Kansas · HVAC licensing · official-source guide
Kansas has no state HVAC contractor license; the Secretary of State only files business entities. Cities and counties license the trade instead: Wichita and Sedgwick County through MABCD, Overland Park and Olathe through Johnson County's Class DM Mechanical license, and Topeka through its own Development Services Division. Anyone touching refrigerant also needs federal EPA Section 608 certification on top of whichever local license applies.
State-level license
No — see local details
Public lookup
Not published
Verified against agency sources on 2026-09-12. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Kansas does not operate a state board that licenses HVAC, mechanical, or refrigeration contractors. The Kansas Secretary of State registers business entities such as corporations and LLCs, but that office states plainly that it is a filing agency for business records and does not issue trade licenses or provide licensing guidance of any kind. There is no Kansas agency equivalent to a state contractor licensing board, and no statewide exam, bond, or license number applies to HVAC work anywhere in the state. Instead, the cities and counties where the work happens run their own contractor licensing programs, each with its own license classes, exams, fees, and renewal calendar. Wichita and Sedgwick County license HVAC contractors jointly through the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, which administers its own trade certificate exams rather than relying on any Kansas state test. Johnson County runs a separate Contractor Licensing division that issues an eleven class licensing system covering Overland Park, Olathe, and the rest of the county, including a dedicated Class DM Mechanical Contractor License for HVAC, mechanical, and refrigeration work. Topeka licenses contractors and trades through its own Development Services Division. None of these three programs defers to a state authority, and none of them recognizes a license from the others automatically. For an HVAC contractor, this means the real question is never whether Kansas licenses HVAC work. It is which city or county the job site sits in, and whether that local government's own contractor licensing office has issued the right class of license to the company and to the individual who will pull the permit.
Because Kansas leaves HVAC regulation to local government, a contractor who wants to work across the state has to track several separate licensing offices rather than one state board. Each office sets its own rules for who needs a license, what the qualifying individual must prove, how much the license costs, and when it expires. Sedgwick County's Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, known as MABCD, licenses both the contracting company and the master or journeyman tradesperson who qualifies that company's mechanical work. Johnson County licenses the company directly under a class system and separately tracks the qualifying individual's education or exam record. Topeka licenses the contracting company and requires continuing education from the designated master or journeyman on that company's behalf. All three offices require a current certificate of general liability insurance before issuing a license, and all three require proof of workers compensation coverage or a notarized waiver if the company has no employees. None of the three programs is run by, reports to, or is supervised by a Kansas state agency. A company that wants to bid HVAC jobs in Wichita, Overland Park, and Topeka in the same year needs three separate applications, three separate fee payments, and three separate qualifying individual files, because passing one city's exam or holding one city's license carries no automatic weight in the next jurisdiction. Homeowners and general contractors hiring HVAC subcontractors should confirm which specific local license applies to the address where the work will happen, not assume that any Kansas license covers the whole state.
Wichita and Sedgwick County license contractors jointly through the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department. MABCD's rules separate general contractor licenses, which expire on December 31 of every even year, from trade contractor licenses, which expire on December 31 of every odd year. HVAC, mechanical, and refrigeration work falls under the Mechanical trade license, one of the trade categories listed alongside Electrical, Plumbing, Gas Fitter, Refrigeration, and Sheet Metal. A company applying for a new general or trade contractor license must submit a signed application naming its qualified person and every owner, partner, or corporate officer, along with that qualified person's passing test results from a Kansas standard ICC exam scored at 75 percent or better. The applicant must also provide a certificate of liability insurance naming MABCD as certificate holder, a workers compensation certificate or a notarized waiver if state law does not require coverage, an auto liability certificate or waiver, and a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State unless the applicant is a sole proprietor. MABCD states directly that it does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions, so a license issued anywhere else in Kansas or any other state does not substitute for a MABCD license to work inside Wichita or unincorporated Sedgwick County. New license review can take up to two weeks once a complete application is received. Renewal follows the same even year or odd year cycle and requires an updated insurance certificate, a current application, and payment of the renewal fee before the license lapses.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org
