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Florida · home improvement

Your rights in Florida

Information, not legal adviceRules checked Oct 4, 2026

3 business days to cancel

If they solicited it away from their office

Cancel in writing by midnight of the third business day (Saturday counts). Money back within 10 days.

It may not apply if you contacted them and asked for the work.

The 2 exceptions, in the rule's words
  • A sale that results from your own request for specific goods or services is not a home solicitation sale under Florida's definition, so this right may not apply if you contacted the contractor and asked for the work.
  • Sales made at a fair or similar commercial exhibit.
Read the full rule

When it applies

A home solicitation sale with a price over $25. The contractor, or someone acting for it, personally solicited the sale somewhere other than its fixed business location (for example, at your home), and you gave your agreement somewhere other than that business location. It also covers a sale the contractor started by an unsolicited phone call and closed by phone, with no other contact before the work. Saturday counts as a business day; Sundays and federal holidays do not.

If a contractor solicits the job in person away from its place of business (for example, at your home) and you did not ask for that specific work, you can cancel in writing until midnight of the third business day after you sign. Saturday counts as a business day; Sundays and federal holidays do not. The contractor must return your payments within 10 days after you cancel. Separately, a roof repair or replacement contract signed within 180 days of a Governor-declared emergency for your area can be cancelled within 10 days of signing or by the official start date, whichever comes first.

Fla. Stat. 501.021 · read on flsenate.gov · checked Oct 4, 2026 (official source, opens in a new tab)

License number

On bids, proposals and contracts

Contractors in a state-licensed category, such as roofing, air-conditioning, plumbing or electrical, must hold a DBPR license.

License
Read the full rule

A Florida contractor doing work in a state-licensed category (for example residential or general construction, roofing, air-conditioning, plumbing, pools, solar or electrical) must hold a DBPR certification or registration. Construction contractors must put the number on every bid, proposal and contract; electrical and alarm contractors must put it on every offer of services and proposal. Look the number up at myfloridalicense.com before you sign.

Who needs one: Anyone who, for pay, builds, repairs, remodels or improves a building or structure when the job's scope substantially matches a state category: general, building, residential, sheet metal, roofing, air-conditioning, mechanical, pool/spa, plumbing, underground utility, solar or pollutant storage. Electrical and alarm contractors are licensed separately. A certified contractor may work anywhere in Florida; a registered contractor may work only in the cities and counties where it has met the local licensing requirements. Casual, minor jobs under $2,500 in total are exempt.

Who doesn't

  • Casual, minor or inconsequential work with an aggregate price under $2,500, unless it is part of a larger job, is split up to avoid the law, or is done by someone who advertises as a contractor.
  • Job scopes that do not substantially match a state category, such as painting, flooring, cabinetry, handyman services, decorative stone or tile, plastering, pressure washing, stuccoing and caulking.
  • Property owners acting as their own contractor on their own one- or two-family home under an owner-builder permit, with direct onsite supervision, and not for sale or lease.
  • Sale or installation of finished products that do not become a permanent fixed part of the structure, such as awnings (in-ground pools and spas are not exempt).
  • Employees of a licensed contractor working within the scope of that license.
  • Installation and maintenance of water conditioning units by water conditioning service operators.

Where the number must appear

  • each offer of services, business proposal, bid and contract
  • advertising
  • building permit applications
  • work vehicles that carry the business name

Issued by: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR): Construction Industry Licensing Board; electrical and alarm work is licensed by DBPR's Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board

Florida Attorney General: Contractors · read on myfloridalegal.com · checked Oct 4, 2026 (official source, opens in a new tab)

The contract must include

Source: FL law

An estimate isn't the contract. Ask for all 7 in writing before you sign.

  • License or registration #Required on every bid and contract: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    Show the contractor's state certification or registration number. Florida requires construction contractors to put it on every offer of services, bid, proposal, contract and advertisement; electrical and alarm contractors must put it on every offer of services, proposal and advertisement.

  • Recovery Fund noticeResidential work over $2,500: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    For residential work worth more than $2,500 in labor and materials, include the written Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund notice, followed by the Construction Industry Licensing Board's address and phone number.

  • Construction Lien Law warningContracts over $2,500, in bold capitals: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    For a direct contract over $2,500 on a home of up to four units, include the Construction Lien Law warning. It must be in capitalized boldface type of at least 12 points, on the front page or on a separate page that you sign and date.

