Posts Tagged ‘Class C Air-Conditioning Contractor’s License in Florida’

Florida Home Owners Face Risk Hiring Unlicensed Contractors

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Daniel Vasquez, a columnist from the Sun Sentinel asks in a May, 6th., 2012, article, “Would you place your air-conditioning unit or roof in the hands of a fly-by-night company to save a buck? Are there more unlicensed contractors offering bargains across Florida because of the bad economy?”

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America, are looking for the answer. For the past five months they have met with local contractors across the state to try to understand how widespread the problem of unlicensed contractor activity is, and to explore the possible solutions.

Vasquez writes that the most recent forum was held three weeks ago at The Westin in Fort Lauderdale, where three-dozen contractors showed up to gripe and strategize.

“What we heard in Fort Lauderdale is a reiteration of what we have heard from contractors throughout the state,” said Phil London, former president of the Florida chapter of the ACCA and current vice chair of the national organization, which represents more than 4,000 contractors. Based on what he heard at the forums held in South and Central Florida, “unlicensed activities seem to be increasing with the downturn of the economy and lack of enforcement funds within local building departments,” London said.

It was reported that Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation received 797 complaints related to air-conditioning companies in 2011, compared to 1,056 in 2010.

According to the Sun-Sentinel article, contractors at the Orlando and Fort Lauderdale meetings said among the issues that lead to unlicensed activity is the fact that wholesalers may sell air-conditioning equipment to unlicensed contractors, and that homeowners too often feel comfortable hiring a “handyman” for repairs and installations. This could result in risks to the homeowner. If someone whould get hurt while working on your property, you could be sued. Also, the unlicensed contracted may not have the proper insurance or capital to repair damage caused to property.

Vasquez says that  taking chances with your biggest investment is not worth the risk. It only takes homework and time to find a reputable contractor. Along with air-conditioning companies, the state requires about two-dozen industries to be registered or certified, including roofing, plumbing and swimming pool companies.

Soreide Law Group, PLLC, will represent you in front of the Florida Board of Contractors regarding licensing issues. To make an appointment to speak with an experienced and qualified attorney please call Soreide Law Group at: (888) 760-6552 or visit our website at: www.floridaprofessionallicense.com .

Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation and Cape Coral Police Department Arrest Two Unlicensed Contractors

Monday, July 12th, 2010

 

CAPE CORAL–On Tuesday, July 6, 2010, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Cape Coral Police Department protected consumers by arresting two unlicensed air conditioning contractors. The two individuals, Thomas Milan Williams (41) and Eugene Laurence Gentsch (43), illegally advertised services on Craigslist.com. DBPR partnered with the CCPD to respond to numerous complaints about the advertisements.

It is important to note that Florida law requires air conditioning contractors be licensed by DBPR. Unlicensed activity threatens the financial and personal safety of consumers, leaving them with little to no recourse. State-licensed professionals are also impacted by unlicensed activity. Unlicensed individuals often underbid licensed professionals, but they usually do not carry workers’ compensation or liability insurance, posing an increased threat to consumers and cutting out licensed professionals.

This information was obtained from the Deparmtent of Business and Professional Regulation’s website.

Soreide Law Group, PLLC, will represent you in front of the Florida Board of Contractors. To make an appointment to speak with an experienced and qualified attorney please call Soreide Law Group at:  (888) 760-6552 or visit our website at:  www.floridaprofessionallicense.com   .

Florida’s Contracting Codes and Class Codes

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Definitions including the occupation codes and class codes, where applicable

CG and RG – A “general contractor” means a contractor whose services are unlimited as to the type of work which he or she may do.

CB and RB – A “building contractor” means a contractor whose services are limited to the construction of commercial buildings and single-dwelling or multiple-dwelling residential buildings. These buildings cannot exceed three stories in height. A building contractor may also construct the “accessory use structures” in connection with these buildings. An accessory use structure would be a garage, guest house, garden shed, or other outbuilding. A building contractor is also a contractor whose services are limited to remodeling, repair, or improvement of any size building – if the services do not affect the structural elements of the building.

CR and RR – A “residential contractor” means a contractor whose services are limited to construction, remodeling, repair, or improvement of one-family, two-family, or three-family residences which are not more than two stories and the “accessory use structures” in connection with these buildings. An accessory use structure would be a garage, guest house, garden shed, or other outbuilding.

CS and RS – A “sheet metal contractor” means a contractor whose services are unlimited in the sheet metal trade and who has the experience and skill necessary for the manufacture, fabrication, assembling, handling, erection, installation, dismantling, conditioning, adjustment, insulation, alteration, repair, servicing, or design of ferrous or nonferrous metal work of U.S. No. 10 gauge or its equivalent or lighter gauge. A sheet metal contractor may also work with other materials, including, but not limited to, fiberglass.

CC and RC – A “roofing contractor” means a contractor whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade. Roofing contractors have the experience, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or design and use materials and items used in the installation, maintenance, extension, and alteration of all kinds of roofing, waterproofing, and coating, except when coating is not represented to protect, repair, waterproof, stop leaks, or extend the life of the roof. The scope of work of a roofing contractor also includes required roof-deck attachments and any repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia as needed during roof repair or replacement.

CA and RA – A “class A air-conditioning contractor” means a contractor whose services are unlimited in the execution of contracts requiring the experience, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend, or design central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems. Class A Contractors may also execute contracts requiring experience in the installation, maintenance, repair, fabrication, alteration, extension or design of duct work in connection with a complete system but only to the extent that such duct work is performed by the contractor as is necessary to complete an air-distribution system, boiler and unfired pressure vessel systems, and all appurtenances, apparatus, or equipment used in connection with them. A “class A air-conditioning contractor” shall not perform any work such as liquefied petroleum or natural gas fuel lines within buildings, potable water lines or connections, sanitary sewer lines, swimming pool piping and filters, or electrical power wiring.

CA and RA – A “class B air-conditioning contractor” means a contractor whose services are limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating in any one system in the execution of contracts requiring the experience, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend, or design central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems, including duct work in connection with a complete system. A “class B air-conditioning contractor” shall not perform any work such as liquefied petroleum or natural gas fuel lines within buildings, potable water lines or connections, sanitary sewer lines, swimming pool piping and filters, or electrical power wiring.

CA and RA – A “class C air-conditioning contractor” means a contractor whose business is limited to the servicing of air-conditioning, heating, or refrigeration systems, including any duct cleaning and equipment sanitizing which requires at least a partial disassembling of the system, and whose certification or registration, issued pursuant to this part, was valid on October 1, 1988. NOTE: No person not previously registered or certified as a “class C air-conditioning contractor” as of October 1, 1988, shall be so registered or certified after October 1, 1988.

CM and RM – A “mechanical contractor” means a contractor whose services are unlimited in the execution of contracts requiring the experience, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter, extend, or design central air-conditioning, refrigeration, heating, and ventilating systems, including duct work in connection with a complete system. A “mechanical contractor” shall not perform any work shall not include any work such as liquefied petroleum gas fuel lines within buildings, potable water lines or connections, sanitary sewer lines, swimming pool piping and filters, or electrical power wiring.

CP and RP – A “commercial pool/spa contractor” means a contractor whose scope of work involves, but is not limited to:
  •  the construction, repair, and servicing of any swimming pool, or hot tub or spa, including the repair or replacement of existing equipment or the installation of new equipment, as necessary;
  •  the layout, excavation, operation of construction pumps for dewatering purposes, steelwork, installation of light niches, construction of floors, guniting, fiberglassing, installation of tile and coping, installation of all perimeter and filter piping, installation of all filter equipment and chemical feeders of any type, plastering of the interior, construction of decks, construction of equipment rooms or housing for pool equipment, and installation of package pool heaters; and
  •  includes the scope of work of a swimming pool/spa servicing contractor.
  •  A “commercial pool/spa contractor” cannot perform direct connections to a sanitary sewer system or to potable water lines.
  •  The installation, construction, modification, or replacement of equipment permanently attached to and associated with the pool or spa for the purpose of water treatment or cleaning of the pool or spa requires licensure; however, the usage of such equipment for the purposes of water treatment or cleaning shall not require licensure unless the usage involves construction, modification, or replacement of such equipment.

CP and RP – A “residential pool/spa contractor” means a contractor whose scope of work involves, but is not limited to:
  •  the construction, repair, and servicing of any residential swimming pool or hot tub or spa including the repair or replacement of existing equipment or the installation of new equipment, as necessary;
  •  the layout, excavation, operation of construction pumps for dewatering purposes, steelwork, installation of light niches, construction of floors, guniting, fiberglassing, installation of tile and coping, installation of all perimeter and filter piping, installation of all filter equipment and chemical feeders of any type, plastering of the interior, construction of decks, installation of housing for pool equipment, and installation of package pool heaters; and
  •  includes the scope of work of a swimming pool/spa servicing contractor.
  •  A “residential pool/spa contractor” cannot perform direct connections to a sanitary sewer system or to potable water lines.
  •  The installation, construction, modification, or replacement of equipment permanently attached to and associated with the pool or spa for the purpose of water treatment or cleaning of the pool or spa requires licensure; however, the usage of such equipment for the purposes of water treatment or cleaning shall not require licensure unless the usage involves construction, modification, or replacement of such equipment.

