Florida’s Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor is a certified Division II category under section 489.105(3)(g), Florida Statutes, issued through the Construction Industry Licensing Board within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Its services are limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system, and its Trade Knowledge examination — Air Conditioning “B” — carries 80 scored questions in 5 hours of Daily CBT, with the published passing standard stated in the Candidate Information Booklet’s own form: Passing score: 70%. The PassProfessor Florida Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor program prepares candidates for that examination.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
What this credential certifies
A Florida Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor holds a certificate of competency issued by the department and may contract in any jurisdiction in the state without fulfilling that jurisdiction’s own competency requirements. Certification is the statewide route; the registered route reaches only where its local registration stands, and this program covers the certified license only.
Class B is a separate program from Class A, not a smaller copy of it. The two classes share their authority, vendor system, reference list, code layers, and passing standard — and differ in the places that decide what work a holder may sign for and what paper a candidate must pass. The cap comes first: Class B services are limited in size where Class A services are unlimited. The piping definition comes second: a narrower piping sentence and no boiler scope. This program is built entirely on the Class B delta.
The examination at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | Florida Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor — Air Conditioning “B” Trade Knowledge |
| Regulator | Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) |
| Statutory category | Section 489.105(3)(g), Florida Statutes — Division II, certified |
| Scope cap | Limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system |
| Examination structure | Two examinations: Trade Knowledge and Business and Finance (structure only in this program) |
| Trade Knowledge examination | 80 scored questions / 5 hours, Daily CBT; multiple choice, four alternatives, equally weighted |
| Passing standard | Passing score: 70% — percentage scores, not rounded |
| Book status | Open book, controlled references from the approved list; candidates must bring an Architect’s Scale (including 1/4″ and 1/8″) |
| Code layers | Tested and adopted coincide for 2026: the 2023 Florida Building Code (8th Edition) |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the CILB or DBPR |
The cap, and the scope inside it
Class B services are limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system, in the same install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend, or design work — if not prohibited by law — on central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems as Class A performs, including duct work in connection with a complete system only to the extent such duct work is performed as necessary to complete an air-distribution system being installed under this classification, and any duct cleaning and equipment sanitizing that requires at least a partial disassembling of the system. The cap is written per system: it measures the system being worked on, and work beyond it belongs to the unlimited class.
Inside the cap, the second difference narrows the piping ground. Class B covers piping and insulation of pipes, vessels, and ducts only. The Class B definition does not list pressure and process piping or pneumatic control piping, and it does not list boiler and unfired pressure vessel systems — all of which appear in the Class A and Mechanical definitions. A holder reading the unlimited class’s piping sentence onto this license would overstate the credential in three distinct places, and the examination’s scope items are written to catch exactly that reading.
The rest of the definition is verified as identical to Class A, stated here as shared ground: the electrical allowances — line or load side of the dedicated existing electrical disconnect switch on single-phase systems, dedicated HVAC circuit work with proper use of a circuit breaker lock, and low-voltage HVAC control wiring; the condensate-drain allowance to an existing safe waste or other approved disposal other than a direct connection to a sanitary system; the incidental-excavation inclusion; the exclusions — liquefied petroleum or natural gas fuel lines within buildings except appliance changeouts, potable water lines or connections thereto, sanitary sewer lines, swimming pool piping and filters, and electrical power wiring; and the test-and-evaluate sentence, under which the contractor may test and evaluate systems including duct work and no mandatory licensing requirement is established for those services. Section 489.113(3) applies across the family: a contractor shall subcontract all work in a trade category unless the contractor holds a state certificate or registration in that category.
How the Trade Knowledge examination is weighted
Rule 61G4-16.001(6)(b) publishes nine weighted areas for the Class B paper. Installation of Refrigeration and HVAC Systems carries 22 percent — the largest area, one point below its Class A weight. Installation of Refrigeration and HVAC Equipment and Components and Maintenance Service each carry 14 percent. Pre-installation carries 12 percent. Maintenance Analysis and Safety and Equipment each carry 10 percent. Sheet Metal Ducts carries 9 percent, Energy Management 5 percent, and Indoor Air Quality 4 percent. The weights sum to 100 percent.
