HVAC Technician License: Ohio → Florida

A step-by-step breakdown of what it takes for a licensed hvac technician in Ohio to become licensed in Florida, based on Florida's current certification by endorsement — 10-year licensure history (option c) — reciprocity not available for this classification rules.

Certification by Endorsement — 10-Year Licensure History (Option C) — Reciprocity Not Available for This Classification

Source: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB) ↗

Updated September 30, 2026

Portability Score

55/100

Moderate Effort

PermitBridge's own estimate, based on the exam, fee, and processing-time factors below — not an official government rating.

Exam: Not required
Processing: Processing time not published by the board
Fee: $350
Extra Hours: None

Step-by-Step Process

1
Florida's Reciprocity form (DBPR CILB 32, limited to Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina) offers no Air-Conditioning category at all, so reciprocity is unavailable to HVAC contractors in Florida regardless of home state. Ohio and Florida also have no reciprocity agreement with each other.
2
The applicable route is DBPR CILB 10, Certification by Endorsement (Section 489.115(3), Florida Statutes), which lists Class A and Class B Air-Conditioning as selectable categories.
3
Within CILB 10, the NASCLA-based route does not apply — the form restricts it to General, Building, and Residential licenses. The practical route for an Ohio HVAC contractor is Option C: hold a valid, current out-of-state contracting license for at least 10 years, active now or within the last 2 years, of a license type 'the same or similar as the license type being applied for.'
4
needs_review: Ohio's HVAC contractor license and Florida's Class A/B Air-Conditioning certification are both state contractor licenses, so Ohio's is plausibly 'similar' — but Ohio's license covers commercial work only, while Florida's Class A is unrestricted. Whether that satisfies Option C, and whether it maps to Class A or Class B, is CILB's determination.
5
needs_review: CILB 10's 2-hour Florida Building Code course requirement is scoped to General, Building, Residential, and Roofing applicants only — Air-Conditioning is not listed. Whether AC applicants face this requirement is not stated in the document and is not assumed here.
6
Submit verification of licensure showing at least 10 years and any discipline, a copy of Ohio's statutes/rules defining the HVAC contractor license, electronic fingerprints, a FICO-derived credit report, and proof of satisfaction of any liens, judgments, or bankruptcy.
7
Pay the $350 Endorsement application fee to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
8
Await processing — DBPR does not publish a guaranteed timeline; budget for several weeks to a few months.

Note: Florida-side forms confirmed 2026-09-30 by antiword extraction of the versions incorporated in Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. (effective 2026-06-28), downloaded from flrules.org: CILB 32 (Reciprocity, Ref-17723) lists Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina for General/Building/Residential only, with no Air-Conditioning category; CILB 10 (Endorsement, Ref-17718) lists Class A and Class B Air-Conditioning, $350 fee, Options A/B/C for all categories, NASCLA limited to General/Building/Residential, 2-hour Building Code course scoped to General/Building/Residential/Roofing. Option C requires 'at least 10 years' of out-of-state licensure, active within the last 2 years, and that 'the license type must be the same or similar as the license type being applied for.' Ohio side: OCILB's Out-of-State Examination Application (form dated 9/2025, dam.assets.ohio.gov) states OCILB 'issues state licenses to Electrical, HVAC, Refrigeration, Plumbing, and Hydronics Contractors who perform commercial work', and the license must be assigned to a contracting company — i.e. a contractor-level license, the same level as Florida's certification. No Florida agreement exists among OCILB's published per-state reciprocity agreements (404 for a Florida file; HVAC agreements are with AL, KY, LA, MS, SC, TN, WV). needs_review: the 'same or similar' judgment (Ohio commercial-only vs. Florida's unrestricted Class A) is CILB's and is not resolved by either form; the 2-hour course question carries over from the other Florida HVAC records.

HVAC Technician Transfers From Ohio to Other States

State	Pathway	Exam?	Score	Link
California	Full New Application Required — No Reciprocity or Exam Waiver Available for C-20	Yes	15	View
New York	Universal License Recognition (Endorsement)	Yes	50	View
Texas	Standard Application Required — No Reciprocity; Out-of-State License Evaluated Case by Case	Yes	35	View

Frequently Asked Questions About This Transfer

Can I transfer my hvac technician license from Ohio to Florida?+

Yes, via certification by endorsement — 10-year licensure history (option c) — reciprocity not available for this classification. No additional trade exam is required in most cases. The licensing board does not publish a processing time.

How much does it cost to transfer a hvac technician license to Florida?+

Budget approximately $350 for the Florida application fee alone. Exam fees, if required, and any additional continuing-education hours are typically separate costs charged by third-party providers.

Does my EPA 608 certification transfer to a new state?+

Yes. EPA Section 608 refrigerant handling certification is federal and valid nationwide for life. Only your state or local HVAC contractor license needs to be re-established when you move.