Miami-Dade Contractor License: Chapter 10 and the CTQB

Miami-Dade licenses contractors under Chapter 10 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, administered by the Construction Trades Qualifying Board through the county’s Contractor Licensing Section. Its reach is unusual in one respect worth stating early: it runs across the incorporated and unincorporated areas alike, not only the unincorporated county.

What the county says Chapter 10 requires

From the county’s own application instructions:

“CODE REGULATIONS Chapter 10 of the Code Of Miami-Dade County requires any persons, sole proprietorships, partnerships or other business entities desiring to engage in the business or acting in the capacity of a contractor or subcontractor in the construction field in both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County to be approved and certified by the Miami-Dade County Construction Trades Qualifying Board (CTQB), State of Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board or the State of Florida Electrical Contractors Licensing Board.”

Read the conjunction carefully. The county frames CTQB certification and state certification as alternatives — a contractor is approved by the county board or by one of the two state boards.

On the board’s own authority, from the county’s licensing page:

“Contractors and tradesmen working in Miami-Dade County are licensed by Miami-Dade County’s Contractor Licensing Section. The Construction Trades Qualifying Board has authority over these types of licenses and the scopes of licenses issued, in accordance with Chapter 10.”

And on the geographic reach, from the board’s own Rules and Procedures:

“The Board may make such rules and procedures consistent with the general policies of Chapter 10 of the Code of Miami-Dade County as it may deem necessary to carry out its provisions. Such rules and procedures shall apply to and be enforced in all incorporated and unincorporated areas of the County.”

Each passage above is Miami-Dade describing its own code in its own published documents, cited as such. The codified text of Chapter 10 is published separately and is not reproduced here.

Six category groups, and tiers the state does not issue

The board’s categories fall into six groups: Building, Building Specialties, Maintenance, Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical. Inside them sit tiers with no state equivalent.

Journeyman, in the county’s own words:

“This certificate does not entitle you to perform as a contractor; you may only work under the direction of a Master in your respective trade.”

The county issues journeyman certificates across electrical, plumbing and twelve mechanical trades, alongside master categories in each. It also issues an Authorized Employee certificate, restricted to county and municipal employees acting within their employment and usable only to obtain building permits in that capacity.

The journeyman tier is a local instrument by statutory design rather than by accident — the journeyman tier counties issue sets out where that authority comes from.

Forty-six categories the county stopped issuing

Effective 1 July 2025, state preemption removed forty-six contractor categories from the county’s reach, under House Bill 735, House Bill 1383 and Senate Bill 1142. The county states the constraint it now works within:

“Provided that a local government may not require a license issued by the local government or CILB to perform a job scope that does not substantially correspond to one of the state contractor or specialty contractor categories.”

The affected list runs from canvas awning and caulking through concrete finishing to tile and traditional thatched hut structures.

The county’s published category list and its preemption notice do not agree. The category list still names trades the preemption notice says are no longer issued. The preemption notice is the later document and the one that reflects what the county does now, so a category list read on its own will mislead.

The registration duty runs both ways

A state-certified contractor is not required to obtain a county certificate, but permitting in the unincorporated county depends on being in the county’s system. From the county’s registration instructions:

“In order to use the departments On-Line Services and obtain building permits and inspections all contractors’ license information must be verified and entered into the department’s database. This verification is only valid in unincorporated Miami Dade County.”

The converse duty is stated plainly on the licensing page, and it is the one that catches county certificate holders:

“Miami-Dade County Certificate holders, if required by Chapter 10 of the Miami-Dade County Code and Florida Statute 489, must be registered with the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Failure to comply will result in a restriction of your permitting privileges.”

A county certificate is a local credential, and holding one can oblige its holder to register with the state as well. The difference between the two credentials is set out under state certification against local registration.

Where to go next: how local licensing works in Florida covers the county layer generally, and the Florida general contractor license guide covers the state framework these local boards sit inside.