How HVAC licensing works in Tennessee

Licensing office Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) · (615) 741-8307 [6][12]

The license pathway in Tennessee

1. 1

   HVAC helper or apprentice

   No state license. You work for an HVAC contractor and need EPA Section 608 certification before you handle refrigerant. Some cities register helpers: Chattanooga counts time as a registered HVAC/sheet metal helper toward its journeyman exam. [2][3][10]

2. 2

   Journeyman mechanic (city license, e.g. Chattanooga)

   • 6,000 hours on the job
   • 3 years of experience
   • Yes, local exam
   • Chattanooga: $75 per two-year cycle
   • Every 2 years

   Cities that run their own codes offices issue mechanical or journeyman licenses. Chattanooga's journeyman mechanic exam needs 3 years of experience as a registered journeyman or HVAC/sheet metal helper in the city's area (2,000 hours per year), a prior license elsewhere, or experience the board accepts. [2][10]

3. 3

   Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE), for small HVAC jobs

   • Yes, LLE exam: 40 questions, 2 hours, open book, 2017 NEC (National Electrical Code); Prov
   • $50 application; exam $53
   • Every 2 years; $50

   Where the State Fire Marshal's electrical inspectors work, the Department says an LLE license is required for HVAC permits on jobs under $25,000 (a CMC-C contractor license also works). The LLE needs no experience, only the exam. [2][6][13][14]

4. 4

   HVAC&R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) or master mechanical (Nashville)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes, Metro exam through Prov (pass mark 70)

   Metro Nashville's exam application lists 4 years' experience for an HVAC&R contractor and 6 years for a master mechanical license; a mechanical engineering degree may replace the experience. [11]

5. 5

   HVAC contractor (CMC-C classification)

   • Yes, Business and Law (50 questions) plus CMC-C trade exam (100 questions, 5 hours); open book
   • $250 application; $53 per exam
   • $200 renewal

   A state contractor license required for HVAC projects of $25,000 or more. No pre-approval is needed for the CMC-C exam. The business also needs a financial statement or surety bond, insurance and a reference letter. A full mechanical (CMC) license also covers HVAC. [1][2][13][14]

How to get your first HVAC job in Tennessee

The state doesn't license HVAC helpers, apprentices or technicians, so your first step is getting hired by an HVAC contractor or accepted into an apprenticeship. Federal rules require EPA Section 608 certification before you maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants.

The non-union ABC Greater Tennessee Construction Trades Academy runs a 4-year HVAC program and asks for a high school diploma or GED, a driver's license and an age of at least 18. Union HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) training goes through UA locals. [2][3][4][5]

Who needs a license

The Department of Commerce and Insurance says "Most projects with a cost of less than $25,000 are regulated at the local level." Jurisdictions that run their own codes offices (the Fire Marshal's exempt list includes Nashville, Memphis/Shelby County, Knoxville and Chattanooga) issue their own mechanical HVAC or journeyman licenses. Where the State Fire Marshal's electrical inspectors work, an LLE license is required for HVAC permits, or a CMC-C contractor license. This ties to a state law that makes anyone in the business of installing electrical wiring, heating or electrical devices that need inspection register with the State Fire Marshal's office; an LLE license counts as that registration. Some counties may also require a Home Improvement license for HVAC work under $25,000.

For HVAC projects of $25,000 or more, the state requires a contractor license with the CMC-C classification; a full mechanical (CMC) license also covers HVAC. The $25,000 is the job's total cost under state law: all labor, materials, equipment, subcontracted work, overhead and profit, no matter who pays (materials the owner buys count too) and whether the work is under one contract or several. Permits and inspections are required for all electrical and HVAC work regardless of cost. [1][2][6][7][8][9]

Local licenses: Chattanooga and Nashville

Chattanooga licenses journeyman mechanics and master mechanical contractors for HVAC work. You're eligible for the journeyman exam with "three (3) or more years' practicable experience as a registered Journeyman or HVAC/sheet metal helper" in the city's area, counting 2,000 hours as a year, or with a prior HVAC or sheet metal license elsewhere. The fee is $75 per two-year cycle.

Metro Nashville's mechanical exam application covers two licenses: HVAC&R contractor (4 years' experience) and master mechanical (6 years). You document experience with letters from employers and a letter of recommendation; Metro approves the application, and you schedule the exam with Prov. If you score below 70%, you can reapply after 30 days. For other cities, the Board points to the MTAS codes enforcement directory. [2][10][11]

The state contractor license (CMC-C) and exams

A contractor license is required before bidding or contracting HVAC work of $25,000 or more, including as a subcontractor working for another contractor. The company's qualifying agent passes the Business and Law exam and the CMC-C trade exam; unlike the plumbing and full mechanical exams, CMC-C needs no pre-approval. Since July 1, 2026, Prov gives the exams: open book, $53 each, 73% to pass. The CMC-C exam has 100 questions in 5 hours.

The business also needs a CPA-reviewed financial statement or (since July 1, 2026) a surety bond of at least half the requested limit, insurance, a reference letter and a $250 application fee. Renewal is $200. The bond must stay in force; if it lapses, the license is no longer valid. State law says no county or city may require a state-licensed contractor "or its employees" to pass a local test; local permits still apply, so ask the local codes office how this fits your job. [1][8][12][13][14]

If you're licensed in another state

The Board says you "cannot operate in Tennessee with a license from another state". It waives the CMC-C trade exam for HVAC contractors licensed in Alabama, Ohio or South Carolina (commercial), and the full mechanical exam for those licensed in Louisiana, Mississippi or West Virginia. You still take the Business and Law exam. State law also says residents of states that have no reciprocal agreement with Tennessee are not to be offered work over $2,500; ask the Board how this applies to you before you bid. EPA 608 (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's refrigerant rule) certification is federal and doesn't expire, so it carries over. [1][3][8][15]

Steps to get licensed in Tennessee

1. Get EPA Section 608 certified

   Pass the EPA-approved test for the equipment you'll work on before you handle refrigerant. See EPA's 608 requirements. [3]

2. Get hired or join an apprenticeship

   Start with an HVAC contractor, a UA local or ABC Greater Tennessee's HVAC program, and ask the city whether helpers must register. [4][5][10]

3. Earn a local license

   In cities with their own codes offices, build the experience for a mechanical or journeyman license; Chattanooga's journeyman mechanic exam needs 3 years (2,000 hours a year). [2][10]

4. For small jobs in state-inspected areas, get the LLE

   Where the State Fire Marshal's inspectors work, HVAC permits under $25,000 need an LLE (or CMC-C) license. Pass the LLE exam with Prov and apply for $50. [2][13][14]

5. License a contracting business for jobs of $25,000 or more

   Apply for a contractor license with the CMC-C classification: the qualifying agent passes the Business and Law and CMC-C exams, and the business submits a financial statement or surety bond, insurance and a reference letter ($250). [1][14]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  United Association (UA) HVACR and pipefitter apprenticeships

  Union apprenticeships run by UA locals and their contractors, typically five years; HVACR service is one of the UA's career tracks. [5]

• Open shop

  ABC Greater Tennessee Construction Trades Academy (HVAC)

  Non-union HVAC apprenticeship in Middle and East Tennessee: 4 years of night classes and 8,000 on-the-job hours. [4]

• State program

  Apprenticeship TN (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development)

  The state's apprenticeship office; it helps job seekers find an employer and employers register programs. [16]

• Other

  U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Job Finder

  Search registered HVAC apprenticeships anywhere in Tennessee. [17]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask