How to get an HVAC license in Utah

Licensing office Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Contracting · (801) 530-6628 [2][4]

The license pathway in Utah

1. 1

   HVAC employee (helper, installer or technician)

   Utah issues no individual HVAC license. DOPL says the only legal way to work under a contractor's license is as an officer or W-2 employee of a licensed contractor. You need EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerants, and Utah's natural gas technician certification, or direct supervision by a certified technician, for gas appliance work. [2][3][6][7]

2. 2

   Certified natural gas technician

   • An approved training program (for example through RMGA, an apprenticeship or a Utah college program), or pass the exam without a program
   • Yes: RMGA Gas Appliance Installers Certification Exam or an approved equivalent, 80% to pass

   Required to install, repair or replace the gas piping, venting or combustion air of a residential or commercial gas appliance. Licensed journeyman and residential journeyman plumbers are exempt. Carry your certificate or exemption document while you work. [3][6]

3. 3

   H100 HVAC contractor (qualifier)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • 2 years of experience
   • 25-hour pre-licensure course plus a 5-hour business and law course
   • Yes: Utah Business and Law exam and Utah HVAC written exam (110 questions, 2 hours, 70%), through Prov
   • $175 application; $85 per exam
   • Every 2 years (November 30 of odd years); $128; 6 hours CE

   The business license for HVAC work. The company's qualifier needs 4,000 hours of HVAC experience within 5 years, supervised by an H100 qualifier, or a Utah plumber license. DOPL also requires RMGA or equivalent gas certification for qualifiers, liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, and workers' compensation coverage or a waiver. [1][3][4][5][11][13][14][15][16]

Who needs a license in Utah

Utah licenses HVAC at the business level. An HVAC contractor (classification H100) may install complete warm-air heating, air conditioning and ventilating systems and refrigeration equipment. HVAC work does not include electrical or plumbing trade work, and gas line work is allowed only when the qualifier and the technician doing it are certified natural gas technicians.

Even on small jobs under Utah's $7,000 handyman exemption, installing, repairing or replacing an HVAC system must be done by a licensed HVAC contractor. A general building contractor (B100) may do HVAC work on single-family homes and buildings of up to four units.

Workers don't hold their own HVAC license. DOPL says you can work under a license only as an officer or W-2 employee of the licensed contractor. [2][3][8][9]

The 2026 H100 rules

DOPL replaced the old S350 HVAC classification with the H100 HVAC Contractor license. Rules took effect March 30, 2026, and applications submitted on or after April 20, 2026 must meet the new requirements: an RMGA (Rocky Mountain Gas Association) or equivalent certification for the qualifier, passing the Business and Law and HVAC exams through Prov, and two years of HVAC experience verified by W-2 forms.

Existing S350 licenses in good standing on January 1, 2026 are treated as H100 licenses through November 30, 2027. Their qualifiers have until then to prove gas certification or apply as new H100 qualifiers. DOPL also says a fingerprint-based background check requirement takes effect January 1, 2027.

Utah has also reorganized its Construction Trades Licensing Act. From January 1, 2027, the HVAC contractor requirement moves to Utah Code 58-55-203, which keeps two years of full-time paid HVAC-specific experience and an exam set by rule. [3][4][10]

Experience and exams for the H100 qualifier

State law requires two years of full-time paid HVAC-specific experience and an exam. DOPL's rule spells this out as 4,000 hours over no more than five years as an employee of licensed H100, B100, S350, P200 or P201 contractors, with at least 90% of the work in HVAC and direct supervision by an H100 qualifier. A licensed journeyman, master, residential journeyman or residential master plumber also meets the experience requirement.

The Utah HVAC written exam has 110 questions (100 scored) in 2 hours and needs 70%; references include the International Mechanical Code and International Fuel Gas Code. The Business and Law exam has 60 questions in 2 hours and also needs 70%. Each exam costs $85, and you can test at a Prov center or online. If you fail, you can retest after 30 days, up to three failures, then after six months. [1][3][5][11][12]

Natural gas technician certification

Utah law requires anyone who installs, repairs, maintains or replaces a residential or commercial gas appliance or combustion system to be trained and certified. DOPL's rule covers the gas piping, combustion air, venting and altitude derating of gas appliances.

Approved training programs include federally registered apprenticeships, Utah college apprenticeship programs, trade union apprenticeships, the Rocky Mountain Gas Association and the Home Builders Association of Utah. You can also be exempt by passing the RMGA exam (or an approved equivalent) with 80%, or by holding a Utah journeyman or residential journeyman plumber license. Someone working under the direct supervision of a certified natural gas technician doesn't need the certificate. [3][6]

Fees, insurance and renewal

DOPL charges $175 to apply for an HVAC contractor license and $128 to renew. Exam fees ($85 each) go to Prov. You must carry liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate with DOPL as certificate holder, plus workers' compensation insurance or a Labor Commission waiver if you have no employees.

Contractor licenses expire November 30 of odd years. You need 6 hours of continuing education each period: at least 3 core hours, and at least 3 hours taught live. [3][4][11][13][14][15][16]

If you're licensed in another state

Utah has no reciprocity agreements for contractors; DOPL uses licensure by endorsement instead. Utah Code 58-1-302 says DOPL shall license you if your out-of-state license covers a similar scope of practice, you have held it at least 1 year, and it is in good standing. Endorsement applicants don't take the Business and Law exam.

DOPL's contractor endorsement map (September 2020) shows 23 states' contractor licenses as equivalent. Many others, including Colorado, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin, are marked "limited to specific classifications," meaning a specialty license such as HVAC may qualify. The map predates the H100 rules, so check with DOPL. See also our guide to license reciprocity. [2][3][17][18]

Steps to get licensed in Utah

1. Get hired by a licensed HVAC contractor

   Work as a W-2 employee of a licensed contractor, through an apprenticeship or a direct hire. No state technician license is needed. [2]

2. Get EPA 608 and gas certification

   Earn EPA Section 608 certification before handling refrigerants, and Utah's natural gas technician certification (RMGA exam or an approved program) before doing gas appliance work on your own. [3][6][7]

3. Build 4,000 hours of supervised HVAC experience

   To become an H100 qualifier, log 4,000 hours within 5 years as an employee of licensed H100, B100, S350, P200 or P201 contractors, with at least 90% of your work in HVAC, supervised by an H100 qualifier. Keep W-2s; DOPL verifies the experience with them. [3][4]

4. Take the pre-licensure courses and pass the exams

   Complete the 25-hour pre-licensure course and the 5-hour business and law course with an approved provider (ABC, AGC or the Utah Home Builders Association), then pass the Business and Law exam and the HVAC written exam with Prov. [1][4][5][11]

5. Apply for the H100 license

   Get liability insurance ($1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate) with DOPL as certificate holder, workers' compensation coverage or a waiver, and an EIN, then apply through DOPL's contracting page. [4][14][19]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  Utah Career Center HVAC/R apprenticeship (UA Local 140 and Utah Mechanical Contractors Association)

  A union HVAC/R apprenticeship with daytime courses and full-time on-the-job training. Its FAQ calls it a five-year program; its HVAC page calls it four years. [20][21][22]

• Union

  SMART sheet metal apprenticeships (International Training Institute)

  Four- or five-year sheet metal apprenticeships with paid on-the-job training and classes. In Utah, Sheet Metal Workers Local 312 represents the trade. [23][24]

• Other

  UPHCA Academy HVACR program

  A hybrid HVACR training program from the Utah Plumbing & Heating Contractors Association's academy, covering installation, service, refrigeration and heating. [25]

• School

  Technical college HVACR programs

  Utah technical colleges teach HVACR. Mountainland Technical College's HVACR Technician program, for example, runs about 18 months and prepares students for the EPA 608 exam; students find their own employers. [26]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Utah

  The state's apprenticeship hub lists HVAC among its construction pathways and links to apprenticeship job openings on jobs.utah.gov. [27][28]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask