Florida roofing license: certified vs. registered, handyman limits and Brevard re-roofs

Suppose a handyman on Merritt Island is asked by a property manager to replace a few dozen blown-off shingles after a storm and reseal the flashing around a vent. It looks like an afternoon's work and well under $2,500. In Florida it is still roofing, and roofing is one of the trades the state licenses.

What counts as roofing work in Florida?

Section 489.105(3) of the Florida Statutes defines a roofing contractor as one whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade: installing, maintaining, repairing, altering, extending or designing all kinds of roofing, waterproofing and coating. The scope also covers skylights, required roof-deck attachments, and repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia as needed during a roof repair or replacement.

The definition has one narrow exception. A coating that is not represented to protect, repair, waterproof, stop leaks or extend the life of the roof falls outside it. A product sold as a leak fix does not.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation's What Requires a License page puts it simply: constructing a roof for compensation needs a DBPR license. Its examples run the other way too: installing awnings that do not become a fixed part of the structure needs none. The Construction Industry Licensing Board's FAQ lists roofing among the categories that require state registration or certification.

What is the difference between a certified and a registered roofing contractor?

The difference is where you may work. Under section 489.105, a certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from the state and may contract in any jurisdiction in Florida without meeting that jurisdiction's competency requirements. A registered contractor has registered with the state after meeting a local jurisdiction's competency requirements, and may contract only in those jurisdictions.

The paths in are different too. The CILB FAQ says a certified license requires passing the Florida contractor's examination, meeting financial stability and responsibility requirements, and proving experience in the category. A registered license requires a copy of your local contractor's license.

Suppose a registered roofer based in Brevard is offered a re-roof in Orange County. Whether that registration reaches Orange depends on where the competency requirements were met, so check your own record before you quote. A certified license travels; a registered one stays where it was earned.

What may a handyman not do on a roof?

Repair or replace roofing for pay. Florida's minor-work exemption is narrow, and the CILB FAQ describes it this way: handyman jobs under $2,500 in total construction cost are exempt from state licensure when they are of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature, and work requiring a permit is typically not of that nature. Brevard County's residential re-roof permit, described below, covers repair as well as replacement of a roof covering. Our guide to the handyman exemption covers the rest of its conditions.

The storm-damage job in our example is repair of roofing, which section 489.105 puts in the roofing contractor's scope. Dollar size does not move it out. What the handyman can do is tell the manager what he saw on the roof and that the repair needs a licensed roofer.

Working under a roofer has its own rule. The CILB FAQ says roofing work cannot be subcontracted to unlicensed roofers: roofers must be employees of the licensed contractor, or leased through a licensed employee leasing company. A handyman who takes roof jobs as a 1099 subcontractor to a roofing company does not fit either.

What does Brevard County require for a re-roof permit?

Brevard County issues Residential Reroof permits for the repair or replacement of roof covering, such as shingles, tiles and metal, including skylights. Solar shingles go under a different record type, and work on mobile homes and tiny houses on wheels needs no permit.

The page says professionals may obtain permits only for the scope of work their license allows. A re-roof permit can be pulled by:

• A roofing contractor.
• A general contractor, who must name a roofing subcontractor.
• A property owner acting as owner-builder, who must apply in person under section 489.103.

The documents are short: the building permit application (not needed when a licensed contractor applies online), a subcontractor authorization for each subcontractor, a supplemental fastener affidavit, and a notice of commencement if the job value exceeds $5,000. The notice must be recorded with the Clerk of Courts, uploaded and approved by Planning and Development before you schedule inspections. Florida product approval information and the manufacturer's installation instructions for each product must be on site during inspections.

It is an expedited permit with no review by county staff. Registered online users can apply, upload documents, pay and get the issued permit at any hour through Brevard's Advanced Service Site (BASS). The fees are a $25 application processing fee, a $10 unlicensed contractor activity enforcement fee, and building code review at $75 for the first $1,000 of job value plus $3.25 per $1,000 after that, with two state surcharges on top. For a $12,000 re-roof, the code review comes to $75 plus eleven times $3.25, or $110.75.

How does this fit with working through 1Stop?

1Stop Service Pro takes insured trade vendors, licensed where the trade requires it, and roof repair is one of its trades. In Brevard County it is taking vendors, with no response target yet. Vendors pay no listing fee, lead fee or percentage, invoice one company, 1Stop, and are paid net-14. 1Stop is new and pre-launch, so it has no job counts to show.

If you hold a roofing license that covers Brevard, the vendor application is the next step. Managers check roofers through the DBPR license search, as our post on how to vet a maintenance vendor explains.