HVAC in Miami, FL: written quotes on one scope

To hire an HVAC contractor in Miami, describe the job once and compare written quotes on that one scope. The City of Miami post-storm permitting plan names AC system replacement, condenser or air handler replacement and ductwork repair or replacement as permit work (read 17 October 2026).

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources read: 17 October 2026 Latest source read: 22 October 2026 Updated 2026-11-03

Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

For your AI assistant

MCP connector · REST API · plain HTML

Hand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.

MCP connector URLhttps://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp
Agent API (OpenAPI)https://instabids.ai/openapi.json
Start-request linkhttps://instabids.ai/intake?trade=ac&from=hire-hvac--fl--miami&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=hire&page_type=hire&place=miami%2C+FL#job=heating%20or%20air-conditioning%20job
Prompt for any AI, with your job

Open it in your assistant

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Key facts for hiring an HVAC contractor in Miami

City of Miami permit work for HVAC: AC system replacement, condenser or air handler replacement, and ductwork repair or replacement (post-storm permitting plan, read 17 October 2026).
The City of Miami Easy Permit page lists air-conditioning change-outs among its typical Easy Permits (read 17 October 2026).
Central heating replacement is on the City of Miami list of Mechanical Easy Permits (read 17 October 2026).
Home heating fuel in Miami: electricity 90.8% (plus or minus 0.5 points), no fuel 5.5% of occupied homes (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Florida DBPR Online Services gives information on applicants and license holders in the professions and businesses DBPR regulates (read 22 October 2026).

How to get written quotes on one scope

The City of Miami Easy Permit page lists air-conditioning change-outs among its typical Easy Permits (read 17 October 2026), and its Mechanical Easy Permits list includes central heating replacement (read 17 October 2026).

The same Miami page sends Easy Permit applications through the City iBuild portal, asks the applicant to search for the contractor qualifier number, and shows the fee summary on screen when the application is submitted (City of Miami page captured 23 October 2026).

Ask each written quote to say who files the City of Miami application, whether it goes in as an Easy Permit or a full mechanical permit, and to show the City permit fee as its own line.

Describe the job once, using the scope checklist below, built from what we found for Miami.
Post it on InstaBids and send it.
Every quote is written against the same scope, so they compare line by line.
You choose who gets your number.
Your AI assistant can help you write it: InstaBids works as a connector in Claude and in any MCP client, added by URL with your InstaBids sign-in, and a ChatGPT app is coming. You send the request yourself. Connect an assistant

Your written scope for a heating or air-conditioning job in Miami

For AC repair in Miami, the City of Miami post-storm permitting plan names AC system replacement and condenser or air handler replacement as permit work (read 17 October 2026).

Miami also keeps a Work Exempt from Permit page with a mechanical section covering coil, compressor and refrigerant piping repair and duct repair (read 17 October 2026); its exact words are quoted in the permit section below.

Electricity heats 90.8% of occupied homes in Miami (Census ACS 2020-2024), so write the heat type, the parts being replaced and the system size into your scope; then every quote prices the same Miami job.

The equipment: capacity, efficiency rating and model, in writing
Heat source: if yours is one of Miami's homes that heat with electricity, ask whether a heat pump fits the job
Who pulls the Miami permit for A/C system replacement, and when the inspection is booked
Whether the Miami permit exemption quoted below covers your job, or the job needs a permit
Removal and disposal of the old parts or materials
Warranty terms on parts and labor, in writing

Miami-Dade County declared permit values

Miami-Dade County, FL: declared value on building permits
What was measured	Median declared value	Declared value range (middle half)
For air-conditioning change-out jobs in Miami-Dade County, residential permits show	a median declared value on building permits of $6,474	the typical range (middle half of 592 Miami-Dade County permit data points, Miami-Dade County, FL, 2024-2026) was $4,200 to $10,000

Declared permit values are what applicants reported to the county; final contract prices can differ.

As is, informational only; source: Miami-Dade County.

How measured: residential single-job permits; declared values below half the national hired-out 25th percentile for the same job removed (147 rows). Source: Miami-Dade County building permits, data read 17 October 2026.

These figures are estimates from Miami-Dade County building permits, data years 2024-2026, read 17 October 2026, for Miami-Dade County, FL. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.

Do you need a permit for HVAC?

Miami's permit page (read 17 October 2026):

“Mechanical (HVAC) Permits”
“AC system replacement”
“Condenser or air handler replacement”
“Ductwork repair or replacement”

Open Miami's source page

Miami's permit page on work exempt from permits (read 17 October 2026): “Coil/compressor/refrigerant piping repair: Minor A/C part fixes by a licensed professional.” Open Miami's source page

Miami's permit page on work exempt from permits (read 17 October 2026): “Duct repair: Fixing HVAC ducts without system replacement.” Open Miami's source page

Do you need a license to do HVAC in Florida?

Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board, part of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), is the state board that licenses and regulates the construction industry (board page read 22 October 2026).

DBPR Online Services gives information about applicants and license holders in the professions DBPR regulates (read 22 October 2026). After you pick a contractor, search it by the name or license number it gives you, and compare the license type it shows with your job.

Florida license lookup guide

Local job questions

Ask which heat source the quoted equipment will use.

Median hourly wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL area, May 2025: $27.90 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).

This is what workers in this occupation are paid per hour. It is not what a contractor charges for a job.

How does InstaBids work?

InstaBids does not hold payment for the work; you pay the contractor directly on the terms of the bid you accepted.

How is InstaBids different?

Each bidder appears under a stable label such as Contractor A, so you judge the work, not the brand.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.

Sources for the facts on this page

Miami permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.miami.gov
Miami permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.miami.gov
Miami permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.miami.gov
myfloridalicense.com, read 22 October 2026: www2.myfloridalicense.com
myfloridalicense.com, read 22 October 2026: www.myfloridalicense.com
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25040), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (series OEUM003310000000049902108), May 2025, read 17 October 2026: api.bls.gov
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25040), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov
Miami-Dade County building permits, https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=6db5f56e886446df88313ca279e59120, read 17 October 2026. County open data provided "as is" and "for illustration purposes only"; it "should not be used for making financial or any other commitments". No endorsement implied.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.