Remodeling · Florida
Florida regulates contractors tightly and litigates construction defect actively, which makes carrier selection matter more than price for a remodeler. Humidity and storm damage keep repair-driven renovation steady year-round.
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At audit time, the auditor compares the payroll you estimated to the payroll you actually paid. Any sub who can’t produce a certificate for the work they did can end up on your bill instead of theirs. Answer a handful of questions about your crews, your subs, and your payroll, and see where you stand before the audit does. Built for remodeling contractors who run 1099 crews.
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What Matters Here
Remodeling generally falls under state contractor regulation in Florida, with certified or registered residential, building, or general contractor licenses issued through the CILB depending on scope. Applicants must show general liability coverage and workers' compensation or a valid exemption.
Construction employers in Florida generally need workers' compensation starting at one employee. Corporate officers can apply for limited exemptions, but construction thresholds are strict and uninsured trade-partner payroll is commonly charged back at audit.
Named-storm wind and driving rain dominate, and year-round humidity makes mold and moisture intrusion a persistent feature of renovation claims.
Licensing and coverage requirements change and vary by jurisdiction and contract. Treat this as a starting point and confirm the specifics with a licensed agent before you rely on it.
Areas We Cover
Exposure changes across the state. Pick the region you work in for the specifics — or use the form below if you cover more than one.
Coverage Types
A complete program is usually six policies working together, not one general liability certificate.
Third-party bodily injury and property damage, including damage to parts of the home outside your scope. The policy your homeowner customers and their insurers will look to first.
Medical bills and lost wages for your crew, and the policy that absorbs uninsured trade-partner payroll at audit. Certificate discipline is the cheapest premium control a remodeler has.
Covers cabinetry, fixtures, flooring, and materials you've delivered or partially installed but haven't handed over. General liability won't respond when staged materials are stolen or damaged.
Covers tools and equipment on the job, in transit, and in the truck overnight — where they actually get stolen. A remodeler's tool investment is often larger than a specialty trade's.
Trucks, trailers, and dump runs between jobs and the yard, plus hired and non-owned auto for crew driving personal vehicles to sites.
Sits above general liability and auto. High-value residential work and any commercial or multi-family remodeling routinely push required limits past what a base policy carries.
Why It's Different
Once you open a wall, damage to the rest of the house tends to become your conversation. Water from a nicked supply line, a cracked slab, or a settled floor rarely stops at the edge of your scope.
Occupied renovation means personal property, pets, and family in the work zone. Damaged belongings and injury to a homeowner or their guest are ordinary claims in this trade and rare in new construction.
Knob-and-tube wiring, asbestos tile, lead paint, and undersized framing surface after demolition starts. Pre-1978 housing brings lead-safe work practice obligations that carry their own penalties.
Hot work, temporary heat, and open plumbing during a renovation produce some of the largest severity claims in the trade — and the homeowner's own carrier will look to subrogate against you.
Remodelers lean on the same handful of electricians, plumbers, and finish carpenters. If a certificate lapsed for part of the period they worked, that spend is generally treated as your payroll when the auditor arrives.
You sell to a consumer, not a purchasing department, so change orders, deposits, and completion disputes are governed by home improvement statutes that carry real teeth. Contract paperwork is a coverage issue as much as a legal one.
Common Questions
It depends on scope. Residential, building, and general contractor licenses through the CILB cover progressively broader work, and each is issued as either certified for statewide practice or registered for specific local jurisdictions. All generally require proof of general liability coverage and either workers' compensation or a valid exemption.
Mold and fungi are commonly excluded or sublimited on general liability policies, and Florida's humidity makes moisture intrusion claims more likely than in most states. If you open up walls or do any water-damage repair, ask your agent specifically how mold is handled on the policy you're being quoted.
This is the central coverage question in remodeling and the answer depends heavily on policy wording. Damage you cause to other property is generally the kind of thing liability coverage addresses, while the cost of redoing your own defective work usually is not. Because renovation blurs that line constantly, it's worth reviewing the specific exclusions with a licensed agent rather than assuming.
At audit, what you paid that electrician or plumber is generally treated as your own payroll and you pay premium on it. How much depends on your records: labor-only work is typically included at a high percentage, labor and materials at a lower one when your invoices separate the two, and the full contract price when they don't.
Related:Chargeback Risk Score →
Often yes. Work disturbing lead paint in pre-1978 housing carries federal lead-safe practice obligations, and asbestos-containing materials are commonly excluded from standard general liability. If you regularly open up older homes, ask your agent specifically how pollution and lead exclusions are worded on your policy.
Generally no. General liability covers damage you do to someone else's person or property. Tools are covered by inland marine, and materials you've delivered or partially installed are covered by an installation floater. These are two of the most common gaps we see on remodeling policies.
Related:Coverage Gap Assessment →
It depends on the state, and construction trades are often treated more strictly than other businesses. Some states require coverage at the first employee and others at three or more. Check your state's page for specifics and confirm with a licensed agent, because the rules on counting subcontractors vary too.
Because if something goes wrong during your work, their carrier will pay their insured and then look to recover from whoever caused it. A current certificate tells them where to send that claim, and its absence is a good reason for them to look harder at you.
Tell us about your business and an independent agent licensed in Florida will reach out within one business day.
Other Trades
Run more than one kind of work? Here's the same Florida rundown for the other trades we cover.
Other States