an insurance claim?

Less than most roofers assume. Section 489.147(2) says a contractor may not, directly or indirectly:

• solicit a residential owner with a prohibited advertisement;
• offer a rebate, gift, cash, coupon or waiver of an insurance deductible in exchange for a roof inspection or for making a claim;
• pay or accept any compensation or reward for referring insurance-funded work;
• interpret policy provisions, advise an insured about coverage, or adjust a claim, unless licensed as a public adjuster;
• give an insured a repair authorization agreement without a good faith estimate of the itemized, detailed cost of services and materials.

The statute states that violations bring discipline under section 489.129, with a fine of up to $10,000 per violation, and that unlicensed people who commit the same acts face the unlicensed contracting penalties in section 489.13, also up to $10,000 per violation. The advertising disclosure the section requires also tells homeowners that knowingly paying or waiving a deductible to deceive an insurer, or knowingly filing a false or misleading claim, is a third-degree felony under Florida's insurance statutes.

Your sales scripts, door hangers and website need to match. "We'll cover your deductible" is a deductible waiver. "Free roof inspection, and we'll work with your adjuster" invites the line between documenting damage and advising on coverage. Photograph, measure, write an itemized estimate, and tell the owner to call the insurer.

Which notices must a Florida roof contract carry?

Section 489.147 puts specific language into your contract template:

• Insurance notice. On the signature page of roof repair and replacement contracts, in bold type of at least 14 points. It tells the owner to contact the insurance company to verify coverage if the work relates to a claim, and that signing acknowledges that advice.
• Prohibited practices notice. The contract must tell the owner that you may not engage in the practices in subsection (2)(b). If it is missing, the owner may void the contract within 10 days of signing.
• Cancellation notice after a declared emergency. For roof contracts signed within 180 days of events that are the subject of a declared state of emergency, in the covered area, the owner may cancel without penalty within 10 days of signing or by the official start date, whichever comes first. The statute prescribes bold 14-point wording just before the signature line and notice by certified mail or another method that proves delivery.

The emergency window is why a hurricane changes your paperwork. A contract signed three weeks after landfall carries a cancellation right that the same contract in March does not. Build two contract versions, or one with the notice built in, and use our service contract guide for the rest of the terms.

How big a deposit can you take, and what must you do with it?

Section 489.126(2)(a) does not cap deposits, but it attaches deadlines to them. If you receive more than 10 percent of the contract price as an initial payment on residential work, you must apply for the permits within 30 days of the payment (unless no permit is required), and start work within 90 days after the permits issue. You can show just cause for delay or get the owner's written agreement to longer periods. Section 489.126(3)(a) adds that, for money received beyond the value of work performed, you may not refuse to perform work for any 90-day period unless the contract sets another period.

After a storm, when supplier lead times stretch and your schedule fills, those clocks keep running. Many roofers ask for a deposit equal to the first material order. In Florida, write the permit date and the start window into your schedule the day the check clears.

Workers' compensation, entity and calendar

Under section 440.02, construction employers need workers' compensation coverage with a single employee, where most other employers start at four. Corporate officers who perform services for pay count as employees, and the Division of Workers' Compensation's coverage page says LLC members count too. Eligible owners can apply for an exemption for themselves. The workers' comp state table shows how other states set the line.

For the entity, the Division of Corporations lists a $125 LLC filing as of October 2026 ($100 plus $25 for the registered agent designation) and a $138.75 annual report due between January 1 and May 1, with a $400 late fee after May 1. Details are on our Florida startup page.

The calendar is set by the Atlantic hurricane season, which the National Hurricane Center lists as June 1 to November 30, with a peak around September 10. Expect leaks, tarp calls and re-roofs to cluster after named storms, and expect the 180-day cancellation rule to apply to many of those contracts.

What to do first

1. Decide between the certified and registered routes, and collect proof of your four years of experience, including foreman time.
2. Get quotes for liability coverage and confirm the current Board rule on amounts and credit requirements before you apply.
3. Rewrite your contract template with the insurance notice, the prohibited practices notice and the emergency cancellation notice.
4. Strip deductible language out of every ad, script and text template.
5. Put the 30-day permit and 90-day start clocks into your scheduling system.

Your website and phone line should carry the same discipline. A roofing page that promises "we handle your insurance claim" undercuts everything above. A website you own that explains your inspection process, your license status and your itemized estimates answers homeowners without crossing that line, and an AI receptionist can take storm-week calls with a script that never discusses coverage. Florida requires all-party consent to record calls (see our call recording guide), so announce recording at the start of each call.

See also our roofing industry page.

Frequently asked questions