How to verify a Florida air conditioning contractor's licence
CAC versus RA, what Class A, B and C mean, how to use the state lookup and what to do when the licence number does not check out.
Florida licenses air conditioning contractors at the state level, and checking a licence takes about two minutes. It is the most useful thing you can do before you sign a replacement or repair contract, because a contract with an unlicensed contractor is hard to enforce and leaves you with fewer remedies if the work goes wrong.
Certified or registered
Chapter 489, Florida Statutes, creates two kinds of contractor licence. A certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and, in the words of section 489.105, "shall be allowed to contract in any jurisdiction in the state." A registered contractor met the competency requirements of a particular local jurisdiction and "may contract only in such jurisdictions."
For air conditioning, the two licence classes carry these codes: CAC, Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, and RA, Registered Air Conditioning Contractor. Both are real licences. If the contractor is an RA, confirm that the registration covers the city or county where your home is.
Class A, B and C
The statute also divides air conditioning work by scope. A Class A contractor's services are unlimited. A Class B contractor is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system, which covers essentially every house. Class C covers only the servicing of air conditioning, heating or refrigeration systems; it is a category the statute closed to new licences in 1988. This directory lists every actively licensed CAC and RA holder and does not break them down by class, so ask the contractor which class applies to the work you want done.
Step by step: the DBPR lookup
- Ask for the licence number in writing. It should appear on the estimate, the contract and the company's advertising and vehicles. It looks like CAC1234567 or CACA12345.
- Open DBPR's Verify a License page and search by licence number or by name.
- Check that the name on the licence matches the company on your contract, that the licence type is air conditioning, and that the status reads Current and Active.
- Note the expiry date. Construction licences are renewed every two years, on August 31 of even-numbered years; this directory shows the expiry date for each licensee.
What the status words mean
A licence that shows Current, Active can be used to contract. Other combinations, such as inactive, delinquent, or null and void, mean the licensee should not be taking new work under that number. This directory lists only licences with Current and Active status on the day the extract was pulled, and omits the rest. It does not tell you that a named business is unlicensed: if you cannot find a company here, search DBPR directly, because it may trade under a different name.
The qualifying agent
A company holds a contractor licence through a qualifying agent, the licensed individual responsible for supervising the company's work, its field operations and its finances (section 489.1195). The licence record names that person. If the qualifier left the company, the company no longer has a valid licence for new work until it designates another.
Discipline records
The Construction Industry Licensing Board publishes final disciplinary actions by fiscal year on the DBPR construction public records page. Where a licence number appears in those files since fiscal year 2021-22, the profile in this directory shows the dated entry. A record is a public fact, not a verdict on the company today. Read the entry, then ask the contractor about it.
If the licence does not check out
Contracting without the required licence is a first-degree misdemeanor for a first offense and a third-degree felony for a repeat offense, and a first offense during a declared state of emergency is also a third-degree felony (section 489.127). An unlicensed contractor also cannot enforce the contract against you (section 489.128). Do not hand over a deposit; report the company to DBPR's unlicensed activity unit.
Licence is not the same as insurance
A licence tells you the state has qualified the contractor. It does not tell you the company has liability insurance or workers' compensation coverage. Ask for a certificate of insurance that names you as certificate holder, and call the insurer to confirm it is in force.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Florida HVAC Contractor Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A license record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm license, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.