How to Verify a Florida Contractor License (CRC vs CGC)

Every year, Florida homeowners lose deposits, projects, and sometimes entire renovations to unlicensed operators who print "licensed & insured" on a business card and simply count on nobody checking. Checking takes five minutes, costs nothing, and requires no expertise — just a license number and the state's public database. Here's exactly how to verify a Florida contractor license, what the letters CRC, CBC, and CGC actually mean, and the tricks unlicensed players use to look legitimate to busy homeowners.

What the License Letters Mean

Florida issues state certified contractor licenses through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The prefix tells you the scope:

• CRC — Certified Residential Contractor. Licensed for residential structures: single-family homes, townhomes, and low-rise residential work, including remodels, additions, and new custom homes. Xpert Construction Group holds CRC 1335930.
• CBC — Certified Building Contractor. Residential plus commercial buildings generally up to three stories.
• CGC — Certified General Contractor. Unlimited structure types and heights.

For a home remodel, addition, or custom home, a CRC, CBC, or CGC is each fully legal — what matters is that the license is state certified, active, and held by the company you're contracting with. "Certified" licenses work statewide; "registered" (RRC/RGC) licenses are limited to specific local jurisdictions.

How to Run the Check: Step by Step

1. Get the exact license number and company name from the contractor. Refusal to provide it is your answer.
2. Go to the DBPR license search (MyFloridaLicense.com) and search by license number — it's more reliable than name searches.
3. Confirm the status is "Current, Active." Delinquent, null, or suspended means stop.
4. Match the qualified business name to the name on your proposal and contract. A common scam is borrowing someone else's number — the license must connect to the entity you're paying.
5. Review complaints and discipline history, which the DBPR record shows.
6. Verify insurance separately — licensing and insurance are different systems. Ask for certificates of liability and workers' compensation sent directly from the insurer.

Five minutes, zero cost, and it filters out the majority of bad actors before they ever reach your kitchen table. It's also worth repeating the check right before you sign, not just when you first meet — licenses lapse, insurance gets cancelled, and months can pass between an initial estimate and a contract. A current screenshot of the DBPR record in your project file takes seconds and settles any later question about what you verified and when.

Why Licensing Actually Matters

A license isn't a formality — it's your legal safety net:

• Permits and inspections. Only licensed contractors can pull building permits for your project under the Florida Building Code. Unpermitted work surfaces at sale, in insurance claims, and in code enforcement.
• Recovery fund access. Florida maintains a homeowner recovery fund for certain losses caused by licensed contractors — hire unlicensed, and that protection evaporates.
• Insurance validity. Homeowner's policies can deny claims tied to unlicensed work.
• Accountability. Licensed contractors risk their license — a real asset — on every job. Unlicensed operators risk a phone number.

Unlicensed contracting is illegal in Florida, and in the aftermath of hurricanes, enforcement stings routinely catch operators preying on desperate homeowners.

The Tricks to Watch For

Be alert to the classic maneuvers: a "handyman" quoting structural or electrical work far beyond the handyman exemption; someone "working under a friend's license" (illegal); a license number that traces to a different company name; expired licenses presented as current; and the suggestion that you pull an owner-builder permit while they do the work — which transfers their liability to you. If any of these appear during bidding for your home remodeling or custom home project, walk away regardless of price.

Verification Is Step One, Not the Whole Job

A clean license is the entry ticket, not the trophy. From there, evaluate experience, references, contract quality, and process — our full vetting approach is outlined on our why choose us page, and our portfolio shows the standard the license number stands behind.

Work With Xpert Construction Group

We invite verification — look up CRC 1335930 on the DBPR site right now. Xpert Construction Group is a Florida licensed and insured design-build contractor with 25+ years of combined experience serving South Florida homeowners. Contact us for a free consultation.