Two minutes that protect a six-figure project

Building, remodeling, repairing, and servicing swimming pools are all licensed contracting in Florida, regulated under Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes and administered by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. This is not a formality. On a project that can run past $100,000, the license check is the cheapest due diligence available and takes about as long as reading this paragraph.

Do it before you sign anything and before any deposit moves.

Step 1 — look the license up yourself

Go to myfloridalicense.com and use the DBPR licensee search. Search by the individual’s name, the business name, or the license number.

Search it yourself rather than accepting a screenshot, a photo of a wallet card, or a PDF. Those are trivially out of date and not much harder to fake. The state’s own record is the only version that counts.

Step 2 — check the right things on the record

Finding a license is not the same as verifying it. Look at:

Status. You want current and active. Not expired, not null, not suspended.
The name on it. It must match the entity that will sign your contract. A license held by a person is not automatically a license for the LLC on your proposal — in Florida a company works under a qualifying agent, and the business itself should appear as qualified. A mismatch is the single most common way homeowners end up unknowingly contracting with an unlicensed entity.
The class, which governs what they may legally do (see below).
Any discipline history on the record.

Step 3 — match the class to your job

Florida issues several distinct pool/spa contractor classes, and they are not interchangeable:

Class	What it covers
Commercial Swimming Pool/Spa Contractor	Building, repair, and remodel/resurfacing of any pool or spa — public, commercial, or private — plus equipment work
Residential Swimming Pool/Spa Contractor	Building, repair, and remodel/resurfacing of residential pools and spas, plus equipment repair and replacement
Swimming Pool/Spa Servicing Contractor	Repair and replacement of equipment and piping on commercial and residential pools — not new construction, and nothing affecting the pool structure
Residential Pool/Spa Servicing Specialty Contractor	Equipment and piping repair and replacement, residential only

The practical test: a servicing license is the right credential for a dead pump and the wrong one for a new gunite shell. Certified licenses are statewide; registered licenses are limited to the specific local jurisdiction that issued them, so a registered contractor needs to be registered where your home actually is.

Step 4 — insurance, in writing, from the insurer

Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from the insurance agent naming you and covering general liability and workers’ compensation for the project period. A contractor-supplied copy is a starting point, not verification. If someone is hurt on your property working for an uninsured contractor, the exposure has a habit of finding the homeowner.

Step 5 — make sure the contractor pulls the permit

Marion County requires a permit for any pool 24 inches or deeper, and the build passes through staged inspections — pre-pour, steel, electrical rough-in, plumbing, and the barrier inspection. Marion County Building Safety takes applications at 352-438-2400.

The licensed contractor should pull that permit in their own name. If someone asks you to pull it as an owner-builder, treat it as a serious red flag. It usually means they cannot pull it themselves, and it shifts legal responsibility for the work — including code compliance and liability — onto you. Homeowners agree to this without understanding it more often than you would expect.

The permit is also a verification tool in its own right: the name on it tells you who the county believes is responsible for your project.

Step 6 — know what the safety requirement means for your timeline

Under Florida Statutes §515.27, a new residential pool cannot pass final inspection and receive its certificate of completion until at least one approved safety feature is in place: a compliant barrier meeting §515.29, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms rated at least 85 dB at 10 feet on doors and windows with direct pool access, self-closing and self-latching door hardware with the release at least 54 inches up, or a pool alarm meeting ASTM F2208.

Confirm which one your contract includes. “We’ll sort the fence out later” is not compatible with a certificate of completion.

Red flags worth walking away from

Asking the homeowner to pull the permit
A large cash deposit up front, or a discount for paying cash
No written contract, or a contract with no license number on it
A license class that does not cover the work, or a name that does not match the contracting entity
Pressure to start before the permit is issued
Refusal to have the insurance certificate sent directly by the agent

What the law does and does not do for you

Under §489.128, contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or equity by the unlicensed contractor. That is meaningful protection — but it is a remedy, not a shield. It does not un-pour bad concrete, refund a deposit that has already been spent, or finish a half-built pool. Verifying first is worth vastly more than any remedy afterward.

Why this site is careful about this too

Ocala Pool Heroes is a connection service, not a pool contractor. We are not licensed contractors and we do not claim to be, because in Florida holding the customer relationship for construction work is itself contracting. All pool construction, remodeling, and repair is performed by independent, state-licensed and insured Florida pool contractors, and your contract is directly with the licensed contractor who takes on your project.

We would rather you verify that contractor than take our word for it. Text POOL to 817-945-7946 and we will connect you with one — then look them up at myfloridalicense.com before you sign.

How to Verify a Florida Pool Contractor