Painter in Florida: licence, certification and what employers require (2026)

Florida does not license painters: no state licence for painters as employees. This page says what a painter licensed or working in another state has to do to work in Florida, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

No state licenses painters as employees; a painting contractor licence applies in some states if you work for yourself. Your lead-safe certification (EPA RRP) is federal and carries over to Florida; it is required for work on pre-1978 housing everywhere.

What to have ready before you move

• EPA RRP lead-safe certificate
• A portfolio or references

Start the paperwork before you give notice. There is no Florida licence to wait for, so the only clock is the employer's.

What people get wrong

• Working on older housing without RRP certification; the fines are federal

Who hires painters in Florida

Painters in Florida are hired by painting contractors, property management companies, builders and industrial coatings firms. The metros with the most of that work are Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the Florida openings page.

For the money side: the median painter in Florida earned $46,060 a year ($22 an hour) in May 2024 across 20,910 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Florida has no state income tax on wages. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about Florida, on one page

The Florida page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Florida employers hiring from out of state.