Florida HVAC Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

Florida licenses the contractor (the business and its qualifying individual), not individual HVAC technicians. Pearson VUE exam, biennial renewal — verified from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) (official site) and last verified July 22, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must be licensed (contractor, not individual technician): Florida licenses the air-conditioning CONTRACTOR — the qualifying individual, who also qualifies the business he or she works through — not individual HVAC technicians or helpers. There is no separate state journeyman or technician HVAC license. Fla. Stat. 489.103(2) exempts from the contracting law “any employee of a certificateholder or registrant who is acting within the scope of the license held by that certificateholder or registrant and with the knowledge and permission of the licenseholder,” so an employed HVAC worker holds no state credential of their own. An unlicensed SUBcontractor, by contrast, may not perform air-conditioning work even under supervision (Fla. Stat. 489.113(2)).
Two ways to be licensed: Certified = pass the Florida state exam and hold a statewide certificate of competency (work anywhere in Florida). Registered = hold a local (county/city) certificate of competency and register it with the state; registration permits contracting only in the jurisdictions where the registrant has complied with all local licensing requirements (Fla. Stat. 489.113(1), 489.117(1)).
Class A vs Class B scope: Class A air-conditioning contractor services are unlimited (any size central A/C, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems). Class B is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system (Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(f), (g)).
Minimum age: 18 years old (Fla. Stat. 489.111(2)(a)).
Good moral character: An applicant for certification must be of good moral character (Fla. Stat. 489.111(2)(b)). The board may refuse to certify on this ground only where there is “a substantial connection between the lack of good moral character of the applicant and the professional responsibilities of a certified contractor” and the finding is supported by clear and convincing evidence (Fla. Stat. 489.111(3)(a)).
Experience / education: One qualifying combination is required — e.g. four years as a worker or foreman (at least one year as a foreman); a four-year construction-related degree plus one year of proven experience; documented worker/foreman experience combined with accredited college credits; or the Class B/Class C upgrade method (live DBPR form CILB 5-G; Fla. Stat. 489.111(2)(c)).
Examination (and the degree waiver): Certified applicants must pass the Business & Finance examination and the trade knowledge exam for their class (Class A or Class B Air Conditioning Contractor). All exams are open book, multiple choice, and computer-based. EXCEPTION: an applicant who “has received a baccalaureate degree in building construction from an accredited 4-year college, or a related degree as approved by the board by rule, and has a grade point average of 3.0 or higher … is only required to take and pass the business and finance portion of the examination” (Fla. Stat. 489.113(1)).
Fingerprints and criminal background check: An initial applicant must submit a complete set of fingerprints, which FDLE processes for a statewide criminal history check and forwards to the FBI for a national check; the applicant bears the processing cost (Fla. Stat. 489.115(6), (9)). Operationally, DBPR's live checklist directs applicants to “submit your fingerprints using a Livescan Service Provider registered with FDLE immediately after submitting your application for licensure.” A felony conviction is not by itself grounds for denial (Fla. Stat. 489.115(6)).
Insurance (prerequisite to issuance AND renewal): As a prerequisite to initial issuance or renewal of an active license, the applicant must file a signed affidavit attesting to public liability and property damage insurance in the amounts set by board rule, plus workers' compensation coverage under ch. 440 (Fla. Stat. 489.115(5)(a)). For an Air Conditioning Contractor the rule amounts are $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage (Rule 61G4-15.003(2)(h), F.A.C.; the same figures appear on the live CILB 5-G application, which lists $300,000/$50,000 for General and Building contractors and $100,000/$25,000 for “all other categories”). Workers' compensation coverage must be obtained, or an exemption filed, within 30 days after the license is issued (Fla. Stat. 489.115(5)(d)).
Financial responsibility (credit report, FICO 660, 14-hour course): An initial applicant must furnish a credit report from a nationally recognized credit agency showing financial responsibility (Fla. Stat. 489.115(5)(b), (7)). The CILB deems an applicant financially responsible and stable where there are no unsatisfied liens or judgments against the applicant or the company to be qualified and the applicant has “a 660 FICO derived credit score or higher”; “if applicant's credit score is under 660 then the applicant must take a board approved 14-hour Financial Responsibility Course” (DBPR CILB, Financial Responsibility and Stability Requirements for Contractor Applicants; same requirement on the live CILB 5-G application). The credit report must show that records were checked at local, state and federal levels.
Registration is barred where the local jurisdiction lacks disciplinary oversight: The board “may not issue a new registration … based on any certificate of competency or license … issued by a municipal or county government that does not exercise disciplinary control and oversight over such locally licensed contractors” (Fla. Stat. 489.117(2)(a)). A separate route (Fla. Stat. 489.117(2)(b)) lets an applicant who held a state registration or a local license during 2021, 2022 or 2023 register where the local jurisdiction no longer offers that license type.
Federal refrigerant certification (context, not a state license): EPA regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act (40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F) require that technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere be certified (Type I, II, III or Universal). Apprentices are exempt while closely and continually supervised by a certified technician. This is a FEDERAL requirement, separate from and in addition to any Florida state or local contractor license.

Legal basis

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) administers HVAC contractor licensing in Florida. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

In Florida the state credential is an HVAC contractor license, not an individual technician license. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses the CONTRACTOR — the business and its qualifying agent — not the technicians it employs. A search for a “Florida HVAC license” maps to that contractor license; a technician working under a licensed contractor needs no separate state license. Separately, the federal EPA Section 608 certification (to handle refrigerants) is a nationwide requirement, not a state HVAC license. “HVAC license,” “AC license” and “HVAC certification” are common informal names for the state contractor credential.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Certified Class A Air-Conditioning Contractor (statewide)	One qualifying method from DBPR form CILB 5-G (Eff. July 2024): (1) four-year construction-related degree from an accredited college (counts as three years' experience) plus one year of proven experience in the category; (2) one year as a foreman plus at least three years of accredited college-level credits; (3) one year as a worker, one year as a foreman, plus two years of college credits; (4) two years as a worker, one year as a foreman, plus one year of college credits; (5) four years as a worker or foreman, of which at least one year was as a foreman; or (6) the “upgrade method” — an active Class B air-conditioning contractor licensed at least 1 year, or an active Class C air-conditioning contractor licensed at least 4 years. Separate military-veteran qualification methods substitute up to three years of military service for experience. The applicant must be at least 18 (Fla. Stat. 489.111(2)).	Business & Finance exam plus the Class A Air Conditioning Contractor trade knowledge exam (open book, multiple choice, computer-based).	Initial application: $245 when applying May 1 of an even year through Aug 31 of an odd year, or $145 when applying Sep 1 of an odd year through Apr 30 of an even year (live DBPR form CILB 5-G, Eff. July 2024).
Certified Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor (statewide)	DBPR form CILB 5-H (Eff. July 2024). Methods 1-5 and the veteran routes are the same as Class A, BUT THE UPGRADE ROUTE DIFFERS: for Class B the upgrade method is an active Class C air-conditioning licence held for at least 1 year (CILB 5-H, Method 6) - NOT Class A's route (a Class B held 1 year, or a Class C held 4 years). The shared methods include the degree-plus-experience, foreman-plus-college-credit and four-years-worker/foreman routes, and the veteran routes; minimum age 18. Class B scope is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system (Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(g)).	Business & Finance exam plus the Class B Air Conditioning Contractor trade knowledge exam (open book, multiple choice, computer-based).	Initial application: $245 (apply May 1 even year through Aug 31 odd year) or $145 (apply Sep 1 odd year through Apr 30 even year), per live DBPR form CILB 5-H (Eff. July 2024).
Registered Air-Conditioning Contractor (local scope)	Not a statewide state-exam path. You first obtain a local (county or city) certificate of competency, then file DBPR form CILB 2 for state registration. “An examination is not required for registration” (Fla. Stat. 489.117(1)(a)); the application requires a copy of the current local competency card (or a letter from the local building official). Registration allows contracting only in the jurisdictions where the registrant has met all local licensing requirements (Fla. Stat. 489.117(1)(b)).	No state examination. Competency is established through the local jurisdiction's licensing process; state registration is then filed with the CILB.	State registration (DBPR form CILB 2, Eff. July 2024): $305 when applying May 1 of an odd year through Aug 31 of an even year, or $205 when applying Sep 1 of an even year through Apr 30 of an odd year. Local competency-card costs are set by the local jurisdiction and are additional.

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Florida’s exemptions are all carve-outs from Part I of chapter 489 — the requirement to be a certified or registered air-conditioning CONTRACTOR (Class A/B statewide or registered local). Fla. Stat. 489.103 opens ‘This part does not apply to:’ and lists 24 categories. The ones that matter for HVAC work: (1) EMPLOYEES (489.103(2), already covered on this page): any employee of a certificateholder or registrant acting within the scope of the license held, with the licenseholder’s knowledge and permission — ’employee’ means a person who receives compensation from and is under the supervision and control of an employer who regularly deducts F.I.C.A. and withholding tax and provides workers’ compensation; an employee of an UNLICENSED business loses the exemption if he holds himself or the employer out as licensed, implies an ownership or management interest, or performs acts constituting contracting. (2) SMALL DUCTLESS PLUG-IN UNITS (489.103(14)) — the HVAC-specific exemption: anyone may sell, service, or install heating or air-conditioning units of no more than 3 tons or 36,000 Btu capacity that have no ducts and a factory-installed electrical cord and plug. (3) OWNER-BUILDERS (489.103(7)): property owners acting as their own contractor with direct, onsite supervision of all work not performed by licensed contractors, when building or improving farm outbuildings or one- or two-family residences for their own occupancy or use (not for sale or lease), or commercial buildings up to $75,000; sale or lease (or offering) within 1 year of completion creates a presumption the work was for sale or lease; the owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application and the statutory disclosure statement; the exemption never extends to a person the owner hires who acts in the capacity of a contractor, and supervision cannot be delegated to anyone unlicensed. (4) MINOR WORK UNDER $2,500 (489.103(9)): work of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature with an aggregate contract price for labor, materials, and all other items under $2,500 — void if the work is part of a larger operation or split into sub-$2,500 contracts to evade the law, or if the person advertises or represents himself as a contractor. (5) GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (489.103(3)): authorized employees of the United States, the state, or any municipality, county, or political subdivision, if they do not hold themselves out for hire — except school boards, state university boards of trustees, and community college boards of trustees, whose exemption is limited to routine maintenance, repair, or construction not exceeding $200,000, with an express anti-splitting rule. (6) PUBLIC UTILITIES (489.103(5)): construction, maintenance, and development work performed by employees of public utilities, municipal gas utilities, special gas districts, telecommunications companies, and natural gas transmission companies. (7) APARTMENT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS (489.103(23)) — a narrow HVAC repair carve-out: an employee of an apartment community or its management company may make minor repairs to EXISTING ELECTRIC water heaters and existing ELECTRIC heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems if the employee holds a current ANSI-accredited National Apartment Association certificate for apartment maintenance technicians (requiring at least 1 year of experience, 90+ hours of coursework, and examinations), is a FICA/withholding/workers’-comp employee, does not hold himself out as licensed, the equipment is already installed and repaired with functionally identical new parts, no individual repair uses replacement parts costing more than $1,000 or amounts to a functional replacement of the system, and the property has at least 100 apartments; local governments may still require their own licensure of such technicians. (8) FINISHED PRODUCTS (489.103(6)): the sale or installation of finished products, materials, or articles of merchandise not fabricated into and not becoming a permanent fixed part of the structure. (9) MATERIAL SUPPLIERS (489.103(12)): persons who only furnish materials or supplies without fabricating or consuming them in the contractor’s work. (10) ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS (489.103(11), (16)): registered architects or engineers acting within the scope of their practice — but an architect or engineer ‘shall not act as a contractor unless properly licensed’; design-build offerings are exempt so long as the contractor services are rendered by a certified or registered contractor. (11) LP-GAS LICENSEES (489.103(13)): persons licensed under chapter 527 performing work authorized by that license. (12) FEDERAL ENCLAVES (489.103(8)): work within sites where title is in the United States or federal law supersedes Part I. (13) ROADWORK, AGRICULTURE-ADJACENT, CHARITY: contractors on bridges, roads, streets, highways, or railroads (489.103(1)); work incidental to irrigation and drainage ditches, irrigation/reclamation districts, and rural fire-prevention land clearing (489.103(10)); Habitat for Humanity and disaster-recovery nonprofits repairing one- to three-family residences with permits, inspections, and experienced supervision (489.103(18)-(19)). Also exempt but rarely HVAC-relevant: court-appointed officers (4), water-conditioning-unit installers (15), real-estate licensees managing sub-$5,000 repairs performed by licensed contractors (17), small prefabricated sheds (20)-(21), certain fire-equipment licensees (22), and tribal chickee builders (24).

Fees

Certified air-conditioning contractor (Class A or Class B) initial application fee: $245 when filing between May 1 of an even-numbered year and Aug 31 of an odd-numbered year, or $145 when filing between Sep 1 of an odd-numbered year and Apr 30 of an even-numbered year (proration within the two-year cycle), per the live DBPR forms CILB 5-G (Class A) and CILB 5-H (Class B), Eff. July 2024. Registered (local) contractor state registration, DBPR form CILB 2: $305 between May 1 of an odd year and Aug 31 of an even year, or $205 between Sep 1 of an even year and Apr 30 of an odd year — the local competency-card cost is set by the local jurisdiction and is additional. Examination fees are set by the exam vendors (Professional Testing, Inc. / Pearson VUE) and are separate. Fee waivers: DBPR waives the initial license fee, initial application fee and initial unlicensed activity fee (not exam fees) for a military veteran or the spouse of one at the time of discharge who applies within 60 months of an honorable discharge (Fla. Stat. 455.213(13); DBPR form MVL 002); DBPR’s CILB checklist states that “military veterans, their spouses and Florida National Guard members may be eligible for a fee waiver, fee reimbursement, and/or fee discount.”

Exam

Certified applicants take two Florida exams: the Business & Finance examination and the trade knowledge examination for their class — ‘Class A Air Conditioning Contractor’ or ‘Class B Air Conditioning Contractor.’ All examinations are open book and consist of multiple-choice questions, delivered by computer. Candidates register through the department’s testing contractor, Professional Testing, Inc., and schedule the computer-based test with Pearson VUE. An applicant with a baccalaureate degree in building construction from an accredited 4-year college (or a board-approved related degree) and a GPA of 3.0 or higher takes only the business and finance portion (Fla. Stat. 489.113(1)). Registered (local) contractors take no state examination at all — competency is established through their county or city.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial (two-year cycle). Certified contractor licenses renew and expire on August 31 of every even-numbered year; REGISTERED contractor licenses renew on August 31 of every odd-numbered year (Fla. Stat. 489.115(4)(a); DBPR CILB FAQ: “Certified contractors renew their licenses on August 31 of every even-numbered year. Registered contractors renew their licenses August 31 of every odd-numbered year.”) At least 14 classroom hours (of at least 50 minutes each) of board-approved continuing education each biennium (Fla. Stat. 489.115(4)(b)1.). Rule 61G4-18.001(2), F.A.C. requires one hour in EACH of: a specialized or advanced module course approved by the Florida Building Commission or the Board; workplace safety; business practices; workers’ compensation; and laws and rules regulating the construction industry. The wind-mitigation hour does NOT apply to air-conditioning contractors — the rule requires it only where the license is held in the General, Building, Residential, Roofing, Specialty Structure, or Glass and Glazing category. The remaining hours may be any of those subjects or approved general topics. First cycle: no continuing education is owed for the year in which the license is initially issued, and a licensee who obtained the license more than 12 months before the end of the biennium owes 7 hours at first renewal (Rule 61G4-18.001(9), F.A.C.; DBPR CILB FAQ).

How to apply

Applications are handled by Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Does Florida license individual HVAC technicians?

No. Florida licenses the air-conditioning contractor — the qualifying individual, who also qualifies the business — not individual HVAC technicians or helpers. There is no separate state journeyman or technician HVAC license, and Fla. Stat. 489.103(2) exempts an employee of a licensed contractor who works within the scope of that license, so an employed HVAC worker needs no state credential of their own.

What is the difference between a certified and a registered air-conditioning contractor in Florida?

A certified contractor passes the Florida state exam, holds a statewide certificate of competency, and may work anywhere in the state. A registered contractor holds a local (county or city) certificate of competency and registers it with the state; no state exam is required for registration, and the registrant may contract only in the jurisdictions where all local licensing requirements have been met.

What is the difference between a Class A and Class B air-conditioning contractor?

A Class A air-conditioning contractor’s services are unlimited on any size of central A/C, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating system. A Class B contractor is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system.

How much does the Florida certified air-conditioning contractor application cost?

The initial application fee is $245 when you file between May 1 of an even-numbered year and Aug 31 of an odd-numbered year, or $145 when you file between Sep 1 of an odd-numbered year and Apr 30 of an even-numbered year (live DBPR forms CILB 5-G and 5-H). State registration for a locally licensed contractor is $305 or $205 on the opposite half-cycle. Exam fees are charged separately by the exam vendors, and veterans applying within 60 months of an honorable discharge can have the initial application and license fees waived.

What insurance and credit requirements does Florida impose?

Before a license is issued and again at every renewal, an air-conditioning contractor must attest to carrying $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage insurance (Rule 61G4-15.003, F.A.C.), plus workers’ compensation coverage or an exemption filed within 30 days of issuance. Initial applicants must also submit a credit report showing a FICO-derived score of 660 or higher; below 660, the applicant must complete a board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course.

What exams are required, and who gives them?

Certified applicants must pass the Business & Finance examination and the trade knowledge exam for their class (Class A or Class B Air Conditioning Contractor). All exams are open book, multiple choice, and computer-based; candidates register through Professional Testing, Inc. and schedule the test with Pearson VUE. An applicant with a building-construction baccalaureate from an accredited 4-year college and a GPA of 3.0 or higher takes only the business and finance portion.

How often is the license renewed and how much continuing education is required?

Certified contractor licenses expire August 31 of every even-numbered year; registered contractor licenses expire August 31 of every odd-numbered year. Each biennium requires 14 classroom hours of approved continuing education, including one hour each of an advanced module Florida Building Code course, workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, and laws and rules. The wind-mitigation hour does not apply to air-conditioning contractors. A licensee owes no CE for the year the license was issued, and 7 hours at first renewal if the license was issued more than 12 months before the end of the biennium.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Florida.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 22, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.