What Requires a License

An Architect is someone who offers services in connection with the design and construction of commercial buildings and structures that are primarily where people live and work.  Services include planning, providing preliminary study designs, drawings and specifications, job-site inspection, and administration of construction contracts.  If you are going to hire someone to perform these services, they need to be licensed.

Important Note:  The services that require licensure may be performed by other properly licensed individuals in certain circumstances.  For example, an engineer may perform architectural services that are incidental to his/her engineering practice.  However, the engineer may not use the term “architect.”  A general contractor may perform design-build services, so long as he/she utilizes the services of a licensed architect.  Please contact your local building department for clarification prior to entering into contracts for the services listed below.

An Asbestos Contractor is a person who removes, encapsulates, or encloses asbestos-containing materials or disposes of asbestos-containing waste during activities including, but not limited to, construction, renovation, maintenance, or demolition. An Asbestos consultant is a person who conducts surveys for asbestos-containing materials, develops operation and maintenance plans, monitors, and evaluates asbestos abatement, prepares asbestos abatement specifications, or performs related tasks.

An Athlete Agent is a person who, directly or indirectly, recruits or solicits a student athlete* to enter an agent contract for compensation.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.  It also includes anyone who procures, offers, promises, or attempts to obtain employment or promotional fees or benefits for a student athlete with a professional sports team or as a professional athlete, or with any promoter who markets or attempts to market the student athlete’s athletic ability or athletic reputation.

*A “Student Athlete” means any student who: Has informed, in writing, a college or university in Florida of the student’s intent to participate in that school’s intercollegiate athletics, or who does participate in that school’s intercollegiate athletics and is eligible to do so.

An Auctioneer is paid to auction someone’s property for compensation.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.  During an auction, bidders attempt to win items by placing the highest bid.  Usually, the auctioneer is paid a percentage of the auction selling price by the property owner and may receive a buyer’s premium or surcharge from the winning bidder.

Prior to the auction, the auctioneer and owner must sign a written agreement stating the terms or conditions upon which the auctioneer or auction business will receive the property for sale and remit the sales proceeds to the owner.  The auctioneer must also state the terms of bidding and the amount of the buyer’s premium or surcharge prior to the start of the auction.  A person may not operate an auction or auction business without first obtaining a license from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

The function of the Florida State Boxing Commission is to license and regulate professional boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts within the State of Florida.  The statutes and rules governing this profession are in Chapter 548, Florida Statutes, and Rule 61K-1, Florida Administrative Code.  The Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over every match held within the state which involves a professional.  The Commission also has exclusive jurisdiction over approval, disapproval, suspension of approval, and revocation of approval of all amateur sanctioning organizations for amateur boxing and kickboxing matches held in this state.

Amateur: A person who has never received nor competed for any purse or other article of value, either for the expenses of training or for participating in a match, other than a prize of $50 in value or less.

Professional: A person who has received or competed for any purse or other article of a value greater than $50, either for the expenses of training or for participating in any match.

A participant, promoter, manager, trainer, second, timekeeper, referee, judge, announcer, physician and match-maker all require a license. 

A Building Code Administrator or Building Official is responsible for direct administration or supervision of plan review, enforcement, or inspection of building construction that requires permitting to indicate compliance with building codes.

A Building Inspector is someone who inspects building construction for compliance with building codes.  A Plans Examiner is a person who is qualified to determine that plans submitted for purposes of obtaining building permits comply with building codes.

Building code administrators, building officials, building inspectors, and plans examiners are generally employed by county and municipal governments.  In some cases, they are private providers.  However, both government employees and private providers must be licensed.

Florida Statutes define the term “Community association management” to mean management of community associations for compensation when the association or associations served contain more than 10 units or have an annual budget or budgets more than $100,000. Florida Statutes define the term “community association management firm” to mean a business that engages in the business of community association management as defined above.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.

A community association management firm must be licensed, and each community association manager within the firm must be licensed.

A Contractor is someone who demolishes, subtracts from, builds, or improves any building or structure for compensation.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.  Essentially, if you pay someone to construct a building or a structure, make structural alterations to load bearing walls, or perform services such as plumbing or air conditioning work, that person must have a state contractors’ license.

Cosmetology includes services such as hair cutting, hair arranging, hair coloring, permanent waving, and hair relaxing for compensation.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.  It also includes performing hair removal, including wax treatments, manicures, pedicures, and skin care services.  Except for shampooing and conditioning, if you are providing anything of value for cosmetology services, you need to hire a licensed person.

