Florida HVAC license requirements and insurance

To work for yourself as an HVAC contractor in Florida, you need the Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, Class A license. Florida has 3 HVAC license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. The state's minimum liability insurance is $100,000 for injury and $25,000 for property damage, and workers' comp is required once you have employees. There is a credit check: FICO 660 or higher. The state does not ask for a bond.

Checked by the Trades by State editor on 2026-09-06 Based on 14 official pages, listed at the bottom Something wrong? Tell us

License you need: Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, Class A Renew Biennial
Insurance you must carry: $100,000 plus $25,000 for property damage
Workers' comp: Required as soon as you hire anyone
Credit score: 660 or more or take a 14-hour course
To protect your pay, send notice by: Before you start, or within 45 days of your first day on the job

Turn this into a checklist

1 What stands out in Florida for an HVAC contractor What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about Florida, in a few sentences.

Florida's minimum insurance for an HVAC contractor is $100,000 for injury and $25,000 for property damage. Many insurance websites say $300,000. That is the figure for general and building contractors in the same rule.
Class A lets you work on any size system. Class B stops at 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating. Both need the same insurance.
A central AC unit or a furnace counts as part of the building for sales tax. You pay tax when you buy it and charge the customer nothing. A window unit is the opposite. You charge tax on the full price, installation included.
Workers' comp is required as soon as you have one employee. Owners can file an exemption for themselves.
Anyone who handles refrigerant needs the federal EPA Section 608 certification on top of the state license.
If a contractor hired you rather than the property owner, send a Notice to Owner within 45 days of starting or you lose the right to file a lien.

Checked by a person against the official page

·5 official pages

2 Who issues HVAC contractor licenses in Florida? What is this?

Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) issues HVAC licenses in Florida.

Name	Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB)
Website	https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/
Look up a license	https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp
The law	Florida Statutes chapter 489 part I
The rulebook	Florida Administrative Code chapter 61G4
Group	II (specialty trade)

Checked by a person against the official page

3 Florida HVAC contractor license requirements and fees What is this?

Florida has 4 license types that matter to an HVAC contractor. The Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, Class A needs four years in the trade, at least one of them as a foreman. College credits can replace some of it in three set combinations. One year as a foreman plus three years of credits. One year as a skilled worker, one as a foreman, plus two years of credits. Two years as a skilled worker, one as a foreman, plus one year of credits.

Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, Class A

What you can work on

Anywhere in Florida, systems of any size

Experience required

Four years in the trade, at least one of them as a foreman.
College credits can replace some of it in three set combinations.
One year as a foreman plus three years of credits.
One year as a skilled worker, one as a foreman, plus two years of credits.
Two years as a skilled worker, one as a foreman, plus one year of credits

If you already hold Class B

An active Class B contractor can move up to Class A after passing the Class A exam, with one year of proven experience in the class they hold

Exam

Yes, a business and finance exam plus a trade exam

Fees

Application (legal maximum)	$150
Application with exam (legal maximum)	$350
Application (as currently charged)	245 in the first year of the two-year cycle, 145 in the second
First license (legal maximum)	$250
Renewal (legal maximum)	$250
Renewal (as currently charged)	205 plus 50 business qualification fee

Renewal

Biennial

Training hours each renewal

Checked by a person against the official page

·3 official pages

Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, Class B

What you can work on	Anywhere in Florida, up to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating in any one system
Experience required	The same four years as Class A
Exam	Yes, a business and finance exam plus a trade exam
Fees	The same as Class A

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, Class C

Nobody new. Class C is closed

What you can work on	Servicing air conditioning, heating and refrigeration systems only
Closed to new applicants	Only someone whose Class C license was already valid on 1 October 1988 can still hold it. You cannot apply for one now

Checked by a person against the official page·leg.state.fl.us

Registered contractor

Someone who wants to work in one city or county only, instead of holding a state certificate

What you can work on

You may only work in the places where you registered. A certified contractor can work anywhere in Florida without meeting each local competency rule

How it works

You meet your local building department's competency rules first, then register that with the state

Fees

Application (legal maximum)	$100
First registration fee (most the law allows)	$200
Renewal (legal maximum)	$200

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

4 How much insurance does an HVAC contractor need in Florida? What is this?

The least liability insurance Florida lets an HVAC contractor work with is $100,000 for injury and $25,000 for property damage. Most customers ask for more. Workers' comp is required once you have employees.