Five of the nine areas are weighted differently from the Class A paper — pre-installation, systems installation, maintenance analysis, safety and equipment, and indoor air quality — while the other four are weighted identically. Like Class A, this paper has no Excavating area and no separate mechanical systems areas; those belong to the Mechanical examination. The Class B weighting leans a little further toward analysis, safety, and indoor air quality, and a study plan built from Class A weights would misallocate time in five areas at once.
The sitting: vendors, format, and reference discipline
Florida’s examination system runs in two layers that must never be merged, identical for this class: Professional Testing, Inc. (PTI) registers candidates, and develops and scores the professional examinations for the Construction Industry Licensing Board, with candidates applying directly with PTI; after PTI approval, Pearson VUE schedules, administers, scores, and reports the CBT examinations. All construction examinations except the Plumbing Contractor examination are administered in CBT format, under the DBPR Candidate Information Booklet, effective July 2024. The vendor mechanics do not differ between Class A and Class B; only the trade examination’s count, duration, and weights differ.
Every question is multiple choice with four alternative answers, equally weighted, and knowledge of basic mathematics is required. The examination is open book under controlled conditions: only materials on the approved reference list may be brought, in published condition, with permanent tabs only, no handwritten or typewritten notes, no marking in references during the examination, and no photocopies without prior written authorization; earlier or later editions are brought at the candidate’s own risk, and only one copy of each reference is permitted. Class B candidates must bring an Architect’s Scale, including 1/4″ and 1/8″ — a supply rule, not a practical component; no hands-on practical appears in the sourced record. An examination may contain a small number of pilot questions; they are not counted in computing scores, additional time is given for them, and they are not identified to the candidate. No fixed pilot count is published in the sourced record, and none is stated here.
Tested and adopted: the 2023 Florida Building Code, stated as two layers
The tested and adopted layers coincide for the 2026 window, and the reference layer does not differ between the classes: the Air A and Air B reference lists are identical in titles and editions, both verified in full from the DBPR lists valid January 2026 through December 2026, headed by Florida Building Code – Mechanical, 2023 and Florida Building Code – Energy Conservation, 2023. The adopted layer is the field standard — the 8th Edition (2023) Florida Building Code, Mechanical, effective December 31, 2023 and in force until the 9th Edition takes effect, built on the 2021 IMC with Florida-specific amendments. Answers key to the Florida text, not to bare IMC 2021, wherever the two differ.
Who may sit: the general gates and the ladder through Class B
The general gates are the section 489.111 frame shared across Division II: written application, 18 years of age, good moral character — refusal on that ground permitted only on a substantial connection to the professional responsibilities of a certified contractor, supported by clear and convincing evidence — electronic fingerprints, and one of the statute’s criteria: a degree in an appropriate field plus one year of proven experience; four years of active experience with at least one year as a foreman; or the combination routes that each keep the foreman year, at 2,000 person-hours per year. Passing alone does not qualify a person for licensure; the application for initial issuance follows. The degree provision also reaches this category: a degree in building construction, or a board-approved related degree, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher leaves only the Business and Finance portion to be passed.
Class B also sits on the family’s ladder, in both directions. Inbound, under section 489.111(2)(c)5, an active certified Class C contractor with three years of proven experience is eligible to take the Class B examination. Class C itself, stated as context only, is limited to servicing of air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration systems and is grandfathered to persons registered or certified as Class C on October 1, 1988. Outbound, an active certified Class B contractor with one year of proven experience is eligible to take the Class A examination — the step that removes the cap.
The second examination, stated as a boundary
Certification requires passing two examinations: the Air Conditioning “B” Trade Knowledge examination this program prepares candidates for, and the Business and Finance examination — 120 scored questions, 6.5 hours, Daily CBT, within the same PTI and Pearson VUE system. This program records that structure and nothing more: the Business and Finance examination is a shared asset across Division II, identical in structure for Class A and Class B, and its content belongs to that shared program. Its boundary mechanics still apply: a passing candidate applying for examination in an additional category may be exempt from retaking the Business and Finance portion, and the degree provision above waives the trade examination while leaving the Business and Finance examination fully required.
Staying certified: financial responsibility, continuing education, and renewal
The financial-responsibility gates precede issuance: an affidavit of workers’ compensation, public liability, and property damage insurance in board-rule amounts, and a credit report from a nationally recognized agency. Under Rule 61G4-15.006, certification may be denied for failure to provide a current consumer credit report disclosing no unsatisfied judgments or liens, or proof of a FICO-derived credit score of 660 or higher; below 660, the only cure is completion of a 14-hour board-approved financial responsibility course. The insurance table at Rule 61G4-15.003 lists the air-conditioning classification at liability coverage of 100,000 dollars and property damage coverage of 25,000 dollars, carried in the licensee’s name at all times, and workers’ compensation coverage is a condition precedent to issuance or renewal.
Continuing education is 14 hours per biennium from a Board-approved provider — one hour each in a specialized or advanced module course, workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, and laws and rules, with nine further hours in listed or general topics; the wind-mitigation hour does not apply to this classification. Certificates renew every two years, on August 31 of every even-numbered year, and a passing grade remains valid for four years from Board approval of the successful-candidates list. No examination fee dollar and no initial application fee dollar is stated anywhere in this program: no fee figure for this credential is verified in the sourced record, and candidates should treat fee figures from secondary sources as unverified.
Our companion guide, at /florida-class-b-air-conditioning-contractor-exam-guide/, works through the cap, the piping delta, and the ladder in both directions.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The delta as the syllabus. This program is built from section 489.105(3)(g) outward: the 25-ton and 500,000 Btu cap per system, the piping sentence with its three absences — boiler and unfired pressure vessel systems, pressure and process piping, pneumatic control piping — and the Class B weights in their own right, so every practice item belongs to the capped class’s paper rather than to its unlimited counterpart’s.
The shared books, the distinct paper. Because the Air B reference list is identical to the Air A list, this program teaches candidates to work the same 2023 Florida Building Code volumes toward a different sitting: 80 scored questions in 5 hours, weighted toward analysis, safety, and indoor air quality a point or two more heavily than the unlimited paper.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Construction Industry Licensing Board or the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and this program is not a Florida course. Completing it confers no certificate; the Board alone certifies, and candidates register through PTI and Pearson VUE.
Tell me when enrollment opens. The Florida Class B Air-Conditioning Contractor program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Our catalog now includes this program among the Florida contractor categories in preparation. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when it is ready — and only about this program.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Class B size limit?
25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system. Class A carries no cap.
What scope does Class B lack that Class A carries?
Boiler and unfired pressure vessel systems, pressure and process piping, and pneumatic control piping.
How many questions does the Air Conditioning “B” Trade Knowledge examination carry, and how long does it run?
80 scored questions in 5 hours, Daily CBT. All questions are multiple choice with four alternatives, equally weighted.
What score passes?
Passing score: 70%, in the Candidate Information Booklet’s own form. Scores are reported as percentage scores and are not rounded. The pass form does not differ between Class A and Class B.
Is the examination open book?
Yes, under controlled conditions: only materials on the approved reference list may be brought, in published condition, with permanent tabs only and no notes. Candidates must also bring an Architect’s Scale. The Air B reference list is identical in titles and editions to the Air A list.
How does a contractor reach Class B, and how does a Class B holder move up?
An active certified Class C contractor with three years of proven experience in the classification is eligible to take the Class B examination. An active certified Class B contractor with one year of proven experience is eligible to take the Class A examination.
How much continuing education does renewal require?
Fourteen hours per biennium from a Board-approved provider, including one hour each in a specialized or advanced module, workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, and laws and rules, with nine further hours in listed topics.
When does enrollment open?
The program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when it is ready — and only about this program.