Beyond the company level contractor license, MABCD separately certifies the individual tradespeople who qualify mechanical work in Wichita and Sedgwick County. A Journeyman Mechanical certificate requires either one year of documented field experience plus one year of mechanical trade school, or two years of documented field experience, combined with a score of 75 percent or better on one of three approved exams: the ICC K9G Journeyman Mechanical exam, the ICC 559 Journeyman Mechanical exam, or an IAPMO exam. A Master Mechanical certificate requires holding the Mechanical Journeyman certificate first, plus two additional years of field experience as a certified journeyman, or four years of field experience without the journeyman step, combined with a score of 75 percent or better on the ICC K9L Master Mechanical exam, the ICC 556 Master Mechanical exam, or an IAPMO exam. MABCD requires all documented field experience to be recorded on company letterhead with a detailed description of the work performed, not a general statement of years worked. Applicants must bring their test results, trade school transcripts if applicable, and proof of field experience, then complete the trade certificate application and pay a 35 dollar fee. MABCD states that it no longer sponsors Prometric exams and directs candidates to Block, Experior, Prometric, ICC, or IAPMO as the approved outside testing facilities. MABCD also states that it does not reciprocate with state testing, meaning an exam credential earned in a different jurisdiction is not automatically accepted; only the specific exams named on MABCD's own list satisfy the Sedgwick County certificate requirement, regardless of where the applicant previously worked.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org
Journeyman and Master trade certificates in Sedgwick County are valid for two years. Renewal requires twelve hours of continuing education completed before the certificate's expiration date, split evenly between trade specific and general education: six hours of continuing education directly related to the certificate holder's trade, plus six hours of general trade education, for a total of twelve hours across the two year cycle. MABCD does not receive copies of completed continuing education certificates directly from the education providers, so the tradesperson is responsible for keeping the original certificates and presenting them at renewal. Letting a certificate expire adds penalty hours on top of the normal twelve. MABCD's published schedule adds no extra hours during a grace period running from January 1 through March 31, then adds one and a half hours if the certificate is renewed between April 1 and June 30, three hours if renewed between July 1 and August 31, and four and a half hours if renewed between September 1 and December 31. A certificate that stays expired past December 31 requires contacting the section chief directly rather than following the standard penalty hour table. The renewal fee matches the new certificate fee of 35 dollars. MABCD moved trade certificate renewals to an online portal, with renewal cycles beginning September 1, 2025, and continuing on that same annual start date going forward, so a Sedgwick County mechanical tradesperson should plan continuing education well before the September filing window opens rather than waiting until the certificate is close to expiring.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org
Johnson County Contractor Licensing, a division of the county's Department of Planning, Housing and Community Development, issues and tracks eleven types of construction contractor licenses covering Overland Park, Olathe, and every other city and unincorporated area inside the county. HVAC work falls under the Class DM Mechanical Contractor License, which the county defines as entitling the holder to perform only HVAC, mechanical, and refrigeration services. Johnson County licenses several other trades separately under their own classes, including Class DE for electrical work, Class DP for plumbing, Class DF and DFA for fire protection, Class DR for roofing, Class DS for swimming pools, and Class DW for wood framing, alongside Class A, B, and C general contractor licenses that explicitly exclude HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection work. A company can hold more than one class at a time, and each class carries its own qualifying requirements and its own license fee. The county's stated purpose for the program is protecting public welfare by confirming that anyone constructing, altering, repairing, or demolishing structures is qualified to do that work, and the Contractor Licensing Review Board oversees the standards behind each license class. Johnson County licenses run through a web based Contractor Licensing System where companies register for classes, sign up for required education, and pay renewal fees, and the county also publishes a public list of licensed companies and licensees so property owners can confirm a contractor's status before hiring.
Sourcesjocogov.org 1jocogov.org 2
Johnson County charges a 100 dollar application fee for a new contractor license, on top of a 225 dollar license fee for each license class requested, so a company applying for the Class DM Mechanical license alone pays 325 dollars total before any other class is added. Renewal costs 225 dollars per license type, and a late renewal filed after February 1 adds a 75 dollar late fee on top of that per license type. Changing a company's name on file costs 25 dollars, and verifying a license costs 25 dollars. Every applicant must designate a Qualifying Individual who meets the education or examination requirement tied to the specific class being requested, and that person must provide a valid government issued photo identification along with proof of the required education or exam score. Before submitting an application, the company must also gather a General Liability insurance certificate on an ACORD form, a Workers Compensation insurance certificate if the company has employees or a notarized waiver if it does not, and a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State where applicable. New license applications cannot be submitted online and must be delivered in person or by mail with payment included, while active license renewals can be completed through the county's online portal. Johnson County states that a contractor license is valid for one year from issuance, so a Class DM Mechanical contractor licensed in Overland Park or Olathe must renew every year rather than on the two year cycle that applies to Sedgwick County trade certificates.
