How to Start an HVAC Business: License Requirements by State

Last updated: August 24, 2026

HVAC contracting is licensed at the state level in some states and left to cities and counties in others, while the federal EPA Section 608 certification applies everywhere refrigerant is handled. Each guide below covers who licenses HVAC work in that state, the experience and exam requirements, bonding and insurance, and what it costs — each sourced to the agency that sets the rule.

Pick your state

How to Start an HVAC Business — guides for all 50 states and D.C.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

What every state guide covers

• Whether the state requires a general business license — and what your city or county requires instead (see the 51-state table).
• Entity registration with the Secretary of State, and the filing fee.
• The HVAC business’s own licenses and permits — which agency issues them, in what order, and what they cost.
• Insurance the state actually mandates, separated from what is merely advisable.
• Sources — every fee and rule is linked to the agency page or statute it came from.

Related

• HVAC insurance requirements by state — what each state mandates before you open.
• Business license requirements by state — which states require a general license and what the rest require instead.
• Workers’ comp requirements by state — the employee threshold that triggers coverage in each state.