# What should I check before hiring a contractor in Florida? Look up the contractor yourself, put the work and payment terms in writing, and confirm the applicable permit and notice requirements before work begins. ## Key facts - Florida's official DBPR search offers name and location searches for contractor records. [Source](https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp?SID=&mode=0) - Current state certification covers its work scope statewide without a separate county card; otherwise county rules apply. Local fees and statutory permit-authority limits remain. [Source](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.113.html) - The residential initial-payment rule sets duties and timing, rather than a deposit cap. [Source](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.126.html) - A Notice of Commencement is separate from the notices included in a contract. [Source](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.13.html) ## Which terms should be written down? Start with your written scope, materials, business name, permit responsibility, payment schedule, warranty, exclusions and change process. Compare these terms before treating totals as prices for the same job. The [FTC](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0242-hiring-contractor) suggests written estimates that record business details and dates. Assign permit applications and inspections. InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We are still building our contractor network, so a job may not get bids yet. Your request page shows whether any bids have come in. [Start your request](/intake) Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 13 October 2026 ## What does an initial payment over 10% trigger? Florida law sets duties when your initial payment exceeds 10%, not a deposit cap. Just cause or longer periods agreed in writing can apply; permit application and issuance are different events. [F.S. 489.126(2)(a)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.126.html) gives a contractor the statute applies to, after an initial payment above 10%, a 30-day period to apply for the permits the job needs, unless none are required, and a 90-day period after those permits issue for work to start, subject to the statute’s conditions. Subsection (3) separately addresses payments beyond work performed and nonperformance over 90 days or an agreed contractual period. Evidence and demand rules depend on owner termination, material breach, just cause and notice. ## Which statutory notices apply? Florida has separate recovery-fund and construction-lien notices. Applicability depends on your contract value, work and property, with owner exceptions for lien notices. Use each statute's threshold and complete required wording. The [recovery-fund law](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.1425.html) covers residential repair, restoration, improvement and construction above its labor-and-materials threshold. Recovery is limited and not assured. The [construction-lien notice law](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.015.html) covers applicable direct contracts above its threshold for single-family or multifamily dwellings up to four units. The lien-notice rule does not apply when the owner is a contractor under the contracting chapter, or a person who created parcels or offers parcels for sale or lease in the ordinary course of business. Written contracts carry the notice; oral or implied contracts require a document referring to the contract. Paying the contractor does not necessarily prevent a lien from an unpaid supplier or subcontractor. ## What is a Notice of Commencement? Florida uses a Notice of Commencement to identify your improvement and the parties in a recorded property notice. Where required, record it before work and post it at the site; permit and contract notices are separate. [F.S. 713.13](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.13.html) and the [direct-contract exemption](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.02.html) apply separately. The monetary-threshold exemption preserves the direct contractor's lien; it does not eliminate all liens. The owner signs and remains responsible for posting, even if a lender records it. The notice is void without work starting within 90 days and normally expires after one year. Payments after expiration can expose owners to paying twice. [Permit-office provisions](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0713/Sections/0713.135.html) require a copy before first inspection, subject to a direct-contract threshold. Their covered heating/AC repair-or-replacement exception does not appear in the recording rule. Confirm applicability with your office. ## How do I get Florida bids without a home visit? Contractors who take part price your photos and written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated. Bidders see your scope card, photos and ZIP code. The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details. Make your own contractor checks. ## How do I check state and county contractor records? Use the [DBPR search](https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp?SID=&mode=0) for state records and county searches below for county cards. Match the business and category to your written scope; InstaBids does not perform these checks. Under [F.S. 489.113(4)(a)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.113.html), current state certification covering your work permits the statewide route without a separate county competency card. Otherwise, the county's competency-card rules apply. Local fees and statutory permit-authority limits still apply. For Broward County AC and pool categories, see the [county packet](https://www.browardcdn.org/api/public/content/07dcff7380a444bd919936bb39be4623?v=1d78b001). Its [contractor search](https://dpepp.broward.org/BCS/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=SearchForContractorLicense) accepts name, card number or firm name. Absence from DBPR alone does not settle a county card's status. Palm Beach County lists AC and pool categories in [regulated trades](https://discover.pbc.gov/pzb/CodeCompliance/Forms/standards.pdf). [Contractor Regulations](https://discover.pbc.gov/pzb/CodeCompliance/Pages/Contractor-Regulations.aspx) explains county-scope changes and where county and state records are kept; not every trade requires a county card. Before work starts, confirm the issued permit, subject to exceptions in [F.S. 553.79(1)(a)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0553/Sections/0553.79.html). An application receipt is different. Check required notices are recorded and posted, and work matches your agreement. ## Sources for the facts on this page Sources checked: 13 October 2026; linked above. [How InstaBids works](/how-it-works) explains the request process. Next: [Broward guides](/broward) · [Palm Beach guides](/palm-beach). Parent: [InstaBids home](/) InstaBids is not a contractor, public adjuster or insurance agent and does not give claim or legal advice.