How Do You Get an HVAC License in Ohio?

Yes, but only at the contractor level.

Ohio has no state license for individual HVAC technicians or journeymen: the only state HVAC license is the OCILB contractor license, which Ohio law defines as a license issued to an individual as an HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing or hydronics contractor.

That state license covers commercial work, while local building and health departments regulate residential contractors and may choose to require the state license for residential work.

Ohio law also lets cities, districts and agencies register tradespersons and charge them a registration or license fee, so some localities may require worker registration; our research did not verify which cities do.

The federal layer applies everywhere: anyone who could violate the integrity of a refrigerant circuit while maintaining, servicing, repairing or disposing of appliances with regulated refrigerants must pass an exam from an EPA-approved technician certification program.

Ohio issues no technician, journeyman or master HVAC license; the state's one HVAC credential is the contractor license itself, and the licensed person on a commercial job is the contractor, not the worker beneath them.

OCILB issues the HVAC contractor license and a separate refrigeration contractor license, and a licensee may install, service and maintain related control wiring for their trade's equipment when that wiring is under 25 volts.

The license is issued to the individual and assigned to one contracting company at a time: the same trade's license cannot be assigned to a second company, the license number must appear on the company's advertising, and workers under the license must be W-2 employees, while 1099 workers need their own license.

To sit for an OCILB contractor exam you must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or legal alien, and have at least five years as a tradesperson in the trade immediately before applying.

The board accepts alternative experience evidence: a journeyman card, an Ohio- or USDOL-approved apprenticeship completion certificate, or 40 hours of approved code continuing education, and education other than an approved apprenticeship can replace at most one of the five years.

Fees run $25 for the exam application, $25 for license issuance, $60 for the annual renewal (or $180 for three years), and a late fee of up to $120.

Licensees must carry at least $500,000 in contractor liability insurance including completed-operations coverage, in the name of the company the license is assigned to; the rules we read set no state surety bond.

On job size, our research found no minimum dollar threshold in the licensing statute; the statute instead makes it unlawful to act as, or claim to be, a licensed-trade contractor without the license.

PSI administers OCILB's contractor exams.

The exam has two parts, one specific to the trade you applied for and one on business and law, and each part must be passed at 70%.

A passed business-and-law part counts toward another trade license for three years, so an HVAC contractor who later adds the refrigeration license does not repeat it.

Our research does not describe the exam's content outline, and PSI's exam fee was not verified; ask for the candidate information when OCILB approves your exam application.

Renewals cost $60 for one year or $180 for three years, with a late fee of up to $120.

For continuing education, OCILB's website currently states 8 hours of CE for one-year renewals and 24 hours for three-year renewals; the rule text itself requires 10 classroom hours of approved CE each year, with a two-hour reduction for licensees in the Compliant Contractor Program.

A license can also go into inactive (escrow) status indefinitely: while in escrow you pay the $60 renewal fee annually but owe no CE and no insurance, and reactivating takes up to 24 hours of CE plus proof of insurance.

Confirm the current CE count with OCILB before you renew.

By trade, and only for applicants who have passed the state-recognized test.

For HVAC, Ohio's reciprocity list covers Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, and some of those agreements require the business-and-law exam.

For refrigeration, the list covers Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The list is as OCILB publishes it; confirm the current list and any exam condition with OCILB before relying on an out-of-state license.

OCILB runs the eLicense Center at elicense4.com.ohio.gov and posts a downloadable current licensee roster covering the electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing and refrigeration trades.

Because Ohio's only HVAC license is the contractor license, the lookup verifies contractors rather than individual technicians.

Search it before you hire a contractor or accept a job with a company that claims licensed status.