Hiring for an outdoor kitchen in Florida: licenses, owner-builders, and rebates

A built-in outdoor kitchen with a sink and a gas grill can involve three or four trades: someone to pour the base and build the island, someone to run gas, someone to run power, and someone to plumb the sink. Florida licenses most of that work, and the state treats offering the work as contracting too. This guide covers what to check before you hire, when you can pull the permit yourself, and what belongs in the contract.

Florida's contractor licenses

Florida Statutes 489.105 defines the main construction classes. General, building, and residential contractors differ in what they can build. A residential contractor's scope covers one- to three-family homes of up to two habitable stories, including accessory structures.

The trades have their own licenses:

• Plumbing. The plumbing contractor's scope under 489.105 includes "the installation of water, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and related venting."
• LP gas. Chapter 527 of the Florida Statutes separately licenses Category V LP gas installers, whose work includes design and installation.
• Electrical. Section 489.505 defines the electrical contractor and makes offering electrical work for pay a licensed activity.

Certified or registered. A certified contractor, whose license number starts with "C," may work anywhere in the state. A registered contractor, whose number starts with "R," may work only in the local jurisdiction where they met competency requirements.

Check before you sign. Look up any contractor's Florida license on DBPR's site (myfloridalicense.com) and confirm the license type covers the work. Gas, electrical, and plumbing work are licensed trades in Florida, so ask who will do each one and look up those licenses too.

Local registration

Some offices add their own step.

• Walton County. The county says "Certified Contractors are required to register their DBPR license with Walton County in order to work in Walton County." The county also says it has no occupational license at this time.
• Panama City Beach. A contractor must hold a Florida certified or registered license and register with the city to pull permits.

Pulling the permit yourself

Florida's owner-builder exemption, in 489.103(7), lets you act as your own contractor on your property. It comes with conditions:

• The work must be "for the occupancy or use of such owners and not offered for sale or lease."
• If you sell or lease the property, or offer it for sale or lease, within one year after completion, the law presumes you built it for sale or lease.
• You must personally appear and sign the building permit application.
• You can't hand off supervision of the work, except to licensed contractors.

If you rent the home. The statute doesn't mention vacation rentals by name, but a home you rent out may count as offered for lease. If the home is rented, ask the permit office before you pull an owner-builder permit.

Local additions.

• Destin. The city's homeowner FAQ restates the statute and adds that the property must be owned in your personal name.
• Panama City Beach. Owner-builders must pass a basic written exam. The city won't issue owner-builder permits for property owned by an LLC or a trust, or for improvements to condo units.

What goes in the contract

• The Recovery Fund notice. Florida Statutes 489.1425 requires residential construction contracts over $2,500 to include a written statement about the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund. If the contract lacks it, ask why.
• Who pulls each permit. Name the permit holder for the building work and for each trade.
• Notice of Commencement. Destin requires one for improvements over $5,000 in materials and labor. Panama City Beach requires one above a $5,000 direct contract price, or $15,000 for mechanical work. Settle who records it.
• Insurance. Ask for proof of insurance.
• Itemized pricing. Ask for separate lines for the base, the island, each utility run, appliances, and any roof or pergola, so you can compare bids.
• Materials. Write the stainless grade (316 or 304) into the contract for doors, drawers, hardware, and fasteners.
• Manufacturer terms. For each appliance, get the manufacturer's warranty terms in writing and check how they treat coastal installations.

Gas rebates

Okaloosa Gas District lists Destin, Miramar Beach, Rosemary Beach, and Santa Rosa Beach among the communities it serves. As listed on its rebate page in October 2026, residential customers can claim:

The utility's conditions: one rebate per natural gas product per household; "proof of inspection from your local municipality or county"; a claim within 6 months of installation; and no used or refurbished appliances. The page calls the rebates limited-time and words customer eligibility inconsistently, so confirm with the utility before you buy.

Before you hire

1. Confirm who issues the permit for your lot. See the permit guide.
2. Read your association's rules. See the HOA guide.
3. Look up every license involved.
4. Get itemized bids and compare them line by line.

To reach an independent local contractor, send a request.