Checking a Florida roofing license, and two state programs that reward a stronger roof

Step by step on the DBPR licensee search

1. Open the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's licensee search. It offers four search types: by name, by license number, by city or county, and by license type.
2. Search by the license number the roofer gave you. If you only have a company name, search by name and match the address.
3. Read the occupation code. DBPR designates certified contractors with codes beginning in "C" and registered ones with "R"; for roofing, that means CC or RC.
4. If the code is RC, confirm the registration covers your address. Florida law limits a registration to the counties, municipalities or development districts where the contractor met local licensing requirements.
5. Check the renewal cycle. Certified contractors renew on August 31 of every even-numbered year, and registered contractors on August 31 of every odd-numbered year, so compare the record's status and dates with the right cycle.
6. Use the same portal's Unlicensed Activity Search, listed among DBPR's online services, if the company does not appear at all.
7. Ask for certificates of insurance. DBPR requires roofers to carry at least $100,000 of liability and $25,000 of property damage coverage, plus workers' compensation or an exemption.

What stands behind a current license

DBPR's FAQ says applicants with a FICO credit score below 660 must complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course. Every renewal cycle, contractors complete 14 hours of continuing education, and roofing contractors must include one hour of wind mitigation methodology. Out-of-state roofers seeking a Florida license by endorsement must take a 2-hour course on the Florida Building Code that covers wind mitigation techniques.

The same FAQ says roofing work cannot be subcontracted to unlicensed roofers. The workers on your roof must be employees of the licensed contractor or leased through a licensed employee leasing company.

My Safe Florida Home: inspection first, grant second

My Safe Florida Home was re-established during the 2022 Special Session, is administered by the Department of Financial Services, and depends on annual legislative appropriations. It has two parts, a free wind-mitigation inspection and a grant for recommended improvements.

Who gets the free inspection. The home must be a single-family unit on its own parcel, site-built, owner-occupied and carrying a homestead exemption. Condominiums, mobile and manufactured homes, rentals and second homes are excluded.

Who can get a grant. The home must also have an insured value of $700,000 or less and have been built before January 1, 2008, according to the county property appraiser. You supply the contractor's name and state license number, agree to a final inspection, and share any insurance discount the work earns.

How much. Matching grants pay $2 for every $1 the homeowner contributes, up to $10,000; low-income grants of up to $10,000 need no match. Applications open in phases, starting with low-income homeowners aged 60 or older, and the program tells applicants to watch its site for dates.

What it pays for. Four improvements qualify when the initial inspection recommends them: opening protection, roof-to-wall attachment, roof deck attachment and secondary water resistance. Do not start work before you receive grant approval, and finish and request the final inspection within 18 months.

Which contractor. The program accepts any contractor certified or registered with DBPR as a general, building, residential, specialty or roofing contractor, and it no longer keeps a list of authorized contractors.

The OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation form

The Office of Insurance Regulation's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, currently revision 04/26, records the wind-resistant features of a house. Its questions cover:

• the building code in force when the house was permitted;
• the wind region, drawn from ASCE 7-22 at a 700-year return period, with Region 1 at 140 mph or more;
• roof slope and each roof covering's permit date or product approval;
• the weakest roof deck attachment, graded by sheathing thickness and nail size and spacing;
• the weakest roof-to-wall connection, from toenails through clips, single wraps and double wraps;
• roof shape, a sealed roof deck or secondary water resistance, and opening protection.

The form needs at least one photo or document for each feature marked in questions 2 through 9, and it is valid for up to five years if no material changes are made. A FORTIFIED Roof, Silver or Gold certificate can validate some of those attributes.

Florida law gives the form its value. Residential rate filings must include actuarially reasonable discounts or other rate differentials for construction that reduces windstorm loss, including roof strength, roof covering performance and roof-to-wall strength. The roofing contractor's statutory scope even names roof-to-wall enhancements inspected under the OIR form when they are done with a roof covering replacement or repair.

For the wider picture, see the National Roofing Directory's Florida roofing licensing page and its roofing licensing rules for every state.

Frequently asked questions

What do the CC and RC codes on a roofer's license mean?

They are DBPR's occupation codes for the roofing trade: CC for a certified roofing contractor and RC for a registered one. Certified roofers may work anywhere in the state; registered roofers only where they met local requirements.

Can my roofer sign my wind mitigation form?

The form lists who may sign: licensed home inspectors with hurricane mitigation training, building code inspectors, general, building or residential contractors, engineers and architects, plus anyone the insurer recognizes as qualified. Roofing contractors are not named on that list, so ask your insurer before relying on a roofer's signature.

Does the My Safe Florida Home inspection cost anything?

No. The program describes its wind-mitigation inspection as free and without obligation to apply for a grant, and a licensed inspector contracted by the program performs it.

Where can Tampa Bay homeowners compare roofers?

The National Roofing Directory lists roofers city by city, starting with Tampa. Check each one on DBPR before you sign.