Alabama · HVAC licensing · official-source guide
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors licenses HVAC and refrigeration contractors statewide, at Active or Inactive status, under separate heating/air conditioning and refrigeration certifications. Active contractors need a passed exam, a $20,000 bond, and $220 in annual fees. Technicians handling refrigerant also need federal EPA Section 608 certification.
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-12. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Alabama licenses heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration contractors at the state level through the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, often called the HACR Board. The Board is a state agency created by Act 82-547 and now operates under Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-18 et seq. Its stated purpose, set out in Section 34-31-19, is to certify qualified contractors statewide so the public can identify contractors who have the knowledge and ability to install, service, and repair heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. The Board is headquartered at 100 N. Union Street, Suite 986, Montgomery, Alabama 36104, and runs its own certification, renewal, continuing education, and complaint programs through its website at hacr.alabama.gov. The HACR Board issues two separate types of contractor certification: heating and air conditioning contractor, and refrigeration contractor. A person or company that wants to do both types of work must hold both certifications. The Board also separately registers Duct Air Tightness Testing contractors, a narrower credential for people who test duct leakage for energy code compliance rather than install or repair systems. Because Alabama regulates HVAC and refrigeration work at the state level, no separate state trade license exists below the Board, though cities and counties still apply their own business license and permit rules on top of the state certification. Contractors who plan to work for hire on heating, cooling, or commercial refrigeration equipment anywhere in Alabama need a current HACR certification before they advertise, bid, or perform that work.
The HACR Board issues certifications along two independent tracks. A Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor certification covers installation, service, and repair of heating and cooling apparatus, including forced air systems, gas piping, mini splits, heat pumps, and central heat and air, but excludes window units and automotive or farm implement heating and air conditioning equipment. A Refrigeration Contractor certification covers installation, service, and repair of commercial refrigeration equipment such as walk in coolers, reach in coolers, and commercial refrigerated storage, as defined in Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-18(10). A contractor who performs both trades needs both certifications and pays fees for each. Within either track, the Board issues two statuses. Active Status is for contractors who perform installation, service, or repair work; it requires a business name, a $20,000 performance bond, and an annual fee of $220. Inactive Status is for people who want to hold a certification without performing the work; it requires no bond and carries an annual fee of $110. Inactive certificate holders cannot pull local permits or advertise as active contractors until they convert back to Active Status and meet all active requirements. Separately, the Board registers Duct Air Tightness Testing (DATT) contractors, who test and verify duct leakage for energy code compliance. DATT registration does not require full HVAC certification, but the applicant must first complete an approved training program: the Home Builders Association of Alabama's Qualified Credentialed Air Tightness Verifier program, the Building Performance Institute's Building Analyst training, or a Residential Energy Services Network Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater course.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2
Alabama law requires a HACR certification for anyone who advertises, solicits, bids, obtains permits, does business as, or performs the functions of a certified heating, air conditioning, or refrigeration contractor, per Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-24(a)(1). The requirement reaches beyond installation crews. The Board's own FAQ confirms that realty management companies must have at least one certified person in responsible charge if they perform HVAC or refrigeration work on property they manage for someone else. It also confirms that any entity doing air duct cleaning, filter changing, or cleaning of HVAC or refrigeration equipment needs a certification, and that HVAC work in preowned or previously set manufactured and modular homes needs one too. Every certified business entity, whether a partnership, corporation, or business trust, must designate a person in responsible charge who is a regularly employed, W-2 individual working 30 or more hours a week for that business, or an owner, partner, or corporate officer, under Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.09. Alabama law also carves out specific exemptions. Retail sellers who do not install what they sell are exempt, as are property owners doing HVAC work on their own building and maintenance employees who work only on their own employer's premises. Certified contractors may subcontract duct installation only to an uncertified worker under their direct supervision. Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board licensees, authorized government employees acting within their jobs, and work on motor vehicles, residential refrigerators, ice machines, household appliances, farm equipment, and poultry operations fall outside the chapter entirely, per Section 34-31-28(e) and (f).
