Heating and air

Need a licensed HVAC contractor to qualify your company in Florida?

You have the techs, the vans and the service calls. What you don't have is a Florida air conditioning or mechanical license behind the company, and without one you can't contract to install or replace systems. A licensed HVAC contractor can qualify your company and take real responsibility for that work. Here is which license fits, what it costs, and what to watch for.

General information about Florida law, not legal advice. Speak to a Florida construction attorney before entering any qualifying arrangement.

The short answer

Yes. A licensed air conditioning or mechanical contractor can serve as your company's qualifying agent so the company can contract for heating and air work legally. Which license you need depends on the size of the systems you install and whether you also run gas lines inside buildings.

Which license fits your company

Class A air conditioning, starts with CAC: no size limit on central air, refrigeration, heating and ventilating systems.
Class B air conditioning: limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system.
Mechanical, starts with CMC: everything Class A covers, plus gas fuel lines inside buildings.
Class C: servicing only, and Florida hasn't issued a new one since 1988.

None of these covers plumbing, pool piping or electrical power wiring. And a general, building or residential contractor has to hand air conditioning and mechanical work to a contractor licensed in that trade, unless they hold that license too (Statute 489.113).

What a heating and air qualifier actually does

The qualifier is not a name on a form. Florida holds them responsible for supervising your heating and air work, and the state looks at whether that supervision is real.

They are filed with the state licensing department as your company's qualifying agent.
They oversee your jobs, permits and inspections. Not on every job every day, but genuinely involved.
They are tied to your company through W-2 employment, ownership, or a written agreement.

W-2, ownership, or an agreement

What it costs

Three costs, kept apart.

Paid to the qualifier

Their pay

Agreed between you and the HVAC contractor. It depends on how many jobs you run, how organized your company is, and how much supervision you need. We don't publish a range, because the number only means something once both sides know the work.

Paid to the state

Filing fees

The state's own filing fees, paid to the state licensing department directly.

Paid to QualiFind

Only after a yes

Nothing to apply or to be on the platform. You only pay once we've found you a qualifier who has said yes, and if the introduction doesn't happen, you can have it back.

What happens to jobs signed without a qualifier

This is the risk most companies don't hear about until it costs them. If a company signs a job without a qualifier licensed for that kind of work, Florida says the company cannot enforce that contract (Statute 489.128).

It can't take the customer to court to get paid.
It has no lien rights on the property and no claim against a payment bond.
Unlicensed contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor, and a third-degree felony for a repeat offense or during a declared state of emergency, such as after a hurricane (Statute 489.127).

If your qualifier leaves

Under Statute 489.119, the company has 60 days from the day the qualifier leaves to bring on a new one, and it cannot take on new contracts until it does.

The state can give an officer of the company a temporary certificate, but it only covers jobs that were already signed.
The qualifier who left stays responsible for the work they supervised while they were there.
Start looking the day you know. Sixty days goes faster than it sounds.

Warning signs

A contractor who offers to "rent" you their license number for a monthly check, with no involvement in your jobs. That is illegal for both of you under Statute 489.127.
Anyone who says yes before asking about your crews, your insurance or the jobs you run.
No written agreement. If the duties aren't written down, neither side is protected.

Get started

Tell us about your company.

QualiFind's qualifier applicants already include a licensed air conditioning contractor. Every qualifier's license is checked against the state's records, and you're matched by trade, area and the way you work.

Start your application

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Does my general contractor license cover HVAC?+

No. Florida requires air conditioning and mechanical work to be done under a contractor licensed in that trade, unless you also hold that license yourself.

Do I need a Class A or Class B qualifier?+

If any system you install is over 25 tons of cooling or 500,000 Btu of heating, you need Class A or mechanical. If you also run gas lines inside buildings, mechanical.

Can a contractor from another part of Florida qualify my company?+

A certified license covers the whole state, so yes, as long as real supervision is realistic at that distance. A registered license only covers the area that issued it.

How long does it take?+

Plan in weeks, not days. You need to find the right person, both sides need to do real checking, the terms have to be agreed, and the qualifier has to be filed with the state.

Can I get my own HVAC license later?+

Yes. A real qualifying arrangement is the legal bridge. You run and build the company now, under a real qualifier, and work toward your own license on a realistic timeline.

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