Lee County Community Development, Contractor Licensing

Contractor Registration and Grandfathered Local Contractor License

Lee County Code Ch. 16.5 (Ord. No. 23-09, adopted May 2, 2023) applies to contractors working in unincorporated Lee County and supplements the State's construction-industry regulation. Under § 16.5-2, where the Florida Building Code governs a scope of work and State law requires a license for it, a State-issued construction license is required. Section 16.5-4 lists former local license categories for which, under that section, a license is no longer required, and § 16.5-5 grandfathers existing holders of 31 listed local categories (for example carpentry, drywall, marine, pile driving and journeyman trades) only for so long as they renew. Under § 16.5-6, grandfathered local licenses run July 1 through June 30 and must be renewed by June 30, with renewal opening six weeks earlier; a holder who lets the license lapse loses all rights under it and must obtain a State license to keep contracting in that scope. Renewal requires proof of liability and workers' compensation coverage and payment of the renewal fee set in the Community Development fee schedule (§ 16.5-7). Under § 16.5-9, a grandfathered holder must notify Community Development within 30 days of a change in business name, address, qualifying license holder or registered agent, and the Contractor Licensing page states that a $25.00 fee must accompany that notification. The page also describes registering a State contractor's license with Lee County, by emailing a Lee County Contractor Agreement, a copy of the State license and insurance certificates, so the contractor can pull permits; the page states no fee for that registration.