InstaBids

How do I check a pressure washing contractor in Florida myself?

Start by listing the surfaces your pressure washing bid covers, then choose the optional lookups that fit: the Broward County local business tax receipt, the DBPR licensee search for any state number a bidder names, and the DFS Proof of Coverage database for the employer.

Source: Broward County Tax Collector, local business tax questions, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DBPR Online Services licensee search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DFS Proof of Coverage database, read 15 October 2026.

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

A stucco wall half cleaned, with a sharp line between clean stucco and dark mildew streaks.

Key facts

How can I check pressure washing public records myself?

Check up to three optional public sources for a pressure washing bidder: a Broward County business tax receipt the bidder shows you, DBPR's licensee search for any state licence number it gives you, and the DFS Proof of Coverage database for the employer named on your written scope.

Source: Broward County Tax Collector, local business tax questions, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DBPR Online Services licensee search, read 15 October 2026.
Source: DFS Proof of Coverage database, read 15 October 2026.

Ask first whether the bid stays with ordinary ground-level washing of your driveway, pavers, pool deck, screen enclosure and walls.

Write the date beside every lookup you run, and keep a printout or screenshot with the surface list it relates to. A matching record links a name to a business; it says nothing about how your driveway or pool deck will look afterwards.

InstaBids gets you competitive written quotes without calls or home visits to bid; contractors never pay to see a request or to bid, and there is no fee during our pilot.

Post your request

Which state records cover work beyond washing?

Start with the tasks on your written scope, and keep anything beyond ground-level washing, such as roof cleaning or paver repair, on its own line, so you can ask which record, if any, each extra task relates to.

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

Pavers raise a related question when a bidder offers to relevel, replace or add to them after washing. DBPR's unlicensed activity table, read 15 October 2026, lists under Does not need a DBPR License: “Install a driveway or install pavers/tile walkways regardless of compensation.” Keep any paver repair or sealing on a separate line so you can compare the washing on its own.

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

Open the DBPR search only if a pressure washing bidder hands you a state licence number for some other work it takes on. DBPR describes that site this way: “The DBPR Online Services website provides information about applicants and licensed individuals for those professions and businesses that are regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.”

Source: DBPR Online Services licensee search, read 15 October 2026.

Where can I look up county records for driveway washing?

Ask a Broward pressure washing bidder to show its county local business tax receipt, and compare the business name and category on it with the name on your written scope. Treat the receipt as a tax record, separate from any judgement about how well your driveway, pool deck or walls will be cleaned.

Source: Broward County Tax Collector, local business tax questions, read 15 October 2026.

The Broward County Tax Collector's local business tax answers, read 15 October 2026, state: “Any person doing business in Broward County, even a one-person company or home-based business owner, needs a Broward County Local Business Tax Receipt, unless you qualify for an exemption.” The next sentence reads: “You need one Local Business Tax Receipt for each location you are operating your business from, and one for each category of business you are conducting.”

Source: Broward County Tax Collector, local business tax questions, read 15 October 2026.

A city receipt can sit beside the county one. The same answers state: “All businesses should check with their municipality before applying for a Broward County Local Business Tax Receipt.” Ask which city issued any second receipt you are shown, and in Palm Beach County ask which local receipt, if any, the bidder holds.

Source: Broward County Tax Collector, local business tax questions, read 15 October 2026.

What do workers' compensation records show for pressure washing crews?

Use the DFS Proof of Coverage database, if you choose, to look up the employer whose crew will run the pressure washer at your home. Search the employer named on your written scope, note the date, and ask the business which industry class it reports, because the coverage rules differ by industry.

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

The DFS coverage requirements page, read 15 October 2026, states: “Specific employer coverage requirements are based on the type of industry, number of employees and entity organization.” It points to a rule for the trade list: “For a list of the trades considered to be in the construction industry see 69L-6.021 Florida Administrative Code.” Ask the bidder whether its own policy treats pressure washing as construction or non-construction work.

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

An owner may offer an exemption instead. The DFS exemptions page, read 15 October 2026, states: “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. Upon issuance of an exemption, the officer or member is not considered an employee of the business and may not recover workers' compensation benefits.” An owner's exemption describes that owner, not the helper dragging hose across your lawn.

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

How could I request written pressure washing insurance information?

Ask, only if you want to, for a certificate of insurance from the business that will wash your driveway, deck or walls, 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.

Ask for one certificate per business. A pressure washing company can pass paver sealing, roof cleaning or screen repair to another firm, and that firm's certificate names that firm, not the company that signs your washing agreement. File each document with the line item it relates to and the date it arrived.

How do I describe exterior surface washing for a record lookup?

Describe each surface by name and material, such as the concrete driveway, paver patio, pool deck, screen enclosure or painted stucco wall, and mark anything left out, such as the roof. A clear surface list shows you which task, and so which record, a bidder's proposal actually covers.

Decide these points before you compare responses:

  1. Surfaces: each area by name, its material and any coating, such as sealed pavers or painted stucco, so each bidder can say how it would treat that finish.
  2. Method: high pressure, low pressure with a cleaning agent, or both, and which surfaces get which.
  3. Water: which outdoor tap the crew may use, or whether the bidder brings its own water.
  4. Plants and openings: who rinses or covers planting beds, and who closes windows, vents and pool equipment covers.
  5. Extras: paver sanding, sealing, gutter faces or painting, each as its own line item or left out.

Florida's Department of Environmental Protection publishes washing practices written for mobile vehicle and equipment washing. The document, read 15 October 2026, states: “The recommended BMPs in this guidance document may be used for any type of mobile washing activity. However, these BMPs are specifically intended to provide guidance for fleet vehicle and heavy equipment washing because those activities can potentially have greater environmental impacts than smaller-scale washing activities.” Use its points below as questions for your own job, not as rules for a house.

Source: Florida DEP, recommended practices for mobile vehicle and equipment washing, read 15 October 2026.

Ask each bidder to name the cleaning agent it plans for each surface.

On runoff, it lists: “Identify all stormwater drains, grassy swales and ditches and locate sanitary sewer manholes at the proposed wash area.” A separate item reads: “Observe the slope of the ground at the proposed facility to determine the direction of runoff flow in order to identify an area where washwater can be contained for collection without the possibility of release of a pollutant into the waters of the state of Florida.” Ask where wash water from your driveway would end up.

Source: Florida DEP, recommended practices for mobile vehicle and equipment washing, read 15 October 2026.

Among its containment methods, the document describes drain covers: “Storm Drain Covers and Mats – Storm drain covers and mats are items that are placed on top of a storm drain grate in order to seal the drain off from the wastewater and allow the water to collect on top of the drain until it can be collected and properly disposed.” Ask whether the bidder plans to cover the drain nearest your work area.

Source: Florida DEP, recommended practices for mobile vehicle and equipment washing, read 15 October 2026.

What runoff details should my pressure washing request include?

Photograph each surface from a few steps back so the nearest storm drain, swale or canal edge is in the frame, then add a close shot of each stain or mildew patch. Write in your request which outdoor tap a crew may use, where planting beds sit and where you have seen rainwater run.

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

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

Which cleanup terms should I clarify before signing?

Compare the agreement with your written scope surface by surface: method, cleaning agent, water source, how wash water and loose debris are handled, any sealing as its own line item, the start date, the finish date and the payment schedule. Check that the company at the signature line matches your proposal and any record you chose to look up.

The DEP vehicle washing document also lists: “Solids and other debris should be collected and properly disposed to prevent storm water contamination.” Ask who sweeps up the grit, leaves and loosened sealant once the washing stops, and where it goes for disposal.

Source: Florida DEP, recommended practices for mobile vehicle and equipment washing, read 15 October 2026.

If washing reveals cracked concrete, loose pavers, torn screens or a soft fascia board, ask for a written change order before any repair starts, and keep it with your photographs. A repair found at that point is a different job from washing, so ask the bidder to say in writing whether it is in or out of scope.

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 15 October 2026.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 15 October 2026.

Sources for the facts on this page

Parent: InstaBids home.