The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) maintains the only authoritative license registry for roofing contractors operating in Palm Beach County. Florida Statute 489.105 requires all residential and commercial roofing contractors to hold either a CCC (Certified Roofing Contractor) or CBC (Certified Building Contractor) license issued by the DBPR before performing any roofing work. Verifying a contractor's license before signing any agreement takes under two minutes and is the single most effective fraud prevention action a PBC homeowner can take.
Why License Verification Matters Before You Sign Anything
Unlicensed roofing activity increases 300–400% in Palm Beach County in the 30 days following any named storm event, according to the Florida DBPR. An unlicensed contractor cannot legally pull a building permit in PBC, which means any work they perform is unpermitted. Unpermitted roofing work creates three immediate problems for the homeowner: Citizens Insurance or a private carrier can deny a future claim on the grounds that the roof was modified without a permit, the work cannot be inspected by the Palm Beach County Building Division and may not meet FBC standards, and the homeowner has no legal recourse through the DBPR complaint process if the work fails.
Verifying a license before hiring costs you two minutes. Discovering after the fact that your contractor was unlicensed costs you everything.
Step-by-Step: How to Verify a Florida Roofing Contractor License
Step 1 — Go to the DBPR license search. Open your browser and navigate to myfloridalicense.com. This is the Florida DBPR's official public license verification portal. Do not use third-party sites that claim to verify licenses — use only the official DBPR portal.
Step 2 — Select the correct license type. On the search page, in the "Profession" dropdown, select Contractor. Then in the "License Type" field, select the appropriate type. For roofing contractors you are looking for either Roofing Contractor (CCC) or Certified Building Contractor (CBC). A contractor claiming to do roofing work under a different license type — such as a General Contractor (CGC) — is not authorized to perform roofing work on its own.
Step 3 — Search by name or license number. Enter the contractor's business name or the license number they provided. The license number format for roofing contractors is CCC followed by seven digits (example: CCC1335204). If the contractor cannot provide their license number on request, that is a significant red flag.
Step 4 — Confirm active status. The search results will show the license holder's name, license number, license type, and current status. You are looking for status: Current, Active. Any other status — Expired, Suspended, Delinquent, Null and Void — means the contractor is not currently authorized to perform roofing work in Florida. Do not proceed with any contractor whose license is not Current, Active.
Step 5 — Verify the name matches. Confirm that the name on the license matches the name on the contract you are being asked to sign. A contractor who provides one license number but signs contracts under a different entity name may be operating outside the scope of their license.
CCC vs CBC — What the License Types Mean
For most PBC homeowners hiring a dedicated roofing contractor, the license you want to see is a CCC — Certified Roofing Contractor. This is the state-issued, statewide license that authorizes the holder to perform all residential and commercial roofing work throughout Florida without geographic restriction.
What to Do If a Contractor's License Is Expired or Suspended
Do not hire them and do not sign anything. An expired or suspended license means the contractor is not currently authorized to perform roofing work in Florida. If a contractor claims their license is "in renewal" or "temporarily lapsed," verify this claim directly on the DBPR portal before proceeding. A legitimate licensed contractor will have a Current, Active license — not a license in an interim status.
If you believe a contractor is performing unlicensed roofing work in Palm Beach County, you can file a complaint directly with the DBPR at myfloridalicense.com or by calling the DBPR at 850-487-1395. Unlicensed contracting is a criminal offense under Florida Statute 489.127.
- Go to myfloridalicense.com — use only the official DBPR portal, not third-party sites
- Search under Contractor → Roofing Contractor (CCC) or Certified Building Contractor (CBC)
- Confirm status is Current, Active — any other status means not authorized
- Confirm the license holder name matches the name on the contract you are being asked to sign
- Confirm the license type is CCC for dedicated roofing work — CGC is NOT sufficient for roofing
- Ask for the license number before the contractor visits — a legitimate contractor provides it immediately
- Verify the license number format: CCC followed by 7 digits (example: CCC1335204)
- If license is expired, suspended, or any non-active status — do not proceed, do not sign anything
