Before you let anyone open up the air conditioning system in your Miami-Dade home, confirm the contractor holds a valid Florida license. You can do it free in a few minutes on the state’s Verify a Licensee portal, run by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). This guide walks through the search, the license classes you will see, and the real penalties that make the check worth your time.
TL;DR
Search the contractor’s name or license number on the DBPR Verify a Licensee portal, confirm the status reads “Current, Active,” and check that the license is an air conditioning class. Florida air conditioning contractors are either Class A (unlimited capacity) or Class B (capped at 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating in any one system), per s. 489.105(3)(f) to (g). Each license is issued as certified (statewide, prefix CAC) or registered (local jurisdiction only, prefix RA). Air conditioning contractors must carry at least $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage insurance. Hiring an unlicensed contractor is a crime for that contractor and strips you of lien protection, warranty coverage, and access to the state Recovery Fund.
How do I verify a Florida AC contractor license?
Open the DBPR Verify a Licensee tool. The search is free, public, and the single official source for confirming any Florida contractor. You can search by name, license number, city or county, or license type. A license number, which looks like CACxxxxxxx, is the most precise way in, so ask the contractor for it directly. A licensed professional will hand it over without hesitation.
Once the record loads, it shows the licensee name, profession, license type, license number, status, address, and expiration date. Read the status line first. You want it to say “Current, Active.” In DBPR’s own coding, the primary status C means Current (versus P for Probation or S for Suspended), and the secondary status A means Active (versus I for Inactive), per the DBPR code reference. Anything other than Current and Active means the contractor cannot legally do your work today. Confirm the qualified business name matches the company in your driveway, since scammers sometimes borrow a real license holder’s name or number, then screenshot the record so you have dated proof of what you checked.
What is the difference between a certified and registered contractor?
A certified contractor holds a state certificate of competency and can contract anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor met the competency requirements of a specific local jurisdiction and can work only there. Both can be perfectly valid, but the geographic reach is different.
Under s. 489.115, a certified contractor “shall be allowed to contract in any jurisdiction in the state without being required to fulfill the competency requirements of that jurisdiction.” A registered contractor, under s. 489.117, may “engage in contracting only in the counties, municipalities, or development districts where he or she has complied with all local licensing requirements.” Certified air conditioning licenses carry the prefix CAC and DBPR occupation code 0601; registered ones carry the prefix RA and occupation code 0614.
One Miami-Dade wrinkle: local licensing sits alongside the state system. Miami-Dade County’s Construction Trades Qualifying Board issues its own local certificates of competency, and state certified contractors may work in unincorporated Miami-Dade on their state license while some incorporated municipalities require additional local registration. If your contractor is registered rather than certified, confirm the registration actually covers the city where your home sits, per Miami-Dade County licensing.
What are the Florida AC contractor license classes?
Florida regulates these contractors through DBPR’s Construction Industry Licensing Board under Chapter 489, Part I, which sorts air conditioning contractors into two capacity classes. A Class A air conditioning contractor’s services are, per s. 489.105(3)(f), “unlimited in the execution of contracts” to install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or design central air conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems. There is no tonnage ceiling.
A Class B contractor, defined in s. 489.105(3)(g), is “limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system.” For a typical single-family home in Hialeah or Kendall, a Class B license usually covers the job, since most residential systems run well under 25 tons. Larger homes, small commercial buildings, and multi-zone setups may call for a Class A contractor. Note that a general or residential contractor “must subcontract” all air conditioning work unless they separately hold a certificate or registration in that trade, per s. 489.113(3).
Florida AC contractor license framework: a reference table
Use this table to read any Florida air conditioning license record and match what you see on the DBPR portal to what the statutes actually require. Every figure is cited to its primary source.
| Element | What the record shows | Rule or statute |
|---|---|---|
| Class A | Unlimited cooling and heating capacity | s. 489.105(3)(f) |
| Class B | Limited to 25 tons cooling and 500,000 BTU heating in any one system | s. 489.105(3)(g) |
| Certified, prefix CAC, occupation code 0601 | Statewide certificate of competency, may contract in any jurisdiction | s. 489.115 |
| Registered, prefix RA, occupation code 0614 | Local only, valid where local competency requirements were met | s. 489.117 |
| Insurance minimum | $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage | F.A.C. 61G4-15.003 |
| Unlicensed contracting, first offense | First-degree misdemeanor, up to 1 year jail and/or $1,000 fine | s. 489.127 |
| Unlicensed contracting, repeat or during a declared emergency | Third-degree felony | s. 489.127 |
| DBPR administrative fine, unlicensed person | Up to $10,000 | s. 489.13(3) |
Verify any of these against the live record at the DBPR portal: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/portalsearches/VerifyLicensee. The insurance rule, F.A.C. 61G4-15.003, requires the contractor to keep public liability and property damage coverage in force for the life of an active license, so ask for a current certificate of insurance rather than an old photo.
What happens if you hire an unlicensed AC contractor in Miami-Dade?
Unlicensed contracting is a crime for the contractor and a financial trap for you. Section 489.127 makes a first offense a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, and a repeat offense a third-degree felony. Any unlicensed work “during the existence of a state of emergency declared by executive order of the Governor” is automatically a third-degree felony, which matters every hurricane season. On top of the criminal exposure, DBPR “may impose an administrative fine of up to $10,000 on any unlicensed person,” per s. 489.13(3).
The damage does not stop with the contractor. Contracts signed with an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable by that contractor under s. 489.128, and unlicensed contractors have no lien rights under s. 713.02(7). You may also lose access to the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund (ss. 489.140 to 489.144), which reimburses homeowners for losses caused by licensed contractors’ misconduct but explicitly excludes work done by unlicensed ones. Add the denied insurance claims, voided warranties, and failed inspections, and the “cheap” unlicensed install becomes the most expensive option on the table.
What insurance and permits should you confirm?
Ask for a certificate of insurance and confirm the coverage is current. Florida’s licensing rule sets the air conditioning minimum at $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage, per F.A.C. 61G4-15.003. Construction businesses must also carry workers’ compensation once they have one or more employees under Chapter 440, though corporate officers can file a state exemption, so ask for either proof of coverage or a valid exemption certificate. Insurance protects you if a technician is hurt on your property or a botched install causes water damage.
Finally, insist that the licensed contractor pulls a mechanical permit for any system replacement or new installation. The permit triggers an independent inspection against the Florida Building Code, and that inspection is your safety net. A contractor who offers to skip the permit “to save you money” is asking you to accept uninspected work and absorb the risk if it fails or surfaces during a future home sale.
Where to find licensed AC companies in Miami-Dade
Once you know how to read a license, you can shop with confidence. Browse the full directory of AC repair companies in Miami-Dade County, or jump straight to local listings in Hialeah, Coral Gables, Kendall, and Homestead. Our recommended partner, Air Nifty, has served South Florida since 1997, and is a licensed and insured Florida air conditioning contractor holding license CAC1824313.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a Florida AC contractor is licensed?
Visit the DBPR Verify a Licensee portal at https://www.myfloridalicense.com/portalsearches/VerifyLicensee and search by name, license number, city or county, or license type. Confirm the status reads “Current, Active,” the expiration date is in the future, and the license type is an air conditioning class rather than plumbing, roofing, or general contracting. The search is free and takes only a few minutes, so screenshot the record for dated proof before any work starts.
What does CAC mean on a Florida license?
CAC is the prefix Florida places on certified air conditioning contractor licenses, tied to DBPR occupation code 0601. A CAC holder possesses a state certificate of competency and may contract anywhere in Florida without meeting separate local competency rules, per s. 489.115. The digits after the letters identify the specific licensee, for example CACxxxxxxx, and you should always confirm them on the DBPR portal rather than trusting a number a contractor recites from memory.
What is the difference between a Class A and Class B AC contractor?
A Class A air conditioning contractor has no capacity limit and can work on systems of any size, per s. 489.105(3)(f). A Class B contractor is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating in any one system, under s. 489.105(3)(g). Most single-family homes in Miami-Dade fall well within Class B limits, so either class can typically handle a standard residential air conditioning replacement, while larger or multi-zone systems may require Class A.
Is it illegal to hire an unlicensed AC contractor in Florida?
Unlicensed contracting is illegal for the contractor and risky for you. Under s. 489.127, a first offense is a first-degree misdemeanor and a repeat offense is a third-degree felony, and any unlicensed work during a Governor-declared state of emergency is automatically a third-degree felony. DBPR can also impose an administrative fine of up to $10,000 under s. 489.13(3). Hiring one can void warranties, block permits, and leave you without lien protection or Recovery Fund access.
Does a certified contractor need a local Miami-Dade license?
A state certified contractor may work in unincorporated Miami-Dade on their state certificate without a separate county competency card, because certification allows statewide work under s. 489.115. However, some incorporated municipalities within Miami-Dade require additional local registration, and Miami-Dade County’s Construction Trades Qualifying Board issues its own local certificates of competency. When your contractor is registered rather than certified, confirm the registration specifically covers the city where your home is located.
Verifying a license is the single best hour of homework you can do before an air conditioning project. Search the DBPR record, read the status, confirm the insurance, and require a permit, and you will have filtered out nearly every bad actor operating in the county. Homeowners in Doral and across Miami-Dade can start with the county directory and work outward from there.