How to Report a Bad or Unlicensed Contractor in Florida

A complaint about construction work in Florida can go to more than one place, and the right destination depends on whether the contractor is licensed, unlicensed, or accused of a deceptive sales practice. This article explains where each type of complaint belongs and what the state can actually do about it. It is one of the enforcement paths described in Florida’s consumer protection laws and how to enforce them.

Which agency handles your contractor complaint

Florida divides contractor oversight among several agencies. Sending a complaint to the wrong one delays any action, so it helps to match the problem to the office that handles it.

• DBPR and the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) discipline state-certified and registered contractors and pursue unlicensed contracting statewide.
• Local building departments and county code enforcement handle permit violations, inspections, and locally licensed trades.
• The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division enforces the state’s deceptive-practices law against unfair or misleading business conduct.
• The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) runs the state’s general consumer-complaint clearinghouse and refers matters to the correct regulator.

A single dispute can involve more than one office. A contractor who took a deposit, never pulled a permit, and then disappeared could be reported to DBPR for discipline and to the Attorney General for a deceptive-practices review at the same time.

File a complaint against a licensed contractor with DBPR

DBPR handles complaints against contractors who hold a state certificate or registration. Under Fla. Stat. § 455.225, the department investigates any complaint that is in writing, signed by the person complaining, and legally sufficient, meaning it states facts that, if true, would violate the contracting law. Once an investigation opens, the contractor receives a copy of the complaint and has 20 days to submit a written response before a probable cause panel reviews the file.

The grounds for discipline are listed in Fla. Stat. § 489.129. They include abandoning a project for 90 consecutive days without just cause, failing to remove a valid lien within 75 days after being paid to cover it, financial mismanagement, fraud or deceit, and proceeding without required permits or inspections. As of 2026, the board can fine a licensed contractor up to $10,000 per violation, order restitution to the customer, and suspend or revoke the license under that same section.

1. Gather your contract and records

   Collect the signed contract, change orders, invoices, cancelled checks, permits, photos of the work, and any texts or emails with the contractor. A complaint built on documents moves faster than one built on recollection, because the department has to find “ultimate facts” that show a violation.

2. Confirm the license and category

   Check that the contractor holds a state certificate or registration and note the license number and business name. DBPR’s online license search shows the license type and status. A person with no state license is handled under the unlicensed-contracting rules described below, not the disciplinary process.

3. Complete and sign the complaint form

   DBPR provides a Uniform Complaint Form. Under Fla. Stat. § 455.225, the complaint must be written and signed; an unsigned or anonymous complaint is investigated only in narrower circumstances.

4. Submit the complaint and attachments

   File the form with DBPR by mail or through its online portal, attaching copies of your documents. Keep the originals.

5. Respond to follow-up requests

   The department may ask for supporting information to determine legal sufficiency. Answering promptly keeps the file moving toward a probable cause decision.

Report an unlicensed contractor

Unlicensed contracting is treated more seriously than a licensing violation. Under Fla. Stat. § 489.13, the department can impose an administrative fine of up to $10,000 on an unlicensed person and maintains a public web page listing known unlicensed contractors by name and county.

The conduct is also a crime. Fla. Stat. § 489.127 makes unlicensed contracting a first-degree misdemeanor for a first offense and a third-degree felony for a repeat offense, or for a first offense committed during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, the situation that often follows a hurricane. Local code enforcement officers can separately cite an unlicensed contractor, with civil penalties that a county ordinance may set as high as $2,500 per day for a continuing violation under the same statute.

What a complaint can and cannot recover

A regulatory complaint is aimed at the license, not at your bank balance. The Construction Industry Licensing Board can order restitution to a customer for financial harm directly tied to a violation under Fla. Stat. § 489.129, but restitution is discretionary and depends on the outcome of the case. For a reliable path to the money itself, three separate remedies exist.

The first is the construction-defect process. Before filing most lawsuits over defective work, Fla. Stat. § 558.004 requires the owner to serve a written notice of claim at least 60 days before filing an action, 120 days when an association represents more than 20 parcels, which gives the contractor a chance to inspect and offer repair or payment. The second is a deceptive-practices suit, described in suing under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The third arises when a contractor’s unpaid suppliers record a claim against the property; the rules for a Florida construction and mechanics lien govern how that lien attaches and how an owner contests it.

Complaints to the Attorney General and FDACS

Deceptive or misleading sales conduct, bait pricing, phantom discounts, or collecting a large deposit with no intent to perform, falls under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division is the civil enforcement authority for that law and accepts consumer complaints online. Filing there follows the same route as any other Florida Attorney General complaint.

FDACS is the option for a general complaint or a referral when the right agency is not obvious. It operates a consumer hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352) and an online complaint form that routes construction issues to DBPR and deceptive-practice issues to the Attorney General.

After you file: what to expect

A DBPR complaint does not resolve overnight. Under Fla. Stat. § 455.225, the department periodically notifies the person who filed of the status, whether probable cause was found and whether any proceeding or appeal is pending. A probable cause panel of the board then decides whether to file a formal administrative complaint, which is litigated under Florida’s administrative procedure law.

Some contractor complaints are steered toward arbitration instead of discipline. Fla. Stat. § 489.129 lets the department offer binding arbitration between the customer and a contractor when the customer has likely suffered monetary damages and the contractor has no history of similar violations; where the damages at issue are less than $2,500 and the criteria are met, the department refers the complaint for mandatory arbitration. An arbitrator’s order becomes final unless a party challenges it within 30 days.