Also, all compensated cosmetology services, except for hair shampooing, hair cutting, hair arranging, nail polish removal, nail filing, nail buffing, and nail cleansing, must be performed in a licensed salon. If a customer cannot get to a licensed salon for a cosmetology service due to an illness (for example, hospitalization or being home bound), the cosmetology specialist can perform the service in an alternative setting.

An Electrical Contractor installs, repairs, alters, adds to, or designs electrical wiring, fixtures, or appliances, which generate, transmit, transform, or utilize electrical energy for compensation. An alarm contractor lays out, fabricates, installs, maintains, alters, repairs, monitors, inspects, replaces, or services alarm systems for compensation.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.  If you pay someone to perform even the simplest of electrical work, such as connecting two wires, you must hire a licensee.

An Employee Leasing Company is a business entity that enters a contract with a client business to assign its employees to the client.  The Employee Leasing Company and client share the direction of, and control over, the leased employees. A Controlling Person is a person who manages the Employee Leasing Company.

Employee Leasing Companies are different from temporary agencies.  Temporary agencies assign workers to supplement an employer’s workforce on a temporary or seasonal basis.  The temporary agency has direct control over the employees and pays them directly.  Temporary employees are basically freelance workers.  An employee leasing company employee may work for a client employer indefinitely.

A Geologist is someone, based upon knowledge of geology, soils, mathematics, and the physical and life sciences, practices or performs geological services, including, but not limited to, consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, and geologic mapping.  A Geologist Business is business entity engaged in the practice or performance of geology.  A licensed geologist must act as the business’ qualifying agent.

Harbor Piloting is the act of maneuvering vessels through the pilotage waters of the state.  In general, all foreign-flag vessels and United States-flag vessels with a draft of seven feet or greater (cruise ships, container ships, tankers, etc.) are required to have a Florida-licensed pilot onboard while maneuvering in Florida waters.

A Home Inspector is someone who provides, or offers to provide, a limited visual examination of the readily accessible installed systems and components of a home, which include the structure, electrical system, HVAC system, roof covering, plumbing system, interior components, exterior components, and site conditions that affect the structure, for the purposes of providing a written professional opinion of the condition of the home.

An Interior Designer is someone who designs, or provides consultation, drawings, specifications, and administration of design construction contracts relating to nonstructural interior elements of a residence, commercial building, or structure.  Interior design includes reflected ceiling plans (a scale diagram of a room or building drawn as if seen from above), space planning, furnishings, and the fabrication of nonstructural elements within and surrounding interior spaces of a building. To sign and seal interior design documents for permitting purposes, an Interior Designer must register with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and obtain a seal pursuant to section 481.221, F.S.

Important Note:  The services rendered that require licensure may be performed by licensed architects.  Anyone who performs interior decorating or design services is not required to be registered; however, to sign and seal interior design documents for permitting purposes, and interior designer must register with the department, and obtain a seal. Please contact your local building department for clarification prior to entering contracts for the services listed below.

Mold-Related Services are assessment and remediation of mold.

An assessment of mold is a process performed by a mold assessor that includes the physical sampling and detailed evaluation of data obtained from a building history and inspection to formulate an initial hypothesis about the origin, identity, location, and extent of amplification of mold growth of greater than 10 square feet.

A remediation of mold is the removal, cleaning, sanitizing, demolition, or other treatment, including preventive activities, of mold or mold-contaminated matter of greater than 10 square feet that was not purposely grown at that location; however, such removal, cleaning, sanitizing, demolition, or other treatment, including preventive activities, may not be work that requires a license under Chapter 489, Florida Statutes, unless performed by a person who is licensed under that chapter or the work complies with that chapter.

A Talent Agency is a person or business who, for compensation, engages in the occupation or business of procuring or attempting to procure employment for an artist.  Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc.  An Artist is any person performing on the professional stage or in the production of television, radio, or motion pictures; a musician or group of musicians; or a model.

A person may not own, operate, solicit business, or otherwise engage in or carry on the occupation of a talent agency until a license is obtained from the department.

Veterinary Medicine means diagnosing the medical condition of animals and prescribing, dispensing or administering drugs, medicine, or treatment of whatever nature for the prevention, cure or relief of a wound, fracture, bodily injury, or disease thereof; performing any manual procedure for the diagnosis of or treatment for pregnancy or fertility or infertility of animals; or representing oneself by the use of a title, or undertaking, offering, or hold oneself out, as performing any of these functions.  The term also includes the determination of the health, fitness, or soundness of an animal.