StateLicensed

HVAC Technician License Requirements in New Hampshire

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
100 hrs
Upfront cost
$190
Exam
Fuel Gas Fitter licensing exam — Installation Technician endorsement
Renewal cycle
Every 2 years
Issuing board
New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Pass a criminal background check. OPLC's Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board page links directly to 'How to Obtain a Criminal Background Check' as part of its licensing resources, indicating a criminal background check is part of the application process. No explicit statutory minimum age was found in the reviewed materials, so it is left null rather than assumed. [4]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 100 hours of training at a state-approved program. New Hampshire has no general 'HVAC' or air-conditioning-only license — electric-only heating/cooling work is unregulated at the state level. What the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board actually licenses (and the credential most relevant to HVAC technicians who touch gas-fired equipment) is the Fuel Gas Fitter license, which has several endorsements (Fuel Gas Installation Technician, Fuel Gas Service Technician, Fuel Gas Piping Installer, Domestic Appliance Technician, Hearth System Installation and Service). Per Saf-Mec 305.03, the Fuel Gas Installation Technician endorsement requires a minimum of 100 hours of Board-approved formal training (gas theory, piping plans, appliance installation, venting, combustion controls, applicable codes) plus a minimum of 1,000 working hours of on-the-job field experience within 60 consecutive months (up to 500 of which may come from heating-oil equipment experience). Board-approved training providers include Advanced Trade School, Granite State Trade School, Manchester Community College, the National Propane Gas Association's CETP, the NH School of Mechanical Trades, and UA Local Union 131. Separately, an Oil Heating Technician credential exists but is explicitly listed by the Board as 'Voluntary,' not mandatory. [1]

  3. 3

    Fuel Gas Fitter licensing exam — Installation Technician endorsement

    Pass the Fuel Gas Fitter licensing exam — Installation Technician endorsement. Candidates schedule and pay for the exam directly with one of the Board-approved testing organizations before submitting a license application to OPLC; the Board's page does not publish a fixed exam fee since it is set by the third-party provider. A passing exam grade does not guarantee license approval — all Saf-Mec eligibility criteria (education hours, field-experience hours) must independently be documented and met. [2]

  4. 4

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board. [3]

  5. 5

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board issues your Fuel Gas Fitter License — Fuel Gas Installation Technician endorsement (Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board) for New Hampshire.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [3] None specified
License fee [3] $190
Renewal fee [3] $180
Fuel Gas Fitter licensing exam — Installation Technician endorsement [2] None specified
Fuel Gas Trainee (initial) [3] $90
Domestic Appliance Technician (initial) [3] $170

OPLC's fee schedule lists a single combined Fuel Gas Fitter Initial Service/Install/Piping fee of $190 rather than a separate application fee — that figure is recorded as 'license' here. Renewal is $180. A related Business license (for entities employing fitters) starts at $190 for 1-5 employees and scales up with employee count; that is a separate business-level fee, not the individual technician's fee.

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 2 years. 6 continuing education hours required per cycle.

All licensees except apprentices/trainees must show proof of 3 hours of code-update continuing education every year, totaling 6 hours per 2-year renewal cycle, for $180. Anyone renewing 365+ days past expiration is treated as a new applicant and, in lieu of the 100+ hour formal course, may instead pass a Board-approved exam to reinstate.

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

Under New Hampshire HB 594 (2023), out-of-state licensees can seek reciprocity if they hold a current license from a jurisdiction OPLC has designated as having 'qualifying' (substantially similar) requirements — but as of this review, no jurisdiction has been designated as qualifying specifically for fuel gas fitters, so most out-of-state applicants must meet New Hampshire's standard education/experience requirements rather than receiving automatic reciprocity. No interstate compact covers HVAC/fuel-gas licensing.

1 state-approved training provider in New Hampshire — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $190
Total$190

Frequently asked questions

Does New Hampshire have a general HVAC license?

No. New Hampshire has no statewide license for electric-only air conditioning or general HVAC work. What's actually licensed by the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board is Fuel Gas Fitting (for gas-fired furnaces, boilers, and appliances) — the credential most HVAC technicians end up needing because most heating systems involve gas piping or gas appliances.

What does it take to become a licensed Fuel Gas Installation Technician?

A minimum of 100 hours of Board-approved formal training plus 1,000 hours of on-the-job field experience within 60 consecutive months (up to 500 of those hours can come from heating-oil equipment experience), followed by passing an exam through a Board-approved testing provider.

Is an Oil Heating Technician license required in New Hampshire?

No — the Board explicitly lists Oil Heating Technician as a voluntary certification, not a mandatory license.

How much does it cost, and how often do I renew?

The initial Fuel Gas Fitter (Service/Install/Piping) fee is $190; renewal is $180 every 2 years, with 6 hours of code-update continuing education (3 hours/year) required to renew.

Does New Hampshire accept a gas fitter or HVAC license from another state?

New Hampshire's 2023 reciprocity law (HB 594) allows recognition of licenses from jurisdictions OPLC designates as having similar requirements, but as of this review no state has been designated as a qualifying jurisdiction for fuel gas fitters specifically — so most out-of-state applicants still need to meet New Hampshire's standard training and experience requirements.

Sources

  1. [1] gc.nh.gov/rules/state_agencies/saf-mec300.html — accessed 2026-07-12
  2. [2] oplc.nh.gov/mechanical-safety-and-licensing-education-certification-requirements — accessed 2026-07-12
  3. [3] oplc.nh.gov/mechanical-safety-license-fees — accessed 2026-07-12
  4. [4] oplc.nh.gov/mechanical-safety-and-licensing-board — accessed 2026-07-12