HVAC licensing in Wisconsin: what you actually need

Licensing office Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) · (608) 266-2112 [13][16]

The license pathway in Wisconsin

1. 1

   HVAC apprentice or technician (no state license)

   • Set by the apprenticeship; DWD's HVAC Installer-Technician program has 576 hours of paid related instruction
   • EPA Section 608 certification if you work with refrigerants

   Wisconsin has no individual HVAC license or apprentice card. You work for a registered HVAC contractor; electrical or plumbing work on the system still falls under those trades' licensing rules. [1][2][4][6]

2. 2

   HVAC Qualifier (voluntary certification)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • Up to 4 years of HVAC-related school or apprenticeship school can count instead of experience
   • Yes: open book, 100 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass
   • $15 application, $25 exam (+$95 at Pearson), $60 certification
   • Every 4 years; no CE

   An individual certification. You need at least 1,000 hours a year for 4 years of experience designing, installing, servicing or maintaining HVAC systems, 4 years of HVAC schooling, or a combination. A business using a certified qualifier can't be required to get a local HVAC license. [1][2][3][5][14]

3. 3

   HVAC Contractor (registration)

   • $15 application + $160 registration
   • Every 4 years; no CE

   Required for any person or business that installs or services HVAC equipment as a business. The owner, a partner or the CEO applies. There's no exam. Owners servicing equipment in their own facilities, or working in a home they live in, are exempt. [1][2][13]

Who needs a credential in Wisconsin

State law says no person may engage in the business of installing or servicing heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment unless the person registers with DSPS. The rule applies the registration to persons, entities and businesses, and the owner, a partner or the CEO applies on the business's behalf.

You don't need the registration to service equipment in facilities you own, or to install or service equipment in a home you own and live in. HVAC contractor registration also doesn't cover electrical or plumbing work on the system; those are licensed separately (see Wisconsin electrician license and Wisconsin plumber license). [1][2]

The voluntary HVAC Qualifier

Wisconsin law set up a voluntary certification for people in the HVAC business, earned by passing an exam. To qualify you need one of these:

• At least 1,000 hours a year for at least 4 years supervising or performing HVAC design, installation, servicing or maintenance.
• At least 4 years in a school of mechanical engineering or an accredited college, technical, vocational or apprenticeship school in an HVAC-related program.
• Any combination of the two adding up to 4 years.

The exam is open book, 100 questions over 4 hours, and you need 70%. Allowed references include SPS 320-325 (Department of Safety and Professional Services rules), SPS 341 and SPS 345 in one binder, the 2020 SMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association) duct standards, 2013 ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Fundamentals, parts of NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code), and the International Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Building, Energy Conservation and Existing Building Codes as amended by Wisconsin. HVAC Qualifier exams at Pearson VUE are only in Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee. [1][2][3][5]

Local HVAC licenses

Wisconsin limits local HVAC licensing. A city, village, town or county may not require its own approval to do HVAC business unless it required that approval before November 1, 1993. It also may not require a state-certified HVAC qualifier to get a local license, and DSPS's rule says a business using a certified qualifier "may not be required to obtain a local certification, license or other approval." If you'll work in a city with an older local requirement, check with that city. [1][2]

Apprenticeships

Registered HVAC apprenticeships in Wisconsin include DWD's HVAC Installer-Technician program (about 5 years, 7,824 hours on the job, 576 hours of paid related instruction), sheet metal programs (about 5 years) and steamfitter programs (about 5 years). The open-shop route is ABC of Wisconsin, whose HVAC apprenticeship takes 5 years. Union routes run through SMART (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) sheet metal training centers (finder) and UA pipe trades locals.

Construction apprenticeships are sponsored by local apprenticeship committees or employers, and you apply directly to the sponsor. See union vs. non-union and the EPA 608 certification guide. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

If you're licensed in another state

Because Wisconsin has no individual HVAC license, there's no technician license to transfer. DSPS lists no reciprocity route for the HVAC Qualifier; out-of-state experience can count toward its 4-year requirement on the Trades Experience Form. EPA 608 (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's refrigerant rule) certification is federal and doesn't expire, so it goes with you. See our license reciprocity guide. [2][3][4]

Steps to get licensed in Wisconsin

1. Get hired by a registered HVAC contractor

   Start as an apprentice or entry-level technician. In a registered apprenticeship you sign a DWD apprentice contract; there's no DSPS card for individual HVAC workers. [1][12][15]

2. Earn EPA Section 608 certification

   Pass an EPA-approved test for the equipment types you'll work on before you handle refrigerants. See the EPA's 608 requirements. [4]

3. Build 4 years of experience or schooling

   For the voluntary HVAC Qualifier, document at least 1,000 hours a year for 4 years on Form 8168 (Trades Experience Form), or 4 years of HVAC-related school, or a mix. [2][3]

4. Take the HVAC Qualifier exam (optional)

   Apply in LicensE. The exam is open book with 100 questions over 4 hours and needs 70%; at Pearson VUE it's offered only at six Wisconsin centers (Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee). See the HVAC Qualifier page. [3][5]

5. Register your own HVAC business

   If you go into business, the owner registers the company as an HVAC contractor ($15 plus $160, every 4 years). Electrical and plumbing work on HVAC systems still needs the appropriate electrical or plumbing credentials. [2][13]

Where to get the hours

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

• Open shop

  ABC of Wisconsin HVAC apprenticeship

  A five-year registered apprenticeship for employees of approved ABC contractors, with classes in Madison, Janesville, Kenosha and Green Bay. ABC also runs sheet metal and steamfitting programs. [9][17]

• Union

  SMART sheet metal apprenticeships

  Union sheet metal apprenticeships last four or five years; sheet metal workers install heating and air conditioning ductwork, among other things; use the International Training Institute's finder to locate a Wisconsin training center. [7][10]

• Union

  UA pipe trades (steamfitter and HVACR) apprenticeships

  United Association apprenticeships typically last five years; career tracks include pipefitting, steamfitting and HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration). In Wisconsin, construction apprenticeships are sponsored by local apprenticeship committees. [11][12]

• State program

  Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards (DWD)

  Wisconsin's state apprenticeship agency. Its HVAC Installer-Technician program runs about 5 years with 7,824 hours on the job and 576 hours of paid related instruction. [6]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask