These are the diagnostic fees and repair ranges Tampa Bay appliance companies publish for their own work, set next to the tax, permit and licensing rules the state, the county and the city publish for theirs. Nothing here is a quote for your machine.
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Six boxes, about thirty seconds. You pick when to be called back, and that is when the phone rings.
Or call (813) 722-1409Florida taxes the entire repair charge, labor included, whenever the shop supplies a part that becomes part of the machine, even if parts are not itemized. Labor only work is exempt only when the invoice documents that no parts were used.
The county's discretionary sales surtax for 2026 brings the combined rate on a taxable repair invoice in Tampa to 7.5 percent.
The county tax collector lists small appliance repair among tasks that do not require a contractor license, and issues no handyman receipt at all. Business tax receipts run to September 30 and are delinquent October 1.
Hillsborough County Tax Collector business tax license categories
Tampa charges $120 for a general residential plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit and $162 for natural or LP gas piping. Every permit carries a state building surcharge of 2.5 percent of permit value, with a $4 floor.
Every range below is what companies working in Tampa publish for that job, gathered from the numbered price pages under the table. It spans what several of them show, so the figures move with the specifics of the property and with who does the work. Nothing here is a quote, and no business has set a price on this page. A real number comes from whoever looks at the job.
| The job | Range seen | Billed as | What moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service call and diagnosis on one appliance | $65–$1201234 | per visit | Professional posts $65 and Teodor $79, both waived when the repair is approved. Smart deducts its $89 from the bill, and Hartman's $120 is waived on approval. |
| Diagnosis on a luxury or sealed system brand | $119–$18534 | per visit | Smart posts $119 for premium brands. Hartman's posts $185 for Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking and Bosch, for LG and Samsung refrigerators, and for stacked laundry. |
| Refrigerator that stopped cooling | $190–$500125 | flat | Teodor posts $200 to $450, DiChristopher $200 to $500, Professional $190 to $470 across most repairs. All three describe parts and labor together. |
| Compressor or sealed system work on a refrigerator | $400–$80012 | flat | Teodor posts $400 to $800 and up for a compressor replacement. Professional posts $490 to $800 for compressor and sealed system repairs by brand and model. |
| Washer that will not drain, spin or stay quiet | $120–$60025 | flat | Teodor posts $120 to $350 for common faults and $300 to $600 and up for a motor or transmission. DiChristopher posts $150 to $400 for motor and seal work. |
| Dryer that tumbles but will not heat | $100–$35025 | flat | Teodor posts $150 to $300 for no heat, $180 to $350 for a heating element and $100 to $200 for a thermal fuse. DiChristopher posts $120 to $350. |
| Oven, range or cooktop brought back into service | $100–$60025 | flat | Teodor posts $100 to $250 for a burner igniter and $250 to $600 and up for a control board. DiChristopher posts $150 to $400 for element, igniter and control work. |
Prices each of these companies publishes on its own site, read on the date shown in each listing. A published price can change without notice, so treat a number here as what was posted rather than what you will be told today.
Four Tampa Bay shops publish the same structure with different numbers: a flat fee to diagnose the fault and put a written estimate in your hand, then that fee waived or deducted once the repair is approved. The published figures are $65, $79, $89 and $120. Read the wording rather than the number: one company publishes both a $19 service call and a separate $120 diagnostic fee that goes away on approval, so the trip is not free even when the diagnosis is.
The same reading habit sets the floor on a small job. One shop publishes an $89 diagnostic deducted from the total plus a $185 minimum labor fee, so the smallest invoice once a part is fitted is $185 plus the part, not $274.
Florida's rule catches people out. If the shop supplies any part that becomes part of the machine, the whole repair charge is taxable, labor included, even when parts are not listed separately. Labor only work is exempt when the invoice documents that no parts were used. The state rate is 6 percent and Hillsborough County adds 1.5 percent, so a taxable repair invoice in Tampa carries 7.5 percent. On a $500 refrigerator repair that is another $37.50, and no national cost page carries it.
There is no state appliance repair license to check. The Hillsborough County Tax Collector lists small appliance repair among tasks that do not require a contractor license, and issues no handyman receipt at all. Screening falls to the homeowner: a written estimate before any part is ordered, and the warranty term in writing on both part and labor.
The permitted trades are the bright line. Once a repair turns into moving a water line or altering a circuit, the City of Tampa trade permit fee schedule applies: $120 for a general residential plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit, $162 for natural or LP gas piping, each with a state surcharge of 2.5 percent of permit value and a $4 floor.
The usual guideline is to repair when the repair costs less than half of a comparable new machine, and one local shop states it in those terms. Two local factors bend it. Tampa water is hard enough to scale heating elements and clog ice makers early, so several of the low-cost repairs here tend to recur when the water side is ignored. The humid coastal air is equally hard on dryer transitions and control boards in unconditioned closets and garages.
A usable estimate names the diagnostic fee and how it is treated, the part number, labor separately from the part, the tax, and the warranty on each. It also says whether the sealed system is involved, the row where prices roughly double.
Brand premiums on diagnosis, parts out of production on a ten year old model, the extra labor to pull a stacked laundry pair apart, and the 7.5 percent that lands on the total the moment a part is involved.
Get the appliance checked where the problem is happening, with the repair price stated before work begins. For an active leak, shut off the appliance water supply if it is safe. For a hot plug, smoke, or burning smell, stop using the appliance and turn off power at the breaker.
Call (813) 722-1409Upfront pricing · No obligation · Local Hillsborough County technician