LicensebyState

Moving to Alabama as a master HVAC technician: every state's rule

Alabama has reciprocity agreements with 7 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Alabama master HVAC technician · “Certified Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor (or Certified Refrigeration Contractor)”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors

Alabama's HVAC credential is the Certified Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor certification (with a parallel Certified Refrigeration Contractor certification for commercial refrigeration) issued by the Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors. It is treated here as the master level because it is earned personally by examination: under rule 440-X-3-.04 an individual must satisfy every requirement, and when a partnership, corporation or LLC is certified the certificate is issued in the name of the person in responsible charge together with the business name. A new applicant must show 3,000 hours of work experience (the exam application asks for notarized employer affidavits covering at least two years within the past five years, with W-2 forms) or graduation from an approved HVAC or refrigeration curriculum, then pass the open-book Prov exam ($175; 115 questions, 70% to pass). Active certification costs $220 per year and requires a business name and a $20,000 performance bond; inactive status is $110 with no bond; four hours of continuing education are required each year after the first, and renewal is due by December 31. The Board accepts licenses by reciprocity from Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina (Residential Building Commission or Contractor's Board), Texas, West Virginia and Louisiana when the applicant passed an equivalent exam with at least 70%; there is no business and law exam, and §34-31-28(d) prohibits counties and municipalities from requiring further local testing of certified contractors.

States Alabama reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 7Experience credit 20No credit 23
Every state's path into Alabama
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-15
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ColoradoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-15
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-15
FloridaExperience credit2026-09-15
GeorgiaExperience credit2026-09-15
HawaiiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaExperience credit2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-15
LouisianaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MaineNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-15
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-15
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-15
MinnesotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MississippiReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
NebraskaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New JerseyExperience credit2026-09-15
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-15
North DakotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OhioReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-15
OregonNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-15
South CarolinaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
South DakotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TennesseeReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
TexasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
UtahNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
VermontNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WashingtonNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
West VirginiaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-15
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15

Getting licensed in Alabama from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Alabama issues a master HVAC technician license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 6 sources

Certified Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor by examination

Alabama has no state journeyman or technician license, so there is no lower tier to hold first: you qualify for the contractor certification exam directly from experience or training. Under Ala. Code §34-31-28(c) you need 3,000 hours of HVAC work experience or a diploma from a Board-approved heating, air conditioning or refrigeration curriculum; the exam application asks for notarized employer affidavits showing at least two years in the trade within the past five years, with W-2 forms. Once the Board approves the $175 exam application, you schedule the open-book Heating and Air Conditioning exam with Prov (115 questions, 5 hours) and need 70% to pass. You then apply for certification on forms AL-1, AL-2 and BF-1: an active certification costs $220 a year and requires a business name and a $20,000 performance bond, and it is issued in your name as the person in responsible charge together with the business name. Certification is renewed every year by December 31 with four hours of continuing education after the first year.

The Heating and Air Conditioning exam covers general knowledge, piping, systems and sizing, equipment, maintenance, plan reading and electrical applications, plus business organization, contracts, lien law, labor and tax law and licensing law drawn from the NASCLA Contractors Guide; there is no separate business and law exam. Allowed references include the 2021 International Residential Code, ACCA Manuals D and J, a duct calculator, the 2020 National Electrical Code, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Technology, the NASCLA guide and the Board's law and rules book; books may be highlighted and permanently tabbed, but only formulas may be written in them. The parallel Certified Refrigeration Contractor exam (115 questions, 4 hours) uses the 2021 International Mechanical Code and OSHA construction standards; taking both exams costs $350. You must sit the exam within one year of the Board receiving your application, and applications not completed within twelve months may be treated as abandoned. After a failed written exam you file a retake form with a new exam fee, or you may ask in writing for an equivalent practical exam ($375) within six months. An inactive certification ($110 a year, no bond) keeps the credential but does not allow you to do HVAC work. Counties and cities may not require further testing of certified contractors (§34-31-28(d)). Alabama does not add a state refrigerant card; federal EPA Section 608 certification is still needed to handle refrigerants.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Prov
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
4 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 3,000 hours of qualifying work experience.The exam application asks for notarized Affidavits of Employment (Form EA-4) showing at least two years in heating and air conditioning or commercial refrigeration within the past five years, with all corresponding W-2 forms. Each affidavit is signed by a supervising licensed contractor, whose licensing state is recorded on the form, and must describe at least four job duties; sales, marketing and estimating work does not count.
  • United States citizen, or a non-citizen lawfully present in the United States, with documentary proof (§34-31-27)

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Graduate of an approved HVAC or refrigeration curriculum

A graduate of a Board-approved heating, air conditioning or refrigeration program may sit for the exam without the 3,000 hours, by submitting transcripts or a diploma showing completion. The exam application lists the approved programs in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and elsewhere in the Southeast, and a long certificate from any public Alabama two-year or community college is approved.

