Tampa
Hillsborough County Development Services, Contractor Licensing
In short
Hillsborough County Development Services, Contractor Licensing issues 1 permit we publish for Tampa, last verified 2026-09-05. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Competency (Hillsborough County)only if it applies to you | Hillsborough County Development Services, Contractor Licensing | $50.00 nonrefundable application-initiation fee, then $230.00 due upon application acceptance (a $280.00 total application cost), then $140.00 due upon license issuance for a 2-year cycle beginning August 31 of odd-numbered years. A Hillsborough County Code Compliance Bond with a $5,000.00 penal sum is also required, except for contractors already State Certified — a separate bond applies to each license category held. | 2 years — cycle begins August 31 of odd-numbered years; a license unrenewed for 5 or more years lapses and requires reapplication with retesting | 2026-09-05 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Certificate of Competency (Hillsborough County)
Applies to work anywhere in the City of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, or unincorporated Hillsborough County. Covers two groups: county-only "Local Specialty" trades that have no DBPR state equivalent (aluminum structure, demolition, drywall, garage door installation, glass and glazing, irrigation, plaster and stucco, windows and doors), and "State Registered" trades (general/building/residential/roofing contractor, pool/spa, underground utility and excavation, several electrical/mechanical/plumbing-with-gas trades) that also require a separate DBPR state registration already recorded at the Florida state layer. The $50 and $230 application figures and the $140 issuance figure were confirmed directly on the county's own page. The $5,000 bond figure is confirmed directly on the county's own official application packet — the bond form itself states the penal sum as "Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000)" — not a third-party marketing source as first suspected; the bond is continuous until cancelled, requires 15 days' notice before cancellation takes effect, and covers code-compliance losses and defective workmanship or materials.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Tampa
- Phone
- (813) 272-5600
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Hillsborough County — Application Instructions for Local Specialty and State Registered (Certificate of Competency), dated January 2026; states the Code Compliance Bond penal sum as $5,000, with an exception for State Certified ContractorsHillsborough County Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Hillsborough County — Apply for a Hillsborough County Contractor License (application, acceptance and issuance fees)Hillsborough County Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other offices serving Tampa
- Hillsborough County Tax Collector, Business Tax Services
- City of Tampa Construction Services Division, Development and Growth Management Department
- Hillsborough County Department of Childcare Licensing
- City of Tampa Business Tax Division, Neighborhood Empowerment Department
- Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, Environmental Public Health Division
- Tampa Fire Rescue, Fire Marshal's Office
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Florida jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.