Know when cabinet work becomes plumbing or electrical work

Installing the boxes

DBPR's licensing guidance says no state license is needed to install cabinets, flooring or insulation, regardless of compensation. Section 489.117(4), Florida Statutes, names cabinetry among job scopes a local government may not license, and includes interior remodeling only when no state-licensed task is involved.

Connecting utilities

• Connecting lines to potable water, installing a dishwasher for compensation, any electrical work and load-bearing alterations require a licensee, according to DBPR.
• The exemptions sheet the research read says bundling licensed-trade tasks into a contract makes the whole job licensed work.
• DBPR does not define the line between setting a box and reconnecting a sink inside it, so ask who will do each connection and under which license.

The 2026 small-job permit exemption

From July 1, 2026, section 553.79(1)(g) requires local governments to exempt single-family work valued under $7,500 on written request, except property in a flood hazard area and any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work. Projects may not be split to fit. A cabinet job that moves a sink, dishwasher line or outlet is outside the exemption regardless of value, and whether a parcel is in a flood hazard area is address-specific.

Electrical details that touch cabinets

Florida Building Commission course material on the 2023 residential code says its electrical part follows the 2020 NEC, including island and peninsula receptacle counts by area, expanded GFCI protection, no face-up receptacles under a sink, and protected dishwasher cords. That is course material, not the adopted code text.