Before a person can sit for the HACR certification exam, Alabama law sets a specific eligibility threshold. Under Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-28(c), an applicant for the heating and air conditioning or refrigeration contractor exam must have completed 3,000 hours of work experience as defined by the Board, or must be a graduate of an approved heating, air conditioning, or refrigeration curriculum. The statute treats the two paths as equivalent options rather than requiring both, so a graduate of a Board approved program does not need to separately document 3,000 hours of field experience. The Board also examines the character and fitness of every applicant on forms it prescribes, and it may require a background check before allowing a candidate to test, under Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.14. Applicants apply for the exam by choosing which track they intend to test for, heating and air conditioning or refrigeration, since the two use separate exam content built around separate equipment categories. Alabama law gives special treatment to military experience. Under Chapter 440-X-3-.16, the Board may accept education, training, or service completed as a member of the Armed Forces, a state National Guard, or state military or naval reserves as sufficient education or experience to sit for the exam. Military members and federal government personnel transferring into Alabama, along with their spouses, may also have the exam itself waived if they already hold a current, valid HVAC, refrigeration, or mechanical license or certification from another state, territory, federal agency, or branch of the armed forces with no pending discipline, and the Board waives the licensing fee for a military spouse's initial certification tied to a permanent change of station.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2
Applicants choose between two written examinations administered by the Board: the Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors Examination and the Refrigeration Contractors Examination. Each tests knowledge specific to that trade's equipment and codes. The written examination fee is $175, and a separate practical examination, offered to a candidate who fails the written test on the first attempt, costs $375, per Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.10. Fees must be paid by certified check, money order, or credit card, since the Board does not accept personal or business checks, and a 4 percent service fee applies to credit card payments. All examination fees are non-refundable. Under Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-28(a), an applicant who fails the first examination may retake either the same written exam or, on request, an equivalent practical exam, and must do so within six months of the failed attempt. Separately, the Board's FAQ page states that an applicant has one calendar year from the date their exam application is approved to actually sit for the exam; after that year passes, the person must reapply and pay the fees again, citing Section 34-31-29(c). The Board holds written examinations at least once every three months and mails notice of the time and place to everyone with a current application on file, under Section 34-31-29(a). Once an applicant passes, the next step is applying for either Active or Inactive status certification, which carries its own separate fee and, for Active status, a performance bond requirement. Counties, municipalities, and other local governments are barred by Section 34-31-28(d) from imposing any further local testing or additional qualification requirements on a certified contractor.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2hacr.alabama.gov 3
The HACR Board publishes a full fee schedule in Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.10, effective October 14, 2024. The written examination fee is $175 and the practical examination fee is $375. Initial certification for Active status, for either the heating and air conditioning track or the refrigeration track, costs $220, and the annual renewal fee for Active status is also $220 per track. Initial certification for Inactive status costs $110, and its annual renewal fee is $110 per track. A late fee of $250 applies to any renewal received after December 31 in a given year. Other listed fees include a $25 continuing education deficiency fee, a $30 dishonored check fee, a $75 continuing education provider application fee, a $25 continuing education course fee, a $25 continuing education instructor fee, a $25 non-traditional continuing education application fee, a $50 Duct Air Tightness Testing registration fee, a $50 late fee for that registration, and a $25 fee to reissue a printed certification card. Examination fees are charged in addition to, not instead of, certification and renewal fees. Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-25 sets outer limits on what the Board can charge: certificate issuance, reissuance, and replacement fees may not exceed $250, annual renewal fees may not exceed $250 per year, and fees for Duct Envelope Testing Contractor registration and renewal may not exceed $100. The Board's actual fees currently sit below those statutory ceilings. All fees the Board collects, including penalties, are held and spent only to fund the Board's operations under Section 34-31-25(b), and no application or renewal fee is refunded once paid, even if an application is later denied.
