How to get an HVAC license in Virginia

Licensing office Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Tradesmen Program · (804) 367-8511 [1]

The license pathway in Virginia

1. 1

   Helper or apprentice (unlicensed)

   Virginia has no HVAC apprentice license. You may do HVAC work without a tradesman license while working under the supervision of an HVAC tradesman licensed in that specialty. Registered apprentices are signed up with Virginia Works by their employer. [2][27]

2. 2

   Residential HVAC Tradesman

   • 2 years of experience
   • 160 hours of formal vocational training with 2 years of experience (or 120 with 3, 80 with 4, 40 with 5, none with 6 years)
   • Yes: PSI, 55 items, 120 minutes, 39 correct to pass, open book; $100
   • $150 license fee by rule ($171.75 on DPOR's current application)
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   A license created April 1, 2025 for HVAC work on dwellings and townhouses only; no commercial work. DPOR says it needs less experience and training than a journeyman license and can be a step toward journeyman status. [1][3][4][10][12][13][24]

3. 3

   Journeyman HVAC Tradesman

   • 4 years of experience
   • 240 hours of formal vocational training with 4 years of experience (or 160 with 5, 80 with 6, 40 with 7, none with 8 years)
   • Yes: PSI, 85 items, 210 minutes, 60 correct to pass, open book; $100. Waived for completers of an approved registered apprenticeship.
   • $150 license fee by rule ($171.75 on DPOR's current application)
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   Covers HVAC work in all building types: heating, ventilating and cooling systems, boilers, process piping and refrigeration. An associate degree or two-year program plus 2 years of experience, or a related engineering bachelor's degree plus 1 year, also qualifies you for the exam. [3][4][6][7][10][11][12][13]

4. 4

   Master HVAC Tradesman

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: PSI, same 85-item HVAC exam, 64 correct to pass; $125
   • $150 license fee by rule
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   Can plan and lay out installations and supervise HVAC work. You qualify after one year with a journeyman license, three years with a residential HVAC license, or nine years of practical experience. An HVAC contractor firm needs a master HVAC tradesman as its qualified individual. [3][4][7][9][10]

5. 5

   HVAC Contractor (Class A, B or C)

   A business license from the same board, needed to contract for jobs over $1,000. Class C covers single jobs under $30,000, Class B under $150,000, Class A any size (yearly totals also count). The firm's qualified individual must hold a master HVAC license. [7][9][28]

Who needs a license in Virginia

Virginia law says no one may work as a tradesman (electrical, plumbing or HVAC work for the public for pay) unless licensed by the Board for Contractors. The rule defines HVAC work broadly: heating, ventilating and cooling systems, steam and hot water heating, boilers, process piping, backflow devices and mechanical refrigeration.

Beginners are covered by an exception: you are not subject to licensure "when working under the supervision of a tradesman who is licensed in the specialty for which work is being performed." Work worth less than $250 on a single-family home, by someone who doesn't advertise as a tradesman, is also exempt. [2][4][5][6]

The license ladder: helper to master

• Helper or apprentice: no state license; you work under a licensed HVAC tradesman.
• Residential HVAC Tradesman (new April 1, 2025): homes and townhouses only.
• Journeyman HVAC: all types of buildings.
• Master HVAC: can lay out and supervise work; needed by an HVAC contractor firm.

Residential: 2 years and 160 hours of training; 3 and 120; 4 and 80; 5 and 40; or 6 years and no training. Journeyman: 4 years and 240 hours; 5 and 160; 6 and 80; 7 and 40; 8 years and no training; an associate degree or two-year program plus 2 years; or a related engineering bachelor's degree plus 1 year.

DPOR's older instruction booklet still says ten years without training for journeyman; the rule and the current application say eight. Compare states on the HVAC hub. [1][2][3][4][7][8][9]

The HVAC exams

PSI's July 23, 2026 bulletin lists the journeyman/master HVAC exam at 85 items in 210 minutes (passing score 60 for journeyman, 64 for master) and the residential HVAC exam at 55 items in 120 minutes (passing score 39).

Exams are open book; bring your own references, such as the 2021 International Mechanical Code, and for residential candidates ACCA Manual J (load calculations). The fee is $100 for journeyman or residential and $125 for master, valid one year. Schedule with PSI or (855) 340-3910.

Completing a registered apprenticeship approved by Virginia Works exempts you from the journeyman exam under state law; DPOR verifies whether your sponsor has that exemption. [6][7][10][11]

Fees, renewal and continuing education

The rule sets the license fee at $150 and the renewal fee at $160. Since July 1, 2026 DPOR adds a $7.25-per-year technology fee; its current applications list $171.75. Tradesman licenses last three years, and renewal requires 3 hours of board-approved CE on code changes for each designation. EPA 608 certification is separate and doesn't expire. [1][7][12][13][14][15]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Virginia

Union: the UA Local 110 JATC in Chesapeake (plumbers and steamfitters) runs a five-year program with an HVAC service track. It requires age 18, a high school diploma or equivalent and a driver's license.

Open shop: ABC Virginia runs four-year HVAC-R classes for people already employed in the field.

State registry: Virginia Works lists registered sponsors. See also how to get an apprenticeship. [16][17][18]

If you're licensed in another state

The board lists an examination reciprocity agreement with the Maryland HVAC board for journeyman and master licenses. Virginia's universal license recognition law also lets DPOR recognize a license from any state held at least one year that required an exam plus education, training or experience. Out-of-state journeymen and masters can sit for the same-level Virginia exam. See our reciprocity guide. [19][20][21][22]

Steps to get licensed in Virginia

1. Get hired as a helper or apprentice

   Work for an HVAC contractor under the supervision of a licensed HVAC tradesman; no state license is needed at this stage. Get EPA 608 certified before handling refrigerants. [2][23]

2. Get your vocational training

   Complete formal vocational training in HVAC: 160 hours with 2 years of experience for the residential license, or 240 hours with 4 years for journeyman. [3][4]

3. Document your experience and apply

   Have employers or contractors complete DPOR's Experience Verification Form, then send the residential or journeyman application with the $171.75 fee. You must be 18. [7][24][25][26]

4. Pass the PSI exam

   Book the exam with PSI after DPOR approves you ($100). It's open book; bring the 2021 International Mechanical Code and the other listed references. [10]

5. Renew and move up

   Renew every 3 years with 3 hours of CE. After one year as a journeyman (or three as a residential HVAC tradesman) you can apply for the master exam. [3][13]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  UA Local 110 JATC (Plumbers and Steamfitters, Norfolk area)

  A five-year state-registered program: 10,000 hours of work plus 1,000 classroom hours in Chesapeake. In year three apprentices may specialize in mechanical equipment service (HVAC), plumbing, pipefitting or pipe welding. [16]

• Open shop

  ABC Virginia HVAC-R apprenticeship

  Associated Builders and Contractors' Virginia chapter teaches the classroom part (600 hours over four years, alongside 8,000 hours of work) for apprentices employed in the HVAC-R field. [17][29]

• State program

  Virginia Works Registered Apprenticeship

  The state agency that registers apprenticeships. You apply to an employer sponsor; its sponsor search lists active programs. [18][27]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask