Replacing a central air conditioner or heat pump is permitted work in every Florida county and in most of the country. That is true whether the contractor supplied the equipment or you did. Here is how the process runs when the crates come from us, and what the inspector will actually look at.
Who pulls the permit
Your licensed installer does, under their licence, with you as the owner. It is a mechanical permit, sometimes with a separate electrical permit if the disconnect or circuit changes. Florida lets a homeowner pull permits as an owner-builder only for work they do themselves, and since opening a refrigerant circuit requires EPA Section 608 certification, in practice the contractor pulls it.
Some contractors will not pull a permit on equipment they did not sell. Settle that before you book them — it is the first question in how to find an installer. A contractor who is willing to install customer-supplied equipment but "doesn't bother with permits" is telling you something else about how they work.
What the application asks for
The AHRI certificate number for the exact condenser and indoor unit pairing. Florida permit offices want it because the efficiency rating on the permit belongs to the certified pair, not the condenser. Every complete system on this site has one, and you can look up any combination in the AHRI match checker.
Equipment sizing. The Florida energy code requires equipment to be sized by a load calculation — Manual J for the load, Manual S for the equipment selection. Many jurisdictions accept a like-for-like replacement with the sizing form; some want the calculation attached. Either way this is your installer's document, based on the house, and it is why we do not size systems remotely.
Model numbers, the contractor's licence, and the property details. Your order confirmation from us has every model number.
A Notice of Commencement is generally not required for an ordinary residential changeout below the statutory threshold; the permit office will say if your job needs one.
What the inspector checks
The final inspection happens with the system installed and running. In Florida the usual list is:
Tie-downs. The condenser has to be anchored to its pad or stand to the wind-load standard. An unstrapped condenser is the most common reason a Florida final fails.
Condensate protection. A float switch or secondary drain pan on the air handler so an overflowing drain shuts the system off instead of flooding the ceiling.
The electrical disconnect within sight of the condenser, and correct breaker and wire size for the unit's nameplate.
A heat source in the air handler — the electric heat kit — on both straight-AC and heat pump systems. Order it with the equipment; see heat pump or AC in Florida.
The equipment matches the permit — model numbers on the data plates against the application — and, where ductwork was touched, that it is sealed.
The inspection is not looking at where you bought the equipment. It is looking at whether the right equipment was installed the right way. A system from us with a clean install passes exactly like a system the contractor supplied.
Why it is worth the fee
Permit fees for a changeout are modest. What an unpermitted install costs is not: an insurance claim for water or wind damage can be refused when the system was never inspected, the work has to be disclosed when the house is sold, and a manufacturer can refuse a warranty claim on an install that was not done by a licensed contractor. How long the warranty actually runs covers that last one.
The order of operations
Book the installer and agree who pulls the permit. Confirm the pairing in the AHRI checker. Order the system — it ships in 3 to 7 business days and arrives on a liftgate truck; see receiving a freight delivery. The installer applies for the permit, installs, calls the inspection, and registers the warranty. Keep the permit and the inspection record with the house papers.
Questions?
If your installer or your county asks for something about the equipment you cannot find — a certificate, a spec sheet, the AHRI number — call or email and we will send it the same day.
(239) 266-9766 · sales@hvacsupplypro.com