North Carolina HVAC License Requirements

Official classification: Heating Contractor — Group 1 / Group 2 / Group 3 (Class I / Class II) · Issued by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors.

❄️ HVACNC ✔ Verified 2026-06-17

License types

Heating Group 1 (H-1) — Wet / water-based comfort heating systems in any building
Heating Group 2 (H-2) — Forced-air heating/cooling systems with cooling capacity over 15 tons
Heating Group 3, Class I (H-3-I) — Forced-air heating/cooling systems of 15 tons or less in any building (residential, commercial, industrial)
Heating Group 3, Class II (H-3-II) — Forced-air heating/cooling systems of 15 tons or less in single-family detached dwellings only

Requirements at a glance

Experience required	Contractor: 2 years (4,000 hours) of on-site full-time experience in heating-system work. Technician Class I: 18 months (3,000 hours); Technician Class II: 15 months (2,500 hours).
Application fee	$150 (exam application)
License fee	Included with exam application
Renewal fee	$150 (contractor); $25 late fee if not paid in January
Renewal period	Annual (expires Dec 31; no grace period)
Continuing education	None required (CE as a renewal condition was eliminated Dec 31, 2012); voluntary CE encouraged.
Bond required	No surety bond mandated by the Board.
Liability insurance	Not mandated by the Board (general liability is commonly carried and recommended, but is not a license condition).
Property damage	Not mandated by the Board
Workers' comp	Not enforced by the Board; required under NC labor law if you have 3+ employees
Background check	Criminal background report required; must be current (within 6 months) for application/reexamination.
Credit requirement	None published
Reciprocity	None
Processing time	Applications reviewed in order received; exam authorization is valid for a 90-day window.

Exams

Heating contractor examination (by group/class)

Provider: PSI
Passing: Not publicly disclosed
Fee: $150 examination application fee (non-refundable)

Local / municipal notes

Heating-group licenses are tiered by system type (wet vs forced air) and cooling tonnage rather than by project dollar value.

Fees and rules change frequently (often annually). This page was last verified on 2026-06-17 — always confirm current requirements directly with the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors before applying. This is not legal advice.