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AHCA Licensing and Health Care Clinic Exemptions in Florida
Florida requires an AHCA license of any health care clinic that fits none of the 17 exemptions in s. 400.9905(4), and a charge or claim by a clinic that needed one and lacked it is “noncompensable and unenforceable,” paid or not (s. 400.9935(3), F.S.). We give guidance on Florida licensing requirements and coordinate with your attorney on the legal questions.
The short answer
Does my practice need an AHCA license?
Yes, if it is a clinic under s. 400.9905(4) that fits none of its 17 exemptions. A clinic license costs $2,000 plus $300 every 2 years; an optional Certificate of Exemption, $100. A clinic that needed a license and lacked one can't enforce its charges. The Advixor Group gives guidance on Florida licensing requirements and coordinates with your attorney on the legal questions.
Sourcess. 400.9905, F.S.s. 400.9935, F.S.AHCA Form 3110-0013
License or Exemption
AHCA license or exemption: what s. 400.9905 says by owner
The rows cover the paragraphs most practices claim. AHCA rules on an exemption only through an application (next section); which paragraph fits your ownership is a question for your attorney.
| Who owns the practice | Clinic license? | License needed to bill auto insurance (PIP)? |
|---|---|---|
| MDs or DOs, dentists, or chiropractors, each group alone or with a spouse, parent, child or sibling | Exempt, para. (g), if a practitioner-owner supervises the business and is legally responsible for compliance | No, if wholly owned by one of these groups; mixed ownership is not on the (5)(h) list |
| APRNs, ch. 491 counselors and therapists, podiatrists, optometrists, physical therapists and other para. (g) licensees | Exempt on the same terms, supervising only within their scope of practice | Yes |
| An investor, a management company or a family member without a listed license | Required, unless another paragraph, such as (q), applies | Yes |
| A 501(c)(3) or (4) tax-exempt entity, a community college or university clinic or a government entity (para. (e)); a hospital or other para. (a) licensee, or an entity tied to one by ownership, within that license (paras. (a)–(d)) | Exempt | Yes, unless on the s. 627.736(5)(h) list |
| A Medicaid provider | Exempt, para. (q) | Yes, unless on the s. 627.736(5)(h) list |
Source ss. 400.9905(4) and 627.736(5)(h), F.S. (2026).
- 3,125licensed clinics active statewide; Miami-Dade held 1,366 of them (43.7%).
- 5,138Certificates of Exemption active statewide; Miami-Dade held 970 of them (18.9%).
Source AHCA’s facility locator (FloridaHealthFinder), searches run Oct 17, 2026.
“‘Clinic’ means an entity where health care services are provided to individuals and which tenders charges for reimbursement for such services, including a mobile clinic and a portable equipment provider.”
Certificate of Exemption
The AHCA exemption application (Certificate of Exemption)
Proof of an exemption is optional (s. 400.9935(6)):
- What you file: AHCA Form 3110-0014, naming the s. 400.9905(4) paragraph you claim, with the licenses, ownership, FEIN and Sunbiz records that prove it (Rule 59A-33.006(3)–(4)).
- $100 (or AHCA’s cost, if lower), valid up to 2 years, not transferable, renewed in the same window as a license.
- A cash-price posting first: what uninsured patients pay for at least your 50 most frequent services, on at least 15 square feet in the reception area.
- Owners and location as issued: a sale needs a new initial application.
- When it ends: exempt status “expires when a change occurs” that breaks the exemption, such as a non-practitioner buying in, and a late license application leaves you an unlicensed clinic (Rule 59A-33.006).
Auto Insurance (PIP)
Auto insurance (PIP): when an exempt practice needs a medical clinic license
The sentence that closes s. 400.9905(4) says an exempt entity “shall be deemed a clinic and must be licensed under this part in order to receive reimbursement under the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law,” unless s. 627.736(5)(h) excepts it. Its exceptions:
- Entities wholly owned by MDs or DOs, by dentists or by chiropractors (with family, as above)
- Hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and entities wholly owning or owned by a hospital
- Medical school clinics
- 42 CFR 485 subpart H providers
- Entities of public companies with $250 million or more in yearly health care sales, if a Florida licensee supervises them
Getting Licensed
How to get a health care clinic license from AHCA
File AHCA Form 3110-0013 under oath, with the fee, in AHCA’s Online Licensing System (s. 408.806(1)); changes of ownership or controlling interest can’t be filed online. It carries:
- Fees: $2,000, nonrefundable, plus a $300 assessment every 2 years; $25 for a name, address or clinic-type change or a replacement license.
- People: Level 2 fingerprint background screening of each owner of 5% or more, the director, the financial officer and the licensed practitioners; an account of any Medicare or Medicaid exclusion, permanent suspension or termination (s. 400.991(4)); and the director’s attestation, Form 3110-1028.
- Money: Form 3100-0009, proof of financial ability to operate (a public record once filed), and a surety bond of at least $500,000 if an applicant or controlling interest is a nonimmigrant alien (s. 408.8065(2)).
