StateLicensed

HVAC Technician License Requirements in Tennessee

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
—
Upfront cost
$364
Exam
Business and Law Examination, CMC-C Trade Examination — Mechanical, HVAC/Refrigeration Contractor
Renewal cycle
Every 2 years
Issuing board
Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance)

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Be at least 18 years old, No formal education/training-hour requirement. The Qualifying Agent must show at least 3 years of documented, verifiable construction/trade experience in the HVAC/mechanical classification within the preceding 10 years, and the entity must submit a CPA-reviewed or -audited financial statement (or, beginning 2026-07-01, a surety bond equal to at least 50% of the requested monetary limit as an alternative) sized to the desired monetary project limit., pass a criminal background check. Every owner, partner, officer, and the Qualifying Agent must sign a notarized Contractor's Affidavit disclosing complaints, criminal convictions, and prior unlicensed bidding; applicants with such history must appear for a Board interview. General liability insurance (sized to the monetary limit) and workers' compensation insurance (or proof of exemption) are also required before licensure. [1]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete the required training. Tennessee licenses HVAC work at the business/entity level, not through an individual technician license — a company must have a licensed 'Qualifying Agent' (QA) who passes the required exam(s) on the entity's behalf. There is no fixed classroom or apprenticeship hour requirement; instead, the QA must show at least 3 years of documented, verifiable construction/trade experience in the HVAC classification (CMC-C) within the 10 years preceding application, evidenced by reference letters, project lists, tax records, and completion certificates. A Contractor's license (any classification, including CMC-C) is required whenever a project's total cost is $25,000 or more. [1]

  3. 3

    Business and Law Examination

    Pass the Business and Law Examination (fee: $57). Open-book exam; content covers Tennessee contractor business and law topics. Required of every Qualifying Agent applicant regardless of trade classification; a different person than the trade-exam taker may sit for it (up to 2 people per company may take each exam). Fee of $57 is from PSI's most recently published Tennessee Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin (revised 2026-04-15); TDLR's own exam-info page had not yet published a separate Prov fee schedule as of this access date, so the figure should be treated as the last officially confirmed amount during the PSI-to-Prov transition. [2]

  4. 4

    CMC-C Trade Examination — Mechanical, HVAC/Refrigeration Contractor

    Pass the CMC-C Trade Examination — Mechanical, HVAC/Refrigeration Contractor (fee: $57). Open-book exam covering heating/cooling equipment and components, refrigerants and refrigeration, fuel and LP gas, combustion air/chimneys/flues/vents, and related HVAC/refrigeration subject areas. No Board pre-approval is required to take the CMC-C exam (unlike the CMC full-mechanical or CMC-A plumbing exams, which do require pre-approval and a $50 fee). Fee of $57 is from PSI's most recently published Tennessee Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin (revised 2026-04-15), during the PSI-to-Prov administrator transition. [2]

  5. 5

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) with the $250 application fee. [3]

  6. 6

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) issues your Mechanical Contractor License — HVAC, Refrigeration and Gas Piping (CMC-C) for Tennessee.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [3] $250
License fee [3] None specified
Renewal fee [3] $200
Business and Law Examination [2] $57
CMC-C Trade Examination — Mechanical, HVAC/Refrigeration Contractor [2] $57
Business and Law exam fee (paid directly to exam administrator) [3] $57
CMC-C trade exam fee (paid directly to exam administrator) [3] $57
Late renewal penalty, per month, up to 12 months [3] $20
Mode of Operation Change [3] $100

The Board does not itemize a separate 'license issuance' fee — the $250 Initial/Reinstatement/Ownership Change fee covers issuance, so license is null. All fees are non-refundable per the Board's fee schedule. A $50 exam pre-approval fee applies only to the CMC (full mechanical) and CMC-A (plumbing) classifications, not to CMC-C (HVAC), so it is omitted from 'other' here.

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 2 years.

Contractor licenses (all classifications) renew on a 2-year (biennial) cycle per Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-6-116, with a 12-month grace period and a $20/month late fee. The Board's renewal page states an 8-hour continuing-education requirement specifically for BC-A and BC-A/r (Residential Building Contractor) classifications with each biennial renewal; it lists no continuing-education requirement for the CMC-C (HVAC/Refrigeration) classification, so ceHours is null here.

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

Tennessee does not grant a license purely on the basis of holding an out-of-state license ('You cannot operate in Tennessee with a license from another state'), but it does offer a trade-exam waiver: applicants actively licensed in Alabama (HVAC), Louisiana (Mechanical), Mississippi (Mechanical, Unlimited), Ohio (HVAC), or South Carolina's Commercial Contractors Licensing Board (HVAC, commercial only) may skip the CMC-C trade exam by having the other state complete a License Verification form — the Business and Law exam and all other application requirements (experience, financial statement, insurance) still apply. Tennessee also accepts the NASCLA Accredited Trade Examination in place of its own trade exam. No interstate compact exists for HVAC/mechanical contractor licensing.

22 state-approved training providers in Tennessee — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $250
  • $57
  • $57
Total$364

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee license individual HVAC technicians, or only contractors?

Tennessee licenses HVAC work at the business/entity level through the Board for Licensing Contractors, not through an individual technician license. A company must designate a licensed 'Qualifying Agent' who passes the required exam(s), and that license (classification CMC-C, HVAC/Refrigeration and Gas Piping) is required for any project of $25,000 or more.

What experience does a Tennessee HVAC contractor's Qualifying Agent need?

At least 3 years of documented, verifiable construction/trade experience in the HVAC classification within the preceding 10 years — there is no fixed classroom-hour training requirement.

Who administers Tennessee's HVAC contractor exams?

Prov Exam Services became the Board's exam administrator for exams scheduled on or after July 1, 2026, replacing PSI Services LLC (which continues to administer previously-scheduled exams through September 2026). Applicants take both a Business and Law exam and a CMC-C trade exam, each $57 per the most recent published fee schedule.

How much does a Tennessee HVAC/mechanical contractor license cost?

The initial application fee is $250, and renewal (every 2 years) is $200, plus a $20/month late fee if renewed within the 12-month grace period. Exam fees ($57 each for Business and Law and the CMC-C trade exam) are paid separately to the exam administrator.

Can an out-of-state HVAC contractor license transfer to Tennessee?

Not automatically — Tennessee requires its own license. However, contractors actively licensed in certain states (including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina for HVAC/mechanical work) can waive the CMC-C trade exam via a reciprocity verification form; all other requirements (Business and Law exam, experience, financial statement, insurance) still apply.

Sources

  1. [1] tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/get/contractor.html — accessed 2026-07-12
  2. [2] tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/exam-info.html — accessed 2026-07-12
  3. [3] tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/fees.html — accessed 2026-07-12
  4. [4] tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/renewal.html — accessed 2026-07-12