How do I check a painting contractor in Florida myself?

Key facts

• DBPR's What Requires a License page lists painting under its heading Does not need a DBPR License: “Paint; install cabinets, wood or tile flooring, and insulation regardless of compensation.”

  Source: DBPR Unlicensed Activity: what requires a license, read 14 October 2026.

• DBPR's What Requires a License page lists under its heading Needs a DBPR License: “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: what requires a license, read 14 October 2026.

• EPA states: “EPA's RRP Rule requires that anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 be certified and their employees be trained (either as a certified renovator or on-the-job by a certified renovator) in the use of lead-safe work practices that minimize occupants’ exposure to lead hazards.”

  Source: EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, read 14 October 2026.

• The Florida Department of State states: “A Fictitious Name Registration does not satisfy Workers’ Compensation Exemption requirements.”

  Source: Florida Department of State, fictitious name registration, read 14 October 2026.

• The DFS Proof of Coverage page states: “The information contained herein is a representative reflection of selected information reported by the insurance carrier and maintained by the Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers' Compensation.”

  Source: Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage, read 14 October 2026.

Which public records can I look up for a painting contractor?

Check four optional records for a painting contractor: the Sunbiz entry for the business name on your written scope, a Palm Beach County local business tax receipt, the EPA lead-safe firm search when your home was built before 1978, and the DFS workers' compensation search. Keep the date beside each result.

Source: Florida Department of State, Sunbiz search records, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County Tax Collector, business tax, read 14 October 2026.
Source: EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage, read 14 October 2026.

The Department of State describes its Sunbiz site, read 14 October 2026, this way: “The Division of Corporations is the State of Florida's official business entity index and commercial activity website.”

Source: Florida Department of State, Sunbiz search records, read 14 October 2026.

Compare the name on the painting estimate with the name on the invoice, the yard sign and the signature line. If they differ, the Department of State's fictitious name page, read 14 October 2026, says registration under the Fictitious Name Act allows “The public to search Sunbiz to determine what individual or business is operating under the fictitious name.”

Source: Florida Department of State, fictitious name registration, read 14 October 2026.

For a home built before 1978, EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting program page, read 14 October 2026, states: “EPA's RRP Rule requires that anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 be certified and their employees be trained (either as a certified renovator or on-the-job by a certified renovator) in the use of lead-safe work practices that minimize occupants’ exposure to lead hazards.”

Source: EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, read 14 October 2026.

How do I read the state licence record?

Ask which painting tasks the bid covers before you look for any state record. DBPR's unlicensed activity page places painting in its column of jobs that do not need a DBPR licence, so a painter with no DBPR entry is not, on that ground alone, a warning sign for a written scope limited to paint.

Source: DBPR Unlicensed Activity: what requires a license, read 14 October 2026.

DBPR's What Requires a License page, read 14 October 2026, lists this entry under its heading Does not need a DBPR License: “Paint; install cabinets, wood or tile flooring, and insulation regardless of compensation.”

Source: DBPR Unlicensed Activity: what requires a license, read 14 October 2026.

Keep the painting separate from repairs that sit beside it. The same page lists this entry under its heading Needs a DBPR License: “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.” Beside it, under Does not need a DBPR License, it lists: “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.” If a bid bundles drywall with load bearing, plumbing, electrical or air conditioning work, ask for that work as its own line item and treat it as a different job; roof coating and roof cleaning are also outside this guide.

Source: DBPR Unlicensed Activity: what requires a license, read 14 October 2026.

Open the DBPR Online Services search only when a painting bidder hands you a state licence number for some other kind of work it takes on. DBPR presents that site as information on applicants and licensed individuals in the professions and businesses it regulates, so file whatever you find beside the line item it concerns.

Source: DBPR Online Services, licensee search page, read 14 October 2026.

Does the county also keep a record?

Yes, in Palm Beach County the local business tax receipt is a county record you can ask a painting bidder to show, with a business name that matches your written scope. Treat it as a tax record, separate from any question about how well the walls, trim or exterior will be painted.

Source: Palm Beach County Tax Collector, business tax, read 14 October 2026.

The Palm Beach County Tax Collector's business tax page, read 14 October 2026, states: “Any person selling merchandise or services in Palm Beach County must have a local business tax receipt.”

Source: Palm Beach County Tax Collector, business tax, read 14 October 2026.

Broward County's contractor licence search, read 14 October 2026, tells you to “Select one of the three search methods to find the Contractor Licenses”. Use it only if a painting bidder shows you a Broward card for some other kind of work it takes on, and ask which county issued any card you are shown before you search.

Source: Broward County, search for contractor licenses, read 14 October 2026.

How can I check workers' compensation coverage?

Check, as an optional step, which employer name the painting crew works under, then look that name up in DFS Proof of Coverage. Ask whether the people on ladders and lifts work for the business on your written scope, for a separate crew or through an employee leasing company, since each answer gives a different name.

Source: Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage, read 14 October 2026.

Read any result as a carrier report, not a statement about your job. The DFS disclaimer, read 14 October 2026, states: “The information contained herein is a representative reflection of selected information reported by the insurance carrier and maintained by the Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers' Compensation.”

Source: Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage, read 14 October 2026.

A crew supplied by an employee leasing company needs one more question. The same disclaimer states: “Coverage for client companies may not be reflected in the Proof of Coverage Database due to the lag time that may occur in reporting client company information from the employee leasing company, to the insurance company and finally to the Division.” A missing listing there is something to ask the business about.

Source: Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage, read 14 October 2026.

If the owner of a painting business offers an exemption instead, note whose name it carries. The DFS exemptions page, read 14 October 2026, states: “Upon issuance of an exemption, the officer or member is not considered an employee of the business and may not recover workers' compensation benefits. Exemptions are issued to officers of a corporation and members of limited liability companies - not to the business.” An exemption in the owner's name says nothing about helpers on the ladder.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services, exemption information, read 14 October 2026.

A trading name does not change that answer. The Department of State's fictitious name page states: “A Fictitious Name Registration does not satisfy Workers’ Compensation Exemption requirements.”

Source: Florida Department of State, fictitious name registration, read 14 October 2026.

What should I ask for in writing about insurance?

Ask the painting business, only if you choose to, for a certificate of insurance that shows you as certificate holder for the property in your written scope. Any question about what the certificate means goes to whoever issued it; this request stays optional and never replaces your own reading of the scope.

Match the business named on the certificate to the one on the estimate. Exterior work can involve ladders, a rented lift or pressure washing close to the property line, and interior work can involve moving furniture; ask which business does each of those tasks, so any document you hold names the company on that line item.

Date each document you receive and keep it with the version of the scope it arrived with. A revised bid that adds cabinet doors, exterior trim or a second building may bring in a different business, and the earlier document then answers a different question.

How do I describe the painting job before checking anyone?

Describe each surface to be painted, room by room or wall by wall, with its current finish, the colour and sheen you want, and who supplies the paint. Add photographs of peeling, stains or cracks, so every painter answers the same written scope.

Ask each painter to write out the preparation it includes: washing or pressure washing, scraping loose paint, sanding, filling nail holes, caulking gaps and priming bare or stained areas. Put preparation on its own line rather than inside one total, and state how many coats each surface gets.

If your home was built before 1978, say so in the request. EPA's contractor page, read 14 October 2026, lists among its examples of the types of firms covered “Special trade contractors, including painters, plumbers, carpenters and electricians.” It also states: “Firms cannot advertise or perform renovation activities covered by the RRP Rule in homes or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 without firm certification.”

Source: EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, read 14 October 2026.

Decide these three choices before you compare anyone:

1. Interior only, exterior only or both, with each room or side of the house named.
2. Paint supplied by the painter or by you, with the product line and colour written down.
3. Furniture moved and floors covered by the crew, or cleared by you before the start date.

What should my request include?

Describe every surface, its preparation and the number of coats in a written scope, with photographs of each room or wall and any damaged area. Name who supplies the paint and who handles cleanup and disposal, then ask each painter to flag any wall, ceiling, trim or cleanup task its bid omits.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.

What should I do before I sign?

Check your painting agreement for each surface and line item, the start date, the finish date, the payment schedule and a final walk-through. Ask who returns for touch-ups after that walk-through, and compare the company named at the signature with any Sunbiz entry or receipt you looked up.

The FTC's home improvement guidance, read 14 October 2026, advises: “Read the contract carefully. Contract requirements vary by state. Even if your state doesn’t require a written agreement, ask for one.”

Source: FTC home improvement guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Ask a painter for references from jobs with surfaces like yours, such as stucco walls, wood trim or cabinet doors, and ask those homeowners how the preparation and cleanup went. The same FTC guidance says: “Get contractor recommendations from people you know and trust.”

Source: FTC home improvement guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Put any colour change, added room or extra coat into a written change order before the crew continues, and file it with the photographs and any dated lookups.

Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.

InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. InstaBids is new in your area, so finding contractors can take longer, and a request may get no bids.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.

Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 14 October 2026.

• InstaBids process and privacy, live-page excerpts reviewed 14 October 2026.
• Pilot FAQ, live-page excerpt read 14 October 2026.
• Florida Department of State, Sunbiz search records, checked 14 October 2026.
• Florida Department of State, fictitious name registration, checked 14 October 2026.
• EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, checked 14 October 2026.
• EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, checked 14 October 2026.
• DBPR Unlicensed Activity: what requires a license, checked 14 October 2026.
• DBPR Online Services, licensee search page, checked 14 October 2026.
• Palm Beach County Tax Collector, business tax, checked 14 October 2026.
• Broward County, search for contractor licenses, checked 14 October 2026.
• Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage, checked 14 October 2026.
• Florida Department of Financial Services, exemption information, checked 14 October 2026.
• FTC home improvement guidance, checked 14 October 2026.

Parent: InstaBids home.