Commercial cleaning and janitorial insurance in Florida

The Florida checklist: entity, tax receipts, dealer registration and school screening

A Florida cleaning company needs four things before it bills: an entity or fictitious name on file with the state, local business tax receipts, a sales tax dealer registration, and (for school work) cleared staff. We found no Florida license for commercial cleaning as a trade.

Sunbiz filings and local business tax receipts

Corporations and LLCs file with the Department of State's Division of Corporations through Sunbiz. If you operate under a name other than your legal name, you also register that fictitious name with the Division under s. 865.09, F.S.

The local layer is the business tax receipt under Chapter 205, issued by counties and cities and renewed each year by September 30. In Miami-Dade, a company inside a city needs both the city receipt and a county receipt. Under s. 205.053, F.S., a late renewal draws a 10% penalty for October plus 5% for each later month, capped at 25%.

Sales tax on nonresidential cleaning

Section 212.05(1)(i), F.S., taxes nonresidential cleaning at 6%. The Department of Revenue's rule spells out what counts: services that keep the interior of a nonresidential building clean, sanitary and in operating condition. Its list includes custodial and janitorial service, office cleaning, restroom cleaning and deodorizing, disinfecting, floor waxing, washroom sanitation, building maintenance other than repairs, and window cleaning inside or out.

Three details catch new contractors. A county discretionary sales surtax applies on top of the 6% when the building sits in a surtax county. Your charge to a landlord for cleaning a nonresidential building is taxable even when the tenant is tax-exempt. And you're the end user of your own supplies, so you pay tax when you buy chemicals, liners and pads.

The Department of Revenue lists interior nonresidential cleaning among the activities that require registration as a sales tax dealer. Confirm the current rule with the Florida Department of Revenue or your CPA.

Jessica Lunsford Act screening for school crews

Contractors and their employees, subcontractors included, who are allowed on public K-12 grounds while students are present must clear a fingerprint-based state and federal criminal history check. Staff with direct student contact go through full level 2 screening. Those without expected direct contact are checked against a list of disqualifying offenses and receive a uniform statewide photo ID badge, which requires the worker to be 18 or older and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The district, the school or the contractor may bear the cost.

Local wage rules are winding down

Since a 2024 amendment, s. 218.077, F.S., bars counties and cities from controlling their contractors' wages or benefits through purchasing, or giving bid preferences based on wages. Contracts entered into before September 30, 2026 aren't impaired, so older county living wage terms still run their course. We found no Florida law requiring janitorial employers to register with the state.

Florida comp: four employees, and the officers count

Janitorial work isn't on Florida's construction class list, so the non-construction rule applies: you need workers' comp once you have four or more employees, part-time workers included. The count includes corporate officers and LLC members, which surprises owners who think of themselves as the boss rather than staff.

Officers and members can opt out by filing a Notice of Election to be Exempt with the Division of Workers' Compensation. The exemption is issued to the person, not the business. Once exempt, the officer no longer counts as an employee toward the four and can't collect comp benefits after an injury. Sole proprietors and partners in a non-construction business aren't employees unless they elect coverage.

Going without required coverage is treated as an immediate serious danger. Under s. 440.107, F.S., the Department of Financial Services can issue a stop-work order and assess a penalty equal to two times the premium you would have paid for the uncovered periods in the preceding 12 months, and never less than $1,000. Details are on the Division of Workers' Compensation site.

Florida uses NCCI classes, and contract janitorial crews usually fall under Code 9014. Public buyers check comp status closely. One water management district told a contractor without comp to file an affidavit that it met the Chapter 440 independent-contractor rules along with an exemption certificate, and it wanted certificates from every subcontractor not insured under the prime's policies. Our class code and audit guide explains how subcontracted payroll shows up at audit.

How Florida public buyers write the insurance section

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's districtwide janitorial RFP for its Brooksville, Tampa, Sarasota and Lakeland campuses (posted in January 2022) is a clear example of how far a Florida exhibit can go. Its sample agreement required:

• General liability on forms no narrower than ISO CG 00 01, with a $1,000,000 occurrence limit and a $2,000,000 aggregate
• Auto liability on owned, non-owned and hired vehicles, with split limits of $100,000/$300,000 for bodily injury plus $100,000 for property damage, or a $500,000 combined single limit
• $100,000 of fidelity or employee dishonesty insurance, with the district named as additional insured on both the GL and the fidelity coverage
• A janitorial bond of at least $1,000,000, plus $1,000,000/$1,000,000 professional liability
• Employer's liability of $500,000/$500,000/$500,000 and written notice to the district within 5 business days of any cancellation or material-change notice from your carrier

No work could start until the certificate reached the district. The fidelity line is the unusual one: many crime forms don't name a client as an additional insured without an endorsement, so ask before you bid. Our guide to cleaning contract insurance terms and the janitorial bond page walk through both pieces.

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Florida risks that turn into claims

Slips on a "transitory foreign substance"

Under s. 768.0755, F.S., someone who slips on a transitory foreign substance in a business must prove the business knew, or should have known, about the condition. Constructive knowledge can be shown if the hazard sat there long enough or happened with regularity. The statute keeps any common-law duty owed by whoever controls the premises, which is how a cleaning contractor can end up in the suit.

A 2023 change, s. 768.81(6), keeps a plaintiff who is found more than 50% at fault from recovering anything, except in medical negligence cases. Your mopping log and photos of where the wet-floor sign stood become evidence on both questions.

Crossing the four-employee line without noticing

Two officers who haven't filed exemptions and two part-time night cleaners already make four. A company that hires its fourth person in the middle of a busy season and forgets the comp policy faces a stop-work order and a penalty of twice the missed premium.

Fidelity limits written in the client's favor

Florida public exhibits can stack a large janitorial bond on top of employee dishonesty insurance, then require the client as additional insured on the fidelity policy. If your crime form can't do that, you find out after the award unless you ask first.

Florida metros, one local detail each

Florida pricing pressures to plan for

We don't quote Florida prices on this page. These are the state-specific forces behind the number.

Bond and fidelity limits on public work can dwarf the GL line. One district asked for a $1,000,000 janitorial bond and $100,000 of employee dishonesty coverage on top of $1M/$2M GL and $1M professional liability.

A janitorial bond's price usually depends on the bond amount and how many employees it covers, and some bonding companies also weigh your credit or time in business.

Officers who stay on the comp policy add payroll; officers who file an exemption take it off but lose benefits. The 6% tax and county surtax don't change premiums, but clients compare bids after tax.

Your price depends on the payroll in each class code, your annual sales, the kinds of buildings you clean, how much specialty and chemical work you do, the vehicles your crews drive, your claims history and the limits your contracts require. The cost guide breaks down each part.

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Licensed for Florida cleaning accounts

Commercial Cleaning Insurance Group is a brand of The Allen Thomas Group, licensed in Florida (License #L091871, NPN 7642818).

Our team quotes Florida janitorial contractors only after a licensed agent has reviewed your payroll, officers and bid exhibits with you.