North Carolina to Florida: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Florida has a specific endorsement rule for North Carolina master HVAC technicians.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Florida-North Carolina reciprocity covers General, Building and Residential only; heating contractors use endorsement
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
The CILB's reciprocity list limits the North Carolina agreement to 'General, Building, and Residential licenses', and Form CILB 32 has no air-conditioning or mechanical category, so a North Carolina Heating Contractor (H-1, H-2 or H-3) cannot use reciprocity. The applicant instead files Form CILB 10 ($350) under Option A or B (Board review of the North Carolina exam or licensing criteria through an Examination Evaluation Questionnaire) or Option C (same-or-similar license held at least 10 years, no exam); if the Board does not waive the exams the applicant passes the Florida Business and Finance and Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge exams. Florida's experience requirement, fingerprints, credit report and insurance apply in every case.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active since June 1, 2021
What you must already have
- Experience under s. 489.111(2)(c) (4 years as worker/foreman with 1 year as foreman, or the degree and college-credit alternatives)
- You must have held your North Carolina license for at least 10 years.Option C only: waives the exams
What you'll do to get licensed in Florida
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($350). Form CILB 10 Certification by Endorsement application fee.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Florida Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge examination (Pearson VUE) unless the Board waives it.
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Florida Business and Finance examination (Pearson VUE) unless waived.
- 4Other. Hold EPA Section 608 technician certification to handle refrigerant; federal law requires it, but it is not a condition of this state license (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $350, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
- Other · if applicable
How Florida licenses master HVAC technicians
Florida master HVAC technician · “Certified Class A Air-Conditioning Contractor (CAC)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (Department of Business and Professional Regulation)
Florida has no license called 'master HVAC'. The highest person-held HVAC credential is the certificate of competency as a Certified Class A Air-Conditioning Contractor (license prefix CAC), issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board within DBPR to an individual who meets the experience requirement of s. 489.111 (typically four years as a worker or foreman with at least one year as a foreman, or a degree plus one year) and passes the two-part Florida exam (Business and Finance, and Class A Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge) through Professional Testing and Pearson VUE; a Class B certificate is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating per system, and the Certified Mechanical Contractor (CMC) covers the same systems plus piping. The certificate belongs to the person, who may then qualify a business, and is valid statewide. Alongside it, counties and municipalities examine and certify their own air-conditioning and mechanical contractors (Miami-Dade's Air Conditioning Contractor Unlimited/Limited, Broward's Class A and Class B Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractor), whose holders register with DBPR as Registered Air-Conditioning Contractors (RA) and may work only in the jurisdictions that issued the local card, which is why this level is marked Hybrid. Florida's only contractor reciprocity agreements (Louisiana, North Carolina and Mississippi, since June 1, 2021) cover General, Building and Residential licenses and not air conditioning, and the Board publishes no list of out-of-state air-conditioning exams found equivalent. Out-of-state HVAC contractors are handled by endorsement under s. 489.115(3): the Board may waive the Florida exam if the origin exam or licensing criteria are found substantially equivalent through an Examination Evaluation Questionnaire (a route the Board's own form calls 'very stringent and rarely approved'), or waives it for a contractor who has held the same or similar license for at least 10 years; everyone else takes the Florida exams. Endorsement costs $350; examination candidates pay $135 to register plus $80 per exam part, the certification application after passing is $245, and biennial renewal is $205. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.
How local licensing works in Florida
Local contractor cards and state registration. Under s. 489.105(10), a registered contractor is one who registered with DBPR after 'fulfilling the competency requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued' and 'may contract only in such jurisdictions'; the Board's FAQ says registration requires a copy of the local contractor's license and allows practice only in that county or city and any adjoining jurisdictions that accept it, while certified contractors work anywhere in Florida. The registration application fee is $100 and the initial registration $200 under Rule 61G4-12.009. Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board examines Air Conditioning Contractors (Limited, up to 15 tons, and Unlimited), Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors, Heating Contractors and Mechanical Contractors; Broward County's Central Examining Boards certify Mechanical, Class A Air Conditioning, Class B Air Conditioning (25 tons) and Sheet Metal Contractors after 4 years of practical experience, trade and Business & Law exams, and a $450 application fee (since January 1, 2025). Neither county page describes accepting an out-of-state HVAC contractor license toward a local card, and Miami-Dade reciprocates its cards only with Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Florida master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in North Carolina?
- Yes. Florida requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- How long do I need to have held my North Carolina license?
- At least 10 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Florida master HVAC technician license from North Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my North Carolina work hours count in Florida?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Florida's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Florida to North Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Florida to North Carolina, the mechanism is experience credit.
Sources
- EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements · 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F (Clean Air Act §608) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Other · verified September 15, 2026
- Broward County Building Code Division - Contractor Licensing packet (journeyman certificate of competency instructions) · Broward County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9 - Contractors · Broward County Public Works and Environmental Services, Building Code Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026
- DBPR - Construction Industry FAQs · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Faq · verified September 15, 2026
- DBPR - Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) home page · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- CILB Reciprocity list (states with reciprocal licensing agreements) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3)(c) · Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
- Form DBPR CILB 10 - Application for Certification by Endorsement (Eff. June 2024) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3); Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Form DBPR CILB 32 - Application for Certification by Reciprocity (Eff. July 2024) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3)(c); Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- DBPR Bureau of Education & Testing - Florida State Construction Examination Registration Instructions and Application 2026 (Professional Testing, Inc.) · Rule 61G4-16, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation / Professional Testing, Inc. · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Miami-Dade County - Mechanical Licenses · Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Rule 61G4-12.009, F.A.C. - Fees · Rule 61G4-12.009, F.A.C. · Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.105 - Definitions (Part I, Construction Contracting) · Fla. Stat. § 489.105(3)(a)-(c), (8), (10) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.111 - Licensure by examination · Fla. Stat. § 489.111(2) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.115 - Certification and registration; endorsement; reciprocity · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3), (5) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.