3.1 Biennial Renewal, Licence Display & Notification of Address

Keeping the Licence Current

Renewal — s. 466.013, F.S.

Section 466.013 is one of the shortest sections in the chapter and contains exactly two rules:

1. "The department shall renew a license upon receipt of the renewal application and the fee set by the board not to exceed $300."
2. "The department shall adopt rules establishing a procedure for the biennial renewal of licenses."

The $300 figure is a statutory ceiling on what the Board may set, not the fee itself. Actual amounts live in Rule Chapter 64B5-15 (Fee Schedule): Rule 64B5-15.006 sets licensure and renewal fees, 64B5-15.008 the fee for renewal of an inactive licence, 64B5-15.009 the fee for reactivation of an inactive licence, 64B5-15.011 the delinquency fee, and 64B5-15.012 the change-of-status processing fee. When a question asks about a dollar amount, ask whether it wants the statutory cap or the rule-set fee.

Substantive renewal conditions come from elsewhere: continuing education under Rule 64B5-12.013, current CPR certification under Rule 64B5-12.013(2)(b), and — for dentists — financial responsibility under s. 456.048, F.S., and Rule 64B5-17.011, F.A.C.

Display of licence — s. 466.016, F.S.

"Every practitioner of dentistry or dental hygiene within the meaning of this chapter shall post and keep conspicuously displayed her or his license in the office wherein she or he practices, in plain sight of the practitioner's patients. Any dentist or dental hygienist who practices at more than one location shall be required to display a copy of her or his license in each office where she or he practices."

Three elements are examinable: the display must be conspicuous, it must be in plain sight of patients (not in a back office or a credentialing binder), and multi-site practitioners display a copy at each site. The parallel duty for certified dental radiographers appears at Rule 64B5-9.011(4), and for hygienists certified to administer local anesthesia at s. 466.017(6), which requires the certificate to be prominently displayed at the location where the hygienist is authorised to administer local anesthesia.

Address of record and place of practice — Rule 64B5-17.0011, F.A.C.

"Each licensee shall provide written notification to the department of the licensee's current mailing address and place of practice. The term 'place of practice' means the primary physical location where the licensee practices the profession of dentistry or dental hygiene."

Two addresses, not one. The mailing address is where the Department reaches you; the place of practice is where you actually work. Because service of an administrative complaint is made to the address of record, a stale address does not pause a disciplinary proceeding — it merely means you find out late.

Note where this rule sits: it is Rule 64B5-17.0011, in the Dental Practice and Principles chapter. It is implemented under ss. 456.035 and 466.013, F.S. Review material that cites a change-of-address rule inside Rule Chapter 64B5-13 (Disciplinary Action) has the chapter wrong.

The distinct dental laboratory address rule is different again: s. 466.034, F.S., requires notice of a change of ownership or address within 30 days, and Rule 64B27-2 makes failure to do so a citation offence with a $100 fine. Do not transplant the laboratory deadline onto individual licensees.

Military-spouse renewal exemption — Rule 64B5-10.004, F.A.C.

A licensee who is the spouse of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who was caused to be absent from Florida for at least six consecutive months because of the spouse's military duties is exempt from all licensure renewal provisions, provided that at the time the absence became necessary the licensee was in good standing with the Board and entitled to practise in Florida.

The licensee must show satisfactory proof of both the absence and the spouse's military status through official military documents issued by the United States Armed Forces. A personal affidavit is not the specified proof.

Renewal-cycle checklist