In Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County it is required to be a licensed fence contractor in order to do fence installation.
In order to become a licensed fence contractor there are several requirements that must be met. These requirements are in place in order to protect the residents of Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County.
In order to become a licensed fence contractor first you must take classes on Business Management and Fence Construction. The Business Management course is important because it teaches how to properly manage a business including good accounting procedures, hiring guidelines, and business ethics. The fence construction course is very important as it teaches how to properly install A Vinyl Fence, a Chain Link Fence, a Wood Fence and an Aluminum Fence. It also teaches you how to properly and fairly quote and estimate each job and the necessary and proper fence materials. You must pass a test on each subject before moving forward with your fence contractor licensing.
In addition to taking and passing the fence contractor courses you must prove that you have worked with a mentor contractor, preferably a fence contractor, for at least three years. It is necessary to prove that you have extensive experience in fence installation under the careful guidance of a licensed contractor.
Also included in the requirements to become a licensed fence contractor in Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County you must prove you’re credit worthiness as an individual and a credit worthiness of your business. This may seem a silly requirement on the surface, but is very important for the protection of the residents of Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County. Showing credit worthiness shows that the potential fence contractor is someone who believes in paying their bills on time, has not walked out on financial responsibility and uses credit to an advantage and not a disadvantage.
In addition to the above requirements for a fence contractor license, one must obtain liability insurance and workers comp insurance. This is extremely important to the residents of Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County because of something we’re to happen while on a residents property during fence installation the company’s insurance will cover the mishap. Without liability insurance and workers comp insurance the fence contractor could potentially file a lawsuit against the homeowner depending on the circumstances.
Finally once the potential fence contractor has completed all of the above steps he will have to personally appear before the Construction Licensing Board and answer any questions they may have. The board will then vote on the worthiness of the potential fence contractor. Once the board has approved your worthiness, you have now been granted a license to install fences in Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County. Each of these counties is a separate jurisdiction so it is necessary to go through this same process in each separate county.
Now that you have your fence contractor license you are bound by rules of Lee County, Charlotte County and Hendry County. Rules that are in place to protect their residents. Some of these rules deal with proper fence construction, proper permitting procedures and then proper code compliance as each fence will be inspected for safety and proper fence installation.
By reading the requirements a fence contractor must go through to become licensed, it may start to become obvious to you of the advantages of hiring a licensed fence contractor versus a non licensed fence contractor.
A big advantage of a licensed fence contractor is that they are legally able to pull a permit for your fence installation. Having the fence contractor pull the permit puts the liability of proper installation on the fence contractor and not you as the homeowner. The fence contractor is now responsible for following all zoning guidelines and all proper fence installation guidelines including proper fence specifications and ensuring that the gates are properly installed and operational. Once the permit is granted by Lee County, Charlotte County Or Hendry County and the fence installation is complete, the fence must pass an inspection. If the fence installation does not pass inspection then it is the responsibility of the fence contractor to fix the violations.
If the fence contractor does not fix the violations then he is at high risk for losing his license.
If you were to hire an unlicensed fence contractor you are faced with several issues regarding permitting. The first issue is the your unlicensed fence contractor can not pull a permit for your fence installation. You as the homeowner must apply for and obtain the permit. Why is this risky? Because the entire fence installation is your responsibility and liability. If this unlicensed fence contractor makes any mistakes in the fence installation, or places it over your property line causing a zoning violation then you as the homeowner are completely responsible for fixing any fence installation issue or zoning violation. Since there is no recourse on this unlicensed fence contractor they may not feel the necessity to fix anything for you and could walk away with your money and leaving you with an improper fence installation. If you are unable to fix the violations and can not get your fence to pass the inspection of Lee County, Charlotte County or Hendry County then you will be unable to close your permit. This will place a cloud on your title and will cause an issue with any potential sale of your home.
So as you can see, hiring a licensed fence contractor as opposed to an unlicensed fence contractor makes sense.
You as the homeowner will have less liability, less responsibility, and are more likely to have a proper fence installation without any violations if you hire a licensed fence contractor.
If you are considering a new fence for your home, it is important to hire a licensed fence contractor.
Looking for more information or a quote for a fence installation? Look no further - contact your Lee County, Charlotte County or Hendry County Licensed Fence Professional - All American Fence and Gate.
Lee County License - FN18-10072