Minimum liability insurance (injury)	$100,000
Minimum liability insurance (property damage)	$25,000
Who this applies to	All specialty trades, including HVAC
Why other websites say a different number	Several insurance websites say $300,000. That is the number for general and building contractors in the same rule, not for HVAC
Workers' comp required?	Yes, as soon as you have one employee (the rule for construction trades)
Who can opt out	Owners can opt themselves out. Officers and LLC members who own at least 10 percent can file an exemption

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

5 Does Florida check your credit for an HVAC contractor license? What is this?

Florida checks your finances before it trusts you with a license. The rule: FICO 660 or higher.

Credit score you need	FICO 660 or higher
If your score is lower	14-hour board-approved financial responsibility course
Bond instead	The law lets the board write bonding into its money rules, capped at $10,000 for Division II, which is where air conditioning sits

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

6 Does an HVAC contractor need a bond in Florida? What is this?

Florida does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.

Does the state require a bond?	No
Which division this trade sits in	Division II. The law splits contractors into Division I, the general, building and residential contractors, and Division II, the trades. Air conditioning Class A, B and C are all in Division II, so the $10,000 cap is the one that applies to you

There is no standing bond requirement to get the license. Florida uses the credit check instead. The law does let the board write bonding into its money rules, capped at $10,000 for the trades in Division II, which is where air conditioning sits, and $20,000 for general, building and residential contractors. Your city or county may ask for its own bond before it issues permits

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

7 Federal rules that also apply What is this?

Rules from the US government that apply to an HVAC contractor in Florida on top of the state's own.

EPA refrigerant certification	Anyone who handles refrigerant must hold EPA Section 608 certification. Test costs reported at $25 to $150 depending on who runs it

Checked by a person against the official page·epa.gov

8 Where must a Florida HVAC contractor show the license number? What is this?

In Florida: your license number must appear on every ad, quote, bid, and contract, online or on paper.

The rule	Your license number must appear on every ad, quote, bid, and contract, online or on paper

Checked by a person against the official page·leg.state.fl.us

9 Does an HVAC contractor charge sales tax on labor in Florida? What is this?

In Florida, count as part of the building; you pay tax when you buy the unit and materials, and charge the customer no tax on labor or materials. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Sales tax on labor for plumbers and HVAC contractors by state

Central AC and furnaces	Count as part of the building; you pay tax when you buy the unit and materials, and charge the customer no tax on labor or materials
Window and portable units	Do not count as part of the building; you buy them tax-free with a resale certificate and charge the customer tax on the full price, installation included
Repairs to things that are not part of the building	Charge tax on labor and materials if parts are used; labor-only service calls are not taxable and must be documented
Service and warranty plans	Taxed if they cover equipment that is not part of the building; not taxed if the equipment became part of the building, like a central AC unit
Tax rate	6 percent state plus county discretionary surtax

Checked by a person against the official page·floridarevenue.com

10 Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Florida HVAC contractor What is this?

If you are not paid in Florida, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: before you start, or within 45 days of your first day on the job.

Do you have to send a notice?	Yes, if you were hired by the contractor rather than the property owner (workers paid by the hour are exempt)
Send your notice by	Before you start, or within 45 days of your first day on the job
File your lien by	Within 90 days of your last day on the job

Checked by a person against the official page

·2 official pages

11 How much does it cost to become an HVAC contractor in Florida? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about $495 in Florida. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

Government fees, added up	$495

Class A path. The $245 application in the first year of the cycle plus the $250 certificate fee. Does not include the exam fees, insurance premiums, the EPA 608 test, tools, a vehicle, or local business tax receipts

Our estimate

12Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.