Lee County contractors get 12-month license extensions amid confusion over new law

Lee County has stepped in to make sure you don't lose the ability to hire a contractor under a state law that is worrying some in the trades and elected officials.

Critics say the law could be interpreted as abolishing local contractor licenses and requiring state licensing for trades the Legislature intended to be free from the shackles of licensing.

The county has extended the date for county licensing of contractors until 2023 while state and local governments straighten out a legislative effort to reduce the need for contractor licenses.

Contractors have been able to get licenses from either the state or local authorities for decades. A state licensed contractor could work anywhere; a contractor licensed by a county or city could be limited to that community.

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A couple of years ago, the state Legislature passed legislation to eliminate local contractor licenses. But it has been interpreted differently in some counties.

Lee County was ready to stop writing licenses in June. In some trades, such as dock building, it appeared that licensing would still be required, forcing old hands in the trade to go through state licensing requirements. 

Some lawmakers say that's really not the case; they just wanted to eliminate the requirement for any license for trades that really don't need it, lawmakers said.

Lee County approved a plan to phase out county licensing this year, but voted this month to stretch the date for another year, to June 30, 2023. 

Once the extension expires, the county will examine revisions to the county licensing board ordinance and provisions of the county code requiring registration. 

Commissioner Brian Hamman, who has worked for his father, an electrician, said it seems rather excessive to require a tradesperson with a valid local license to have to go get a state license.

"There are some folks who when we shut down our licensing have to find a license to work under or go take the state exam," Hamman said. "We should ask out staff to work out a legislative amendment that we could suggest that would help these folks out."

For some, it seemed a case of overregulating while trying to reduce regulations. 

Dock contractor Allen Bills urged the county to backtrack from a sunset date enacted last year on local contractor licenses that were expected to be replaced by state licenses. 

It gave the contractors two options: go through state licensing at a trade they've mastered over the years or find a state licensed contractor to pull the state permit and pay a fee.

"This will allow us almost a year to get a grasp on what the state actually wants," Bills said. "I have no interest to working through the state. I have been working in Lee County exclusively. I have no use to go to any other place in the state. They're saying, 'Close your doors or take a test.'"

County Commissioner Ray Sandelli, who is a commercial real estate broker, suggested there's enough trouble in getting a contractor these days without the state making it more difficult.

"There is pressure on the construction industry in general. It is arduous right now, based on a number of factors," Sandelli said. 

For contractors like Bills, there is also the problem of navigating the state's licensing bureaucracy.

"I can't believe the state can handle tens of thousands of licenses," Bills said. "I want to  keep working. This is my livelihood. It's not just the contractors, it's the people who work for them. They will be out of a job."