The license class, and who may pull the permit yourself
Section 489.105 defines Class A air-conditioning contractors as those whose services are unlimited, and Class B as those limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system. Class C is closed to anyone who was not certified or registered on October 1, 1988. Each class comes either as a state certificate that works in any jurisdiction or as a local registration that works only where the competency requirements were met.
A homeowner who acts as their own contractor on a one- or two-family home is exempt under s.489.103(7) when they supervise the work directly on site. That owner must sign the permit application in person and can't hand the work to anyone who isn't certified or registered for it. Selling or leasing the home within a year of completion creates a presumption that the work was for sale or lease.
A new central AC in Florida: estimate, permits, rebates
Our estimate for this job is $6,250 to $12,800 per installed system, a planning range and not a quote, set by the prices companies here publish for it.
Six Florida companies publish a price we could count for this job, so the range is the middle half of those prices: $6,250 to $12,800 per installed system, an estimate and not a quote. The permit fee is its own line, and the rows below show what some cities print.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $6,250 to $12,800 per installed system | The middle half of 6 Florida company prices for this job (25th to 75th percentile, $6,250 to $12,800); our national estimate ($3,875 to $8,575: built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida HVAC technician wage ratio (0.88) plus a typical permit fee ($125)) only sets a floor, and the companies' lower quarter sits above it. Seven Florida HVAC companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: company sample (n=6), interquartile range. |
| Technician wage, Florida mean | $27.55 an hour | What a Florida HVAC technician was paid on average in May 2025 (BLS), not what an installation costs. |
| AC change-out permit, middle of Florida city fees | $125 | The middle of the equipment-replacement permit totals on 10 Florida city and county fee schedules; the structures differ, so it is indicative. |
| Tampa residential change-out permit | $120 | The state's 2.5% surcharge (or $4 minimum) is not included; the schedule is dated 2018 and updated 2023. |
| Air conditioning permit, Hialeah | $30 per ton, minimum $300 | Schedule revised March 20, 2026; a 3-ton system comes to the minimum. |
| A/C rebate, FPL | $200 on the invoice | Needs an FPL Participating Independent Contractor and SEER2 15.2 or higher; standards effective Sept 1, 2025. |
| Heating and cooling rebate, Tampa Electric | $40 to $550 by SEER2 | Ducted systems only; apply within 90 days of installation. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. Six Florida companies publish a price we could count for this job, so the range runs from the lower quarter to the upper quarter of those prices (the middle half of them). Our national estimate takes one published national range for this job (a cost guide from a third-party site that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies it by Florida's HVAC technician mean wage ratio to the US (0.88, BLS OEWS May 2025, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers) and adds a typical permit fee ($125). The wage and permit rows below are what HVAC technicians are paid and what a city charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Permits, the code edition and the efficiency rule
The Florida Building Commission gives December 31, 2023 as the effective date of the 8th Edition (2023) code, and s.553.73 says the edition in effect on the permit application date governs the work for the life of the permit. Section 553.912 says every air conditioner sold or installed in Florida must meet the minimum efficiency ratings of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation.
The $7,500 owner exemption in s.553.79 excludes mechanical work, so it doesn't cover an AC replacement. Coral Springs lists an A/C change-out among projects that always require a building permit. Tampa prints a change-out row in its fee schedule.
Utility rebates for a Florida AC, with their conditions
FPL's page offers $200 off an A/C installed by a Participating Independent Contractor, for a SEER2 15.2 or higher system that completely replaces an electric-driven cooling system, and the contractor must hold a Florida mechanical or air-conditioning license in good standing. Tampa Electric prints $40 at SEER2 15.20 and $550 at SEER2 16.20 for ducted systems, with the contractor deducting it from the invoice. OUC's heat pump rebate runs $45 to $1,150 at 15.2 SEER2 or higher, and JEA lists $200 for ENERGY STAR central air conditioners, subject to conditions it marks with an asterisk. Gainesville Regional Utilities prints no HVAC rebate amount.
When an AC outage can't wait for a new install
- A gas smell near the furnace or air handler: leave first, then call 911 from outside.
- A burning smell or smoke from the equipment: get out and call 911.
- The old system still cools part of the day, which leaves time to compare written quotes.
Before you sign for a new system
- Ask for the company's license number and check it on DBPR's lookup.
- Ask who pulls the permit and what the city charges for it.
- Ask for the equipment's SEER2 rating in writing and check it against any rebate you plan to claim.
Will a new central AC in Florida need a permit?
Replacing equipment appears as a permit line in the cities that print one. Tampa lists residential 'HVAC Equal Change-outs' at $120, Cape Coral lists an air conditioning change-out at $100 plus its 2.5% surcharge, and Hialeah charges $30 a ton with a $300 minimum. Port St. Lucie asks for a recorded Notice of Commencement at $5,000 or more unless a direct contract replaces an existing system for under $15,000, and Hillsborough County sets $15,000 for mechanical-only work. Jacksonville lets an owner ask to waive the inspections on one- and two-family HVAC replacement costing $5,000 or less, and the permit itself is still issued.
Florida licenses air-conditioning contractors through DBPR, so before any work starts, get the license number and look it up on DBPR's license search at myfloridalicense.com.
Questions people ask
What can a company ask me to pay up front for an AC installation?
The Attorney General says a contractor that collects more than 10 percent up front must apply for the permit within 30 days and start within 90. The same advice says the contract must include the buyer's right to cancel within 3 days and warns against paying the full amount in advance. Check the license on DBPR's site before you pay anything.
Does the Florida efficiency rule set a SEER number?
Not in the statute itself. Section 553.912 requires air conditioners sold or installed in Florida to meet the minimum efficiency ratings of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, and the statute itself prints no SEER number, so ask the company which rating its quote meets.
Can I install my own central AC?
An owner-builder exemption exists for one- and two-family homes you occupy. Section 489.103(7) requires direct on-site supervision, bars handing work to people who aren't certified or registered for it, and makes you sign the permit application in person.
Which utility rebates apply to a new AC?
FPL, Tampa Electric, JEA and OUC each print a program, and each has conditions. The amounts run from $40 to $1,150 depending on the utility and the SEER2 rating, and some require a participating contractor. Ask the utility before the contract is signed.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021), Florida, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- HVACMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Tampa: Trade Permit Fee Schedule Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Hialeah: Building Department Fee Schedule effective March 20, 2026 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FPL: A/C Rebate; Residential HVAC Program Standards (Sept 1, 2025) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Tampa Electric: Heating & Cooling program Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.489.105 Definitions Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.489.103 Exemptions (7) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Building Commission (BCIS): home; Florida Building Code menu; code links Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.553.73 Florida Building Code Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.553.912 Air conditioners Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.553.79 Permits; applications; issuance; inspections (1)(g) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Attorney General: How to Protect Yourself: Contractors Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR: License Search Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Coral Springs: A/C Replacement Permit Application Checklist; Building FAQs Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Cape Coral: Miscellaneous Permit Fee Schedule (eff. Jan 1, 2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Port St. Lucie: Checklist for Mechanical Permits (Updated 10-2-25) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Hillsborough County: Building & Subtrade Permit Resources; Work Exempt from Permits Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Jacksonville: Property Owner Request for Inspection Exemption for Replacement of One- and Two-Family HVAC Equipment (PDF, rev. 3/26/2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- JEA: Residential Rebates Read Oct 24, 2026.
- OUC: Heat Pump A/C Rebate; Rebates Read Oct 24, 2026.
- GRU: Save Energy Read Oct 24, 2026.