How to get an HVAC license in Kentucky

Licensing office Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC), Division of HVAC · (502) 573-0395 [1][20]

The license pathway in Kentucky

1. 1

   Apprentice HVAC mechanic

   • No fee

   Register with HBC to get an HVAC certificate of apprenticeship. It lets you work under the direct supervision of a journeyman HVAC mechanic and the general supervision of a master HVAC contractor. Keep your own records of hours. [2][3]

2. 2

   Journeyman HVAC mechanic

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes: HBC exam, open book, $50; 70% to pass
   • $50 for a 12-month license
   • Yearly; 6 hours CE

   Does HVAC work under the direction of a master HVAC contractor and supervises apprentices on site. You need two years of HVAC work under a master HVAC contractor (or two documented years elsewhere) and a passing exam. [2][6][8][9][13]

3. 3

   Master HVAC contractor

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes: HBC exam, open book, $150; 70% to pass; includes HVAC business law
   • $250 for a 12-month license
   • Yearly; 6 hours CE

   Can advertise and contract for HVAC work, pull permits, and is responsible for the work of employees and subcontractors. You need two years as a journeyman under a master (or two years as a master or licensed mechanical engineer), a passing exam and insurance. [2][5][8][9]

Who needs a license in Kentucky

Kentucky law says a person "shall not practice heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contracting" unless they meet the HVAC licensing law, and only licensed people may call themselves a master HVAC contractor, journeyman or registered apprentice. HVAC contracting means installing, maintaining, altering, remodeling or repairing heating, ventilation, hydronic, burner service or cooling systems.

The law has exceptions, including a master contractor's subordinate employees who aren't journeymen or apprentices, homeowners working on the home they own and live in, people installing window air conditioners, full-time maintenance staff doing routine maintenance, and electrical work on HVAC units.

Since January 1, 2011, Kentucky has also run a statewide HVAC permit and inspection program; only properly licensed or authorized people can get an HVAC permit. [1][5][6][7]

The license ladder

• Apprentice HVAC mechanic: a free registration with HBC. You work under the direct supervision of at least one journeyman and the general supervision of a master.
• Journeyman HVAC mechanic: age 18, two years of HVAC work under a master HVAC contractor (or two documented years of HVAC work in another state), and a passing exam. Time in a registered apprenticeship with the state, under a Kentucky master, counts toward the two years.
• Master HVAC contractor: age 18, two years as a journeyman under a master (or two years as a master or equivalent, or two years as a licensed mechanical engineer), a passing exam and insurance.

HBC counts a year of HVAC experience as at least 1,500 hours of HVAC work in a continuous 12-month period. Proof can be W-2s, an affidavit from the master who supervised you, an out-of-state license or a DD 214.

Some time can be credited: one academic year of an HBC-approved curriculum or one year of professional training (one year at most), one year of teaching in an approved HVAC program, or up to one year of equivalent experience gained while exempt from licensing. [2][3][8]

The exam

HBC gives its own in-person HVAC exams at regional sites around Kentucky, scheduled based on the number of applications. Register with the HVAC Examination Registration Form, the fee ($50 journeyman, $150 master) and a photo. HBC gives at least one week's notice of the exam date.

HBC's licensing page also links a 2020 candidate bulletin from Prov, Inc. for computer-based, open-book Journeyman HVAC and Master HVAC exams at testing centers ($80 each in that bulletin). Ask the Division of HVAC which route and fee apply now.

Both exams are open book, and HBC says there are no study guides. For the journeyman exam bring the 2009 National Fuel Gas Code and the 2015 International Residential Code; for the master exam, the 2009 National Fuel Gas Code and the 2015 International Mechanical Code. The master exam also covers HVAC business law.

You need 70% to pass, results come by mail, and a passing score is valid for three years. If you don't take the exam within a year of your first notice, your registration is void. [1][8][9][10][11][12]

Fees and renewal

• Exam: $50 journeyman, $150 master.
• License: $50 a year journeyman, $250 a year master. A first license may be prorated so it ends in your birth month.
• Restoring an expired license (within 60 days): $25 journeyman, $125 master, plus the renewal fee.

Licenses renew every year by the last day of your birth month. You need at least 6 hours of approved continuing education (CE) each year, in business, job safety, HVAC codes or HVAC trade subjects. Masters must also show current insurance. [8][13]

Union and open-shop training

Union pipe trades apprenticeships through the United Association (UA) typically last five years and include HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration). Find the Kentucky local nearest you with the UA local finder.

Open-shop (non-union) training includes ABC of Indiana/Kentucky, whose registered programs include heating and air conditioning installer servicer. Community colleges in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), such as Bluegrass Community & Technical College, offer HVAC degrees and certificates.

See union vs. non-union for how the routes differ. [14][15][16][17]

Local rules: Louisville

HVAC licenses come from the state, but some cities add a local registration. Louisville Metro's Construction Review division issues an HVAC license to firms installing, altering or maintaining HVAC equipment; it requires a Kentucky master HVAC contractor license and insurance, and costs $200 a year (term March 1 to the end of February). Check with the building department wherever you'll work. [18]

If you're licensed in another state

Kentucky law lets HBC issue an equivalent license to someone licensed in a state with requirements "substantially equal to or greater than" Kentucky's that grants the same privileges to Kentucky licensees, on terms HBC sets. Reciprocity applicants follow the agreement between Kentucky and their state and file the normal application and fee. HBC doesn't publish a list of HVAC reciprocity states, so ask the Division of HVAC at (502) 573-0395.

Two years of documented HVAC work in another state also counts toward the journeyman license, and an out-of-state license is accepted as proof of experience. See our license reciprocity guide. [2][8][19][20]

Steps to get licensed in Kentucky

1. Register as an apprentice

   Once you're hired, file the Apprentice HVAC Registration Form (HVAC 3) with a photo and your master HVAC contractor's signature and license number. There's no fee. [2][3][21]

2. Get two years of experience

   Work at least two years under a master HVAC contractor; a year counts only with at least 1,500 hours in a continuous 12 months. Keep W-2s or get an affidavit from your master to prove it. [2][8]

3. Register for the journeyman exam

   Send the HVAC Examination Registration Form (HVAC-4), the $50 exam fee and a photo to HBC. The exam is open book; bring the 2009 National Fuel Gas Code and the 2015 International Residential Code. [8][9]

4. Apply for the journeyman license

   With a passing score (70%), send the Journeyman HVAC Mechanic License Application (Form HVAC 2), proof of experience, a photo and the $50 fee. [8]

5. Renew each year

   Renew by the last day of your birth month with 6 hours of approved continuing education. After two years as a journeyman under a master, you can take the master exam. [2][8][13]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train HVAC technicians in or for Kentucky, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  United Association (UA) plumbers and pipefitters locals

  UA apprenticeships, typically five years, cover piping, plumbing and HVACR. The UA lists Kentucky locals in Paducah (184), Ashland (248), Lexington (452), Louisville (502) and Owensboro (633). [14][15]

• Open shop

  ABC of Indiana/Kentucky

  Four-year registered apprenticeships including heating and air conditioning installer servicer, pipefitter and sheet metal worker, with a Kentucky/Southern Indiana training site. [16][22]

• School

  Bluegrass Community & Technical College: Air Conditioning Technology

  Associate degree, diploma and certificates in HVAC, with day and evening classes and four start dates a year. Students earn EPA 608 (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's refrigerant rule) Universal certification. [17]

• State program

  Kentucky Registered Apprenticeship

  The state apprenticeship agency's page links to a sponsor map, a list of active occupations and the TRACK youth program. [23]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask