How to verify a Florida AC contractor license

Look it up in five minutes

Florida licenses air conditioning contractors through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The public lookup is on MyFloridaLicense.com. It costs nothing and you do not need an account.

1. Go to MyFloridaLicense.com and choose the option to search for a licensee.
2. Search by license number if you have it. It is usually printed on the quote or the truck. If you only have a name, search by the business name or the person's name.
3. Pick the construction industry board if the form asks you to narrow it down.
4. Open the result. Read the license type and status, then the name on it.
5. Check whether the business name you were given is listed as a qualified business under that license.

If the number on the quote does not come up, or comes up under someone else's name, stop there. Ask the company for the correct number. A real contractor will not be offended by the question.

What the license letters mean

The letters at the front of a Florida license number tell you what kind of license it is.

Prefix	License
CAC	Certified Air Conditioning Contractor
CMC	Certified Mechanical Contractor
RA	Registered Air Conditioning Contractor
RM	Registered Mechanical Contractor

Both certified and registered are state licenses. For a homeowner the thing to check is that the status is current and active. A mechanical license is broader than an air conditioning license, so a CMC or RM holder can do residential AC work too.

Class A vs Class B

Florida statute 489.105 splits air conditioning contractors by system size. A Class A air conditioning contractor has no size limit. A Class B contractor is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system. A house is far below that, so for a home in Cape Coral either class is fine. The difference matters for big commercial jobs, not your 3 or 4 ton split system.

You may also see older Class C licenses, which cover servicing only. If the job is a replacement, make sure the license on file covers installation.

What to actually check

• The name matches. The company on the quote should be the company on the license, or listed as the business that license qualifies. A license that belongs to a different business is not their license.
• The status is active. Anything other than current and active is a no.
• The company on the truck is the company on the contract. If one name shows up at your door and a different name is on the paperwork, ask who is doing the work and who is responsible for it.
• The license covers AC. A general contractor or electrician license is not an air conditioning license.

The lookup also shows public complaint and discipline information where it exists. One old complaint on a long-running license is not a reason to panic. A pattern is.

Cape Coral permits: who can pull one

Cape Coral uses an A/C Change Out permit when AC units are replaced or duct work is done. Under the city's guideline, revised in January 2026, only an HVAC contractor (CAC), a mechanical contractor (CMC) or an owner-builder can apply for it. The city always requires an HVAC Data Sheet, and depending on the house it may also require a Notice of Commencement, a FEMA packet or elevation certificate, and a duct layout. Inspections are an HVAC rough where it applies and an HVAC final. A new mini split also needs a separate electrical permit.

This gives you a simple test. If the company quoting a replacement says a permit is not needed, or asks you to pull it as the owner-builder, I would treat that as a reason to get a second quote. An owner-builder permit puts the responsibility on you. More detail on what the city requires is in our Florida AC rules guide.

After a storm, check twice

After a hurricane, crews come in from out of the area and some of the people knocking on doors are not licensed in Florida at all. Lee County has had 7 FEMA major disaster declarations for hurricanes and tropical storms since 2017, so this is not a rare situation here.

• Run the license lookup before anyone opens your air handler.
• Be wary of someone who knocks because they are "in the area", pushes you to decide now, or wants everything up front or in cash. Those are the FTC's warning signs for home improvement scams.
• If you sign at your door or in your home, Florida's home solicitation sale law generally lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day.
• Florida's price gouging law applies to services during a declared state of emergency. You can report it to the Attorney General at 1-866-9NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226).

Our guide to AC after a hurricane or flood covers the rest, and the quote checklist helps once you have a price in hand.

Cape Coral Cooling Pros is a free referral service. We pass your request to one licensed local HVAC company. You should still run the lookup yourself. It takes five minutes and it is your house.