Sourcesjocogov.org
Topeka's Development Services Division issues all contractor and trade licenses required to work inside the city, and the city states directly that all trades are required to be licensed and to pull permits before working in Topeka. An HVAC company applying for a Topeka trade license must submit a complete application along with the qualifying individual's passing certification from ICC or an accepted alternative education record, a certificate of insurance, and payment, and an incomplete application can delay processing for up to ten days once received. Topeka requires a certificate of liability insurance and, unless the company files a notarized affidavit showing it is not required to carry Kansas workers compensation coverage, a certificate of workers compensation insurance as well, both naming the city's Development Services office as certificate holder. All Topeka contractor licenses run on a single calendar, expiring every December 14 regardless of when during the year the license was issued, with no proration of fees and no refunds for a license issued partway through the year. General contractors holding Class A, B, or C licenses must complete eight hours of continuing education each year to renew, while trade contractors, including mechanical trade contractors, must have their designated master or journeyman complete six hours of continuing education each year, with at least three of those hours specific to the trade itself. If a certificate of insurance or workers compensation lapses, Topeka allows a thirty day industry standard grace period before charging a 30 dollar reinstatement fee to bring the license back to active status.
Sourcestopeka.gov
The pattern repeats across the rest of Kansas. Every city and county that chooses to regulate construction trades runs its own licensing office, sets its own fees, and administers its own qualifying exam or education standard, and none of these programs is coordinated by a state agency. MABCD states outright that it does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions, meaning a license held in Kansas City, Kansas, Topeka, or Johnson County carries no automatic weight inside Wichita or unincorporated Sedgwick County, and the same lack of reciprocity runs in the other direction. A contractor licensed as a Class DM Mechanical contractor in Overland Park under Johnson County's system must still apply separately, pay a separate fee, and meet Wichita and Sedgwick County's own trade certificate requirements to legally pull an HVAC permit inside Wichita, even though both licenses cover the same scope of work. Smaller Kansas cities and counties outside these three major systems may have no dedicated trade licensing program at all, may fold building permits into a simpler business license, or may rely on county level inspection departments; a contractor working outside Wichita, Sedgwick County, Johnson County, or Topeka should confirm directly with that city or county's own building or permitting office before assuming any statewide standard applies. Because Kansas has no state board tying these local systems together, there is no single phone call, website, or exam that establishes HVAC licensure for the whole state, and a company that plans to bid work in more than one Kansas jurisdiction should budget the time and fees for each local application separately rather than treating one city's approval as portable.
The Wichita and Sedgwick County building code, the Unified Building and Trade Code administered by MABCD, includes a Truth in Advertising section that directly governs how a licensed contractor can market HVAC work inside that jurisdiction. Under that section, it is unlawful for any person, firm, or legal entity to advertise as a Licensed Contractor unless it holds a valid contractor's license at the time the advertisement runs. Any advertisement placed or published in print, broadcast on radio or television, posted online, displayed on an electronic billboard, or transmitted electronically or by phone to people inside the MABCD jurisdiction must include the full name of the licensed person or company and the license number MABCD assigned to that company. The code defines advertising broadly to include business cards, contract bid proposal forms, printed letterhead, other printed or written material, and any internet posting or telephonic communication designed to inform people of the services offered and solicit business, while carving out an exception for basic white and yellow page phone directory listings, which do not have to carry the license number. This rule applies specifically inside the Wichita and Sedgwick County MABCD jurisdiction; Johnson County and Topeka's published licensing pages do not state an equivalent advertising disclosure requirement, so an HVAC contractor working across multiple Kansas jurisdictions should not assume the same advertising rule follows the license into a different city or county. Violating the MABCD advertising requirement is treated as a code violation subject to the same enforcement and fine schedule that applies to other violations of the Unified Building and Trade Code, including possible referral to a license review before the appropriate board.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org
