HVAC license lookup by state
Of the 50 states we surveyed, 35 states license HVAC contractors at the state level, 4 register them without a competency license, and 11 leave licensing to cities and counties or have no state license we could find. The table names the state board and links its official license lookup where we could load it. Treat the board's own record as final.
Look up an HVAC license by state
| State | Credential | Board | Official lookup | Job-size threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State license | Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors | Search Alabama licenses | None recorded |
| Alaska | State registration | Alaska DCCED, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing | Search Alaska licenses | None recorded |
| Arizona | State license | Arizona Registrar of Contractors | Search Arizona licenses | A license is required for any job of $1,000 or more (labor and materials combined) and for any job of any size that needs a local building permit; the handyman exemption below $1,000 covers only casual or minor work. |
| Arkansas | State license | HVACR Licensing Board, Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing | Search Arkansas licenses | None recorded |
| California | State license | Contractors State License Board | Search California licenses | A CSLB license is required when labor, materials and other costs on the project total $1,000 or more, or the job needs a building permit or uses employee labor. |
| Colorado | City or county | None at state level (local building departments) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Connecticut | State license | Heating, Piping, Cooling and Sheet Metal Work Board, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection | Search Connecticut licenses | None recorded |
| Delaware | State license | Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation | Search Delaware licenses | None recorded |
| Florida | State license | Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation | Search Florida licenses | Work under $2,500 total (labor, materials and all other items) of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature is exempt, unless it is part of a larger job split up to evade the law or the person advertises as a contractor. |
| Georgia | State license | State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Conditioned Air Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State | Search Georgia licenses | None recorded |
| Hawaii | State license | Contractors License Board (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) | Search Hawaii licenses | A contractor license is required for any project over $1,500 in labor and material, or any project that needs a building, electrical or plumbing permit. |
| Idaho | State license | Idaho Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Board (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) | Search Idaho licenses | None recorded |
| Illinois | City or county | None at state level (municipal licensing) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Indiana | City or county | None at state level (city and county licensing) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Iowa | State license | Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (DIAL) | Search Iowa licenses | None recorded |
| Kansas | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Kentucky | State license | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of HVAC | Search Kentucky licenses | None recorded |
| Louisiana | State license | Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors | Search Louisiana licenses | Mechanical and HVAC work valued over $10,000 requires an LSLBC license. |
| Maine | State license | Maine Fuel Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Search Maine licenses | None recorded |
| Maryland | State license | Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors (HVACR) | Search Maryland licenses | None recorded |
| Massachusetts | State license | Division of Occupational Licensure, Office of Public Safety and Inspections (refrigeration and pipefitter licenses); Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers (sheet metal, ductwork) | Search Massachusetts licenses | None recorded |
| Michigan | State license | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section | Search Michigan licenses | None recorded |
| Minnesota | State registration | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division | Search Minnesota licenses | None recorded |
| Mississippi | State license | Mississippi State Board of Contractors | Search Mississippi licenses | No dollar threshold for residential HVAC and mechanical work: an MSBOC license is required no matter the dollar amount; commercial mechanical contracts need a commercial license over $50,000. |
| Missouri | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Montana | No state license found | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Nebraska | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Nevada | State license | Nevada State Contractors Board | Search Nevada licenses | No dollar threshold: the $1,000 small repair exemption does not cover plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air conditioning work. |
| New Hampshire | State license | New Hampshire Mechanical Licensing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | Search New Hampshire licenses | None recorded |
| New Jersey | State license | State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Contractors | Search New Jersey licenses | None recorded |
| New Mexico | State license | New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division | Search New Mexico licenses | None recorded |
| New York | City or county | None at state level | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| North Carolina | State license | North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors | Search North Carolina licenses | None recorded |
| North Dakota | State license | North Dakota Secretary of State, Contractor Licensing | Search North Dakota licenses | A contractor license is required when a job is worth more than $4,000. |
| Ohio | State license | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance) | Search Ohio licenses | None recorded |
| Oklahoma | State license | Oklahoma Construction Industries Board | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Oregon | State license | Oregon Construction Contractors Board | Search Oregon licenses | Work on one structure totaling less than $1,000 that is casual, minor or inconsequential is exempt from licensing (exemption lost if the person advertises as a contractor). |
| Pennsylvania | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Rhode Island | State license | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation (Mechanical Board) | Search Rhode Island licenses | None recorded |
| South Carolina | State license | South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial, AC/HT/RG/PK classifications); South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Residential HVAC) | Search South Carolina licenses | Residential HVAC work over $500 requires a license. |
| South Dakota | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Tennessee | State license | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors | Search Tennessee licenses | A state contractor license is required for HVAC work of $25,000 or more per project, including materials, equipment and labor. |
| Texas | State license | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation | Search Texas licenses | None recorded |
| Utah | State license | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) | Search Utah licenses | No dollar threshold: HVAC work on a project under the $7,000 handyman exemption must still be performed by a licensed contractor. |
| Vermont | State license | Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety | Search Vermont licenses | None recorded |
| Virginia | State license | Virginia Board for Contractors (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Search Virginia licenses | A Class C contractor license is needed once a single contract or project is over $1,000 (Class B from $30,000, Class A from $150,000). |
| Washington | State registration | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) | Search Washington licenses | None recorded |
| West Virginia | State license | West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (contractor); West Virginia Division of Labor (HVAC technician certification) | Search West Virginia licenses | Contractor license needed when the job costs $5,000 or more for residential work or $25,000 or more for commercial work. |
| Wisconsin | State registration | Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) | Search Wisconsin licenses | None recorded |
| Wyoming | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
Questions
- How do I look up an HVAC license?
- Find the state in the table and use its official lookup button. Where the table says the lookup is not confirmed, we could not load it when we checked, so go through the board site instead.
- Which states license HVAC contractors at the state level?
- 35 of the 50 states we surveyed issue a state license to HVAC contractors. Each row names the board that issues it.
- What if my state does not license HVAC contractors?
- In 11 states, we found no state-level license for HVAC contractors. Check with the city or county building department where the work is done, since local rules apply there.
- What is a state registration?
- A registration records the business with the state but is not a test of skill. 4 states register HVAC contractors this way.
This is not a government site. The licensing board's own record governs; always confirm on the official lookup. Information as of October 6, 2026.