Contractors License ($5,000) Bond - Lake County, FL in Florida

Brief Summary

A state license does not by itself let you pull permits in unincorporated Lake County. The county wants its own registration on file first, and the $5,000 bond is part of that packet. Once it is posted it is recognized statewide, so one bond can cover you in other Florida counties that ask for the same thing.

Lake County Office of Building Services requires contractors to file a $5,000 contractor's bond with its Application for Registration, Form BF08, before contracting, subcontracting or applying for permits in the county. The bond is written in the individual contractor's name, names the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund as obligee, and carries an October 1 anniversary date each year.

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How to Apply for a Contractors License ($5,000) Bond:

• Download Form BF08 from Lake County Office of Building Services.
• Order the $5,000 bond in your individual name, adding the business name if you wish.
• Obtain general liability and workers' compensation certificates naming the Lake County BCC as holder.
• Complete the notarized Scope of Competency Affidavit and the criminal history check.
• Pay the $150 two year local fee to the Board of County Commissioners.
• File the full packet before applying for any permit.

Detailed Information About the Florida Contractors License ($5,000) Bond:

Registration comes before the first permit

Lake County will not issue permits to a contractor whose local registration is incomplete. Form BF08 states that every item must be on file before you contract, subcontract, operate in Lake County or apply for permits. The packet includes the application, a notarized Scope of Competency Affidavit and the State of Florida Contractor's Bond form.

How the bond has to read

• Amount: $5,000
• Obligee: Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund
• Principal: the individual licensed contractor. The business name may be added, but the bond must be in the contractor's own name.
• Surety: a corporate surety authorized to do business in Florida
• Condition: compliance with the applicable code provisions, with a one year window to remedy defects after the work is performed
• Anniversary: October 1 each year, unless the surety terminates the bond

Names on every document must match the name on your state card exactly. A mismatch is the most common reason a packet is sent back.

Why one bond travels

Florida Statutes 489.131(3)(e) caps a local contractor bond at $5,000, allows only one bond per contractor and requires statewide reciprocity. The Lake County bond form cites that subsection. Contractors who provide a third party insured warranty policy on a new building are exempt from the bond for that building only.

The rest of the packet

Lake County also requires commercial general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, workers' compensation coverage or an approved DWC 252 or DWC 253 exemption, a certified statewide criminal history check, a state registration card if you have one, and a reciprocity letter if you were examined elsewhere. Insurance certificates must name the Lake County Board of County Commissioners as certificate holder. The local fee is $150 for two years, prorated if your license expires in less than six months. Address and phone changes must be reported within 15 days.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Florida Contractors License ($5,000) Bond:

• Bond amount of $5,000 on the State of Florida Contractor's Bond form.
• Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund named as obligee.
• Corporate surety authorized in Florida.
• Names on all documents matching the state card exactly.
• Commercial general liability of at least $300,000 per occurrence.
• Workers' compensation coverage or an approved DWC 252 or DWC 253 exemption.

Florida Contractors License ($5,000) Bond FAQs:

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