  • Buyer's right to cancelIf they solicited it at your home: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    If the contractor solicited the sale at your home (a home solicitation sale), the contract must be a written agreement that you sign, dated the day you sign it, with the 'BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL' statement in the wording set by law.

  • Roofing: no-rebate noticeAnd an insurance-coverage notice: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    For a roof repair or replacement, include a notice that the contractor may not offer rebates, gifts, cash, deductible waivers or anything else of value for a roof inspection or a roof insurance claim. Without that notice, you may void the contract within 10 days of signing. The signature page must also carry a bold notice of at least 14 points advising you to check your insurance coverage before you sign.

  • Roofing: emergency cancel noticeIf signed during a declared emergency: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    For a roof contract signed during a declared state of emergency, include the notice of your right to cancel within 10 days or by the official start date, whichever comes first. It goes right before your signature, in bold type of at least 14 points.

  • Installment plan contractIf they finance it over 90 days, with a lien: show the rule's own words

    In the rule's words

    If the contractor sells the work on its own installment plan paid over more than 90 days and takes a security interest in your single-family home, there must be a written contract signed by both sides. It must show the seller's name, address and license number, the approximate start and completion dates, a description of the work and materials, and the finance disclosures. It must carry a bold Notice to Owner above your signature, have no blanks left to fill in after you sign, and you must get notice of the three-business-day right to rescind.

On signing day

  • No blank spaces
  • Keep a signed copy
  • Find the cancel notice
Sources45 official pages · checked Oct 4, 2026

