Questions to ask before you hire a painter in Miami

1. What license or certificate do you hold, if any, and what exactly does it cover?

Why it matters: Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation says some construction work, including paint, may not require a state license, and that these contractors may be licensed through a local building department (DBPR: Construction industry business information). But state law now says a local government may not require a license for a job scope that doesn’t match a state contractor category, and it names painting, pressure washing, stuccoing, caulking, and plastering among those job scopes; it also bars local governments from requiring a license to get a permit for that work (s. 489.117(4)(a)1., Fla. Stat.). Local governments may keep licensing a few narrow scopes they licensed before 2021, including rooftop painting, coating, and cleaning above three stories (s. 489.117(4)(a)3.).

Miami-Dade County still issues certificates of competency in a “Painting” category and a narrower “Painting and Waterproofing” category, which the county’s board rewrote in 2024 to cover rooftop painting, coating, and cleaning above three stories to match the state law (Miami-Dade Construction Trades Qualifying Board: Rules and procedures (PDF); Miami-Dade: Certificate categories (PDF); Miami-Dade: Building specialty licenses). Our reading is that, for ordinary house painting, the county certificate is something a painter may hold rather than something the county can require — that’s our interpretation of the statute, so ask the county’s Contractor Licensing Section if it matters. Either way, a certificate is useful evidence: you can look up county-certified contractors, their status, and complaints in the Miami-Dade Contractor Inquiry and Complaint Search. Where the job adds work that does need a license — roofing, structural repair, window or door replacement — check the license for that work on the DBPR license search and the county search. Under state law, a contractor without a license required for the scope of work can’t enforce the contract, but someone doing work that needs no state license isn’t “unlicensed” for that purpose (s. 489.128, Fla. Stat.).

2. Who will be on my property, and can you show workers’ compensation coverage or a valid exemption?

Why it matters: Florida requires construction employers with one or more employees, including non-exempt business owners, to carry workers’ compensation, and the state’s workers’ comp division says Florida law doesn’t recognize independent contractors in the construction industry: a worker is either a business owner or an employee (Florida DFS Division of Workers’ Compensation: Employer FAQ; s. 440.02, Fla. Stat.). Corporate officers and LLC members can elect to be exempt themselves, but an exemption covers that person, not the crew. You can check both on the state’s Proof of Coverage database and Exemption Search, which lists policies carriers have reported and officers who have opted out. The database reflects what was reported, so ask the painter’s insurance agent to confirm the policy is in force for your job dates. If a “one-person” company arrives with helpers, check again, and ask your homeowner’s insurance agent how your policy treats injuries to workers on your property.

3. Was my home built before 1978, and if so, is your firm EPA lead-safe certified?

Why it matters: Federal lead-safe rules require certified firms and trained renovators when paid work in pre-1978 homes disturbs more than six square feet of painted surface per room inside or more than 20 square feet outside, and window replacement is covered (EPA: RRP rule frequently asked questions; EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program). Florida isn’t on EPA’s list of states authorized to run their own program, so EPA certifies firms here (EPA: RRP firm certification (authorized-state list)). Ask for the firm’s EPA certificate and the certified renovator’s name, and check the firm on EPA’s lead-safe firm locator. No more than 60 days before work starts, the firm must give you EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet and get your written acknowledgment or a certificate of mailing at least seven days before the work; if the owner doesn’t live there, an adult occupant must get the pamphlet too (EPA: Renovate Right pamphlet; 40 CFR §745.84). Federal work-practice rules prohibit open-flame burning or torching, heat guns at or above 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, and machine sanding, grinding, or blasting without shrouds or containment and a HEPA vacuum attachment (40 CFR §745.85). Whole-house exterior prep almost always goes past the 20-square-foot threshold, so ask how the crew will contain chips and dust.

4. How will you pressure wash and prep, and where will the wash water, chips, and paint residue go?

Why it matters: Most paint failure starts with prep, and in Miami prep usually starts with a pressure washer. EPA notes that storm drains connect to waterbodies, and Miami-Dade’s environmental agency, DERM, takes complaints about liquid discharges or spills into storm drains, waterways, or onto open ground (Miami-Dade DERM: Environmental complaints). EPA’s homeowner stormwater guidance says to clean brushes in a sink rather than outdoors and to take leftover paint to a hazardous waste collection program (EPA: Make your home the solution to stormwater pollution (PDF)). Ask the painter how wash water carrying chalky paint, mildew cleaner, or chips will be kept out of the gutter and street drains, how chips will be collected, and where brushes and sprayers will be cleaned.

Pressure also matters for the house itself. The City of Miami’s historic design guidelines recommend starting pressure cleaning at a very low pressure and generally staying in the low-to-medium range, and warn against sandblasting and harsh chemicals on historic walls (City of Miami Historic Design Guidelines (PDF)). That advice is written for historic buildings, but it’s a reasonable question for any older stucco or wood house. On a pre-1978 home, pressure washing can also spread lead (see question 3).

5. Will any of the work touch the stucco — and which building department covers my address?

Why it matters: The City of Miami lists painting — interior or exterior, touch-ups, full repaints, and decorative finishes — as work that doesn’t need a permit, but it adds that no stucco work can be part of the project, and that if your painting project affects the stucco you’ll need to apply for a permit (City of Miami: Work that does not require a permit). Exempt work still has to meet the building code and zoning and flood rules. Cracked, hollow, or delaminating stucco is common on older South Florida houses, so ask the painter to spell out in writing whether patching or re-stuccoing is in the scope and, if so, who applies for the permit. Florida law also says a local government can’t require a license to get a permit for stucco work (s. 489.117(4)(a)1.), so the permit question is about the work, not the painter’s credentials.

Check which jurisdiction you’re actually in. Many “Miami” addresses are in other cities — Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Doral, and others — or in unincorporated Miami-Dade, and each sets its own permit list. Call the building department named on your property tax bill before assuming the City of Miami’s rules apply. Waterproofing coatings, roof coatings, and any repair to windows, doors, or framing are add-ons worth asking about separately.

6. Is my house historically designated or in a historic district — and do I need a Certificate of Appropriateness before repainting?

Why it matters: The City of Miami requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for work on historic properties (City of Miami: Repair or renovate a historic property). Its design guidelines, adopted in 2016, list painting the exterior as work that requires one; staff can approve paint schemes administratively, but exterior painting that isn’t consistent with the guidelines goes to the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (City of Miami Historic Design Guidelines (PDF)). The standard certificate application asks for a paint sample with the manufacturer’s color name and code, and the City notes that painting doesn’t need a building permit even when a certificate is required (City of Miami: Get a standard Certificate of Appropriateness).

The guidelines also set real limits: they recommend low-intensity colors, call for at least one body color and one trim color, say dark colors and bright hues aren’t allowed, prohibit painting masonry and coral rock (oolitic limestone) that historically wasn’t painted, say stone or brick should never be painted, and don’t allow murals or patterns without board approval. The same section says most shades can be approved for the body of the building, so the color rules leave room for judgment — get the Preservation Office’s answer on your exact colors in writing, and check your district’s own guidelines too. If you’re in Miami Beach, Coral Gables, or another city, its preservation office has its own rules. Painting unpainted coral rock or brick is hard to undo on any house.

7. Exactly which products will you use — brand, product line, sheen, primer, and number of coats — and will you thin them?

Why it matters: “Good paint” isn’t a specification. Federal rules cap the VOC content of architectural coatings and put that duty on manufacturers and importers (40 CFR §59.402; 40 CFR Part 59, Subpart D), and each container must show the date of manufacture, the manufacturer’s thinning recommendation (or a statement that it should be applied without thinning), and its VOC content (40 CFR §59.405). We didn’t find a Florida or Miami-Dade VOC limit for house paint, so treat the federal label as the floor — that’s our reading, not an official statement. Ask for the manufacturer, product line, sheen, color, primer, and coat count for each surface, plus the product data sheet, and compare the label’s thinning recommendation with what the painter plans.

Miami’s sun, humidity, salt air, and afternoon storms make product choice and timing matter. Ask whether the products are rated for masonry and stucco, whether the primer suits chalky or previously painted surfaces, how mildew will be treated before painting, and how the painter handles the label’s temperature, humidity, and dry-time limits during rainy weeks. Build weather days into the schedule, and get in writing who buys the paint and whether it’s in the price.

8. Will you give me a written, itemized contract — and if you came to my door, what are my cancellation rights?

Why it matters: Get a written contract that lists every surface, the prep and repairs included, products, coats, start and finish dates, payment schedule, cleanup, and warranty. Florida gives buyers in a home solicitation sale — one where the seller personally solicits and closes the deal away from its business location, including some unsolicited telephone sales — the right to cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, by written notice delivered in person or by mail, and mailed notice counts when it’s postmarked; Sunday and federal holidays don’t count as business days (s. 501.021, Fla. Stat.; s. 501.025, Fla. Stat.). The seller must give you a written agreement with a “BUYER’S RIGHT TO CANCEL” statement, and if you cancel, the seller may not keep all or part of a cash down payment (s. 501.031, Fla. Stat.). The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule also requires written cancellation notice in covered door-to-door sales (16 CFR §429.1).

One catch: Florida’s definition doesn’t include a sale that results from your own request for specific goods or services (s. 501.021, Fla. Stat.). If you called the painter and invited them over, the state cancellation right may not apply — read the contract before you sign, and ask an attorney if it matters. Be wary of pressure to sign the same day, cash-only terms, or a large payment before work starts.

9. Does the contract include Florida’s construction lien notice, and will you give me lien releases and a final payment affidavit?

Why it matters: Florida requires direct contracts above a set dollar amount for improvements to homes of up to four units to include a boldface notice, signed and dated by the owner, warning that unpaid workers and suppliers can enforce claims against your property even if you’ve paid your contractor in full, and advising you to require written lien releases from anyone who has sent you a “Notice to Owner” before you make a payment (s. 713.015, Fla. Stat.). Suppliers and subcontractors who don’t contract with you directly generally must serve that Notice to Owner within 45 days after they start furnishing labor or materials, and before your final payment (s. 713.06, Fla. Stat.). When final payment comes due, the contractor must give you a final payment affidavit stating that all lienors who served a Notice to Owner have been paid, or listing who hasn’t (s. 713.06(3)(d), Fla. Stat.). A claim of lien generally must be recorded within 90 days after the lienor’s final furnishing of labor, services, or materials (s. 713.08, Fla. Stat.).

Florida lien law also has the owner record a Notice of Commencement before improvements start, unless the direct contract price is below a small-dollar exemption (s. 713.13, Fla. Stat.; s. 713.02(5), Fla. Stat.). Paint-only jobs usually have no permit, so no building department will prompt you for one; whether to record a notice for your job is a question for a real-estate attorney or title company — that’s our reading of the statutes. Practical steps: keep any deposit small, tie payments to finished stages, pay the business named in the contract by check or card, collect a release from every company that sends a Notice to Owner before paying the next draw, and don’t make the final payment without the final payment affidavit.

10. How will you protect windows, landscaping, pools, and neighbors — and what happens if it rains mid-job?

Why it matters: Exterior jobs in Miami often mean spraying or rolling next to pools, screen enclosures, cars, plants, and a neighbor’s house a few feet away. Ask the painter to put in writing how windows, doors, hardware, fixtures, floors, and plants will be masked and protected, whether they’ll spray or brush and roll, how overspray will be controlled on windy days, and who pays if something is damaged. DERM’s complaint list includes spray painting outside a paint booth with a spray gun and compressor (Miami-Dade DERM: Environmental complaints); that page doesn’t say how the rule applies to house painting, so ask the painter how they handle spraying outdoors, and ask DERM if you’re unsure. Get a weather plan: what counts as a rain delay, how wet surfaces will be checked before painting, and whether freshly painted areas that get rained on will be redone at no charge.

11. What does your warranty cover, and who handles touch-up paint and leftovers?

Why it matters: Peeling, blistering, chalking, and failed caulk usually trace back to prep or product, so get the workmanship warranty in writing — what it covers, how long it lasts, and how to make a claim — along with any manufacturer warranty, a finish schedule listing every color, sheen, and brand, and a labeled can of each color for touch-ups. Read the terms, not just the number of years.

For leftovers, Miami-Dade’s two Home Chemical Collection Centers accept oil-based paint, solvents, and latex paint that’s still liquid from residents, and the County says usable latex paint should be donated and unusable latex can be dried out with an absorbent such as kitty litter and put in your waste cart once solid. The centers are not for business or commercial use — the County says businesses must use a private company (Miami-Dade: Home Chemical Collection Centers). That means your contract should say the painter removes its own unusable paint, solvents, and debris and disposes of them lawfully — not in your cart, a storm drain, or the street.