  • Graduation from a Board-approved heating, air conditioning or refrigeration curriculum
  • United States citizen, or a non-citizen lawfully present in the United States, with documentary proof (§34-31-27)

3,000 hours of HVAC or refrigeration training

The exam application also accepts certificates showing at least 3,000 hours of heating and air conditioning or commercial refrigeration educational training in place of, or combined with, employer affidavits.

  • Complete at least 3,000 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • United States citizen, or a non-citizen lawfully present in the United States, with documentary proof (§34-31-27)

Military education, training or service

Under rule 440-X-3-.16 the Board may accept education, training or service completed in the U.S. Armed Forces, their reserves, or a state National Guard, military reserve or naval militia as sufficient education or experience to sit for the exam.

  • Education, training or service in the U.S. Armed Forces or reserves, or a state National Guard, military reserve or naval militia, accepted by the Board as sufficient to sit for the exam
  • United States citizen, or a non-citizen lawfully present in the United States, with documentary proof (§34-31-27)

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($175). Written examination fee per exam, paid to the State of Alabama with the notarized exam application (Forms EA-1 to EA-4); $350 for both the HVAC and Refrigeration exams; non-refundable. Prov charges no separate testing fee. A 4% convenience fee applies to card payments..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Alabama Heating and Air Conditioning (HAC) contractor exam administered by Prov: 115 questions, 5 hours, open book, 70% to pass; includes business, contract, lien and licensing law questions.
  3. 3Background check. Complete a background check. The exam application asks about disciplinary action or pending complaints in any jurisdiction and about felony convictions or pleas, and the Board reviews each applicant's character and fitness (§34-31-28(b)); the Board may require a background check before approving you to sit the exam (rule 440-X-3-.14). No background check fee is published..
  4. 4Other. Notarized Affidavit of Employment (Form EA-4) from each employer with W-2 forms showing full-time employment, or certificates or transcripts for approved training, plus proof of citizenship or lawful presence.
  5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($220). Initial active certification fee (Form AL-1, with AL-2 business information and BF-1 bond form), filed after passing the exam; an inactive certification, which does not allow HVAC work, costs $110.
  6. 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($20,000). Performance bond of $20,000 in the business name with the Board as obligee (Form BF-1), required for active certification (rule 440-X-3-.04(5)).
  7. 7Business license. Obtain a business license. Business name and corporation documents, or a certificate of foreign authority from the Alabama Secretary of State for an entity formed outside Alabama, filed with the active certification application; the certificate is issued in the name of the person in responsible charge with the business name (rule 440-X-3-.04(6)).

Published fees on this path total $395, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 4 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $220 renewal fee.

Four hours of Board-approved continuing education every year, with proof submitted before November 1. No CE is required for the first renewal after initial certification. Up to eight hours may be taken in one year and four carried over to the next.

Certifications expire December 31 each year. A late renewal within the following calendar year costs an extra $250; a certification not renewed within one year is expired, and you must pass the exam again. Inactive renewal is $110, and inactive contractors aged 65 or older are exempt from CE.

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Exam fee · $175
  • Trade exam

Surety bond

A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.

  • Surety bond · $20,000

Business registration

If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.

  • Business license

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. Alabama HACR Board - Form AL-1 Application for Licensure (2024) · Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Alabama HACR Board - HVAC/Refrigeration Examination Application (forms EA-1 to EA-7) with approved curricula and exam references · Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Alabama HACR Board - Frequently Asked Questions · Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors - How to Get Licensed (examination, licensure, reciprocity) · Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Code of Alabama 1975, §34-31-18 et seq. and Alabama Administrative Code Chapters 440-X-1 to 440-X-4 (Board compilation, October 17, 2024) · Ala. Code §§ 34-31-18, 34-31-24, 34-31-25, 34-31-26, 34-31-28, 34-31-29, 34-31-30; Ala. Admin. Code 440-X-3-.04, 440-X-3-.10, 440-X-3-.16 · Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  6. State of Alabama HACR Contractor Board Examinations - Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov, July 3, 2025) · Prov, Inc. (testing vendor contracted by the Alabama HACR Board) · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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