Sourcesadmincode.legislature.state.al.us 1hacr.alabama.gov 2
Alabama requires a performance bond, not a separate liability insurance minimum, as the financial backstop behind an Active HACR certification. Every new heating and air conditioning or refrigeration contractor applicant seeking Active status must provide a performance bond in the amount of $20,000 to the Board, and the Board may require proof of that bond again each year at renewal, under Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.04(5). The bond must be filed in the business's name using the Board's BF-1 bond form, with the Board named as obligee. Inactive status certificate holders are not required to carry a bond, because they may not perform installation, service, or repair work. The $20,000 figure is a Board rule, not the maximum the law allows. Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-30 permits the Board to require a performance bond of up to $25,000 per year for all active certified contractors, and requires the Board to apply bonding rules consistently across similarly situated contractors within the same classification. If a consumer complaint against a contractor is substantiated after the Board's inspection and due process period, the consumer may pursue a claim against that bond, or seek direct payment from the contractor, with the claim amount set by the Board using industry estimation standards, according to the Board's consumer complaint process. The Board's published licensing rules do not set a separate general liability insurance minimum for HACR certified contractors beyond the performance bond described above. Contractors should still expect individual cities, counties, or commercial property managers to set their own insurance requirements as a condition of a local permit or a private contract, separate from what the state certification itself requires.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2hacr.alabama.gov 3
Every HACR certification runs on the calendar year. Under Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-26(a) and Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.02(1), a certification is current only for the calendar year in which it is issued and expires on December 31 annually unless renewed. A certification that is not renewed by 11:59 p.m. on December 31 automatically lapses at that moment. A lapsed certification is not immediately dead. Chapter 440-X-3-.06(1) gives a contractor until 11:59 p.m. on December 31 of the following calendar year to renew a lapsed certification, but a $250 late fee applies to that late renewal, on top of the normal renewal fee, without any additional testing required. If the contractor still has not renewed by the end of that following year, meaning the certification has been unlicensed for 365 days or more, Chapter 440-X-3-.06(2) treats it as expired rather than lapsed. An expired certification is not eligible for the late fee option or any prelicensure waiver; the person must sit for and pass the written exam again as a brand new applicant before being certified again. The Board may also remove a certification from anyone who fails to renew by March 1 and require that person to apply for a new certificate, per Section 34-31-26(a) as read with Section 34-31-32(b). Every renewal application must be submitted with all required fees, and the Board's executive director may reject any renewal, examination application, or other submission that is inaccurate, incomplete, or filed by someone who has unpaid fees or unpaid administrative fines outstanding, under Chapter 440-X-3-.03. Contractors renew and verify continuing education hours through the Board's online profile portal linked from the Board's website.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2hacr.alabama.gov 3
Alabama requires continuing education from every certified HACR contractor as a condition of renewal. Under Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-26(d), and confirmed on the Board's own FAQ page, every certified contractor must complete at least 4 hours of continuing education each year. A contractor may take more than the minimum in a single year, up to 8 hours, and carry over up to 4 of those extra hours into the following renewal cycle; any hours taken beyond 8 in one year do not carry over. Two groups are exempt from the continuing education requirement. Section 34-31-26(g) exempts any Inactive status contractor who is 65 years of age or older. Section 34-31-26(h) exempts a contractor from continuing education during the first calendar year after that contractor first receives certification with the Board, since a brand new contractor has just passed the licensing exam. Failing to complete the minimum hours prevents renewal of the certification until the contractor submits proof of compliance, per Section 34-31-26(e). A contractor who cannot finish on time because of a medical hardship or emergency may submit a deficiency plan to the Board for approval by January 1, describing how they will come into full compliance, along with the Board's $25 continuing education deficiency fee. The Board separately approves the providers, courses, and instructors that count toward the requirement, and it runs its own free training sessions on a published schedule; hours earned from a source not on the Board's approved provider list can still count if the contractor submits them for review through the non-traditional continuing education request process before November 1 of that year.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1hacr.alabama.gov 2hacr.alabama.gov 3
Alabama offers licensure by reciprocity to contractors who already hold a current, valid license from a specific list of other states' contractor boards, rather than requiring them to sit for Alabama's own exam from scratch. Per the Board's how to get licensed page, the reciprocal states are Mississippi State Board of Contractors, Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, South Carolina Residential Building Commission, South Carolina Contractor's Board, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, and Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. To qualify, the applicant must have passed an equivalent exam in that state with a score of at least 70 percent and hold a current, valid license in good standing. Reciprocal applications cannot be filed online. The applicant mails or emails a completed, signed, and notarized reciprocity application, pays a $220 processing fee by certified check, money order, or credit card, and files a $20,000 performance bond in the business name with the Board named as obligee, using the Board's BF-1 form. A foreign corporation seeking to do business in Alabama under reciprocity must also register with the Alabama Secretary of State. Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.04(2) confirms that reciprocal certifications are only issued to applicants with no previous or pending disciplinary action in their home state. Military members and their spouses get separate accommodations that are not tied to the reciprocal state list. As covered under the exam eligibility section, the Board can accept military training or service in place of the usual experience requirement, and can waive the exam outright, along with the licensing fee, for military and federal personnel and military spouses transferring into Alabama who already hold an HVAC, refrigeration, or mechanical license or certification elsewhere with no pending discipline.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2
