How to get an HVAC license in Ohio

Licensing office Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce · (614) 644-3493 [1]

The license pathway in Ohio

1. 1

   Apprentice or tradesperson (no state license)

   Ohio law calls an employee who does the work, without being responsible for how the job is run, a tradesperson. The state doesn't license this level. You work as a W-2 employee of a licensed contractor or as a registered apprentice, and those years count toward the five the contractor exam needs. [1][2][3]

2. 2

   HVAC contractor (OCILB)

   • 5 years of experience
   • Yes: HVAC trade exam (100 questions, 4 hours, open book) and Business and Law exam (50 questions, 2 hours); 70% to pass; PSI
   • $25 application, $69 per PSI exam, $25 license
   • Yearly, $60; 10 hours CE a year by rule (8 in the compliant contractor program)

   The only state HVAC license in Ohio. It covers commercial contractors, and local building departments may also require it for residential work. You need five years in the trade, two exams, $500,000 liability insurance and a contracting company to assign the license to. [1][3][6][7][8]

Who needs an HVAC license in Ohio

Ohio's state license is for contractors, not for the technicians who work for them. OCILB "issues State Licenses to Commercial Contractors" in five trades: electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration. State law defines a contractor as the person or company responsible for "the means, method, and manner" of the work who also does the work or employs the people who do it. A tradesperson is an employee who works "without assuming responsibility" for those things.

Nobody may act as or claim to be a licensed contractor without an OCILB license. The state license is aimed at commercial work: the law's definition of a construction project leaves out residential buildings, and OCILB says "Local building departments may require this license for residential work." So for home HVAC jobs, check with the city or county building department.

Everyone working under a contractor's license must be on that company's W-2 payroll (or come through a recognized temp agency). If you're paid on a 1099, you count as an independent contractor and need your own state license. [1][2][5]

HVAC, refrigeration and hydronics: three separate licenses

Ohio splits heating and cooling work across three OCILB licenses, each with its own PSI exam:

• HVAC contractor: for people qualified to install, maintain, repair, fabricate, alter or extend central air conditioning, heating and ventilating, "including ductwork within a complete system."
• Refrigeration contractor: refrigeration systems of any size used "for the purpose of food and product preservation," not comfort cooling. Its exam has 60 questions in 3 hours.
• Hydronics contractor: steam and hot-water heating, and chilled-water refrigeration systems.

Each license has the same five-year experience rule and the same fees, and each needs a passing Business and Law exam (PSI says that if you add a trade later, you only have to pass Business and Law once every three years). If you hold several, they all expire on the same date each year. [1][2][3][6]

Contractor license requirements

To take the HVAC contractor exam, Ohio law says you must:

• be at least 18;
• be a U.S. citizen or a legal alien with documents;
• have been a tradesperson in the HVAC trade for at least five years right before you apply, or be an Ohio-registered engineer with three years of business experience in the trade, or have "other experience acceptable" to the board;
• carry contractor liability insurance in one company name (OCILB sets the minimum at $500,000);
• not have broken the licensing law or used fraud to get a license.

OCILB's application also lists five years as an Ohio government inspector in the trade. Along with tax records for the last five years, you prove your experience with one of: a permit for each of the last five years pulled by the licensed contractor you worked under, an active journeyman card, a completion certificate from a state- or U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship, or 40 hours of live or webinar code courses from an OCILB-approved provider. Self-guided courses don't count. OCILB also screens applicants against its list of disqualifying criminal offenses. [1][3][7]

The exams

Once OCILB approves your application (the approval is good for one year), you complete BCI and FBI background checks and then take two computer-based exams from PSI:

• Ohio HVAC Contractor exam: 100 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass. It is open book. The listed references are the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, the 2024 Ohio Mechanical Code and *Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning*. The biggest topic is warm air heating and air distribution (25 questions), followed by equipment and appliances (20).
• Business and Law exam: 50 questions plus 5 unscored pretest questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass. Every contractor license type takes it.

Each exam registration costs $69, including retakes. If you fail, Ohio law lets you retake after 60 days; after five failed attempts you must reapply. [1][3][6][7]

Fees, insurance and renewal

Fees set in the Ohio Administrative Code:

• Exam application: $25.
• License issuance: $25.
• Renewal: $60 a year, or $180 for a three-year renewal (three-year renewal is only for members of the compliant contractor program).
• Late fee: up to $120.

PSI charges $69 for each exam. You must keep at least $500,000 in contractor liability insurance, and the license may be assigned to only one company name.

