How Do You Get an HVAC License in Michigan?

Yes and no: Michigan licenses mechanical work statewide, but it does not issue a journeyman or technician HVAC license.

LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes licenses mechanical work only at the Mechanical Contractor level, and employees do the work under a licensed mechanical contractor.

Michigan's plumbing trade, by contrast, runs from apprentice registration through journey and master plumber licenses.

So for an HVAC worker, the license to earn in Michigan is the Mechanical Contractor license.

The Mechanical Contractor license is issued by work classification rather than as one blanket HVAC license.

The classifications are hydronic heating & cooling and process piping, HVAC equipment, ductwork, refrigeration, limited and unlimited heating service, limited and unlimited refrigeration & A/C service, fire suppression, and specialty classifications covering solar, solid fuel/vented decorative gas, LP distribution piping, fuel gas piping, and fuel gas piping & venting.

Applicants must take and pass an examination for each work classification they want.

There is no journeyman or master HVAC rung: the contractor license is the only mechanical credential on the bureau's license list.

It is a contractor-level credential — HVAC workers who have not earned it work as employees under a licensed mechanical contractor.

The experience requirement is at least 3 years (6,000 hours) in each work classification you apply for, worked for a licensed mechanical contractor whose license covers that classification.

A 2-year HVAC program — at a trade school or college, or one approved by the US DOL — can credit up to 1 year / 2,000 hours toward that total, and no more.

Some classifications sit behind prerequisites: ductwork and limited heating service require the HVAC equipment classification, and unlimited refrigeration & A/C service requires HVAC equipment, refrigeration, or limited refrigeration & A/C service, each held for at least 3 years.

The initial license/classification fee is $300, and honorably discharged veterans are exempt from it.

Adding a classification later in the 3-year cycle costs $300, $200 or $100 depending on the year.

PSI administers the exams: approved applicants are contacted by PSI to schedule their examination at one of five PSI testing centers throughout the state, and exam fees are paid to PSI.

An exam may include questions on the Skilled Trades Regulation Act and the state construction code as well as the trade code.

LARA's exam reference list includes the 2021 Michigan Mechanical Code, the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, ACCA Manual J (2011) and Manual D (2016), and SMACNA duct standards, depending on classification.

Read the current reference list LARA publishes before you study.

Mechanical contractor licenses renew every three years, due by August 31.

Renewal costs $300, with a $100 late fee.

Michigan requires no code-update or continuing-education course for this license.

A license expired for more than 3 years requires re-applying and re-testing.

Our research did not find reciprocity information on the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes mechanical licensing pages we reviewed, so we cannot name any state whose license Michigan accepts, or confirm that Michigan accepts any.

If you hold an HVAC or mechanical license from another state, ask LARA BCC what it requires of out-of-state licensees before you assume your license transfers.

LARA points to an Accela license lookup, labelled 'Find / Verify a BCC Licensed Professional or Business', for Bureau of Construction Codes licenses.

Our research recorded the link but did not open the lookup itself, so if it does not return the mechanical contractor record you are checking, contact the bureau directly.

This page covers Michigan's state licensing only.

Whether any Michigan city or county adds its own mechanical registration for HVAC workers is not established in our research, so check with the building or licensing department where the work is done.