Moving to North Carolina as a master HVAC technician: every state's rule
North Carolina has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
North Carolina master HVAC technician · “Heating Contractor (H1-I / H1-II, H2, H3-I / H3-II)”
Statewide license
Issued by North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
North Carolina has no 'master HVAC' license; its highest HVAC credential is the Heating Contractor license issued to an individual by the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors under G.S. 87-21, in Heating Group 1 (steam, vapor and hot-water comfort heating), Group 2 (forced-air heating/cooling with more than 15 tons of cooling) and Group 3 (forced-air heating/cooling of 15 tons or less), each with Class I (any building) and Class II (single-family detached dwellings) except Group 2, which is Class I only. The license is earned personally by passing the 4-hour technical exam and the 1.5-hour Business and Law exam and belongs to the individual, who may list it in a firm name and add sub-licensees; that is why this site maps it to the master level. A new applicant needs 4,000 hours of hands-on experience (up to half from technical education), pays $150 per examination, submits a nationwide criminal background report and Social Security verification, and after licensure pays an annual license fee of $150. The Board states that it has no license reciprocity with any state; the only technical-exam waiver is with South Carolina, and North Carolina residents licensed in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia may ask for licensure without examination under the Neighbor State License Recognition Act. Commercial, industrial, transport and service refrigeration (not comfort cooling) requires a separate Class I-IV Refrigeration Contractor license from the State Board of Refrigeration Contractors ($100 exam, 4,000 hours, EPA 608 Type II or Universal required), which has no reciprocity but offers the same neighbor-state route to new NC residents. EPA Section 608 certification is required federally to handle refrigerants.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Colorado | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Florida | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Georgia | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Hawaii | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Louisiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maine | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Minnesota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Montana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Hampshire | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Jersey | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Ohio | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oregon | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Carolina | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| South Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Tennessee | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Utah | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Vermont | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Virginia | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Washington | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
Getting licensed in North Carolina from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how North Carolina issues a master HVAC technician license to a first-time applicant.
Heating Contractor license by examination
North Carolina's Heating Contractor license is issued to the individual who passes the Board's examination, and no technician license is required first. An applicant documents 4,000 hours (two years) of full-time experience installing, maintaining, servicing or repairing systems in the heating group sought; up to half may be trade-related college or technical-institute coursework, credited at 66.66 hours per semester hour. After approval the candidate takes two computer-based, open-book exams with PSI, a 4-hour technical exam and a 1.5-hour Business and Law exam, and needs a score of 70. A North Carolina Heating Technician who earned that license by exam can move up to the contractor license in the same group and class by meeting the 4,000-hour requirement and passing only the Business and Law exam. The license is held by the qualifying individual; a corporation, partnership or trade-name business can contract only through a listed licensee who signs its contracts and supervises the work.
Groups 1 and 3 come in Class I (any building) and Class II (single-family detached dwellings only); Heating Group 2, for forced-air systems over 15 tons of cooling, has a single class. Each classification needs its own application and $150 fee. An H3-I licensee receives 50% experience credit toward H2 and vice versa, and G.S. 87-21 lets the Board accept 10 years of continuous licensure in good standing as experience for Class II qualifications. Candidates bring their own copies of the books on the Board's Book Reference List, including the North Carolina State Building Code volumes, ACCA manuals, the Board's Laws & Rules book and the Business and Project Management for Contractors book. A candidate who passes the technical exam but fails Business and Law may request the matching Technician license instead. A failed exam may be retaken after 90 days with a Re-Examination application and fee, and a failed portion may be retaken within six months without repeating the portion passed. The Board's application packet does not call for a surety bond, insurance or financial statement; a foreign corporation or LLC must obtain a certificate of authority from the Secretary of State before a license can be issued in its name. Commercial, industrial and transport refrigeration is licensed separately by the State Board of Refrigeration Contractors, and EPA Section 608 certification is a federal requirement for handling refrigerants. The Board lists average application processing of about six weeks.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Typical processing
- About 42 days
- Renewal
- Every year
- Continuing education
- None required
Who can apply
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Two years of full-time hands-on installation, maintenance, service or repair in the heating group sought, earned in any state and whether or not a license was required; up to 50% may be trade-related coursework (66.66 hours per approved semester hour). Part-time work is prorated.
