Florida Certified Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor License

The Class B air-conditioning license is the capacity-limited version of Florida's HVAC credential under CILB. The defining feature is the statutory cap on system size: this is the right credential for residential and light-commercial HVAC, but the moment any single system pushes past the ceiling, the work belongs to a Class A licensee.

What the application turns on

• Experience: The application uses section 489.111 qualification paths, with the common 4-year worker or foreman route requiring at least 1 year as a foreman.
• Exams: Initial applicants must complete the Florida air-conditioning Class B exam process.
• Fingerprints: DBPR requires electronic fingerprints for the initial filing.
• Financial responsibility: The packet requires a credit report; applicants below 660 must complete the 14-hour financial responsibility course.

Insurance, renewal, and fee timing

• Insurance minimums: DBPR requires non-general/building certified contractors to maintain at least $100,000 liability and $25,000 property damage coverage, plus workers' compensation compliance.
• Renewal cycle: August 31 of even-numbered years.
• Renewal fee: $205 current active renewal, or $255 with a qualified business. Late renewals filed after August 31, 2026 cost $230 (or $280 with qualified business) — a $25 effective late penalty.
• Continuing education: 14 hours each renewal cycle.

Scope and the 25-ton ceiling

Florida Statute 489.105 says a Class B air-conditioning contractor's services are limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system. The contractor can still install, repair, alter, extend, or design HVAC, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems within that envelope, plus the connected ductwork. Once a single system exceeds either threshold, the work is statutorily off-limits — even if the contractor's experience would otherwise support it.

What happens if you work outside the license

Working past the 25-ton or 500,000 Btu line, or working with no license at all, exposes the contractor to Florida's section 489.127 enforcement structure: first offenses generally as first-degree misdemeanors, repeat or state-of-emergency violations escalating to third-degree felonies.