Pool owners in Florida get two kinds of people offering to help: the pool cleaner and the pool contractor. They are not the same trade, the state treats them differently, and knowing the line saves you money in both directions.
What the law says
Florida's contractor licensing statute, Chapter 489, requires a state-licensed pool or spa contractor for work on the structure and the equipment: pumps, filters, heaters, plumbing, electrical, resurfacing, and anything that involves taking equipment apart. The same statute specifically says that cleaning a pool and treating its water, when that work doesn't affect the structure or the equipment, does not require a license. That's the line.
Cleaning and chemistry (no license)
- Skimming, brushing, vacuuming
- Emptying skimmer and pump baskets
- Testing the water and adding chemicals to balance it
- Cleaning or backwashing a filter as routine maintenance
- Reporting equipment problems to you
Repair and equipment (licensed contractor)
- Replacing or repairing a pump, motor, filter, heater or salt cell
- Plumbing and leak repair
- Anything electrical, including timers and automation
- Resurfacing, tile, coping, deck
- Draining and refilling a pool
Why it matters to you
A cleaner who "can probably fix that pump" is working outside the license, and if it goes wrong you have no recourse and no warranty. A contractor who charges a contractor's rate to skim your pool weekly is charging you for a license you're not using. Each job has a right trade, and the cheapest way to run a pool is to use each for what it's for.
Public pools are a third category
Condo, HOA, hotel and rental-complex pools are public pools under Florida Department of Health rules and need a certified pool operator on the maintenance. That's why a residential cleaning service won't touch your building's pool, no matter how nicely the board asks.
How we handle it
We do cleaning and chemistry, every week, and nothing else. Our techs note equipment problems in your photo report and we'll point you to a licensed contractor if you want one. We don't take a referral fee, and we don't guess at repairs. That's the whole reason weekly pool cleaning is priced the way it is.