Alabama treats unlicensed HVAC and refrigeration contracting as a criminal offense, not just a civil violation. Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-32(a) states that, with a narrow exception for certain LP gas work under Section 13A-9-111.1, any individual engaged in business as a certified contractor, or performing the functions of a certified contractor, in violation of the chapter is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Section 34-31-24(a)(1) defines the prohibited conduct broadly: no person may advertise, solicit, bid, obtain permits, do business as, or perform the function of a certified contractor unless the person in responsible charge holds a current HACR certification. A certified contractor also may not let anyone else use their certification, per Section 34-31-24(a)(3), and local officials who issue business licenses may not issue one for HVAC or refrigeration work without first being shown a valid Board certificate, per Section 34-31-24(a)(4). Beyond the criminal misdemeanor charge, Section 34-31-32 gives the Board several administrative and civil tools. The Board may reprimand a contractor in writing, or remove, revoke, or suspend a certification, for substandard or dangerous work or any other violation. It may levy administrative fines of up to $2,000 per violation. It may also issue a cease and desist order against anyone violating the chapter, and if that person does not comply, petition a court for an injunction; a court granting that injunction may also impose a fine of up to $2,000 plus costs for each offense. Anyone who keeps working after being ordered to cease becomes ineligible to apply for a HACR certification for up to one year from the date of that official notice, and the Board may withhold approval of any application for up to six months from anyone previously found in violation.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov
Alabama's advertising rules for HVAC and refrigeration contractors are specific and enforced. Under Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-24(a)(2), and Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-5-.07, every certified contractor must display their certification number and business name on all service and installation vehicles used for heating, air conditioning, or refrigeration contracting, and on all forms of advertising and business documentation. The Board's rule is precise about vehicles: the company name and certification number must be at least 2 inches in height, must appear on at least two sides of the vehicle, and must be preceded by the phrase "AL Number," "AL No.," or "AL#" in equal sized print immediately before the number itself. The same display requirement extends to essentially every customer facing document and advertisement, including letterhead, proposals, estimates, service tickets, contracts, work orders, receipts, business cards, yellow page listings, flyers, mail solicitations, billboards, television commercials, radio commercials, and websites. The Board's FAQ confirms the same rule reaches a company's website home page specifically. Certification numbers are not required on employee uniforms. Failure to comply with the display requirement is, on its own, cause for disciplinary action by the Board, under Chapter 440-X-5-.07(2)(b), separate from any penalty tied to working without a certification at all. Because Section 34-31-24(a)(1) bars an uncertified person from advertising, soliciting, or holding out as a certified contractor at all, Alabama effectively restricts who may use job titles like "heating and air conditioning contractor" or "refrigeration contractor" in marketing to people and entities that actually hold the corresponding HACR certification; the Board's published rules do not create additional restricted titles, such as "master" or "journeyman," within this trade.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov 1admincode.legislature.state.al.us 2hacr.alabama.gov 3
Alabama gives consumers a direct way to check whether an HVAC or refrigeration contractor is currently certified before hiring them. The HACR Board runs a public online lookup tool, linked from the "Find a Licensed Contractor" option on its consumers page, at hacr.igovsolution.net/online/Lookups/Individual_Lookup.aspx. Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-31 also authorizes the Board to publish an annual list of the names and addresses of all certified contractors and mail that list to anyone who requests it, for a reasonable fee to cover printing and mailing. If a consumer has a problem with a certified contractor's work, the Board directs them to submit a written consumer complaint form by mail or email. Board staff first review the complaint to confirm it falls within the Board's jurisdiction, then notify the complainant by mail whether a case file has been opened. Once opened, a case is assigned a case number built from the year filed. The complaint is then sent to the contractor named in it, and a 20 day due process period begins during which the parties are expected to try to resolve the issue directly; during that window, the Board asks that no other contractor perform work on the same equipment. After the 20 days pass, the consumer may request an on site inspection, which a HACR compliance officer schedules and then documents in a written findings letter identifying any code violations. Depending on those findings, the consumer can allow the original contractor to make repairs, subject to a Board re-inspection, or pursue a claim against the contractor's performance bond, or seek direct payment, with the Board setting the claim amount using industry estimation standards.
