How do I verify a general contractor's license in Florida?

You can verify any Florida contractor license through the DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) online license search at myfloridalicense.com. Search by name or license number to confirm the license is active and in good standing.

What type of contractor do I need for a commercial build-out in Boca Raton?

A commercial build-out in Boca Raton requires a Florida Certified General Contractor (CGC) or a Registered General Contractor licensed for the specific municipality. For tenant improvement work, ensure the GC has specific experience with your project type - office, medical, restaurant, or retail.

How many bids should I get for a commercial build-out?

For a commercial build-out, getting two to three bids from qualified contractors is standard practice. Getting more than three bids often dilutes quality - serious contractors invest significant time in preparing detailed commercial estimates and may decline to bid if they sense they are one of six competitors.

What is a reasonable GC fee for a commercial tenant improvement project?

Commercial GC fees in South Florida typically range from 8% to 15% of hard construction costs, depending on project size and complexity. Very small projects (under $100K) may be higher. Be cautious of bids with unusually low GC fees - the margin may be built into inflated line items elsewhere.

Does a commercial GC pull the permits or does the owner?

In Florida, the licensed general contractor of record pulls the building permits for commercial construction. The owner should not pull their own permit unless they hold a contractor's license. Having the GC pull the permit means the GC assumes responsibility for code compliance and inspections.

8 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Commercial GC in Boca Raton

By Cooper Construction & Development | 04/03/2026

Hiring a commercial general contractor in Boca Raton is not just about finding the lowest bid. The right GC delivers your project on time, within budget, and without the change-order surprises that wreck tenant business plans. The wrong one leaves you with a half-finished space, lien exposure, and a missed opening date. These eight questions help you separate qualified contractors from the ones who will cause problems.

1. Are You Licensed in Florida and Have You Pulled Permits in This Municipality?

A legitimate commercial GC in Florida holds a Certified General Contractor (CGC) license issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. You can verify any license at the DBPR online portal. Ask specifically whether the contractor has pulled permits in Boca Raton – different cities have different requirements and reviewer preferences, and a contractor who regularly works in the city navigates the process faster.

Ask to see the license number and verify it before you sign anything.

2. What Is Your Experience With This Type of Build-Out?

A GC who has built dozens of standard offices may have no experience with a medical suite or a restaurant. Those project types have specialized requirements – HVAC system design for clinical environments, grease trap installation, AHCA plan review for medical occupancies – that a generalist contractor may not handle well.

Ask for specific examples. If you are building a dental office, ask how many dental offices they have built. If they cannot name specific projects with square footage and locations, push further.

3. Who Will Be On-Site Every Day?

Some GCs are primarily estimators and salespeople who hand your project off to a superintendent you have never met. Others have their principal or project manager on-site daily. Ask directly: who is the named superintendent for my project, and how many other projects will they be running at the same time?

A superintendent managing four active job sites simultaneously is not giving any of them the attention they deserve. For a commercial build-out in Boca Raton, expect your site to be staffed and actively managed from first tool to punch list.

4. How Do You Handle Change Orders?

Change orders are where many contractors make their money. A transparent contractor will explain the conditions that generate change orders (unforeseen conditions, owner-directed changes, design revisions) and will show you examples of how they document and price them. Ask to see a sample change order form.

Red flags: vague answers about pricing changes, unwillingness to put change order processes in writing, or a bid that looks suspiciously low (which often means the base scope is thin and the contractor plans to make up margin in changes).

5. Can You Provide Local References From Recent Commercial Projects?

References should be from projects completed within the last two years, in Palm Beach or Broward County, of similar type and size to yours. A reference from a residential project or a job completed five years ago in another state is not useful. Ask for the name of the business owner or property manager you can call directly – not a general email address.

Call those references. Ask specifically about schedule performance, change order frequency, communication quality, and whether they would hire the contractor again.

6. How Do You Manage the Project – What Tools Do You Use?

Professional commercial GCs use project management software to track budgets, schedules, RFIs, submittals, and daily logs. Ask what tools they use and whether you will have owner access. At Cooper Construction and Development, we use Procore for all project documentation – owners get real-time visibility into daily field logs, inspection results, and budget tracking without having to call and ask for updates.

A contractor who manages projects with a spiral notebook and text messages is not equipped for a commercial project in 2026.

7. How Do You Handle Subcontractor Payment and Lien Waivers?

Florida has some of the most tenant-side-unfriendly construction lien laws in the country. If your GC does not pay a subcontractor or supplier, that sub or supplier can file a lien against the property – even if you paid the GC in full. Ask how the GC ensures subs are paid and whether they provide conditional and unconditional lien waivers with each draw request. This is not optional due diligence – it is financial protection.

A contractor who cannot explain their lien waiver process is a risk. See our detailed guide on how we manage commercial tenant improvement projects, including payment and lien processes.

8. What Does Your Warranty Cover and For How Long?

Florida contractors are required to provide a one-year warranty on workmanship by statute. Ask what the warranty covers beyond the minimum, how defects are reported, and how quickly they respond. Ask whether they have ever been called back on warranty work and how it was handled.

A contractor confident in their work will answer this question directly. One who gets defensive or vague should give you pause.

The Bottom Line on Hiring a Boca Raton Commercial Contractor

Boca Raton has a competitive commercial real estate market with active leasing activity in office and retail across the I-95 corridor and Glades Road. Finding a GC who works regularly in the city, knows the building department staff, and has a track record of completed commercial projects is worth taking the time to verify.

Cooper Construction and Development is a veteran-owned commercial GC based in Wellington, serving Boca Raton, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, and across Palm Beach and Broward counties. View our capability statement for a full overview of our commercial services and project history.

Ready to discuss your project? Call us at (561) 571-3324 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

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