A Handyman Vs. A Contractor 

A handyman and contractor are not the same. There are some projects a handyman is not licensed to do, such as plumbing or electrical work. If you need specialty work that requires a license, you will need to hire a contractor. When someone works on your home and isn’t licensed, you could be liable financially and they could be fined or jailed. 

Although there is a “handyman license,” also known as a maintenance license, it only allows for a person to do certain odd jobs, but those jobs are very limited. As of now, there is no “one” license that exists that will allow people to fix holes in drywall, repair leaky faucets and pipes, paint walls, replace doors, install lights, patch up roofs, install screens, fix toilets, etc. In order to do all this work, a person would need many licenses. 

If you’re looking to patch a roof, you’d get a roofing license. To fix pipes, you would need a plumbing license. To install lights, a person needs an electrical license. There is a license for all specialties, whether it’s given by the county or state. 

A “handyman license” differs from county to county in what it allows people to work on. For example: if you’re looking to obtain a handyman license in Collier County, Florida, this is what the license allows you to do: 

• Assemble exercise equipment, toys, furniture, gas grills 
• Change light bulbs 
• Clean and change ceiling fan blades 
• Clean garages and gutters 
• Hang pictures 

• Mow lawns 
• Wash windows 
• Move furniture 
• Pressure clean driveways and walkways 
• Replace and repair door handles, caulking, and screens 

• Lawn edging 
• Residential and/or commercial cleaning 
• Install garage organizers 

If you’re looking to obtain a handyman license, make sure it covers everything you want to be able to do for clients. If you think the work you want do get requires a contractor license, we can help you work toward getting that license. You want to be properly licensed, so you don’t get in trouble.  

If you have any questions about any type of license, give our team at Licenses, Etc. a call or visit our Florida contractor license page to learn more.. We help people get their contractor licenses fast.