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Two workers in hard hats fitting a rectangular duct between floor framing, seen from above

Home / HVAC Technicians / Florida

How to become an HVAC technician in Florida

Florida has no state license or exam for individual HVAC technicians; cities and counties license them. The state licenses HVAC contractors through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB).1 Every Florida county and city must recognize a journeyman license in the plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical and HVAC trades issued by another Florida county or city (F.S. 489.1455(2)). Under F.S. 489.1455(1), a county or city may issue that license to someone who scored at least 75 percent on a proctored journeyman exam, completed a registered state-approved apprenticeship or has at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training in the trade, and completed Florida Building Commission code coursework.2

82registered apprenticeship programs$27.24median an hour in Florida

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In FL
82 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In FL
47 schools with programs
Compare 47 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed HVAC contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Local journeyman license (county or city)

    Set by the county or city that issues the journeyman license. Florida has no state journeyman license, hours log or exam.

  3. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need an HVAC contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB)
    Florida contractor license
Pay once you're working

$56,670

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Florida ($27.24 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Naples–Marco Island$28.62
  2. North Port–Bradenton$28.40
  3. Jacksonville$28.17
  4. Cape Coral–Fort Myers$27.97
  5. Miami–Fort Lauderdale$27.90
Florida median $27.24 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an HVAC technician in Florida?

Check the Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB) before you bid work on your own.1

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Florida?

Projections Central expects about 4,430 HVAC technician openings a year in Florida through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

82 registered programs in Florida. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Florida

Sources

  1. DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board (www2.myfloridalicense.com, 2026-10-27)
  2. DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board: experience requirements (leg.state.fl.us, 2026-10-28)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Florida, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)