Why We Show License Numbers, Not Just "Licensed" Badges

Florida law requires a contractor's license number in every advertisement, offer, bid, and contract, regardless of medium. Yet almost half of the 82 local plumbing websites we read in St. Petersburg showed no license number.

What a "licensed" badge can mean

The same word means different things on different platforms. Here is how four of them describe it in their own help pages.

• Angi says license, bond, and insurance details are self-reported: "Since this information is self-reported, we strongly encourage you to check with the provider and regulatory agencies in your area."
• Yelp sells a Verified License badge. Its moderators confirm that a license was "in good standing as of the date we checked it."
• Thumbtack verifies licenses that are "searchable on the state licensing board's public databases." A verified license shows as "Verified" on the pro's profile.
• Google checks state licenses for plumbers in Local Services Ads "where applicable by local law."

These are different promises. One means the business told the platform. Another means someone checked once, on a past date. A third means the number matched a state record.

A missing badge proves little, too. Yelp notes that a business without one may simply not have bought it.

A badge tells you that someone claimed or checked something. A number lets you check it yourself.

What a Florida license number tells you

Look up a number in the state registry, and you learn four things.

The type of license. A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida (F.S. 489.105(8)). A registered contractor passed a local competency check and can work only in that area (F.S. 489.105(10)). For plumbing, look for CFC (certified) or RF (registered). For air conditioning, look for CAC or RA.

The status. Working on an inactive or suspended license counts as working without a license (F.S. 489.127(1)).

Who is responsible. A company gets its license through a qualifying agent, a named person who holds the license. By law, that person supervises the company's operations, its field work at every site, and its finances (F.S. 489.1195).

The disciplinary record. The Construction Industry Licensing Board publishes its disciplinary actions. A license number lets you match them to the right company. A badge never shows them.

What the state checked first

A license also means the state checked the applicant before issuing it. It looks at three things: experience, insurance, and finances.

• Experience. For a certified license, the applicant needs, for example, four years in the trade, including one as a foreman, or a related degree plus one year (F.S. 489.111). Certified contractors also generally pass a state exam. For registered contractors, the local rules apply.
• Insurance. The applicant swore to having workers' compensation, public liability, and property damage insurance. The same sworn statement is required at every renewal (F.S. 489.115(5)(a)).
• Finances. Under the current rule, the applicant's credit report must show no unpaid judgments or liens. The applicant also needs a FICO score of 660 or higher, or a 14-hour financial responsibility course (Florida rule 61G4-15.006).

These checks happen when the license is issued or renewed. They don't prove the insurance is in force on the day of your job.

Why it matters to you

Most jobs go fine, and no one looks at the license again. It matters when something goes wrong: a contractor takes a deposit and disappears, or a storm brings crews you've never heard of. In both cases, Florida law treats a licensed contractor very differently from an unlicensed one.

If the job goes wrong. Florida runs the Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund. It can repay a homeowner who lost money to a licensed contractor through financial misconduct, an abandoned project, or false statements about bonds, payments, or insurance (F.S. 489.141, 489.129(1)(g), (j), (k)).

The fund is a last resort. First you need a court judgment, an arbitration award, or a board order, and you must try to collect from the contractor. For plumbing and air-conditioning contracts signed since July 1, 2024, it pays up to $30,000 per claim (F.S. 489.143).

Here is the kind of case it is meant for. In February 2025, Tampa Bay's WTSP reported on a Land O' Lakes homeowner whose pool contractor left the job unfinished. He had paid more than $60,000, then about $55,000 more to another contractor to finish it. Because his contract was signed before July 2024, the most the fund could pay him was $15,000.

It pays nothing if the contractor had no valid license when you signed (F.S. 489.141(2)(d)).

After a storm. Florida raises the stakes during emergencies. A first case of contracting without a license is normally a first-degree misdemeanor. During a declared state of emergency, it is a third-degree felony (F.S. 489.127(2)).

What a number doesn't tell you

A license number answers some questions and leaves others open. Before you rely on one, keep four limits in mind.

1. Some numbers aren't licenses. Cities and counties issue local business tax receipts, and those have numbers too. By law, a tax receipt is not a contractor license (F.S. 489.127(1)).
2. Some work needs no license. Florida sets no licensing requirement for drain cleaning (F.S. 489.105(3)(m)). A drain-cleaning company without a plumbing license may be working legally.
3. One person can qualify several companies. The board can let a qualifying agent qualify more than one business, if that person shows they can supervise the work at each (F.S. 489.119). In our St. Petersburg data, three qualifiers each stood behind two companies. Two names can lead back to the same person.
4. A license doesn't measure quality. It shows the company met the state's rules, not how well it works or what it charges.

What we found in St. Petersburg

To see how this works in practice, we read the websites of 88 plumbing companies in St. Petersburg. We left out a national chain, two referral sites, and three commercial-only contractors. That left 82 local companies that serve homes.

• 45 showed a Florida license number.
• 23 said they were licensed but showed no number.
• 14 mentioned neither.

Then we looked up all 82 in the state registry. We used the license number where the site showed one, and the company name otherwise.

• 65 had an active license.
• For 17, we found no active license under the number or name we had.

That is not proof they are unlicensed. A company may hold its license under a different legal name. Some, like drain cleaners, may need no license at all.

We don't name the companies here. This article is about a practice, not about any one business.

About this data

• Websites: 88 plumbing companies in St. Petersburg, Florida, read on October 1, 2026. We kept the 82 local companies that serve homes.
• "Shows a license number" means a Florida contractor license number (for example, CFC or CAC) appears in the text or images of at least one page we read.
• Registry: Florida DBPR licensee file, downloaded October 2, 2026.
• "No active license found" means not found under the number or name we had. We don't treat it as "unlicensed."

How US Directory shows licenses

Every company page on US Directory leads with the license and shows where it came from.

• The number and what it covers. For example, "CFC1234567, Certified Plumbing Contractor," with the name of the qualifying agent.
• Status and dates. Whether the license is current, since when, and when it expires.
• The source and the date we checked. The Florida DBPR license file, the date of our snapshot, and a link to check it yourself.
• How we matched it. By the number on the company's website, or by the company name when the site shows none.
• Discipline. Whether the Construction Industry Licensing Board has any disciplinary cases on file.

What a company says about itself appears in a separate section. We keep it apart from what we checked in state records.

We publish a company page only when we can match the company to a state license. When we can't, we don't call it "unlicensed." We just don't list it yet.

Our principles are public on the Principles page.

Check a license yourself in two minutes

Start with the number on the company's website. If there isn't one, ask. Florida law requires the number in every advertisement, offer, bid, and contract, and on any vehicle that carries the company's name (F.S. 489.119(5)(b), (c)).

Then:

1. Open the Florida DBPR license search at myfloridalicense.com.
2. Search by license number. If you only have a name, search by name.
3. Check that the name on the record matches the company you're hiring.
4. Check that the license type fits the job: CFC or RF for plumbing, CAC or RA for air conditioning.
5. Check that the license is current and active, not expired.
6. Before you sign, check that the same number appears on the contract.

If a company or a directory shows you a badge, ask for the number too. It takes two minutes to check.

An open invitation

This article covers one part of our rating: the license. We want people outside our team to check how we handle it.

We'd especially like to hear from:

• licensed contractors and their trade associations;
• people who work with Florida's licensing records;
• consumer advocates;
• researchers who study ratings and reviews.

Here is what you can do:

• tell us if we matched a company to the wrong license, or missed one;
• tell us how much weight a license should carry in a rating;
• point us to public records we haven't used yet.

We'll credit each contribution by name in our change log. To get involved, write to us at [email protected].