How to get an HVAC license in Nevada

Licensing office Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) · (702) 486-1100 [1][10]

The license pathway in Nevada

1. 1

   Helper or apprentice (no state license)

   You work for a licensed contractor; registered apprentices sign an agreement under a program registered with the State Apprenticeship Council. EPA 608 certification is required before you handle refrigerants. [4][5][24]

2. 2

   Journeyman HVAC mechanic (Clark County)

   • Yes (in 2010, a county certification exam with testing information through ICC)
   • Every 3 years with 15 hours of CE (as reported in 2010)

   Clark County requires a journeyman HVAC mechanic or a mechanical qualified individual on site supervising permitted residential and light-frame mechanical work. Confirm current testing and card rules with Clark County Building & Fire Prevention. [3][8]

3. 3

   HVAC contractor (NSCB C-21)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: Business and Law (CMS) exam, open book, plus a C-21 trade exam, both through PSI
   • $300 application; $600 license (2 years); exam fees extra
   • Every 2 years; $600

   The license for a business that contracts for refrigeration and air-conditioning work. Its qualified individual needs 4 years at journeyman level or above within the last 15 years and passes the exams; the business needs a bond and a financial statement. [1][9][10][11][12]

Who needs a license in Nevada

Nevada's state law licenses contractors: anyone who builds, alters or repairs a structure, personally or "by or through" employees. HVAC contracting is classification C-21, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning, with subclassifications for refrigeration (C-21a), air-conditioning (C-21b: equipment using evaporation, refrigeration, boilers or combustion to control air temperature), sheet metal (C-21c), maintenance and parts replacement on existing systems (C-21d), solar air-conditioning (C-21e), chilled and hot water systems (C-21f) and industrial piping (C-21g). Heating, evaporative cooling and air circulation without refrigeration is a plumbing-and-heating subclass, C-1f.

HVAC work is never covered by the small-repair exemption: the law's exemption for repairs under $1,000 doesn't apply to work "of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor." The license belongs to the business, not to the technician. [1][2][5][6][7]

Clark County's journeyman HVAC mechanic

Clark County's building administrative code requires the contractor to have a mechanical qualified individual or a journeyman HVAC mechanic on site, in a supervisory role, whenever mechanical work on residential or light-frame construction is being done under a permit.

When the county started enforcing the Journeyman HVAC Mechanic certification on October 1, 2010, the NSCB's newsletter reported that it applied to contractors' employees who work independently or supervise HVAC installation, that holders of a C-21 license themselves didn't need the card (nor did employees working on site with them), that the exam (developed by local jurisdictions, local contractors, Sheet Metal Workers Local 88 and an ICC administrator) had no prerequisites, and that the card renewed every three years with 15 hours of continuing education. Those details date from 2010; confirm current rules with Clark County Building & Fire Prevention before you test. [3][8]

EPA Section 608 certification

Federal rules under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release ozone-depleting refrigerants to be certified. EPA itself doesn't issue certification cards; its Section 608 page explains the certification types and how to get a card. See EPA 608 certification. [4]

The C-21 contractor license

To contract for HVAC work yourself, the business needs an NSCB license and a qualified individual who supervises the work. That person needs:

• 4 years of experience "as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor" in the classification, within the 15 years before applying. Nevada law defines a journeyman as someone fully qualified to do the work unsupervised, or who finished an apprenticeship approved by the State Apprenticeship Council (or an equivalent the NSCB accepts).
• Proof: four Certification of Work Experience forms, a current master's certification issued by a government agency, or transferable military experience. Apprenticeship or college training can count for up to 3 of the 4 years.
• Passing scores on the open-book Business and Law (CMS) exam and the closed-book trade exam, both through PSI (test centers in Las Vegas, Reno and Elko). You get three tries each and must finish within 6 months of applying.

