Florida HVAC Contractor Licenses: Class A, Class B, Mechanical, and How to Check One

The categories the statute names

Florida Statutes section 489.105 defines the contractor categories. Three of them cover air conditioning. A Class A air-conditioning contractor has services that are unlimited in the execution of contracts to install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend or design central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating and ventilating systems. A Class B air-conditioning contractor does the same work, but the statute caps each system it works on at 25 tons of cooling, with a heating cap of 500,000 Btu. A ton is a unit of cooling capacity, and a Btu is a unit of heat.

The third category is the mechanical contractor, whose services the statute also calls unlimited for those kinds of systems. Our reading of the text: the mechanical definition lists work that the Class A and Class B texts leave out. Examples are lift station equipment and piping, standpipes, oxygen lines, and liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas fuel lines within buildings. The Class A text says its scope does not include those fuel lines, except for disconnecting or reconnecting changeouts of gas appliances.

A fourth category, Class C, is closed. The statute says only a person who was registered or certified as a Class C air-conditioning contractor as of October 1, 1988, can hold it. A homeowner will rarely meet one.

What the categories leave out

All three air-conditioning definitions say the scope does not include potable water lines, sanitary sewer lines, swimming pool piping and filters, or electrical power wiring. The statute then lists narrow electrical tasks that stay inside the air-conditioning scope, such as repairing or replacing power wiring, disconnects, breakers or fuses for dedicated HVAC circuits, and installing low-voltage control wiring.

The practical point is about who may sign the contract. Section 489.113 says a contractor must subcontract all electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal, swimming pool and air-conditioning work unless that contractor holds a state certificate or registration in the trade. Our reading: a general contractor who sells you a full replacement should be able to say which licensed air-conditioning contractor is doing the equipment work.

This page gives no wiring or gas steps. Work in these categories belongs to a licensed professional.

Certified versus registered

Section 489.105 defines both words. A certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from the department and may contract in any jurisdiction in the state without meeting that jurisdiction's own competency requirements. A registered contractor has registered with the department after meeting the competency requirements of one jurisdiction, and may contract only in the jurisdictions where that registration was issued.

The DBPR's construction industry page adds a way to read this on a license record. It says certified contractors have an occupation code that begins with the letter C, and registered contractors have one that begins with the letter R.

Our reading for Tampa Bay: the three counties around the bay, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, sit close together. A registered license is limited to the places where it was registered. So check the places named on the record before you assume a crew can work in your city.

How to look up a license

The DBPR runs a public license search. Its home page says users can verify licenses by name or license number, and the search page offers four options: by name, by license number, by city or county, and by license type.

Our reading: ask the contractor for the license number in writing. A number search points to one record, while a name search can return several similar names.

When the record opens, check four things. First, the license type matches the work, for example Class A, Class B or mechanical. Second, certified or registered, and where a registered license is valid. Third, the status is current and active, because the statute treats inactive or suspended licenses as unlicensed. Fourth, the name on the record matches the name on your proposal. This page did not review what a record displays, so read the live record.

Why the status line matters

Section 489.127 lists prohibited acts, and it states that a person or business operating on an inactive or suspended certificate or registration is not duly certified or registered and is considered unlicensed. The same section says a business tax receipt issued under chapter 205 is not a license for purposes of this part.

Our reading: a city or county business tax receipt, a sticker on a truck or a business card does not prove the state license. Only the DBPR record does.

Section 489.115 says each certificateholder or registrant must renew every 2 years. The DBPR lists different renewal dates for certified and registered air-conditioning licenses, so a license that was active last year may have lapsed.

When a license is required

The DBPR's list of services requiring a license says that paying someone to perform services such as plumbing or air conditioning work requires a state contractor's license. Its examples put installing a central air-conditioning unit for compensation on the licensed side. It puts inserting a plug-in window air conditioner, or changing an air filter, on the side that needs no license.

Section 489.127 includes among the prohibited acts commencing or performing work for which a building permit is required without the permit being in effect. Our permit page explains how permits work for this kind of job.

The same section says an unlicensed person who violates it during a state of emergency declared by the Governor commits a felony of the third degree. The DBPR's Unlicensed Activity site has a storm-recovery section for hiring licensed contractors. Our reading: after a Tampa Bay hurricane, when many homeowners hire quickly, is when this check matters most.

Why EPA 608 is not a contractor license

EPA's Section 608 certification is a different credential from the state contractor license. EPA says certification is required for technicians who work on equipment that could leak refrigerant into the air, and that they earn it by passing an EPA-approved test. EPA also says the credentials do not expire.

In our reading, the two answer different questions. The DBPR license says a person or company may contract for air-conditioning work in Florida. The Section 608 card says a technician has passed the federal refrigerant test. A company can have a technician with a 608 card and still not be licensed to sign your contract, so check both. The rules behind the card are in our page on the federal refrigerant rules.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Which license number will the work be done under, and is it certified or registered?
2. Is that license Class A, Class B or mechanical, and does the system size fit that class?
3. Who holds the license for the company, and does the DBPR record show it as active today?
4. Who pulls the permit, and under whose license?
5. Do the technicians who open the refrigerant circuit hold EPA Section 608 certification?
6. If another company will do part of the job, which licensed contractor is it?

If an answer is vague, a written second opinion can help. Our second-opinion page covers that..