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12 permits · verified 2026-10-31

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Martin County?

In short

A contractor or trade in Martin County, FL has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Martin County Tax Collector charges $26.25 a year per receipt, with at least one receipt for each business location, as published on the Martin County Tax Collector's Local Business Tax page; county tax only for the county local business tax receipt. 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-31 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Martin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Contractor Certificate of Competencyonly if it applies to youMartin County Building Department, Licensing DivisionPer the county's Application for Certificate of Competency (Rev. 7-26): application fee $250.00 for General, Building, Residential, Plumbing, Electrical, HARV, Roofing and Swimming pool contractors; Specialty contractor application fee $175.00. The application fee is payable by cash, check or credit card to the Martin County Board of County Commissioners and is not refundable after the application has been entered into the records.issued on Construction Industry Licensing Board approval and exam or reciprocity; the renewal period is not printed on the Application for Certificate of Competency (Rev. 7-26)2026-10-31
Registration of State-Certified Contractors with the Licensing Divisiononly if it applies to youMartin County Building Department, Licensing DivisionThe county's Registration for State Certified Contractors form (Rev. 7-26) lists no fee; contact the Licensing Division at (772) 288-5482 for any current charge.required before pulling permits; a renewal period is not printed on the Registration for State Certified Contractors form (Rev. 7-26)2026-10-31
Contractor LicenseFlorida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing BoardCertified: $335 non-refundable application and examination fee. Registered: $100 application fee. Both then pay $200 for the initial license, halved to $100 in the second year of a biennium, and $200 to renew every two years2 years2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Martin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Local Business Tax ReceiptMartin County Tax Collector$26.25 a year per receipt, with at least one receipt for each business location, as published on the Martin County Tax Collector's Local Business Tax page; county tax onlyannual; receipts are valid through September 30, may be paid on or after July 1, and are delinquent on October 1, per the Tax Collector's page and F.S. 205.053(1)2026-10-31
Zoning Review and Compliance Determination and Fire Prevention Inspection (Unincorporated Martin County)only if it applies to youMartin County Growth Management Department, Development Review DivisionVaries — formula on the Martin County pageone-time for each new business, name change, ownership name change or relocation; annual renewals of the receipt are handled by the Tax Collector2026-10-31
County Building Permit, Plan Review and Inspectionsonly if it applies to youMartin County Building DepartmentVaries — formula on the Martin County pageper project2026-10-31

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

FL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$70 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (Corporation)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of RevenueNo fee — no fee to registerno fixed expiry2026-09-03
Local Business Tax ReceiptFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsNo feeannual — every receipt expires on 30 September2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Martin County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a contractor or trade in Martin County, FL, 3 apply to every business of this type and 9 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $26.25. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

County Contractor Certificate of Competency: Per the county's Application for Certificate of Competency (Rev. 7-26): application fee $250.00 for General, Building, Residential, Plumbing, Electrical, HARV, Roofing and Swimming pool contractors; Specialty contractor application fee $175.00. The application fee is payable by cash, check or credit card to the Martin County Board of County Commissioners and is not refundable after the application has been entered into the records.

Registration of State-Certified Contractors with the Licensing Division: The county's Registration for State Certified Contractors form (Rev. 7-26) lists no fee; contact the Licensing Division at (772) 288-5482 for any current charge.

Contractor License: Certified: $335 non-refundable application and examination fee. Registered: $100 application fee. Both then pay $200 for the initial license, halved to $100 in the second year of a biennium, and $200 to renew every two years

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Martin County permits page and the FL state page.

Is Martin County expensive for a contractor or trade?

Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Martin County sits where the table below puts it against every other FL jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

County Local Business Tax Receipt: Martin County charges $26.25. Across 4 jurisdictions it runs from $26.25 in Escambia County to $30 in Osceola County, with a median of $28.13. 2 charge more and 1 charges exactly the same.

Read the spread rather than the rank. County Local Business Tax Receipt varies by $3.75 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.

Which offices issue these permits in Martin County?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Martin County, FL come from 7 separate offices: Martin County Tax Collector, Martin County Growth Management Department, Development Review Division, Martin County Building Department, Martin County Building Department, Licensing Division, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Martin County that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Martin County: County Contractor Certificate of Competency, Registration of State-Certified Contractors with the Licensing Division and Contractor License.

County Contractor Certificate of Competency

The Licensing Division's Contractor Licensing page states: "All Martin County contractors are required to be licensed and insured", "Only homeowners and licensed contractors can pull permits" and "An occupational license does not qualify as a contractor license." Certificates of Competency are issued through the Martin County Construction Industry Licensing Board. Per the county's Application for Certificate of Competency (Rev. 7-26), the named contractor classes require four years of supervisory experience, and specialty requirements are set by County Code Chapter 43. A complete application includes the fee, a recent photo, a notarized affidavit of experience verified by a licensed contractor, three credit references (one a bank) and a resume covering five years. Exam applicants must score at least 75 percent on both the Trade and the Business & Law exams, then furnish proof of general liability and workers' compensation insurance, state registration when applicable (due in 30 days) and the most recent business tax receipt. Reciprocity applicants supply the same documents plus a letter of reciprocity from the county where they passed the exam with at least 75 percent. The form notes "See HB-735 and HB-1383 for licensing changes." Licensing Division: (772) 288-5482, licensing@martin.fl.us.

Registration of State-Certified Contractors with the Licensing Division

The county's Registration for State Certified Contractors form (Rev. 7-26) states: "In order to pull permits, you must first register your state certified license" issued by the Department of Business & Professional Regulation, the State Fire Marshal, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (gas) or the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (mobile homes). The form lists the documents to submit: the current state license; a current certificate of general liability insurance with Martin County listed as the certificate holder; a current certificate of workers' compensation insurance with Martin County as the certificate holder, or the license holder's workers' compensation exemption; and a current business tax receipt from the home jurisdiction where the business is located, if that county requires one. Certificates are made out to Martin County Contractor Licensing, 900 SE Ruhnke St, Stuart, FL 34994. The completed form is emailed to licensing@martin.fl.us or sent to that address. The Licensing Division's page offers a Licensed Contractor Search to confirm a contractor is authorized to work in Martin County. Licensing Division: (772) 288-5482.

Contractor License

The two routes cost the same to keep and differ sharply at entry: certification is $335 for application and examination, registration is $100. What you get differs too — a certified license works anywhere in Florida, while a registered one is valid only where you hold local competency approval, so the cheaper route can cost more in practice if you work across county lines. Qualifying a business organisation is a separate license again at $50, with its own $50 biennial renewal, and it is the piece most often missed. An inactive license renews at $50. Letting a license go null and void costs $100 to reinstate, and a delinquency fee is $25.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Martin County, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Martin County permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across FL and are covered on the FL state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Martin County?

The closest match is an auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs County Contractor Certificate of Competency, Registration of State-Certified Contractors with the Licensing Division and Contractor License. An auto repair shop needs nothing here that a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Martin County, FL, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops0030
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops3033
Fitness studios0030
Food trucks2032
Restaurants3033
Retail stores0030
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics1031

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Martin County permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Martin County Construction Industry Licensing Board Application for Certificate of Competency (Rev. 7-26)Martin County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-31
  2. Contractor Licensing and VerificationMartin County Building Department, Licensing Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-31
  3. Registration for State Certified Contractors (Rev. 7-26)Martin County Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-31
  4. Florida Administrative Code rule 61G4-12.009 — construction industry licensing fees (effective 30 October 2017)Florida Department of State, Administrative Code · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.