CP and RP – A “swimming pool/spa servicing contractor” means a contractor whose scope of work involves the servicing and repair of any swimming pool or hot tub or spa. The scope of such work may include any necessary piping and repairs, replacement and repair of existing equipment, or installation of new additional equipment as necessary. The scope of such work includes:
  •  the reinstallation of tile and coping, repair and replacement of all piping, filter equipment, and chemical feeders of any type, replastering, reconstruction of decks, and reinstallation or addition of pool heaters;
  •  the installation, construction, modification, substantial or complete disassembly, or replacement of equipment permanently attached to and associated with the pool or spa for the purpose of water treatment or cleaning of the pool or spa requires licensure; and
  •  however, the usage of such equipment for the purposes of water treatment or cleaning shall not require licensure unless the usage involves construction, modification, substantial or complete disassembly, or replacement of such equipment.

CF and RF – A “plumbing contractor” means a contractor whose contracting business consists of the execution of contracts requiring the experience, financial means, knowledge, and skill to install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or, when not prohibited by law, design plumbing. A plumbing contractor may install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or design the following without obtaining any additional local regulatory license, certificate, or registration:
  •  sanitary drainage or storm drainage facilities;
  •  venting systems; public or private water supply systems;
  •  septic tanks; drainage and supply wells;
  •  swimming pool piping;
  •  irrigation systems; or
  •  solar heating water systems and all appurtenances, apparatus, or equipment used in connection with these, including boilers and pressure process piping and including the installation of water, natural gas (excluding liquid petroleum gases), and storm and sanitary sewer lines; and
water and sewer plants and substations;
  •  the design and installation, maintenance, repair, alteration, or extension of air-piping, vacuum line piping, oxygen line piping, nitrous oxide piping, and all related medical gas systems;
  •  fire line standpipes and fire sprinklers to the extent authorized by law; ink and chemical lines;
  •  fuel oil and gasoline piping and tank and pump installation, except bulk storage plants; and
  •  pneumatic control piping systems.

CU and RU – An “underground utility and excavation contractor” means a contractor whose services are limited to the construction, installation, and repair of:
  •  main sanitary sewer collection systems;
  •  main water distribution systems;
  •  storm sewer collection systems;
  •  the continuation of utility lines from the main systems to a point of termination up to and including the meter location for the individual occupancy, sewer collection systems at property line on residential or single-occupancy commercial properties, or on multioccupancy properties at manhole or wye lateral extended to an invert elevation as engineered to accommodate future building sewers, water distribution systems, or storm sewer collection systems at storm sewer structures; and
  •  install empty underground conduits in rights-of-way, easements, platted rights-of-way in new site development, and sleeves for parking lot crossings no smaller than 2 inches in diameter, provided that each conduit system installed is designed by a licensed professional engineer or an authorized employee of a municipality, county, or public utility and that the installation of any such conduit does not include installation of any conductor wiring or connection to an energized electrical system.
  •  An underground utility and excavation contractor shall not install any piping that is an integral part of a fire protection system as defined in s. 633.021 beginning at the point where the piping is used exclusively for such system.

CV – A “solar contractor” means a contractor whose services consist of the installation, alteration, repair, maintenance, relocation, or replacement of solar panels for potable solar water heating systems, swimming pool solar heating systems, and photovoltaic systems and any appurtenances, apparatus, or equipment used in connection with these systems.

PC – A “pollutant storage systems contractor” means a contractor whose services are limited to the installation, maintenance, repair, alteration, extension, or design and use of materials and items used in the installation, maintenance, extension, and alteration of, pollutant storage tanks.

SCC, RX – A “specialty contractor” means a contractor whose scope of work and responsibility is limited to a particular phase of construction and whose scope is limited to a subset of the activities described in the categories established in s. 489.105, F.S. Specialty contractors include Specialty Structure Contractors, Gypsum Drywall Contractors and Glass and Glazing Contractors.

This information was obtained on Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Website.

If you have a problem with your contractor’s license, Soreide Law Group, PLLC, will represent you in front of the Florida Board of Contractors. To make an appointment to speak with an experienced and qualified attorney please call Soreide Law Group at:  (888) 760-6552 or visit our website at:  www.floridaprofessionallicense.com