Plumbing

Need a licensed plumber to qualify your company in Florida?

Maybe you run a remodeling company and every kitchen and bathroom needs plumbing. Maybe you run a plumbing crew and want your own company. Either way, without a Florida plumbing license behind the company, you cannot contract for plumbing work. A licensed plumbing contractor can qualify your company and take real responsibility for that work. Here is how it works, what it costs, and what to watch for.

General information about Florida law, not legal advice. Speak to a Florida construction attorney before entering any qualifying arrangement.

The short answer

Yes. A licensed plumbing contractor can serve as your company's qualifying agent, filed with the state, so your company can contract for plumbing work legally. The plumber really supervises that work and puts their own license behind it. A general or residential contractor's license does not cover plumbing.

Why a remodeling or general contractor's license doesn't cover plumbing

Florida treats plumbing as its own trade. Under Statute 489.113, a general, building or residential contractor has to hand plumbing work to a licensed plumbing contractor unless they hold a plumbing license themselves. That is why remodelers look for a plumbing qualifier: it lets them do the plumbing on their own jobs instead of subcontracting it.

A plumbing license covers the whole plumbing trade, on private and public property.
A certified plumbing license, the kind that starts with CFC, covers the whole state.
A registered plumbing license only covers the cities or counties that issued it.

What a plumbing qualifier actually does

The qualifier is not a name on a form. Florida holds them responsible for supervising your plumbing work, and the state looks at whether that supervision is real.

They are filed with the state licensing department as your company's qualifying agent.
They oversee your jobs, permits and inspections. Not on every job every day, but genuinely involved.
They are tied to your company through W-2 employment, ownership, or a written agreement.

W-2, ownership, or an agreement

What it costs

Three costs, kept apart.

Paid to the qualifier

Their pay

Agreed between you and the plumber. It depends on how many jobs you run, how organized your company is, and how much supervision you need. We don't publish a range, because the number only means something once both sides know the work.

Paid to the state

Filing fees

The state's own filing fees, paid to the state licensing department directly.

Paid to QualiFind

Only after a yes

Nothing to apply or to be on the platform. You only pay once we've found you a qualifier who has said yes, and if the introduction doesn't happen, you can have it back.

What happens to jobs signed without a qualifier

This is the risk most companies don't hear about until it costs them. If a company signs a job without a qualifier licensed for that kind of work, Florida says the company cannot enforce that contract (Statute 489.128).

It can't take the customer to court to get paid.
It has no lien rights on the property and no claim against a payment bond.
Unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor, and a third-degree felony for a repeat offense or during a declared state of emergency, such as after a hurricane (Statute 489.127).

If your qualifier leaves

Under Statute 489.119, the company has 60 days from the day the qualifier leaves to bring on a new one, and it cannot take on new contracts until it does.

The state can give an officer of the company a temporary certificate, but it only covers jobs that were already signed.
The qualifier who left stays responsible for the work they supervised while they were there.
Start looking the day you know. Sixty days goes faster than it sounds.

Warning signs

A plumber who offers to "rent" you their license number for a monthly check, with no involvement in your jobs. That is illegal for both of you under Statute 489.127.
Anyone who says yes before asking about your crews, your insurance or the jobs you run.
No written agreement. If the duties aren't written down, neither side is protected.

Get started

Tell us about your company.

QualiFind's qualifier applicants already include a licensed plumbing contractor. Every qualifier's license is checked against the state's records, and you're matched by trade, area and the way you work.

Start your application

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Does my residential or general contractor license cover the plumbing on my remodels?+

No. Florida requires plumbing work to be done under a licensed plumbing contractor, unless you also hold a plumbing license yourself.

Can a plumber from another part of Florida qualify my company?+

A certified license covers the whole state, so yes, as long as real supervision is realistic at that distance. A registered license only covers the area that issued it.

How long does it take?+

Plan in weeks, not days. You need to find the right person, both sides need to do real checking, the terms have to be agreed, and the qualifier has to be filed with the state.

What if my plumbing qualifier leaves?+

The company has 60 days to bring on a new one and can't take new contracts in the meantime. A temporary certificate can cover jobs already signed.

Can I get my own plumbing license later?+

Yes. A real qualifying arrangement is the legal bridge. You run and build the company now, under a real qualifier, and work toward your own license on a realistic timeline.

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