The rule requires 10 classroom hours of continuing education (CE) a year; HVAC licensees can take any course approved by any section of the board. Contractors in the compliant contractor program get a two-hour reduction: 8 hours for a yearly renewal or 24 for a three-year renewal, which is the figure OCILB's page lists for all trades. If your license has been expired for more than a year, you must reapply and test again. Renew through Ohio eLicense. [1][6][8][9]

EPA Section 608 certification

Separate from any Ohio license, federal rules 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. EPA doesn't issue the cards itself; approved certification programs do. See our EPA 608 certification guide. [4]

City rules

Ohio cities can't charge a contractor registration fee for HVAC work unless they also require the state license, and Ohio law lets them register tradespeople and charge them a fee. In practice, big cities require the state license first:

• Columbus: "In order to work in the City of Columbus as an electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, hydronics, or plumbing contractor, applicants must be licensed by the State of Ohio." You then apply to Building and Zoning Services.
• Cleveland: "To register as an electrical, plumbing, or HVAC contractor, you must first be licensed by the State of Ohio," then you file the city's contractor packet.

Before you take a job, ask the building department where you'll work what it requires of employees and contractors. [10][11][12]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Ohio

A registered apprenticeship is the usual way to build the five years OCILB asks for, and a completion certificate from a state- or U.S. Department of Labor-approved program is one of the accepted proofs.

• Pipe trades: UA locals across Ohio train plumbers, pipefitters and HVACR technicians, usually over five years. For example, UA Local 162 in Dayton runs its program through the Dayton Area Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC, a union-and-employer training board).
• Sheet metal: SMART's International Training Institute lists sheet metal training centers by state.
• State office: ApprenticeOhio oversees registered apprenticeships. You apply directly to a registered program.

See union vs. non-union to compare the routes. [7][13][14][15][16][17]

If you're licensed in another state

Reciprocity. OCILB lists HVAC reciprocity with Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. You qualify only if you passed that state's exam (Tennessee also accepts Ohio grandfathered licensees). Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee applicants must also pass Ohio's Business and Law exam. You apply with a notarized reciprocity application, a verification form signed by your home state's board, and $25 per trade.

Other states. If you hold a substantially similar license in a state without an agreement, you can qualify to take the Ohio exam by showing at least five building permits issued to you there, at least one tax return showing income under that license, and that your company is registered to do business in Ohio. OCILB also asks for proof of at least five years' experience. You still have to pass the exam. See license reciprocity. [1][3]

Steps to get licensed in Ohio

1. Get hired or start an apprenticeship

   Work as a W-2 employee of a licensed HVAC contractor or as a registered apprentice. Get EPA Section 608 certification before you work on refrigerant circuits. [1][4][17]

2. Build five years of HVAC experience

   OCILB counts five years as a tradesperson immediately before you apply. Military HVAC work for three of the last five years also qualifies you for the exam. [3]

3. Gather proof of your experience

   You need tax documents (W-2s or Schedule C) for the last five years, plus one of: a permit for each year pulled by your employer, an active journeyman card, an apprenticeship completion certificate, or 40 hours of live or webinar code courses from an OCILB-approved provider. [1][7]

4. Apply to OCILB to take the exam

   Send the notarized OCILB examination application with the $25 fee. The board reviews it and tells you by mail whether you may sit for the exam. Then complete BCI and FBI background checks. [1][7][8]

5. Pass the two PSI exams

   Schedule the HVAC trade exam and the Business and Law exam with PSI. Each costs $69 and needs 70% to pass. If you fail, you can retake after 60 days. [3][6]

6. Get insured and request your license

   Send your passing scores, the $25 license fee and proof of at least $500,000 liability insurance. The license must be assigned to one contracting company. [1][7]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  UA locals in Ohio (plumbers, pipefitters and HVACR)

  United Association apprenticeships typically last five years, and HVACR is one of the career tracks. Ohio locals include Toledo (50), Cleveland (55 and 120), Canton (94), Dayton (162), Columbus (189), Akron (219), Cincinnati (392) and Lima (776). [13][19]

• Union

  UA Local 162 / Dayton Area JATC

  Plumber, pipefitter and HVAC technician apprenticeship registered with the U.S. Department of Labor and the Ohio State Apprenticeship Council. [14]

• Union

  SMART sheet metal training centers (International Training Institute)

  The sheet metal workers' training institute has more than 150 training centers in the U.S. and Canada; its locator lists those in Ohio. [15]

• State program

  ApprenticeOhio (Ohio Department of Job and Family Services)

  The state's registered apprenticeship office. You apply directly to a registered program, just like applying for a job. It also issues copies of completion certificates, which OCILB accepts as proof of experience. [1][16][17]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask