Key Highlights
Here’s a quick overview of what Florida’s crackdown on unlicensed contracting means for you:
- New laws like HB 1341 and SB 1394 give the state far more enforcement power against unlicensed activity.
- Working with an unlicensed contractor can expose you to real financial and legal risks, including zero legal recourse if the work falls apart.
- Florida law now treats unlicensed work during a state of emergency as a third-degree felony — not a slap on the wrist.
- Contracts with unlicensed contractors are unenforceable in Florida. If they walk off the job or botch it, you’re stuck.
- You can verify any contractor’s license through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) portal at MyFloridaLicense.com.
- If you live in The Villages, pay attention: local licensing sunsets in July 2025, and everything shifts to state-level oversight after that.
Florida’s 2026 New Laws Targeting Unlicensed Contractors
Florida is done being patient with unlicensed contracting. Two new laws — HB 1341 and SB 1394 — hand the Department of Business and Professional Regulation significantly more power to go after people operating without a license. The DBPR processed over 22,000 complaints in 2025 alone. That number tells you how widespread the problem is. These laws give the department the budget, the staffing, and the legal authority to actually act on those complaints instead of letting them pile up.
The biggest change most homeowners should know about is the emergency penalty provision. If someone performs unlicensed work during a declared state of emergency, that’s now a third-degree felony under Florida law. Not a fine. Not a warning. A felony. This was written specifically to stop the wave of fly-by-night operators who show up after hurricanes, collect deposits, and disappear. We’ve all seen it happen — sometimes right here in The Villages after storm season. The state is making it clear that unlicensed activity during vulnerable moments carries severe penalties, and they intend to enforce it.
What HB 1341 and SB 1394 Mean for Homeowners in The Villages
If you’re planning any kind of construction project or even a basic repair, these laws matter to you directly. HB 1341 and SB 1394 expand what the DBPR can do when they catch someone working without a license. That includes stop-work orders, higher civil penalties, and faster legal action. For homeowners, that’s genuine protection — it means the state has more tools to shut down bad actors before they cause more damage.
There’s another piece of this that’s easy to miss. The local licensing sunset takes effect in July 2025. What that means: local contractor licenses go away entirely, and all licensing moves to the state level. For those of us in The Villages, Florida, that actually simplifies things. Instead of wondering whether someone has a local license, a county license, or a state license, there’s one database. One place to check. That’s the DBPR portal, and it should be your first stop before you hand anyone a deposit.
Here’s how the landscape is shifting:
| Aspect | Before New Laws | After New Laws (HB 1341/SB 1394) |
|---|---|---|
| Enforcement | Limited local & state resources | Expanded DBPR enforcement powers |
| Emergency Penalties | Misdemeanor charges | Third-degree felony charges |
| Licensing | Mix of local and state licenses | State-level licensing only (after July 2025) |
| Homeowner Risk | High risk of fraud and poor work | Greater protection through stricter oversight |
Understanding the Legal Risks of Hiring an Unlicensed Contractor
Hiring an unlicensed contractor feels like saving money right up until it doesn’t. Under Florida law, any contract you sign with an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable. Read that again. If they do shoddy roofing work, damage your property, or pocket your deposit and vanish, you have almost no legal recourse. The courts won’t help you enforce a contract that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
It gets worse. If a worker is injured on your property and that person has no workers’ compensation coverage — which unlicensed contractors almost never carry — you could end up liable for their medical costs. That’s not hypothetical. It happens. And even if you personally don’t face criminal charges, the financial liabilities stack up fast. Between repair costs, potential litigation, and the money you already paid out, that “deal” can cost two or three times what a licensed contractor would have charged. This is especially relevant in The Villages, where seasonal turnover creates a steady stream of people offering cheap handyman work with no credentials behind it.
Penalties and Fines for Homeowners and Contractors Under the New Law
The penalties under HB 1341 and SB 1394 are built to actually deter people — not just make headlines. A first offense for unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor, which can mean up to a year of jail time and a $1,000 fine. Repeat offenses or unlicensed work during a state of emergency escalate to felony territory, with significantly harsher sentencing and fines that climb into the thousands of dollars.
Most of the criminal exposure lands on the contractor. But homeowners aren’t invisible here. If the DBPR can show you knowingly hired someone without a contractor’s license, you’re looking at civil penalties. Those fines aren’t trivial. And beyond the fines, you may lose access to support programs like Florida’s Construction Industry Recovery Fund, which exists specifically to help homeowners recover dollars lost to contractor fraud — but only when the contractor was licensed.
There’s a wrinkle for licensed general contractors too. If a general contractor uses unlicensed subcontractors on your job, courts have held that the general contractor may have to refund every dollar the homeowner paid for that portion of the work. Essentially, they pay for the same job twice. That’s a strong incentive for any legitimate general contractor to verify every person on the job site. And for you, it’s one more reason to ask questions before work begins — not after something goes wrong.
Licensed Contractor vs. Handyman: Know the Difference
Not every job around your house requires a licensed contractor, and understanding that line saves you time, money, and unnecessary worry. Florida law draws a clear distinction between work that demands a contractor’s license and handyman-scope work that doesn’t.
Handyman work generally covers minor repairs and routine maintenance — think replacing a faucet, patching drywall, swapping out a light fixture, pressure washing, or assembling furniture. These are tasks that don’t require permits, don’t affect the structure of your home, and fall under a dollar threshold set by the state. A handyman doesn’t need a contractor’s license to do this work legally in Florida. What a responsible handyman should carry is insurance. That’s what protects you if something goes sideways during a repair, and it’s a fair question to ask anyone you hire regardless of licensing requirements.
Where licensing kicks in is on permitted work — roofing, electrical beyond basic fixture swaps, plumbing that goes beyond a simple replacement, structural modifications, HVAC installation, and any project that requires a building permit. These are jobs where the scope, the safety risk, and the dollar amount all demand a licensed contractor with verified credentials, bonding, and insurance.
The confusion happens because the line between “handyman job” and “contractor job” isn’t always obvious to homeowners. A good rule: if the work requires a permit from your local building department, it requires a licensed contractor. If you’re unsure, ask. A trustworthy handyman like Village Home Services will tell you when a job is outside their scope — and point you toward someone who holds the right license. That honesty is actually one of the clearest signs you’re dealing with someone who operates with ethical standards and knows the boundaries of what they’re qualified to do.
Protecting Yourself: How to Verify a Contractor’s License with DBPR
Checking a contractor’s license before signing anything is the single most effective thing you can do to protect your home and your wallet. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation runs a free online portal for exactly this. It takes five minutes, and it tells you whether the person standing in your driveway is actually authorized to do the work they’re promising.
The portal shows you the contractor’s license status, any history of DBPR complaints, and whether their professional regulation requirements are current. That includes insurance, bonding, and experience thresholds the state requires. If you skip this step, you’re giving up every safeguard the state has built for you. And in a community like The Villages — where word-of-mouth recommendations fly around the golf course faster than anywhere else — it’s still worth verifying. A good reputation and a valid license aren’t always the same thing.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Florida DBPR License Portal
The Florida contractor license verification process is straightforward. The DBPR built their system to be accessible, and you don’t need to be tech-savvy to use it. A few minutes here can save you from months of headaches.
Start by going to MyFloridaLicense.com. You can search by the contractor’s name, their business name, or their license number. If you have the license number, use that first. It’s the most reliable way to pull up the exact right person, especially when you’re dealing with common names.
Once you’re on the site:
- Navigate to the “Verify a License” section.
- Choose “Search by Name” or “Search by License Number.”
- Enter the details and review what comes back.
- Click on the matching license to see its current status, disciplinary history, and any open complaints.
If the status reads “current” or “active,” the license is in good standing with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. That’s your green light. If it says anything else — expired, suspended, revoked — walk away. No exceptions.
You can also contact the DBPR directly if you have questions or want to report suspected unlicensed activity. Their consumer hotline handles complaints and can point you in the right direction.
Red Flags to Watch for When Hiring Home Services in Florida
Spotting unlicensed activity before you sign a contract is a skill worth developing, especially in a market like ours. The Villages attracts plenty of legitimate tradespeople, but it also draws folks who know that seasonal residents and snowbirds sometimes need work done quickly and aren’t always checking credentials. Knowing what to look for keeps you in control of your construction project and your money.
Be cautious with anyone who pressures you to commit on the spot. A licensed contractor who does quality work doesn’t need you to say yes in the driveway. They’ll give you a written estimate, encourage you to get other bids, and let you verify their licensing on your own time. If someone gets impatient with that process, that tells you something.
Watch for these warning signs:
- They want a large cash deposit upfront — anything over 10% before work starts should raise questions.
- Their vehicle has out-of-state plates or no company signage at all.
- They can’t produce a verifiable business address or proof of insurance.
- Their bid comes in dramatically lower than everyone else’s.
None of these automatically mean fraud. But stacked together, they paint a picture. You have every right to ask for a contractor’s license number, call their insurance carrier, and check the DBPR database before you commit a single dollar. Maintaining ethical standards in who you hire protects you and it protects your neighbors. When someone gets away with unlicensed work on one house, they move on to the next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be held legally liable if I unknowingly hire an unlicensed contractor?
Florida law puts most criminal liability on the contractor, not you. But if a worker gets injured on your property, you could face financial exposure for medical costs. Even without civil penalties, you lose all legal recourse for poor workmanship since the contract itself is unenforceable under Florida’s unlicensed contracting statutes.
What should I do if I discover my contractor isn’t licensed during a project?
Stop all work immediately and don’t make any additional payments. File a complaint with the DBPR — you can do it online or by phone. Then get a legal consultation to understand your options for recovering dollars already paid and finishing the construction work through a properly licensed contractor.
How do insurance claims work if an unlicensed contractor is involved?
Your homeowner’s insurance may deny claims for property damage caused by work an unlicensed contractor performed. Insurers can treat hiring someone without a valid license as a policy violation, which shifts the full cost of repairs onto you. Always verify licensing before work begins to keep your coverage intact.
