How Do You Get an HVAC License in Arkansas?

Yes.

Arkansas requires every individual who designs, installs, constructs, maintains, services, repairs, alters or modifies any HVACR system to hold an HVACR licence or registration issued by the HVACR Licensing Board.

Workers who do not hold a class licence must instead hold a current HVACR registration — a registrant card — and can only perform work for an HVACR licensee.

The board sits within the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing.

On top of the state credential, federal rule 40 CFR 82.161 requires anyone who could reasonably be expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit while maintaining, servicing, repairing or disposing of appliances containing CFC/HCFC or non-exempt substitute refrigerants to pass an exam from an EPA-approved technician certification program; that certification is federal, not an Arkansas licence.

Under 17 CAR Part 261, the classes are Class A (unlimited), Class B (up to 25 tons of cooling and 1,000,000 BTUH of heating per unit, with refrigeration work capped at 15 horsepower), Class D (sheet metal ductwork only), Class E (refrigeration only) and Class L (lifetime, service only).

A class licence is what lets you take responsibility for HVACR work: the Class A, B, D or E holder is the designated license holder responsible for the HVACR work a business performs, and a business must first hold an HVACR organization registration.

Registrants who hold no class licence can only work for an HVACR licensee.

Class L is a special case: it is service-only, and a Class L holder may not employ registrants.

One caution — the board's 2024 compilation of the statute still describes a 15-ton Class B and a Class C service-and-repair licence that the current rule text does not list, so confirm today's class limits with the board before you apply.

The registrant card costs $25 per year, and registrants and class-licence applicants must be at least 18.

To become eligible for the class exam, the board's page says you must have held an Arkansas registrant card for 2 years, or held it for 1 year and have 1 year of technical experience.

Separately, applicants for a class licence with no licensing background must show at least 2 years' experience as an HVACR contractor or as an employee of one, and board-approved training may substitute.

Each Class A, B, D or E exam costs $100.

Licence fees run $200 per year for Class A and $150 per year for Class B, D or E, with no charge for Class L.

New class holders must also carry general liability insurance — the board page does not state a minimum amount.

The board's HVAC/R contractor examinations — the exams for its class licences — are proctored by Prov, which the board describes as a nationally recognized licensing and examination services provider, and candidates must be pre-approved by the Board before they sit.

Eligibility follows the experience rules above: a registrant card held for 2 years, or 1 year plus 1 year of technical experience.

Each Class A, B, D or E exam costs $100.

Our research does not describe the content outline of the Arkansas HVACR exam, so ask the board or Prov for current candidate materials before you schedule.

HVACR licences expire on the last day of the month one year after issuance, so renewal is annual.

A licence is not renewed unless the licensee completes at least 8 hours of board-approved continuing education per current International Mechanical Code cycle.

The registrant card also renews yearly, at $25.

The rule text we read ties the CE requirement to licensees, so if you hold only the registration, ask the board whether anything applies to you before you renew.

Not automatically, and there is no reciprocity agreement to lean on.

The State HVAC/R Board states it has no reciprocal licensing agreements with any other state licensing boards for HVAC/R licensing at this time.

What the board does offer: out-of-state licensees from states it considers substantially similar may be approved, with examination.

If you hold an HVACR licence from another state, plan to take the Arkansas exam and confirm the board's current out-of-state policy directly before you count on it.

Our research did not find a public HVACR licence lookup on the board's pages, so the board itself is the place to confirm a licence.

Two practical checks do exist.

Arkansas HVACR licensees must display their licence number on all business vehicles and in all forms of advertising, so you can ask for that number and verify it with the board.

And the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board publishes a Find A Licensed Contractor search — but that covers ACLB contractor licences, a separate credential from the HVACR class licence.

Possibly — this is the one place to be careful with older Arkansas information.

The board's 17 CAR Part 261 rule text lists Classes A, B, D, E and L with a Class B cap of 25 tons of cooling per unit, while the department's 2024 compilation of the HVACR statute still describes a Class B limited to 15 tons and a Class C service-and-repair licence.

Our research could not confirm whether the newer rule text is final and in effect, so treat any Arkansas class list — including ours — as something to verify with the board before you rely on it.