- An applicant convicted of a crime involving fraud or moral turpitude cannot be considered until at least one year after completing the sentence, other than unsupervised probation
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
North Carolina Heating Technician upgrading to contractor (Business and Law exam only)
An applicant who holds an active North Carolina Heating Technician license obtained by examination can obtain the Heating Contractor license in the same group and class by meeting the 4,000-hour contractor experience requirement and passing only the Business and Law exam; the technical exam is not repeated.
- Hold a Active North Carolina Heating Technician license in the same group and class, obtained by examination first.
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.The contractor experience requirement still applies in full.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Application fee portion of the $150 per-classification exam fee paid to the Board on Form PHFP-1; non-refundable (21 NCAC 50 .1101).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). Examination fee portion of the $150 per-classification fee paid to the Board; non-refundable. A retake requires a Re-Examination application and the exam fee again..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Heating Group 1, 2 or 3 Contractor technical examination, computer-based at PSI test centers: 4 hours, open book with the references on the Board's Book Reference List; 70 to pass.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and Law examination: 1.5 hours, open book with the Board's Laws & Rules book (G.S. Chapter 87, Article 2 and 21 NCAC 50) and the Business and Project Management for Contractors book; 70 to pass.
- 5Background check. Complete a background check. Nationwide criminal background report ordered from Disahealthcare (DISA CB CastleBranch, package code ST46) at the applicant's cost, with a printed copy attached to the application; any criminal charges, convictions, probation or parole must be explained on a separate sheet.
- 6Other. Notarized experience verification: Form 1-B from each North Carolina licensee you worked under, Form 1-C employment history for work elsewhere or self-employment, or Form 1-D with a DD-214 for military experience, with W-2s, 1099s or tax returns.
- 7Other. Form SSA-89 Social Security Number verification; the Board cannot issue a license to anyone whose SSN cannot be verified.
- 8License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Annual heating contractor license fee, paid with the License Activation Form within 45 days of passing; $75 for an individual listed as the second or later qualifier on a firm's license.
Published fees on this path total $300, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year with no continuing education required and a $150 renewal fee.
The Board eliminated mandatory continuing education at the end of 2012, and none is required to renew. Courses the Board orders in a disciplinary case are separate.
All licenses expire December 31 and the renewal period opens about October 1. A $25 late fee is added if the license is not renewed during January, and a license not renewed within three years of expiring can be restored only by passing the exams again.
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 · $75
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
Sources for this section
- 21 NCAC 50 - State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors (rules) · 21 NCAC 50 .0301, .0305, .0306, .1101, .1102 · North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-21 - Definitions; contractors licensed by Board; examination; posting license · N.C.G.S. 87-21(a), (b), (g) · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-22 - Fees; expiration and renewal of licenses · N.C.G.S. 87-22 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-22.1 - Application and examination fee · N.C.G.S. 87-22.1 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-22.2 - Foreign corporations and LLCs; tax information · N.C.G.S. 87-22.2 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- N.C.G.S. 87-26 - Licenses for corporations, partnerships and trade names · N.C.G.S. 87-26 · North Carolina General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - Applicant Information · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Exam Reference Book List and Requirements (effective July 1, 2025) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Application Packet for Persons Applying for Plumbing, Heating or Fuel Piping Contractor License (Form PHFP-1, 2026-06) · G.S. 87-21(g) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - Education · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Exam Information 2026 - exam durations · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - FAQ · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- License Activation Form (valid through 9/30/2026) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- License Definitions - Contractor (2026-06) · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors - License Renewal · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026