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How do I check a drywall contractor in Florida myself?

Start by asking whether your drywall contract also covers load-bearing, plumbing, electrical or air conditioning work, then choose the optional lookups that fit: the DBPR licensee search for any state licence a bidder names, a Broward or Palm Beach County contractor search, and the DFS workers' compensation coverage and exemption records for the employer.

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DBPR Online Services licensee search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County contractor regulations, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DFS Proof of Coverage database, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DFS workers' compensation exemptions, read 15 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 15 October 2026 Updated 2026-10-16

A smooth, primed drywall patch on a living room wall with a taping knife on a drop cloth.

Key facts

Where can I find records for drywall replacement?

Use up to three optional public sources for a drywall bidder: DBPR's licensee search for any state licence number it gives you, the Broward or Palm Beach County contractor search, and the DFS Proof of Coverage database for the employer named on your written scope. Write the date beside each search you run.

Source: DBPR Online Services licensee search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County contractor regulations, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DFS Proof of Coverage database, read 15 October 2026.

Ask the bidder early whether its proposal reaches anything behind the board. A company that hangs, tapes and finishes new sheets, and nothing more, may hold no state entry at all, because DBPR places drywall-only work in its no-licence column. An empty result for that written scope is not, on its own, a warning sign.

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.

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Which state records cover drywall replacement?

Ask which drywall task the bidder proposes before you open any state record. DBPR's table puts drywall on its own in the no-licence column, but moves the same job into the licence column once the contract adds load-bearing wall, plumbing, electrical or air conditioning work, so the answer turns on your written scope.

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.

DBPR's unlicensed activity page, read 15 October 2026, splits the drywall row in two. Its Does not need a DBPR License cell reads: “Installation or replacement of drywall if the contract does not include other work on the load bearing part of the wall or any plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning work.” The Needs a DBPR License cell beside it reads: “Installation or replacement of drywall if the contract also includes work on the load bearing part of the wall, plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning work.”

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.

The contractor section above that table gives the reasoning in one sentence: “Essentially, if you pay someone to construct a building or a structure, make structural alterations to load bearing walls, or perform services such as plumbing or air conditioning work, that person must have a state contractors’ license.” If your project also needs a widened doorway, a pipe repair inside the wall or a moved return-air grille, ask the drywall bidder to state in writing that this work is outside its scope, and treat it as a separate job.

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.

Outlets have their own row. DBPR's electrical table lists “Install or replace electric outlets and switches for compensation.” under Needs a DBPR License, and “Change the cover plates on outlets.” under Does not need a DBPR License. Ask who takes the plates off and puts them back, and ask the drywall bidder to state in writing that moving any outlet box or switch is outside its scope.

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.

A drywall company may also hold a voluntary state specialty licence. DBPR's construction FAQ, read 15 October 2026, explains those categories: "The additional licensure categories are “specialty” licenses. They are voluntary, statewide licenses that you may obtain instead of acquiring a local specialty license." Its answer on which categories need a state record reads: “The following categories require registration or certification: general; building; residential; sheet metal; roofing; air-conditioning; mechanical; swimming pool/spa; plumbing; underground utility and excavation; solar and pollutant storage.”

Source: DBPR construction industry FAQs, read 15 October 2026.

If a bidder names that specialty licence, Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-15.100, last amended 28 August 2024 and read 15 October 2026, defines its scope: "A “gypsum drywall specialty contractor” is a specialty contractor whose scope of work is limited to the installation of all necessary and incidental metal accessories, including non-load bearing metal studs, runners, hangers, channels, drywall metal suspension accessories and prefabricated ceiling materials; and the preparation of the surface over which drywall product is to be applied. This includes the application of base and finish coats specifically designed for the gypsum drywall products of their own erection. This category shall not include plastering, block, or wood partitions." Ask whether any plaster wall, block wall or wood partition on your written scope belongs to a different record.

Source: Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-15.100, certified specialty contractors, read 15 October 2026.

DBPR's code tables list SCC with the description Certified Specialty Contractor, and the specialty code CKC with the description Gypsum Drywall. A bidder showing one of those codes can tell you which licence number to type into the DBPR search.

Source: DBPR occupation and specialty code tables, read 15 October 2026.

Read the status wording on any record you open. DBPR's construction FAQ answers its current, active question with “Your contractor’s license is current and you may practice within your scope of work.” Its current, inactive answer reads: “Your contractor’s license is current, but you are not actively practicing within the construction profession.” Compare the expiry date with your planned finish date, and the name on the record with the company on your proposal.

Source: DBPR construction industry FAQs, read 15 October 2026.

What can county records show about drywall contractors?

Check Broward's or Palm Beach County's contractor search only as an optional extra for a drywall bidder, and keep any county result apart from the DBPR record and from any permit for your job. Ask which county issued a card the bidder shows you, and treat an empty search as a question, not a finding.

Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County contractor regulations, read 15 October 2026.

Broward's contractor search, read 15 October 2026, offers a search headed “OR Search by Contractor License Number” with one box labelled “CC Number:”. Ask the bidder which county issued any card it shows you.

Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 15 October 2026.

Palm Beach County's Building Code Advisory Board issued a public notice on 21 January 2026, read 15 October 2026, which states: “As a result, Palm Beach County will no longer require or issue a Certificate of Competency for the affected trades listed below:” Two items on that list are “Acoustical/Suspended Ceiling” and “Insulation”. Drywall is not named on the list, so ask a Palm Beach bidder which county card, if any, it holds before you search for one.

Source: Palm Beach County Building Code Advisory Board, Certificate of Competency preemption notice, read 15 October 2026.

A suspended ceiling grid or new insulation behind your board can be its own line item, apart from hanging and finishing.

What do workers' compensation records show for drywall crews?

Use the DFS Proof of Coverage database, if you choose, to look up the employer that sends hangers and finishers to your home. Search the employer name on your written scope, note the date, and keep a coverage result apart from an exemption, because the two answer different questions about different people.

Source: DFS Proof of Coverage database, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DFS workers' compensation exemptions, read 15 October 2026.

DFS describes that database this way: “The Proof of Coverage (POC) Database provides information regarding workers’ compensation coverage and exemptions from workers’ compensation.”

Source: DFS Proof of Coverage database, read 15 October 2026.

The DFS exemptions page, read 15 October 2026, gives the purpose of an exemption: “The purpose of obtaining an exemption is for officers of a corporation or members of a limited liability company to exclude themselves as employees from workers' compensation insurance laws.” It continues: “Upon issuance of an exemption, the officer or member is not considered an employee of the business and may not recover workers' compensation benefits.” And: “Exemptions are issued to officers of a corporation and members of limited liability companies - not to the business.” An owner's exemption describes that owner, not the helpers who carry sheets up your stairs or sand the joints.

Source: DFS workers' compensation exemptions, read 15 October 2026.

Ask for each employer's name in writing. Tear-out of wet board, hanging, taping and texture spraying can come from one company or from several, and each can return its own result.

Which insurance questions could I ask about drywall replacement?

Ask, only if you want to, for a certificate of insurance from the business that signs your drywall agreement, showing your own name and the job address from your written scope. The request is optional, and any question about what a certificate covers belongs with the insurer that issued it, not with the bidder.

Ask for one certificate per business that sends its own crew, and file each with the line item it relates to. If a separate company handles water-damage tear-out or ceiling texture removal, its certificate names that company, not the drywall firm.

What board details should my drywall job description include?

Describe every wall and ceiling area by room, its rough size, whether it needs a patch or full sheets, the board you expect, the finish level and texture to match, and who hauls cut board away for disposal. Photographs of each area and the texture around it help bidders read one written scope.

Decide these points before you compare responses:

  1. Board: standard board in dry rooms, a moisture-resistant or mold-resistant board near a tub or in a laundry, and which board the bidder proposes for any wall shared with an attached garage.
  2. Finish: the finish level for walls under strong side light, and the texture to match, such as smooth, orange peel or knockdown.
  3. Ceiling or wall: ceilings take different handling, so mark any area above a stairwell or a high ceiling where access needs a scaffold.
  4. Paint: primed board only, or primer and paint across the whole wall so the repair does not show.
  5. Floors and dust: floor covering, dust control, and who moves furniture away from the work.

If a textured or popcorn ceiling in an older home will be scraped or cut, EPA's asbestos page for families, updated 25 June 2026 and read 15 October 2026, states: “Asbestos-containing materials may release fibers when they are disturbed, damaged, removed improperly, repaired, cut, torn, sanded, sawed, drilled or scraped.” On testing it says: “A trained and accredited asbestos professional should take samples for analysis, since a professional knows what to look for, and because there may be an increased health risk if fibers are released. In fact, if done incorrectly, sampling can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone. Taking samples yourself is not recommended.” Ask each bidder whether its scope assumes a test first, and who arranges it.

Source: EPA asbestos guidance for families at home, read 15 October 2026.

For board that got wet after a leak or a storm, EPA's mold cleanup page, updated 4 June 2026, states: “Absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. Mold can grow on or fill in the empty spaces and crevices of porous materials, so the mold may be difficult or impossible to remove completely.” Ask where each bidder would make its cut line, and whether wet insulation behind the board is included.

Source: EPA, mold cleanup in your home, read 15 October 2026.

Which photos explain my drywall patch request?

Photograph each damaged area straight on and from an angle with a tape measure in the frame, plus a close shot of the surrounding texture, any outlet or vent nearby and any water stain. Write one line per area in your written scope saying patch or full sheet, ceiling or wall, and the finish you expect.

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Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.

What should my drywall agreement say about texture and paint?

Compare the agreement with your written scope area by area: board type, finish level, texture, whether primer and paint are included, floor covering, debris disposal, the start date and the finish date. Check that the company named at the signature line matches the company on your proposal and on any record you chose to look up.

Palm Beach County's advisory board notice recommends: “Use a detailed written contract.” Another item on the same list reads: “Avoid full upfront payment; use milestone-based payments.” Ask how your payment schedule lines up with hanging, finishing and a walk-through in good light.

Source: Palm Beach County Building Code Advisory Board, Certificate of Competency preemption notice, read 15 October 2026.

If the crew finds wet framing, mold or a leaking pipe once the old board is off, ask for a written change order for any extra drywall work before new board covers it, and keep it with your photographs. A plumbing or electrical repair found at that point is the kind of other work DBPR's drywall row names, so ask the drywall bidder to confirm in writing that the repair is outside its scope, and arrange it as a separate job.

Source: DBPR unlicensed activity guide, what requires a licence, read 15 October 2026.

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