Fees: $300 to apply and $600 for the 2-year license (renewal $600). The NSCB sets a bond from $1,000 to $500,000, and every applicant files a financial statement. Residential contractors pay a recovery fund assessment ($200 for limits up to $1,000,000). [1][9][10][11][12][13]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Nevada

• UA Local 525 (Las Vegas): a 5-year HVAC program, separate from plumbing. You must be 18 with a diploma or GED and transcripts, pass a basic math exam and an interview. As of October 2026, the next online application period runs November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027 for classes starting September 2027.
• UA Local 350 (Sparks): a 4-year HVAC service technician program with 144 classroom hours a year; applicants 17 or older with a diploma or equivalent, transcripts and a driver's license.
• Sheet Metal Local 88 (Las Vegas): 18 or older, diploma or equivalent, a math and reading test and an oral interview; applications in person the first Tuesday of each month, 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.
• Northern Nevada Sheet Metal & HVAC Apprenticeship (Sparks): a four-year program; 18 or older with sealed transcripts; apply online and wait for an opening.
• Open shop: ABC Nevada runs a sheet metal program in Las Vegas.

The Labor Commissioner's list of current programs also lists employer refrigeration programs. See union vs. non-union. [14][15][16][17][18][19]

If you're licensed in another state

The NSCB waives the trade exam and the experience paperwork for a qualified individual who has held the matching license for the past four years with no discipline. For C-21 the matching licenses are Arizona CR-79, California C-20 together with C-38, Connecticut S-1, Louisiana Mechanical Work (statewide) and Tennessee CMC. A Florida CM license waives experience only. Everyone takes the Nevada Business and Law exam, and your endorsing state completes a Request for Verification of Licensure. More: license reciprocity.

Any-state routes. Nevada law (NRS 622.530) tells state licensing boards to adopt rules for licensure by endorsement of people licensed in any state with substantially similar qualifications; the NSCB's rule works through its list of equivalent states above. Separately, through December 31, 2029, NRS 624.242 lets a contractor licensed for at least 4 consecutive years in any state get a no-fee Nevada license by endorsement, but only for attainable housing projects in rural areas. [20][21][22][23]

Steps to get licensed in Nevada

1. Get hired or accepted into an apprenticeship

   Work for a licensed HVAC contractor as a helper, or apply to a registered apprenticeship (UA Local 525 or 350, Sheet Metal Local 88 or 26, ABC Nevada). [5][14][15][16][17][18]

2. Get EPA 608 certified

   Pass the EPA Section 608 exam for the equipment types you'll service before you work on refrigerant circuits. EPA's Section 608 page explains the certification types. [4]

3. In Clark County, get the journeyman HVAC mechanic card

   Clark County requires a journeyman HVAC mechanic or mechanical qualified individual to supervise permitted residential and light-frame mechanical work on site. Ask Clark County Building & Fire Prevention for the current exam and card rules. [3][8]

4. Later: qualify a C-21 contractor license

   With 4 years at journeyman level or above within the last 15 years, you can be the qualified individual on an NSCB C-21 license: apply first, then pass the Business and Law and trade exams at PSI. [9][10][11]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  UA Local 525 JATC HVAC program (Las Vegas)

  A separate 5-year HVACR service program, fully funded. Apply online during the yearly window. [14][19][25]

• Union

  UA Local 350 JATC HVAC program (Sparks)

  A 4-year HVAC service technician program for Northern Nevada with 144 classroom hours a year; applications year-round. [15][19]

• Union

  Sheet Metal Local 88 JATC (Las Vegas)

  Sheet metal apprenticeship for Southern Nevada. Apply in person on the first Tuesday of each month. [16][19]

• Union

  Northern Nevada Sheet Metal & HVAC Apprenticeship (SMART Local 26)

  A four-year sheet metal program covering HVAC, welding and architectural work, based in Sparks; apply online and join the waiting list. [17][19]

• Open shop

  ABC Nevada sheet metal apprenticeship (Las Vegas)

  Registered sheet metal program: work 40 hours a week for an ABC member contractor and attend class one night a week. [18][19]

• State program

  Nevada registered apprenticeship (Office of the Labor Commissioner)

  Nevada's state apprenticeship agency; its list of current programs includes refrigeration and sheet metal programs, with contacts. [19][26]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask