Michigan · HVAC technician licensing · verified July 2026
Michigan HVAC technician license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Michigan licenses HVAC at the contractor level only: a state Mechanical Contractor License from LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes is required to perform installations, alterations, and servicing and to secure permits, with 15 work classifications including HVAC Equipment, Ductwork, Refrigeration, and Limited/Unlimited Heating and Refrigeration & A/C Service. Individual HVAC technicians/journeymen are not licensed by the state and work under a licensed mechanical contractor.
Do you need a license to work as an HVAC technician in Michigan?
Michigan regulates this trade at the contractor level rather than licensing individual HVAC technicians.
Fee structure taken directly from the official BCC-11 application form (Rev. 1/25): INITIAL Mechanical Contractor License/Classification $300.00; adding a classification $300.00 (first year of cycle), $200.00 (second year), $100.00 (third year); veteran exemption available. The state does not license individual HVAC technicians, they work under a licensed mechanical contractor (state law, the Skilled Trades Regulation Act 2016 PA 407, centralizes construction trade licensing at the state level, so there is no separate municipal HVAC licensing tier). Federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification applies to anyone handling refrigerants in Michigan, as in every state.
What licenses does Michigan issue?
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Contractor License | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section (michigan.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Michigan require?
Mechanical contractor examination (separate exam for each work classification; may include questions on the Skilled Trades Regulation Act 2016 PA 407, the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act 1972 PA 230, and the mechanical code). Administered by PSI (under contract with LARA Bureau of Construction Codes); exam fee paid directly to PSI.
Source: examination page (michigan.gov). Verified July 2026.
How much does a Michigan HVAC technician license cost?
Getting a journeyman HVAC technician license in Michigan costs $300 in board fees, before any training. That is the application fee charged once, with renewal charged separately below. No board publishes this total, so it is added up here from the schedule it does publish. An exam is required and its fee is not in that figure, because no amount for it appears in the board material this page is built from. Check the board's current fee schedule before budgeting.
- Application fee$300
- Renewal fee (recurring)$300
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 3 years (renew by August 31; expiration years are staggered; $100 late fee; expired more than 3 years requires re-application and re-examination)
Continuing education: None, LARA states code update courses are not required for mechanical contractor license renewal.
Source: renewal requirements (michigan.gov). Verified July 2026.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Michigan has no state apprentice or journeyman license for the mechanical trades; apprenticeship/on-the-job experience counts toward the required minimum 3 years of experience per classification, verified on the BCC-11 application by employers/contractors of record.
Which states does Michigan have license reciprocity with?
Michigan does not license this trade at state level, so there is no state agreement to publish. Whether an out-of-state license helps is decided by the city, county or contractor board that issues the credential where you intend to work.
How does Michigan compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | not published | Contractor level only |
| Ohio | not published | Contractor level only |
| Wisconsin | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Mechanical Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information (Michigan LARA BCC)
- License/Registration Renewals, Mechanical Contractor (Michigan LARA BCC)
- BCC-11 Application for Mechanical Contractor Examination & Licensing (Rev. 1/25)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to HVAC technicians overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section before making decisions. Not legal advice.