Alabama's HVAC and refrigeration licensing law is unusual in how firmly it preempts local testing. Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-28(d) states plainly that counties, municipalities, and other local entities are prohibited from requiring any further local testing or the satisfaction of other qualification requirements by certified contractors. That means a HACR certified contractor working in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, or any other Alabama city cannot be forced to pass a separate city or county HVAC competency exam on top of the state certification, and a city cannot impose its own technical qualification standard in place of the Board's. The same statutory sentence carves out one thing local governments can still require: "the payment of any applicable local privilege, license, or business fees or charges." In practice, that means the largest Alabama metros can still require a contractor doing business inside city limits to hold a general business license or occupational privilege license and to pull the normal local mechanical, electrical, or gas permits that any contractor needs for a given job, alongside their state HACR certification, not instead of it. The Board's rules also require that certification numbers appear on any permit paperwork or documentation tied to a job, which lets local permitting offices and inspectors confirm the certification before work begins. Because specific city and county business license fee amounts and permit fee schedules are set locally and change city by city, and because the Board's own published materials do not list those local fee amounts, this brief does not state a dollar figure for any individual metro's business license or permit fees; a contractor should confirm those directly with the city or county issuing the permit.
Sourceshacr.alabama.gov
Holding an Alabama HACR certification does not by itself satisfy federal refrigerant handling rules. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires a separate, federal credential for anyone who works on equipment that could release refrigerant into the atmosphere. Under 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, adopted under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, a "technician" must be certified before attaching or detaching hoses and gauges to measure pressure in an appliance, adding or removing refrigerant, or performing any other activity that violates the integrity of a motor vehicle air conditioner-like appliance or a small appliance, other than disposal, according to EPA's own Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements page. EPA issues four types of Section 608 certification, and a technician needs the type that matches the equipment they work on: Type I for small appliances, Type II for high or very high pressure appliances other than small appliances and motor vehicle air conditioners, Type III for low pressure appliances, and Universal certification for all of the above. Each type requires passing an EPA approved test through an EPA approved certifying organization, and the Universal credential specifically requires the core test to be taken as a proctored exam rather than an open book exam. Once earned, Section 608 credentials do not expire, so there is no separate federal renewal cycle to track the way there is with the state certification. Apprentices are exempt from the certification requirement as long as they work under the close, continual supervision of a certified technician. For an Alabama HVAC or refrigeration contractor, this means technicians who service residential and commercial cooling and refrigeration equipment containing refrigerant generally need both the state HACR certification to operate as a business and the applicable EPA Section 608 technician certification to legally handle the refrigerant itself; the state certification does not substitute for the federal one, and EPA's rule does not substitute for the state one.
Sourcesepa.gov
These are common details other guides publish about Alabama, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes. The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors certifies heating and air conditioning contractors and refrigeration contractors statewide, and Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-24(a)(1) makes it unlawful to advertise, bid, or do that work without a current certification.
They are two separate certifications. The heating and air conditioning certification covers residential and commercial heating and cooling systems. The refrigeration certification covers commercial refrigeration equipment such as walk in coolers. A contractor doing both types of work needs both certifications.
Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-28(c) requires 3,000 hours of work experience as defined by the Board, or graduation from an approved heating, air conditioning, or refrigeration curriculum, before an applicant is eligible to sit for the exam.
The written examination fee is $175. If an applicant fails the written exam on the first try, a practical examination is available for $375, per Administrative Code Chapter 440-X-3-.10. All examination fees are non-refundable.
Active status costs $220 a year per certification track, heating/air conditioning or refrigeration, plus a $20,000 performance bond. Inactive status, for people who do not perform the work, costs $110 a year and does not require a bond.
Every certification runs on the calendar year and lapses if not renewed by December 31. A lapsed certification can still be renewed, with a $250 late fee, until December 31 of the following year, after which it is expired and the exam must be retaken.
Every certified contractor must complete at least 4 continuing education hours each year. A contractor can take up to 8 hours in one year and carry 4 extra hours into the next renewal cycle. New contractors are exempt during their first year.
Yes, if the contractor holds a current, valid license from Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, or Louisiana's contractor boards, passed an equivalent exam with a score of at least 70 percent, and has no pending discipline.
Code of Alabama 1975, Section 34-31-32(a) makes unlicensed contracting a Class A misdemeanor. The Board can also fine the person up to $2,000 per violation, issue a cease and desist order, and seek a court injunction with an added fine of up to $2,000.
Yes. Alabama requires the certification number and business name on all service and installation vehicles, in letters at least 2 inches tall on two sides of the vehicle, and on all advertising including websites, business cards, and estimates.
The Board runs a free public lookup tool at hacr.igovsolution.net where anyone can search by an individual's or a business's certification information before hiring them, linked from the Board's consumers page.
Yes, in addition to the state HACR certification. Federal EPA Section 608 rules, under 40 CFR Part 82 Subpart F, require any technician who handles refrigerant to hold the matching Type I, Type II, Type III, or Universal EPA certification, which does not expire once earned.
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