Notes from our check

  • No Florida statute caps the deposit on a home improvement contract, so depositCap is null and the app must not show a Florida deposit limit. Section 489.126(2) sets a condition instead. A contractor who takes an initial payment of more than 10 percent of the contract price for work on residential real property must apply for the needed permits within 30 days after the payment, unless the work needs no permit. It must also start work within 90 days after the permits are issued. Both duties are excused if the contractor has just cause or the payer agreed in writing to a longer period. The Attorney General's contractor page states the same 10 percent, 30-day and 90-day figures. (https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/489.126)
  • Under 489.126(2)(b), if the contractor does not comply, the homeowner must send a written demand by certified mail, return receipt requested. If the contractor does not apply for permits, start work or refund within 30 days of receiving it, it may be inferred that there was no just cause. Under 489.126(3), a contractor holding money beyond the value of the work done may not stop all work for any 90-day period (or a period set in the contract). Violations are crimes graded by amount: a first-degree misdemeanor under $1,000 and felonies at $1,000 or more.
  • Florida's cancellation right is in the Home Solicitation Sale law (ss. 501.021-501.055, 2026 text). It covers only sales solicited away from the seller's fixed business location, plus unsolicited sales closed by phone. Section 501.021(1) excludes sales that result from the buyer's request for specific goods or services and sales at fairs or similar exhibits (it also excludes certain motor vehicle dealer sales), and 501.035 excludes insurance and farm equipment. A homeowner who called the contractor and asked for the work may therefore have no state cancellation right. The Attorney General's page tells consumers to make sure the contract has the 'buyer's right to cancel (within 3 days)' language and does not mention these conditions. The app should state the statute's conditions. No emergency-repair exception appears anywhere in ss. 501.021-501.055 (all sections read); the two listed exceptions are the ones in the statute that can apply to home improvement work.
  • Roof contracts (s. 489.147(6)) carry a separate right. It covers a contract to repair or replace a residential roof that is signed within 180 days of events covered by a Governor's state-of-emergency declaration, for property in the declared area. The owner may cancel without penalty within 10 days after signing or by the official start date, whichever comes first. The official start date is when materials for the final roof are installed, a permit is issued, or a code-compliant temporary repair is made. Notice of cancellation goes by certified mail or another mailing with proof. The statute says '10 days' and does not say business days. Under 489.147(5), a roof contract without the required notice about prohibited rebates and deductible waivers may be voided within 10 days after signing. These rights differ from the 3-business-day home-solicitation right and can end sooner, so extendedDays is null rather than 10.
  • Seller-financed contracts are covered by the Home Improvement Sales and Finance Act (short title s. 520.60). It applies when a home improvement finance seller (anyone who enters into two or more such contracts of $500 or more in a calendar year) is paid in installments over more than 90 days and keeps a security interest in a single-family home (ss. 520.61(12)-(14)). Under s. 520.72, either party may rescind until midnight of the third business day after signing, by certified or registered mail; for this act, business days exclude Sundays and listed legal holidays (s. 520.61(3)).
  • Licensing comes in two forms through DBPR. Certified contractors pass the state exam and may work statewide. Registered contractors hold a state registration based on local licensing and may work only in the cities and counties where they met local requirements (ss. 489.105(8), (10); 489.117(1)(b)); s. 489.117(5) also lets them work in a declared natural-emergency area for a limited time. A contract signed by an unlicensed contractor cannot be enforced by that contractor, who also has no lien or bond claim (s. 489.128). The under-$2,500 minor-work exemption (s. 489.103(9)) does not apply to part of a larger job, to work split up to avoid the law, or to anyone who advertises as a contractor. DBPR's FAQ adds that work needing a permit is typically not casual or minor.
  • License number display differs by board. Construction Industry Licensing Board contractors must show the number in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract or advertisement, on permit applications, and on vehicles that carry the business name (s. 489.119(5)). Electrical and alarm contractors must show it in each offer of services, business proposal or advertisement and on permit applications (s. 489.521(7)); that section does not list contracts. numberMustAppearOn reflects the construction board rule.
  • Written contract: no Florida statute was found that requires every home improvement contract to be in writing, and s. 713.015(2)(a) expressly allows for oral contracts. Writing is required for home solicitation sales (s. 501.031) and seller-financed contracts (s. 520.73). The app should advise getting the contract in writing without saying the law always requires it.
  • Recovery fund: for contracts entered into on or after July 1, 2024, Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund payments are capped at $100,000 per Division I claim and $30,000 per Division II claim, beginning January 1, 2025 (s. 489.143(3), read on the Legislature's Online Sunshine site; DBPR's FAQ states the same figures).
  • Trades left out of both lists: (1) windows_doors: the CILB FAQ says installing or replacing windows needs a general, building or residential license, a certified glass-and-glazing specialty license, or a local license that covers window work, so the requirement is not purely statewide. (2) garage-doors: DBPR lists garage door only as a voluntary statewide specialty license, an alternative to a local one. (3) smart-home: the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board FAQ says installing low-voltage wiring inside a structure, and selling or installing alarm systems that need installation or monitoring, needs an electrical, alarm or limited-energy specialty license, while finished products that do not become a permanent part of the structure are exempt (s. 489.503(5)). (4) outdoor_landscaping: DBPR's brochure lists tree trimming and paving as not needing a state license, but irrigation has licensed options and wired low-voltage landscape lighting needs a license. (5) restoration: mold remediation is regulated under ss. 468.8411-468.8419 (DBPR's brochure lists mold-related services as needing a state license), and other restoration work was not determined. insulation, appliance-repair, locksmith, chimney-fireplace, junk-removal and foundation-waterproofing were not determined.
  • Siding and fencing were removed from notCoveredTrades during verification. Section 489.117(4)(a)3 only says a city or county may continue a local license for veneer (including gutters, siding, soffit and fascia) or fence installation if it imposed one before January 1, 2021. It does not say these jobs need no state license, the residential and building contractor scopes cover improvement of homes (s. 489.105(3)(b)-(c)), and no DBPR page read lists siding or fencing as exempt. Both are left undetermined. Local governments may not require any license for painting, flooring, cabinetry, handyman services, decorative stone or tile, plastering, pressure washing, stuccoing or caulking (s. 489.117(4)(a)1).
  • Statute text was read on flsenate.gov (2026 Florida Statutes). flsenate.gov rate-limited some requests, so ss. 489.143, 489.521, 501.022, 501.047 and 520.60 were read on the Legislature's Online Sunshine site (leg.state.fl.us, 2026 text), and s. 489.126 was cross-checked there with identical text. flsenate.gov carries a disclaimer that its online text is unverified and that the printed journals or bills are official. The Attorney General page refused one automated reader (HTTP 403) but loaded with a standard browser request on 2026-10-04; the DBPR FAQ pages and brochure loaded normally.
  • Sources not on a .gov/.us/legislature domain were cited alongside the official ones: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/faqs/; https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/reg/documents/Construction-Brochure-English.pdf; https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/electrical-contractors/faqs/

General information from official Florida sources. For your situation, ask the state's consumer protection office or a lawyer.

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