Two license types, two different reaches
State law splits Florida contractors into two tiers: a certified license carries a statewide certificate of competency and works anywhere in the state, while a registered license only clears the competency bar set by one specific local jurisdiction, and stops at that jurisdiction's border.[1]
In practice, a certified license number usually starts with the letters CCC, and a registered one usually starts with RC. If a roofer's card shows an RC number and your address is outside the jurisdiction that issued it, that's worth asking about directly before you go further.[1]
Roofing has its own certification, separate from general contracting
Holding a general, building, or residential license issued after 1973 doesn't by itself clear someone to take on or market roofing jobs; the statute requires a roofing-specific certification or registration layered on top before they can legally call themselves a roofer.[2]
Running the check
Search the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's licensing portal by the contractor's name, license number, or county, and read the license type shown next to the result.[3]
The record also shows the license's current status. An expired, suspended, or revoked license can still turn up in a search, so read the status line itself rather than assuming a result means the license is good today.[3]
In Miami-Dade or Broward County
These two counties fall inside Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, where the county's own product control section requires specific retrofit steps and a secondary water barrier when an existing roof is replaced, on top of the statewide license requirement.[4]
A roofer working in either county should be able to point to the specific permit forms and product approvals your roof type calls for, whether that's a shingle, tile, metal, or membrane system; the county publishes a separate detailed form for each, and asking to see the right one is a fair test of whether a bidder actually works in the zone regularly.[4]
If the license doesn't check out
A search that comes back with no match, a different business name, or an inactive status is a reason to stop and ask questions before any paperwork gets signed, not a technicality to wave away.
A legitimate company can explain a mismatch, such as operating under a qualifying individual's name rather than the storefront name on their trucks. A company that gets evasive about the same question, or changes its story between visits, is telling you something too, and that's worth weighing before any deposit changes hands.