HVAC Contractor License in Maryland: Requirements, Qualifier, Bond and Exams
Maryland does not hand HVAC businesses a contractor license of their own.
Contracting runs on an individual: the person who signs or approves your HVACR contracts must hold a Master, Master Restricted or Limited license from the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (the HVACR Board) and carry $400,000 in combined insurance.
Our research found no company bond and no qualifier-replacement deadline — what it did find is the individual license, its PSI trade exams and board-named insurance.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Yes — statewide, but the license is personal: there is no separate company license, and businesses contract under an individual Master, Master Restricted or Limited HVACR licensee.
The Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (the HVACR Board).
Apprentice, Journeyman, Journeyman Restricted, Limited, Master Restricted and Master — contracting runs on Master, Master Restricted or Limited.
Our research found no company qualifier rule: the board licenses individuals, and contracting runs on that individual's Master, Master Restricted or Limited license.
PSI trade exams — 70% to pass the master and journeyman exams; a failed exam can be retaken after 30 days.
We did not find a business-and-law exam.
No bond found in our research. $300,000 general liability plus $100,000 property damage ($400,000 combined), naming the HVACR Board as certificate holder.
Master or Limited $94.50, Master Restricted $31.50 per area (as of July 1, 2025); 2-year terms expiring October 1 of odd-numbered years; the board requires no CE.
Delaware and Virginia only.
Out-of-state contractors need a Maryland license even without a Maryland office.
The Maryland HVAC license ladder
- HVACR ApprenticeEntry level
The license anyone entering HVACR work in Maryland must obtain first — no prerequisites — and where the licensed hours that later qualify your company's signer begin counting.
- JourneymanJourneyman
At least 4 years as a licensed apprentice with at least 6,000 hours of training under a licensed contractor, plus 70% on the journeyman exam.
- Journeyman RestrictedJourneyman
The narrower journeyman license: at least 3 years as a licensed apprentice with at least 1,875 hours in forced-air heating, hydronic heating, ventilation, air conditioning or refrigeration, plus an exam.
- LimitedContractor
A contracting license, not a helper tier: it entitles the licensee to exclusively maintain and repair one or more HVACR systems, and it takes 2 years as a journeyman and 1,000 hours in the prior year.
- Master RestrictedMaster
Covers one or more named areas (air conditioning, heating/forced air, hydronic heating, ventilation, refrigeration) under the master experience rule: 3 years as a licensed journeyman under a master and 1,875 hours in the prior year.
- MasterMaster
The broadest license — 3 years of active experience as a licensed journeyman (or higher) under a master, 1,875 hours worked in the year before applying, and 70% on the master exam — and the one that may provide all areas of HVACR work.
Does Maryland license HVAC contractors statewide, or only locally?
Yes — statewide.
The statute requires an individual to be licensed by the Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors before providing or assisting in providing HVACR services anywhere in Maryland.
What the state does not issue is a company license: a business contracts under an individual Master, Master Restricted or Limited HVACR licensee.
Two counties add a second layer on top — Anne Arundel and Prince George's require a county HVACR license as well as the state one.
“an individual shall be licensed by the Board before the individual provides or assists in providing heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, or refrigeration services in the State.”
Which agency issues the license, and what are the classes?
The issuer is the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (the HVACR Board).
Its license types are Apprentice, Journeyman, Journeyman Restricted, Limited, Master Restricted and Master.
Three of them carry the contracting authority: a Master may provide all areas of HVACR work; a Master Restricted covers one or more named areas (air conditioning, heating/forced air, hydronic heating, ventilation, refrigeration); and a Limited entitles the licensee to exclusively maintain and repair one or more HVACR systems.
Maryland issues no separate company license — the board's insurance rule attaches to the individual licensees who sign or approve contracts.
Who can be the qualifier, and what experience do they need?
Our research found no company qualifier rule for Maryland: contracts run on an individual licensee's own credential, so the person whose license your business contracts under must personally hold the Master, Master Restricted or Limited license.
Behind each sits real experience.
A Master needs at least 3 years of active experience as a licensed journeyman (or higher) under a master, at least 1,875 hours worked in the year before applying, and 70% on the master exam.
Master Restricted follows the same 3-year / 1,875-hour experience rule for the areas it covers.
Limited takes 2 years as a journeyman and 1,000 hours in the prior year, and it only authorizes maintaining and repairing HVACR systems.
Which exams must be passed: trade, or business and law?
PSI Examination Services provides all testing for the HVACR Board, with test centers in Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham and Salisbury, and a failed exam can be retaken after 30 days.
The exams tied to contracting are individual trade exams: the master exam requires a 70% score, and the journeyman exam beneath it requires 70% as well.
Our research did not find a separate Maryland business-and-law exam for HVACR in the board pages we read, which name trade exams and insurance.
That is an absence in our reading, not a board statement, so confirm the current exam list with the board before you book.
What bond and insurance are required?
No bond appears in the board pages we read: the HVACR Board requires insurance, not a bond.
A master, master restricted or limited licensee who signs or approves contracts must carry at least $300,000 in general liability and $100,000 in property damage coverage ($400,000 combined), naming the HVACR Board as certificate holder.
The obligation follows the licensee — one who lets the insurance lapse may not keep contracting, and contracting without the required insurance is a misdemeanor.
“Licensees who enter into HVACR contracts without the required insurance are guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, are subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both.”
What does it cost, and how often is it renewed?
Board fees as of July 1, 2025: Master $94.50, Limited $94.50, Master Restricted $31.50 per area, and the schedule also lists an inactive license at $31.50.
PSI exam fees are separate from the board's fees.
Licenses are issued for 2-year terms that expire on October 1 of odd-numbered years, and each renewal runs for another 2-year term.
Continuing education is not part of the cycle — the HVACR Board does not require continuing education credits.
Does Maryland have reciprocity with other states?
Only with Delaware and Virginia: the HVACR Board currently has reciprocal agreements with those two states, and no others are listed.
Our research did not capture the agreements' terms — which license levels they cover and what Maryland still requires of a reciprocating licensee — so confirm with the board before you rely on an out-of-state license.
From any other state there is no agreement to rely on, and the license is required even if your company has no office in Maryland, in which case the individual may be asked to designate a resident agent.
“The Board currently has reciprocal agreements with Delaware and Virginia.”
What happens if your qualifier leaves?
This is the question our research could not fully answer for Maryland: we did not find a board rule setting a deadline to replace the licensee a company contracts under, or a notification requirement.
What is clear is what the company loses if the licensee it contracts under stops contracting — the Master, Master Restricted or Limited license is the credential the contracts hang on, and the insurance requirement attaches to that licensee: one who lets it lapse may not keep contracting.
Because no replacement rule was found, ask the HVACR Board what your company may do while it lines up a new licensed signer.
Our research also did not check whether residential HVAC firms additionally need a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license.
Which Maryland counties require their own HVACR license?
Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County require individuals to hold a county HVACR license as well as the Maryland HVACR license in order to perform HVACR services in those counties.
For an employer, that reaches the licensees who perform HVACR services in either county, including the person whose license your contracts run on.
Confirm the county requirement, and what each county's license involves, with that county's licensing office before you take work there.
“Counties also require individuals to hold a county HVACR license as well as a Maryland HVACR license in order to perform HVACR services in those counties.”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Maryland board pages, statutes, rules and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state HVAC contractor licensing series, current as of September 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (the HVACR Board) publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Maryland, see plumbing contractor licensing in Maryland and HVAC licensing in Maryland.
The HVAC Technician Hiring Market in Maryland Right Now
The HVAC technician openings you are competing with, from the 37 active listings on HVACHires as of October 7, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning31
- Johnson Controls2
Pay employers post
- Median $30 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $22.50–$30 (12 listings that state an hourly rate)
- Median $86,500 a year; the middle half of posted pay runs $85,000–$87,500 (16 listings that state a salary)
- 76% of HVAC technician listings in Maryland state any pay at all, so posting a range helps yours stand out.
Benefits listings name
- Health Insurancenamed in 78%
- Company Vehiclenamed in 76%
- Dental & Visionnamed in 49%
- Profit Sharingnamed in 41%
- PTO / Paid Time Offnamed in 35%
Source: active HVAC technician listings on HVACHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range), hourly and yearly counted separately. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
See the listings →Frequently Asked Questions
Does Maryland require an HVAC contractor license?
Yes — but not a company license.
Maryland licenses the individual: the person who signs or approves your HVACR contracts must hold a Master, Master Restricted or Limited license from the HVACR Board and carry the required insurance.
Businesses do not receive their own contractor license, and out-of-state firms need the same Maryland license even without a Maryland office.
Is there a bond requirement for Maryland HVAC contractors?
Not in the board pages we read: the HVACR Board requires insurance, not a bond, and our research found no bond requirement for HVACR contractors.
The insurance minimums are $300,000 general liability plus $100,000 property damage ($400,000 combined), with the board named as certificate holder.
Contracting without the required insurance is a misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 and/or 6 months on conviction.
How much does a Maryland HVAC contractor license cost?
The license your contracts run on costs $94.50 for a Master or Limited license, or $31.50 per area for Master Restricted, on the board's fee schedule as of July 1, 2025; PSI exam fees are separate.
Licenses run on 2-year terms expiring October 1 of odd-numbered years, and the board requires no continuing education to renew.
Can an out-of-state HVAC company work in Maryland?
Yes, but only with a Maryland HVACR license: the license is required even if the contractor has no office in Maryland, and the individual may be asked to designate a resident agent.
The board's reciprocal agreements cover Delaware and Virginia only; our research did not capture what those agreements waive, so confirm with the board before relying on an out-of-state license.
What happens to a Maryland HVAC business if its master licensee leaves?
Our research did not find a Maryland rule setting a replacement deadline or a notification requirement when the licensee a company contracts under leaves.
The contracts depend on the individual's Master, Master Restricted or Limited license, and the insurance requirement follows the licensee — one who lets the insurance lapse may not keep contracting.
Ask the HVACR Board what the business may do while it lines up a new licensed signer.
More Maryland Resources
Sources
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: HVACR license types and applications (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: License requirements (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: Examinations (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: Fee schedule (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: Continuing education (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: Reciprocal agreements (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: County HVACR licenses (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: Insurance requirements (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Maryland Board of HVACR Contractors: Licensing FAQs (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-301 (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-302 (retrieved 2026-09-29)
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-309 (retrieved 2026-09-29)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (the HVACR Board).