Your Florida contractor license number belongs on your website

What the rule says

Florida Statutes § 489.119(5)(b) reads: "The registration or certification number of each contractor shall appear in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract, or advertisement, regardless of medium, as defined by board rule, used by that contractor or business organization in the practice of contracting."

Chapter 489 is Florida's law on contracting. If you hold a state registration or certification under it, this sentence applies to how you present your business, whether you replace roofs in Davie, install AC systems in Sunrise or build additions in Coral Springs. The rule talks about each offer, each bid and each advertisement, so it is about consistency across everything a customer sees, not just one page.

What "regardless of medium" means for a website

The phrase "regardless of medium" means the rule is not limited to print. In plain reading, a website that offers your services is likely an advertisement. So are online ads, social media posts that promote your work, and digital quotes you email to customers. The rule refers to the board's own definitions, so the details are set by board rule, but the plain reading is simple: if it advertises your contracting work, your number should be on it.

For a website, the practical answer is to make the number impossible to miss and consistent everywhere.

The same goes for the places your website points to. If an ad sends people to a special landing page, or your quote form opens on its own page, the number should be there too. A customer should never have to hunt for it.

• Put your license number in the site footer or header, so it appears on every page automatically.
• Show it again on your quote request page and any page that describes a specific service.
• Include it on written proposals, bids and contracts, including ones you send as a PDF or by email.
• Add it to paid ads where there is room, and to your social media profiles.
• If your business holds more than one license, show each number that applies to the work being advertised.

What does not count as advertising

The statute has an exclusion. Under § 489.119(5)(d), "advertisement" does not include business stationery or promotional novelties. So letterhead, a branded pen or a koozie at a home show are treated differently from an ad. Your website is not stationery, though. Treat it like an ad and show the number.

How customers check a license

Florida contractor licenses can be checked on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) license search. A homeowner can look up a contractor and see whether the license is current. Many people do this after a hurricane, when out-of-area crews and unlicensed operators knock on doors.

You can make that easy. Show your number next to your business name exactly as it is registered, and link to the DBPR search. If the name on your website is a trade name, mention the licensed name too, so a customer is not confused when the search shows something slightly different.

Common gaps on contractor websites

These are easy to fix and worth checking on your own site today.

• The number appears only on the About page, not on every page.
• The number on the website differs from the one on the truck or the quote form.
• A landing page made for an ad leaves out the number.
• An old license number stayed on the site after a change.
• The business name on the site does not match the licensed name, with no explanation.

Check your own situation

This is general information, not legal advice. Check with the Construction Industry Licensing Board, the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board or a Florida attorney for your situation. The full statute is on the Florida Senate website, and the license search is on the DBPR website, both linked in the sources below.