Does Indiana Require an HVAC License? Who Licenses HVAC Work Instead

No. Indiana issues no statewide HVAC technician or contractor license: the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's list of licensed professions includes Plumbing but no HVAC, heating, mechanical or refrigeration board.

So there is no state application, exam or renewal to plan around: the rules that apply to you come from the municipality where the work is done, and Indianapolis's board document states that licensing is at the discretion of the local municipality.

One federal layer applies everywhere in Indiana: under 40 CFR 82.161, any person 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 must pass an exam from an EPA-approved technician certification program.

There are no state levels to climb: Indiana issues no journeyman, master or contractor HVAC credential.

The credentials that exist are municipal, and the best-documented example is Indianapolis, whose Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners — part of the Department of Business & Neighborhood Services — issues heating and cooling contractor licenses in five types: Air Conditioning A (unrestricted), B (25 tons cooling / 500,000 BTU heating), D (5 tons cooling / 300,000 BTU heating), Refrigeration and High Pressure Steam.

Indianapolis also matches EPA Section 608 certification to the license type: Universal for Air Conditioning A and Refrigeration, Type I and II for B and D, and none for High Pressure Steam.

A license is not the only way to do the work there: in Indianapolis, an unlicensed worker employed by a licensed heating and cooling contractor may do heating and cooling work under that contractor's direction and control, limited to the scope of the contractor's license type, but may not contract on their own.

Licensing is local, so hours, training and fees are set by each municipality rather than by the state — with no state license, there are no state hour, fee or exam figures to apply.

For Indianapolis, the 2025 board-policies document our research read works like this: an applicant files a packet at least 10 business days before the Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners meets — the second Monday of each month — and appears before the board.

After board approval, the contractor files proof of a surety bond, general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage with fees before it is licensed.

Reciprocal applicants must document at least five years of HVACR trade experience, or a mix of industry education and work, verified on employer letterhead.

The document does not state the bond and insurance dollar amounts or the license fees, and it does not quote the exam route's experience rule, so ask the licensing section before you count on a number.

No state board gives one, because there is no state HVAC license or exam.

The Indianapolis heating and cooling license exam has a passing grade of 70%, and after a second failure an applicant must wait one year to retest.

For the reciprocal route, Indianapolis accepts only a current license from another municipality or agency that was earned on a standardized exam produced by Prometric or Prov, verified as equivalent to the city's own exam, with a minimum score of 70%.

The board-policies document our research read does not say who administers the exam, and it publishes no content outline — confirm the testing arrangement and the study scope with the board when you file.

Our research did not establish a renewal cycle or a continuing-education requirement for heating and cooling licenses in Indiana: there is no state license whose renewal rule could apply, and the Indianapolis board-policies document we read does not state renewal terms or CE hours.

Ask the city's licensing section what your license needs to stay active before you schedule work around a renewal date.

The credential that does not renew is the federal one: EPA Section 608 technician certification does not expire.

There is no state HVAC license for another state's license to transfer into, so the only reciprocity rule on record is a city's.

Indianapolis grants reciprocal heating and cooling licenses only for a current license from another municipality or agency that was earned on a Prometric or Prov exam verified as equivalent to the city's own exam, with a minimum score of 70%.

If you hold a license from another state, ask the city's licensing section — or the equivalent office where you will work — whether it fits that rule, before you assume the license carries over.

There is no statewide Indiana HVAC license search in our research, because there is no statewide license to search.

The cross-state lookup research this page draws on lists an IPLA “Verify a license” link for Indiana that it could not open and marks unconfirmed, and it found no HVAC-specific lookup to confirm.

What the verified professions list does show is that the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency licenses plumbing and no HVAC profession.

Heating and cooling licenses are issued city by city — in Indianapolis, the Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners, part of the Department of Business & Neighborhood Services, issues the five license types — so verify a license with the city that issued it.

Indianapolis's board document says it plainly: HVAC licensing in Indiana is at the discretion of the local municipality.

The municipality our research documents is Indianapolis, whose Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners — part of the Department of Business & Neighborhood Services — issues the five heating and cooling license types, sets a 70% exam pass mark, meets the second Monday of each month and approves applicants before bond and insurance are filed.

Fort Wayne, Evansville and Indiana's other cities were not part of our research, so check with each city rather than assuming Indianapolis's rules apply everywhere.

Before you take HVAC work anywhere in Indiana, ask that municipality's building or licensing department what it requires.