The Swimming Pool/Spa Servicing Contractor license (sometimes called “Class C”) is the state-level license for pool repairwork. If you fix equipment, replace parts, repipe, or resurface — but you don't build new pools — this is your license.
What a Servicing Contractor license lets you do
- Repair and replace pool pumps, filters, heaters, salt cells
- Repair and replace plumbing, valves, fittings
- Resurface pool plaster, PebbleTec, Diamond Brite, quartz, tile
- Service and repair any residential, commercial, or public pool
- Install automation systems (within pool scope)
What you cannot do with this license
- Build a brand-new pool from scratch
- Do structural work on the pool shell
- Excavate for a new pool
- Construct a brand-new pool deck as part of new construction
If you need to do ANY of the above, you need a Certified Pool Contractor (CPC) license instead.
Requirements
- Age: at least 18
- Experience:4 years in pool servicing/repair work, with 1 year in a supervisory role. Experience must match the repair scope — time spent only building new pools doesn't count the same way.
- You can sometimes substitute 3 years via an approved service certification course (check FSPA or the DBPR website for currently-approved courses).
- Exams: same two — trade-specific Servicing exam + business & finance
- Credit: same FICO ~660+ or financial responsibility course
- Fingerprinting and background check
- Insurance: general liability + workers' comp (or exemption)
- Fees: application, exam, and registration fees
The servicing exam
The Servicing Contractor exam differs from the CPC trade exam — less focus on construction, more focus on repair, equipment troubleshooting, and chemistry. Topics:
- Pool equipment repair and replacement
- Filter and pump servicing
- Heater diagnosis and repair
- Plumbing repair techniques
- Water chemistry fundamentals
- Pool code (servicing scope)
- Business & finance (same exam as CPC)
Why many pool techs start here
The CPC is prestigious but overkill for companies that don't build. The Servicing Contractor license:
- Has lower capital requirements
- Narrower exam scope — easier to pass
- Lets you run a full-service repair and renovation business
- You can always add the CPC later if you expand
Costs
Very similar to the CPC — plan on $2,000 – $6,000 all-in, plus insurance annuals. Slightly lower than CPC because the scope is narrower and some counties charge less for the narrower license.
How to verify a current license
Anyone can look up an active Florida pool license online. Go to myfloridalicense.com, click License Search, and enter the license number or company name. Contractors are required to put their license number on trucks, ads, and contracts.