How to get an HVAC license in North Carolina

Journeyman level 2,500 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · (919) 875-3612 [1]

The license pathway in North Carolina

1. 1

   Heating technician, Class II (H-1 or H-3)

   • 2,500 hours on the job
   • Yes, 4-hour heating technician exam (PSI)
   • $150 exam application; $75 activation
   • Yearly by December 31; no CE

   For employees of a heating contractor. You may supervise work in single-family detached dwellings only, and you must be a sub-licensee of a contractor holding that heating license. A technician license is not a contracting license. [1][3][7][9][10][12]

2. 2

   Heating technician, Class I (H-1, H-2 or H-3)

   • 3,000 hours on the job
   • Yes, 4-hour heating technician exam (PSI)
   • $150 exam application; $75 activation
   • Yearly by December 31; no CE

   The technician license for any building size within its group. Technicians have passed the trade exam but not the business and law exam, and work as W-2 employees under a contractor's license. [1][3][7][9][10][12]

3. 3

   Heating contractor (H-1, H-2 or H-3)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • 2 years of experience
   • Up to 2,000 hours (30 semester or 45 quarter hours) of related academic or technical training can count
   • Yes, 4-hour heating contractor exam plus 1.5-hour business and law exam (PSI)
   • $150 exam application; $150 activation
   • Yearly by December 31 (fee capped at $150 by law); no CE

   The license that lets you bid, contract and pull permits. H-1 and H-3 come in Class I (any building) and Class II (single-family detached homes only); H-2 covers forced-air systems over 15 tons in any building. [1][2][7][9][10][11]

4. 4

   Refrigeration contractor (separate board)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • Up to half of the experience may be related academic or technical training
   • Yes, given by appointment at the board office in Garner ($100)
   • $100 exam

   Needed for installing and servicing commercial, industrial or transport refrigeration. Comfort cooling (ordinary air conditioning) is exempt from this license and falls under the heating licenses. [4][8][13]

Who needs a North Carolina HVAC license

Under North Carolina law, anyone who for pay installs, alters, tests or restores heating systems in heating group 1, 2 or 3 (or offers to) is in the business of heating contracting and needs a license. "Heating" in the law covers air conditioning too: groups 2 and 3 are systems that heat or cool a building with conditioned air.

Work can be done by the licensee or by the licensed firm's bona fide W-2 employees, with each place of business keeping at least one licensed person on active duty to supervise. Commercial, industrial and transport refrigeration is a separate license from the State Board of Refrigeration Contractors. [6][7][8]

The heating groups and classes

• H-1 (Heating Group 1): "wet" or water-based comfort heating systems. Class I covers any building; Class II covers single-family detached homes only.
• H-2 (Heating Group 2): forced-air heating and cooling systems with more than 15 tons of cooling capacity, in any building.
• H-3 (Heating Group 3): forced-air heating and cooling systems of 15 tons or less. Class I covers any building; Class II covers single-family detached homes only. Systems in single-family homes fall under group 3 regardless of size.

Fuel piping privileges are included with the heating licenses. Limited electrical work tied to HVAC needs a separate SP-PH license from the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. [1][2][6]

Technician vs. contractor

A technician has passed the technical exam but not the business and law exam. A technician license is not a contracting license: you work as a W-2 employee and must be a sub-licensee of a contractor holding that heating license. Class I technicians need 3,000 hours (18 months) of experience; Class II technicians need 2,500 hours (15 months) and may supervise work in single-family detached dwellings only.

A contractor needs 4,000 hours (2 years) of full-time on-site experience in the category, whether or not a license was required for that work. Up to half (2,000 hours, or 30 semester or 45 quarter hours) can be academic or technical training directly related to the field. Contractors pass both the trade exam and the business and law exam.

Current and former military members and spouses can get credit for experience gained during active service, documented with a DD-214 and sworn supervisor statements. Code-enforcement-official experience and unrelated engineering certificates do not count. [1][3]

The exams

Exams are computer-based through PSI and given year-round. After the board approves your application you get a 90-day window to test. Each heating contractor exam lasts 4 hours, plus a 1.5-hour business and law exam; heating technician exams last 4 hours. You must bring the required code books, which are checked at the test center against the board's Book Reference List. All exams are based on the current North Carolina State Building Codes.

You learn whether you passed right after the exam. If you fail, you must wait 90 days, file a re-examination application and pay the exam fee again. The board offers exam reviews in Raleigh. [1][7][9]

Fees and renewal

• Exam application: $150 (non-refundable).
• License activation after you pass: $150 for heating contractor licenses; $75 for heating technician licenses (unless used to qualify a State and local government employer, then $150). Activation is due within 45 days.
• Annual license fee: state law caps it at $150 for plumbing and heating licenses. People who pass on or after October 1 pay half for the rest of the year.

Licenses expire on December 31 every year. Renew during January at the latest, or the board adds a $25 late fee. A license can be renewed up to three years after it expires; after that you must retest. North Carolina dropped mandatory continuing education on December 31, 2012. [7][10][11][12]

Commercial refrigeration: the separate board

The State Board of Refrigeration Contractors licenses people who install, maintain, service or repair commercial, industrial or transport refrigeration equipment. It does not cover businesses that sell, repair or install comfort cooling devices or systems; those are under the plumbing and heating board.

To sit for the refrigeration contractor exam you need 4,000 hours of relevant experience under a licensed refrigeration contractor, a professional engineer or someone with equivalent industry experience. Up to half can be academic or technical training. The exam costs $100 and is given by appointment at the board office in Garner. From July 1, 2026, the commercial and service exams include questions on CO2 (R-744) systems. The board has no reciprocity with other states. [4][8][13][14]

EPA Section 608 certification

State licenses do not replace the federal rules. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants to be certified, and only certified technicians (or employers of certified technicians) may buy most refrigerants. North Carolina's Refrigeration board offers the test through community colleges for $40 per test. Read our EPA 608 certification guide. [5][8][15]

If you're licensed in another state

The board says it has no license reciprocity agreements with any state. There are two partial routes:

• South Carolina: a Technical Examination Waiver Agreement covers HVAC contractors, but you must pass the NC business law exam.
• Neighbor State License Recognition Act: if you live in North Carolina and have held a license for at least 1 year in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia, you may get an equivalent NC license. You submit proof of residency, licenses, experience, discipline history and a background check, and attend a free four-hour Board Laws and Rules class.

Experience hours earned in other states can be submitted with a normal application. See license reciprocity. [1][16]

Steps to get licensed in North Carolina

1. Get EPA Section 608 certification

   Pass an EPA-approved Section 608 test so you can legally service refrigerant equipment. In North Carolina the Refrigeration board proctors the tests through community colleges for $40 per test. See our EPA 608 guide. [5][8]

2. Log your experience hours

   Work full time on site installing, servicing or repairing heating systems in the group you want. You need 2,500 hours (Class II) or 3,000 hours (Class I) for a technician license, or 4,000 hours for a contractor license. [1]

3. Apply to the board

   Download the application from the board's Forms page or use the online application. Make sure required signatures are notarized, and include the background check from the approved provider and the $150 exam fee. [1][7]

4. Take the PSI exam within 90 days

   Once approved, schedule with PSI. Bring the required reference books listed in the board's Book Reference List. If you fail, wait 90 days and file a re-examination application. [1][7]

5. Activate your license

   Submit the License Activation Form and fee ($150 contractor, $75 for most technician licenses) within 45 days of passing, or you will have to retest. [1][10]

6. Renew every year

   Licenses expire December 31. Renew in January at the latest to avoid a $25 late fee; there is no grace period for working on an expired license. [11][12]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  United Association (UA) pipe trades apprenticeships

  UA (United Association, the plumbers' and pipefitters' union) locals run registered apprenticeships that include an HVACR track; they typically last five years and combine paid work with classroom training. Find the nearest local with the UA's locator. [17]

• Union

  SMART sheet metal apprenticeships (International Training Institute)

  Four- or five-year sheet metal apprenticeships with paid on-the-job training and classes; career paths include service and refrigeration technician and commercial HVAC. [18][19]

• State program

  ApprenticeshipNC

  North Carolina's state apprenticeship agency, run through the NC Community College System. It helps employers build registered apprenticeship programs and lists apprenticeship opportunities. [20]

• School

  Wake Tech: Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology

  Degree, diploma and certificate options with tracks in commercial A/C, building automation and commercial refrigeration, including a fast-track option that leaves days free to work in the trade. [21]

• School

  Central Piedmont (CPCC): Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology

  Teaches installing, servicing and repairing heating, cooling and refrigeration systems; the program is approved for work-based learning such as internships and apprenticeships. [22]

Licensed in another state?

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