Before you approve a commercial HVAC contractor in Florida, look up the license yourself on myfloridalicense.com and confirm it is active and fits the size of the equipment. Get insurance certificates sent from the agent, ask whether the techs hold EPA Section 608 certification, confirm the permit will be pulled under that contractor’s license, and compare bids on matching scope, not price alone. Florida law says a contract with an unlicensed contractor can’t be enforced by that contractor. This article covers six checks, six walkthrough questions and a one-page Contractor Check for your board.
Most contractor decisions on a commercial building get made in a hurry. A rooftop unit quits in August, three numbers get called, and the first truck that shows up gets the job. That works until the permit stalls, the warranty paperwork is missing, or the crew on the roof turns out to be working under someone else’s license.
Below you’ll find six checks to run before you sign, the questions we’d ask on a walkthrough, and a one-page Contractor Check for your board or purchasing office. Start with the video above.
We made it for the person who has to pick the contractor and answer for it later. It runs through six questions fast. Watch it with your engineer or your board chair, then keep the checklist below open on the next bid.
Jump to a question in the video
- 0:05 Florida licensing and insurance
- 0:18 After-hours emergency response
- 0:28 Experience with similar buildings
- 0:38 How the job gets planned
- 0:47 Who actually does the work
- 0:56 Preventing the next breakdown
The video asks the questions. The rest of this page is the paperwork behind them.
The honest part first
We’re a mechanical contractor, so here’s the part that doesn’t help us sell anything. The right contractor for your building may not be us. If a bid comes in lower, from a properly licensed company with real insurance and a clean record, that can be a good outcome for your owners. What you want to avoid is the cheaper bid that skips the checks below. Those costs show up later, and usually at the worst time.
Check 1: The license matches the job
In Florida, commercial air conditioning work is licensed by the state. Florida Statutes section 489.105(3) defines a few categories that matter here.
So the license has to fit the equipment. A single 60-ton rooftop unit is outside a Class B scope. The cap is per system, so ask how the job is counted if the building has several smaller units. Ask for the license number and look it up yourself on the Florida DBPR site at myfloridalicense.com. Confirm the status is current and active, and that the business name on the bid matches the qualifying license.
Under section 489.127(1), a contractor working on an inactive or suspended license is treated as unlicensed. A license that was good last year does not count.
Check 2: Why the license matters to the contract
This one is for the board packet. Florida Statutes section 489.128(1) says contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or in equity by that contractor. The same section bars that contractor from lien or bond claims on the job, and it leaves the contract enforceable by the other side.
The state can stop the job, too. Under section 489.127(3), Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation can issue a stop work order on unlicensed work, and local code officers can write citations. You don’t want to explain a stalled job at the next owners meeting.
This isn’t legal advice. If a contract question comes up, your association attorney is the right call.
Check 3: Insurance you’ve actually seen
Don’t take “we’re insured” over the phone. Ask for a certificate of insurance for general liability and workers’ compensation, sent from the agent, with your property or association named as certificate holder. Check the dates against the project schedule.
If the contractor plans to use subcontractors, ask how those crews are covered too. Your property manager or insurance broker can tell you which limits your building requires.
Check 4: The techs handling refrigerant are certified
Federal rules under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require anyone who maintains, services, repairs or disposes of equipment that could release refrigerants, including HFCs and other substitutes, to hold EPA Section 608 certification. EPA lists four certification types. Type II covers high-pressure equipment like most rooftop units and split systems. Type III covers low-pressure equipment like many centrifugal chillers. Universal covers all of them.
It’s fair to ask who will be on your roof and whether they hold the right type for your equipment.
Check 5: Permits are in the contractor’s name
Replacement and new installation work on commercial systems generally needs a permit from the local building department. Ask who pulls the permit, whose license it goes under, and who schedules the inspections.
If you read our piece on the mechanical code change coming at the end of December, you already know the permit side is changing. The contractor should be able to walk you through it without guessing.
Check 6: The bid tells you what you’re buying
A useful commercial bid names the equipment model, the scope of removal and install, who handles crane and roof work, the permit, startup, and what the closeout folder includes. It should also say what isn’t included.
When two bids look far apart, they’re often two different jobs. Put them side by side and make each contractor fill the gaps in writing.
Questions to ask on the walkthrough
Who is the qualifying license holder?
And what is the license number? Write it down and look it up before the next meeting.
Will your own crew do the work?
Or a subcontractor? If it’s a sub, ask for their license and insurance too.
Who pulls the permit and attends the inspection?
You want a name, not “we handle that.”
What happens if this unit fails on a weekend after install?
Ask who answers the phone and how fast someone shows up.
What does the closeout package include?
Startup sheets, warranty registration, permit final and as-built notes are a good start.
Do you offer preventative maintenance after install?
And what does a visit actually cover?
If you want to see how those answers look on a real job, our write-ups on a Miami Beach gym replaced in under 48 hours and a school chiller replaced over Labor Day weekend walk through the planning and the crew.
What we’d tell a board in one paragraph
Before approving an HVAC contractor, confirm their Florida license is active on myfloridalicense.com and fits the size of the equipment, get insurance certificates sent from the agent with the association named as holder, confirm the permit will be pulled under that contractor’s license, and compare bids line by line on scope rather than price alone. Florida law treats contracts with unlicensed contractors as unenforceable by the contractor, so this check protects the association as much as the schedule.
Talk to us about your building
ABC Mechanical has operated as a Florida Certified Air Conditioning Contractor since 2015, serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Our license is Class A, number CAC1814921. Go ahead and look it up. If you’re lining up bids for cooling, ventilation and IAQ, preventative maintenance or a replacement, send us the details and we’ll walk the site with you. Or call (877) 824-9888.
More videos are on our YouTube channel.
Sources
As of November 4, 2026. This is a summary, not a code or legal opinion. Statutory citations are to the 2026 Florida Statutes. Confirm with the official source, your building department and your attorney.
- “489.105 Definitions.” The 2026 Florida Statutes. Class A air conditioning contractor at (3)(f), Class B and its limit of 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system at (3)(g), and mechanical contractor at (3)(i)
- “489.127 Prohibitions; penalties.” The 2026 Florida Statutes. Operating on an inactive or suspended certificate or registration is considered unlicensed at (1); the department’s stop work orders on unlicensed work at (3); local code enforcement citations at (5)
- “489.128 Contracts entered into by unlicensed contractors unenforceable.” The 2026 Florida Statutes. Contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or in equity by that contractor at (1); no lien or bond claims for that contractor at (2); the contract stays enforceable by the other parties at (3)
- “Verify a License.” Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Where to look up a contractor’s license number, class and status. ABC Mechanical’s record, CAC1814921, shows Class A, current and active, as of November 4, 2026
- “Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Who must be certified, including for substitute refrigerants such as HFCs, and the Type I, II, III and Universal certifications
- “6 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Commercial HVAC Contractor.” ABC Mechanical HVAC on YouTube. The six questions and chapter times listed in this article