If you build in Florida, the rules that govern your business sit in three places: the state licensing authority, the state lien statute, and the state prevailing-wage law. Cost bands, permit timelines, and common project types layer on top. Get any of these wrong and you bid the wrong number, miss the lien deadline, or lose the certificate of occupancy. Here’s what Floridacontractors need to know in 2026, plus how BuildCrux fits into your daily workflow.
BuildCrux runs AI estimating, scheduling, change-order management, lien-aware invoicing, mileage tracking, and customer communication in one place. Every screen is built for the field, not the back office. The numbers below come from current state law, published cost references, and 2026 market data. Verify specific project rules with your AHJ before bidding.
Florida contractor licensing
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Construction Industry Licensing Board
Florida has Certified (statewide) and Registered (single-county) contractor licenses. Certified GCs can work statewide. Registered GCs are limited to specific counties. Specialty trades licensed separately. Required for any project over $2,500 (or $500 for roofing).
- Application + first-year fees
- $249 initial application + $135-$295 license fee + bond
- Renewal period
- 2 years
Mechanics liens in Florida
Filing deadline: 90 days after last labor or materials furnished. The lien must be recorded with the county clerk where the property is located. Lawsuit to enforce the lien must be filed within 1 year of recording.
Preliminary notice: Florida requires a Notice to Owner from anyone not in direct contract with the owner, served within 45 days of first furnishing labor or materials. Lawful service is critical; defective service voids lien rights.
Lien rights are how you actually get paid when an owner stops paying. Missing the deadline forfeits the security entirely. The mechanics lien is the contractor’s primary security; the preliminary notice is the prerequisite that protects it. Read the lien waiver entry too — that’s the document you’ll exchange for every progress payment.
BuildCrux tracks your last-work date per project and surfaces lien-deadline reminders so the math doesn’t happen on the back of an envelope at month-end.
Prevailing wage in Florida
Florida is a right-to-work state with no state prevailing-wage law. Federal Davis-Bacon applies on federal projects. Some local jurisdictions (Miami-Dade) impose responsible-wage requirements on county-funded work.
For background on how prevailing-wage rules work, see our prevailing wage glossary entry and the Davis-Bacon Act explainer. The federal U.S. Department of Labor wage determinations site publishes prevailing rates on federally funded projects.
Typical Florida cost bands
Market tier: Sun Belt baseline. Numbers below are $/sqft for typical 2026 conditions. Use them to sanity-check estimates, not as the basis for a final bid. For a personalized range based on your specific scope, run our free buildout cost calculator.
Florida sees significant restaurant buildout work. Read our restaurant buildout cost guide for vertical-specific cost drivers and our restaurant estimating playbook for the bid-winning workflow.
For medical-office TI work, see our medical office cost guide covering OSHPD requirements, infection-control protocols, and per-department cost drivers.
| Project Type | Range ($/sqft) |
|---|---|
| Residential new construction | $195-$380 (typical $270) |
| Residential remodel | $155-$305 (typical $215) |
| Commercial new construction | $245-$475 (typical $340) |
| Commercial tenant improvement | $135-$345 (typical $215) |
| Restaurant buildout | $295-$575 (typical $415) |
Permit review in Florida
- Residential additions and remodels: 2-6 weeks
- New commercial construction: 8-16 weeks
Common project types
Florida contractors commonly build:
- Coastal single-family residential
- Hurricane-rated roofing
- Condo and multi-family
- Hospitality and resort
- Retail tenant improvement
- Restaurant buildout
- Medical office TI
The BuildCrux Method, applied to Florida
The BuildCrux Method is the same five-pillar framework everywhere. State-specific application:
- Accurate Estimating. AI takeoff from Florida plan sets, anchored to the cost bands above plus your own historical job-cost data.
- Structured Planning. Schedule that respects Florida permit timelines (8-16 weeks on commercial) and long-lead procurement.
- Controlled Execution. Daily logs, photo capture, and crew scheduling from the field.
- Change Order Management.Customer-portal change orders the homeowner or owner’s rep signs from a phone before work proceeds.
- Financial Visibility. Lien-deadline tracking against the Florida statute (90 days after last labor or materials furnished), real-time job-cost variance, AR aging.
Read the full BuildCrux Method for the universal framework.
Florida contractor software: the honest comparison
Most Florida contractors evaluate three or four tools when they shop. We publish honest, side-by-side comparisons against the most common alternatives: vs Buildertrend, vs JobTread, vs JobNimbus, vs Houzz Pro, and vs Contractor Foreman. We name the cases where competitors win, not just where we do.
| Capability | Spreadsheets | Generic SaaS | BuildCrux |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI takeoff from plans | No | Limited | Yes |
| Florida lien deadline tracking | Manual | Generic | State-aware |
| Mileage with IRS-rate tracking | No | Add-on | Built-in |
| Customer-portal change orders | No | Limited | Built-in |
| Per-user pricing | N/A | Yes | No |
Frequently asked questions: Florida contractors
What is the difference between a Certified and Registered contractor in Florida?
A Certified contractor (held through DBPR) can work anywhere in Florida. A Registered contractor is licensed only in specific counties or municipalities and cannot work outside those jurisdictions. Both require exam, experience verification, financial responsibility documentation, and bonding.
How long do I have to file a mechanics lien in Florida?
Record the Claim of Lien with the county clerk within 90 days of last labor or materials furnished. Lawsuit to enforce must be filed within 1 year of recording. Florida also requires Notice to Owner from non-prime contractors within 45 days of first work, with strict service requirements.
What hurricane-related code requirements apply to Florida construction?
Florida Building Code includes the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) requirements covering Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Wind-resistant design, impact-rated openings, and product approval requirements apply. Statewide, all coastal construction must meet Florida's wind-load provisions, which are stricter than the IBC default.
Are there prevailing-wage rules in Florida?
Florida has no state prevailing-wage law. Federal Davis-Bacon applies only on federally funded projects. Some local jurisdictions, notably Miami-Dade County, impose responsible-wage rules on county-funded projects. Verify on a project-by-project basis.
What is typical commercial permit timing in Florida?
New commercial construction in major Florida cities typically clears plan review in 8-16 weeks. Coastal HVHZ projects in Miami-Dade and Broward run longer due to product approval review. Retrofit and TI projects clear faster, typically 4-10 weeks.
Bottom line for Florida contractors
Florida has its own license rules, lien deadlines, and cost realities. The contractors who win in this market track those rules tightly and use software built for construction, not generic SaaS adapted from another industry. BuildCrux is the platform contractors run their business on.
Built for Florida contractors
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