Florida Specialty and Trade Contractor Licenses: Division II Classes

Florida licenses the construction trades as separate scope classes. Fla. Stat. 489.105(3) defines 17 contractor categories; paragraphs (d) through (q) are Division II — roofing, sheet metal, air-conditioning, mechanical, pool and spa, plumbing, underground utility, solar, pollutant storage, and the specialty contractor category. Each class is limited to the scope its own paragraph describes.

The Division II classes at a glance

The 13 trade classes sit at Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(d)–(p). The scope language below is the statute’s own, quoted from the paragraph cited in the same row.

Class (statutory cite)	What its scope covers
Sheet metal — 489.105(3)(d)	“unlimited in the sheet metal trade” — ferrous or nonferrous metal work of U.S. No. 10 gauge or its equivalent or lighter, air-handling systems, and duct cleaning
Roofing — 489.105(3)(e)	“unlimited in the roofing trade” — all kinds of roofing, waterproofing and coating, except where coating is not represented to protect, repair, waterproof, stop leaks, or extend the life of the roof; also skylights, required roof-deck attachments, and repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia as needed
Class A air-conditioning — 489.105(3)(f)	“unlimited in the execution of contracts requiring” central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating and ventilating systems
Class B air-conditioning — 489.105(3)(g)	the same trade, “limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system”
Class C air-conditioning — 489.105(3)(h)	limited to the “servicing” of air-conditioning, heating or refrigeration systems, and requires a certification or registration that “was valid on October 1, 1988”
Mechanical — 489.105(3)(i)	“unlimited” — the Class A scope plus lift station equipment and piping
Commercial pool/spa — 489.105(3)(j)	construction, repair and servicing of any swimming pool, hot tub or spa, “whether public, private, or otherwise, regardless of use”
Residential pool/spa — 489.105(3)(k)	the same scope of work, limited to a residential pool, hot tub or spa
Swimming pool/spa servicing — 489.105(3)(l)	repair and servicing only, not construction — including interior refinishing and equipment repair or replacement
Plumbing — 489.105(3)(m)	“unlimited in the plumbing trade”; the listed work may be performed “without obtaining an additional local regulatory license, certificate, or registration”
Underground utility and excavation — 489.105(3)(n)	“limited to” main sanitary sewer collection, main water distribution and storm sewer collection systems, and continuation of utility lines to the meter location
Solar — 489.105(3)(o)	installation, alteration, repair, maintenance, relocation or replacement of solar panels; a contractor already certified or registered under the chapter is not required to become a solar contractor for services within that contractor’s own scope
Pollutant storage systems — 489.105(3)(p)	“limited to” pollutant storage tanks, installed to the standards adopted under s. 376.303

Scope is a separate question from geography: a license in any of these classes may be held as a statewide certification or as a registration limited to the jurisdiction that issued it (Fla. Stat. 489.105(8), (10)) — see statewide certification or local registration. The current application form for a given category — where one is issued — is on DBPR’s Construction Industry licensing-forms index.

Roofing — 489.105(3)(e)

The roofing class is “unlimited in the roofing trade”: all kinds of roofing, waterproofing and coating, plus skylights, required roof-deck attachments, and the repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia where the roofing work requires it. One limit sits inside the definition — coating falls outside the class when it is not represented to protect, repair, waterproof, stop leaks, or extend the life of the roof. Roofing is also one of the trades a licensed contractor must subcontract under 489.113(3) unless certified or registered in the roofing category.

Plumbing — 489.105(3)(m)

The plumbing class is “unlimited in the plumbing trade,” and its definition carries a jurisdictional point most trade summaries omit: the work it lists may be performed “without obtaining an additional local regulatory license, certificate, or registration.” Plumbing appears twice in ch. 489 Part I: as the Division II category a person can be licensed in, and in 489.113(3), the subcontracting duty on licensed contractors. Sewer, water distribution and storm sewer mains are a different class: underground utility and excavation, 489.105(3)(n).

Air-conditioning: Class A, Class B and Class C — 489.105(3)(f)–(h)

Air-conditioning is three separate classes. Class A is “unlimited” in contracts requiring central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating and ventilating systems. Class B is the same trade “limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system.” Class C is limited to “servicing,” and it is a closed class: the definition requires a certification or registration that “was valid on October 1, 1988,” and only a person registered or certified as of that date may be so registered or certified after it. Which class a particular system falls under is a determination for DBPR and the board, not one this page makes.

Pool and spa: commercial, residential and servicing — 489.105(3)(j)–(l)

What people call a pool license is three classes. Commercial pool/spa covers construction, repair and servicing of any swimming pool, hot tub or spa, “whether public, private, or otherwise, regardless of use.” Residential pool/spa covers the same scope of work, limited to a residential pool, hot tub or spa. Swimming pool/spa servicing is repair and servicing only — no construction — reaching interior refinishing and the repair or replacement of equipment. Structural swimming-pool work by a general contractor is one of the exceptions listed at 489.113(3)(a)–(g).

Which division regulates which class — and why “specialty” is the exception

“Division II” carries two different paragraph ranges in ch. 489, and collapsing them is a common error.

Contractor Division II is a definition. The flush text of Fla. Stat. 489.105(3) provides:

“Contractors are subdivided into two divisions, Division I, consisting of those contractors defined in paragraphs (a)-(c), and Division II, consisting of those contractors defined in paragraphs (d)-(q).”

That range runs to (q), the specialty contractor category.

Board Division II is a jurisdiction. Under Fla. Stat. 489.107(4)(b), the Construction Industry Licensing Board’s Division II has jurisdiction over the regulation of contractors defined in 489.105(3)(d)–(p) — the 13 classes in the table above, and no further. Fla. Stat. 489.107(4)(c) then assigns a specialty contractor under 489.105(3)(q) to whichever division has jurisdiction over that contractor’s scope of work. So a specialty contractor is Division II by definition, while the division that regulates that contractor is decided by the scope of the work. For the board itself, see which board regulates each class.

The (q) category differs in one more way. Certified specialty categories are established by board rule under Fla. Stat. 489.113(6), and 489.113(6)(a) provides:

“However, a certified specialty contractor category established by board rule exists as a voluntary statewide licensing category and does not create a mandatory licensing requirement. Any mandatory statewide construction contracting licensure requirement may only be established through specific statutory provision.”

A summary that lists the certified specialty categories as required licenses has the law backwards.

Why a general or building contractor needs a Division II license — or a subcontractor

A Division I license does not absorb the trades. Fla. Stat. 489.113(3) directs a contractor to subcontract all electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal, swimming pool and air-conditioning work unless that contractor holds a state certificate or registration in the respective trade category — subject to the exceptions in 489.113(3)(a)–(g), which this page does not restate. That duty runs on the licensed contractor: an unlimited Division I scope and a Division II certification are separate things to hold.

Fla. Stat. 489.113(2) sets out a separate route: a subcontractor who is not certified or registered may perform construction work under the supervision of a person who is, provided the work is within the scope of the supervising contractor’s license, the supervising contractor is responsible for the work, and the supervised subcontractor is not engaged in work that would require a license under 489.105(3)(d)–(o). The subsection does not affect local construction licensing ordinances. Whether a particular arrangement meets those conditions is for DBPR, the board and the local authority to determine. The Florida building contractor scope page covers the Division I class most often paired with these trades.

Division I or Division II?

Division I is the general, building and residential contractor classes at Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(a)–(c); Division II is the trade and specialty classes on this page. The distinction is how each paragraph is written: a Division I class in terms of the structures a contractor may build, a Division II class in terms of a trade. Division I general, building and residential classes compares those three; this page does not restate their limits. The state-level application path behind a Division I license is covered on how state contractor licensing works.

Electrical is not a Division II class

Electrical is not among the categories defined in Fla. Stat. 489.105(3), and 489.107(4)(b) limits board Division II jurisdiction to 489.105(3)(d)–(p). Electrical and alarm-system contracting sits in ch. 489 Part II and is regulated by the Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board (Fla. Stat. 489.507(1)) — a separate board, with a separate application. See which board regulates each class for the board detail.

Common questions

What is a specialty contractor license in Florida?

The specialty contractor category is Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(q), with certified categories established by board rule under 489.113(6). Under 489.113(6)(a) such a category is voluntary and creates no mandatory licensing requirement; mandatory statewide licensure comes only from a specific statutory provision.

What is the difference between a Class A and Class B air-conditioning license?

Capacity. Class A is “unlimited” in contracts requiring central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating and ventilating systems (Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(f)). Class B is the same trade “limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system” (489.105(3)(g)).

Is a roofing license Division I or Division II?

Division II. Roofing is Fla. Stat. 489.105(3)(e), inside the contractor Division II range (d)–(q) set by the flush text of 489.105(3) and inside board Division II’s jurisdiction over (d)–(p) under 489.107(4)(b).

Do I need a plumbing license to do plumbing work as a general contractor?

Fla. Stat. 489.113(3) requires a contractor to subcontract plumbing work unless the contractor holds a state certificate or registration in that trade, subject to the exceptions in (a)–(g) and the supervised-work provision in 489.113(2).

For the whole picture of how the state’s classes fit together, start from Florida contractor licensing explained.

This page summarizes Florida law and is general information, not legal advice. Verify class scopes and the current application form for a category with the Florida DBPR before acting.

Last verified: 2026-07-27