An initial license needs a passed inspection, and AHCA works to these clocks.
Sources ss. 408.806(2)–(3), 408.807(1), 408.810(3)–(4) and 408.811(4)–(5), F.S. (2026); Rule 59A-33.006, F.A.C.
Medical Director
Keeping a clinic license: the medical director’s duties
The medical director holds a full, unencumbered Florida license as an MD, DO, chiropractic or podiatric physician; a clinic offering none of their services may name another licensee clinic director, within that license (s. 400.9905(5)). The director accepts in writing legal responsibility for the name sign, practitioners’ license checks, referral contracts, the records and incident rules, and billing reviews at least every 30 days, logged and kept at least 3 years (s. 400.9935(1); Rule 59A-33.012).
- Limits: up to 5 clinics with no more than 200 employees and contractors combined, none more than 200 miles from another.
- Vacancy: grounds for emergency suspension and a fine of up to $5,000, each day after notice a new violation.
- Change: the report carries the new director’s attestation and the predecessor’s resignation or termination letter.
Inspections
What an AHCA inspection checks
Renewal and change inspections are unannounced, and “If a provider is not available when an inspection is attempted, the application shall be denied” (s. 408.806(7)(d)).
The director, the financial officer, an owner or manager and the records and billing staff attend the entrance conference. Surveyors ask for (Rule 59A-33.012):
- The director’s license, signed attestation, oversight logs and 2 years of duty records
- Written policies, PA and APRN protocols, and the records, office-surgery and adverse-incident procedures
- Personnel files, practitioners’ licenses and the Level 2 screening log
- Referral contracts, with unwritten ones disclosed
- At least 5 patient records from the last 6 months (one Medicaid, if enrolled) and their billing
- Equipment certifications or maintenance agreements, an organization chart and a signature log kept 5 years
Posted: the license, the director’s name, AHCA’s complaint line, the Medicaid fraud and DCF abuse hotlines, and the state’s insurance-fraud reward notice (ss. 408.804(2), 408.810(5), 400.9935(1), (9)).
Deadlines
AHCA licensing deadlines: renewal, changes and closing
AHCA mails a renewal reminder about 120 days out; not receiving it excuses nothing.
- $50a day for a late renewal, up to $500, and no application before expiry “renders the license void” (s. 408.806(2), (6)). Online only since March 5, 2024.
- $5,000for operating under new owners without applying; a change of ownership means a new FEIN or 51% or more changing hands (s. 400.995(5)).
- $500for filing a move or a new name late: a move is filed 21 to 120 days ahead (certificates too), a new name 60 to 120, and moving unfiled is unlicensed activity. Your name and mailing address must match your Sunbiz filing (Rule 59A-35.060(4)).
- 4weeks of weekly newspaper notices after you surrender the license on closing, or forward each patient’s records instead (s. 408.810(4)).
Sources ss. 408.806, 400.995 and 408.810, F.S.; AHCA, renewal and changes and Online Licensing System pages.
We keep your renewal window and change deadlines on our calendar.
What’s included
What our AHCA licensing guidance includes
AHCA background screening
AHCA's Level 2 fingerprint screening, step by step.
Learn moreAudit readiness
Mock surveys, help during inspections and corrective action plans.
Learn moreCompliance
Written policies, procedures and patient forms, kept current.
Learn moreVerify a Florida license
How to look up and verify a Florida practitioner's license.
Learn moreAccreditation
Accreditation readiness, preparation and survey coordination.
Learn moreHR and staff training
Personnel files and HR forms organized for AHCA surveyors.
Learn moreQuick answers
AHCA license questions, from exemptions to home health
What AHCA is, exemption answers by phone, a license per location, the attestation of compliance and home health agencies. Ask about your own clinic in a consultation.
What is AHCA in Florida?
Can AHCA tell me over the phone whether my practice is exempt?
Do I need a separate AHCA license for each location?
What is the AHCA attestation of compliance?
Does a home health agency need an AHCA license?
Talk to an advisor
You care for patients. Who’s taking care of the business?
Tell us where your practice is today. We will tell you what we would do first.
Official sources
- Florida Statutes (2026), read Oct 19, 2026: ss. 20.42, 20.43, 400.464, 400.471, 400.9905, 400.991, 400.9915, 400.9935, 400.995, 408.033, 408.804, 408.806, 408.8065, 408.807, 408.810, 408.811, 408.812, 435.05, 627.736, 775.082, 775.083
- Florida Administrative Code, Rules 59A-33.006 (read Oct 19, 2026), 59A-33.008, 59A-33.012, 59A-33.013 (read Oct 17, 2026)
- AHCA, read Oct 19, 2026: exemption, renewal and changes, clinic FAQ (Oct 29, 2021), Online Licensing System, Form 3110-0013 (July 2019), home health checklist; read Oct 17, 2026: licensing requirements, director, postings
- FloridaHealthFinder locator, searches run Oct 17, 2026