How to Get an HVAC License in Florida: Class A, Class B and Mechanical Contractors

Who licenses HVAC contractors in Florida?

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). It licenses air conditioning, mechanical, plumbing and other construction contractors. Like Florida's electrical board, it offers two kinds of contractor license. A certified contractor holds "a certificate of competency issued by the department" and may contract anywhere in the state; a registered contractor met the competency rules of a local jurisdiction and may contract only there. Certified license numbers start with "C" and registered ones with "R" (CILB).

What's the difference between Class A, Class B and Class C?

System size and age of license. Class A "services are unlimited." Class B "services are limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating in any one system." Class C is limited to servicing air conditioning, heating or refrigeration systems, and only people certified or registered as Class C by October 1, 1988 can hold it; no new Class C licenses are issued (CILB). Neither air conditioning class may do gas fuel lines inside buildings, potable water lines, sanitary sewer lines, pool piping or electrical power wiring.

A mechanical contractor license is also unlimited in size and covers a broader range of mechanical systems, but it carries similar exclusions for potable water, sanitary sewer, pool piping and electrical power wiring (CILB). Pick mechanical if you'll do commercial ventilation, refrigeration and process piping; pick air conditioning A or B if HVAC is the whole business.

How do you get a certified HVAC contractor license in Florida?

1. 1

   Build four years of experience, one as a foreman

   Florida Statutes 489.111 requires "a total of at least 4 years of active experience," with "at least 1 year of active experience" as a foreman. A four-year construction degree plus one year of experience also qualifies, as do combinations of college credit, foreman time and military service (Fla. Stat. 489.111; CILB 5-G). You must be 18.

2. 2

   Register for the exams with Professional Testing, Inc.

   DBPR contracts with Professional Testing, Inc. to register candidates and score construction exams; Pearson VUE schedules and delivers them by computer (DBPR CIB). HVAC is a Division II trade, so you pass two exams: Business and Finance (120 questions, 6.5 hours) and your trade exam.

3. 3

   Pass with 70% on each exam

   "The minimum percentage score needed to pass has been set at seventy percent (70%)," and scores aren't rounded (DBPR CIB). If you already hold another construction license, you may be exempt from retaking Business and Finance.

4. 4

   Apply to the CILB

   The individual Class A application is $245 if filed between May 1 of an even year and August 31 of an odd year, and $145 if filed between September 1 of an odd year and April 30 of an even year. Include electronic fingerprints and a credit report with a FICO-derived score; below 660, you also need a 14-hour financial responsibility course (CILB 5-G).

5. 5

   Show insurance and workers' comp

   For air conditioning and other non-building categories, the CILB minimum is $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage, plus workers' compensation coverage or an exemption (CILB 5-G).

6. 6

   Renew every two years with 14 CE hours

   Renewal CE is 14 hours, including 1 hour each of workplace safety, business practices, workers' compensation and laws and rules, plus at least one hour of a specialized or advanced module (CILB).

How do Florida HVAC journeyman licenses work?

Locally, under a state framework. Florida Statutes 489.1455 authorizes counties and municipalities "to issue journeyman licenses in the plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical, or HVAC trades." To qualify, an applicant needs a state-approved apprenticeship or "at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training," a proctored journeyman exam score of at least 75%, and Florida Building Commission coursework (Fla. Stat. 489.1455). The upside of the statute: a county or city must recognize a journeyman HVAC license issued by another Florida county or city in the same trade, so you aren't retesting every time you cross a county line.

Whatever your Florida license, refrigerant handling still requires federal EPA Section 608 certification. Our EPA 608 guide and Core practice test cover it.

Starting your own HVAC company in Florida

Florida HVAC is year-round work with a brutal summer peak. Before the first July heat wave, get the business side in order.

• Qualifying a business: a certified individual can qualify a company; renewal adds $50 per qualified business (CILB).
• Credit and finances: the CILB checks a credit report and requires the 14-hour financial responsibility course below a 660 score (CILB 5-G).
• Taxes: sales and use tax on equipment and how your entity files are covered in Florida contractor taxes and licensing.
• Business setup: trucks, pricing, maintenance agreements and first customers are in how to start an HVAC business.