MABCD's Unified Building and Trade Code also requires licensed contractors to mark the vehicles they use for business inside Wichita and Sedgwick County. A permanent vehicle permit number, issued by MABCD to a duly licensed contractor, must be affixed to both sides of each vehicle in a conspicuous place, either painted on in a contrasting color or applied as a permanent decal, and each character in that number must stand at least two inches high with a stroke at least half an inch wide. The requirement extends to an employee who drives a personal vehicle to or from a job site, and the contractor is responsible for removing the permanent vehicle permit marking once a vehicle is taken out of service. The code carves out one exception: if the contractor instead chooses to advertise the business on the vehicle and follows the separate Truth in Advertising requirement, which requires the full company name and MABCD license number to appear on that advertisement, the standard vehicle marking rule does not apply on top of it. Violating the vehicle marking section can trigger a hearing before the appropriate MABCD board, and that board can order that no further permits be issued to the contractor until the violation is corrected, that all inspections of further work by that contractor be suspended except for extreme hazard or life safety inspections, or that the contractor's license and qualified master certificate go through a formal review that can end in suspension, recall, or cancellation. This vehicle marking rule is specific to the MABCD jurisdiction and was not found published on Johnson County's or Topeka's contractor licensing pages.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org
Every local licensing program that regulates HVAC work in Kansas requires proof of insurance before issuing a license, though the specific minimums differ. MABCD's Unified Building and Trade Code requires every licensed contractor in Wichita and Sedgwick County to carry general liability insurance with minimum limits of 300,000 dollars per occurrence, written through an insurer licensed to do business in Kansas, plus workers compensation insurance and automobile liability insurance as required by Kansas law, with certificates filed with MABCD before a license is issued and thirty days advance notice required before any cancellation. Failing to maintain that coverage is itself a code violation and grounds for suspending or revoking the contractor's license. Johnson County's application checklist requires a General Liability certificate on an ACORD form and either a Workers Compensation certificate or a notarized waiver if the company has no employees, without publishing a specific dollar minimum on its licensing page. Topeka requires a certificate of liability insurance and either workers compensation coverage or a notarized affidavit if the company is exempt, with a thirty day grace period and a 30 dollar reinstatement fee if that certificate lapses. Separately from local contractor licensing, the Kansas Department of Revenue requires nonresident contractors and nonresident subcontractors performing work in Kansas under a contract worth more than 10,000 dollars to register each contract with the Director of Taxation and post a bond from a surety company authorized to do business in Kansas before starting that work, unless the nonresident contractor is a foreign corporation already authorized to do business in Kansas by the Secretary of State. An HVAC company should confirm each local jurisdiction's current insurance minimum directly, since Johnson County and Topeka did not publish a specific figure at the time this page was verified.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org 1sedgwickcounty.org 2jocogov.org 3topeka.gov 4ksrevenue.gov 5
Wichita and Sedgwick County's Unified Building and Trade Code spells out a specific enforcement structure. Any person or entity that violates the code, including working without the required contractor license or trade certificate, is deemed guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor upon conviction, and the code sets a published schedule of fines rather than leaving the amount open ended. A first conviction for a given count carries a fine of no more than 500 dollars and no less than 100 dollars. A second conviction for the same type of violation within twelve months of the first carries a fine of no more than 1,000 dollars and no less than 200 dollars. A third conviction within twelve months of the second, and each conviction after that, carries a fine of no more than 2,000 dollars and no less than 500 dollars. The code treats a continuing violation as a separate violation for each day it continues, and it states plainly that paying a fine does not prevent MABCD from also suspending or revoking a license, certificate, permit, or franchise, or from seeking injunctive relief to stop ongoing work. Commencing work without first obtaining the required permit triggers its own separate violation under the permit sections of the same code, independent of the contractor licensing fine schedule. Johnson County and Topeka's published contractor licensing pages describe permit and inspection consequences, such as being unable to pull permits or schedule inspections without a current license, but do not publish an equivalent dollar fine schedule on the pages reviewed for this page, so a specific misdemeanor fine amount for unlicensed HVAC work in those jurisdictions was not confirmed and is not stated here.
Sourcessedgwickcounty.org
Separate from any local trade license, an HVAC company doing business in Kansas as a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or limited liability partnership must file with the Kansas Secretary of State's Business Services Division, which maintains those filings along with related documents such as mergers, dissolutions, and information reports, and issues authority for out of state companies to do business in Kansas. That Certificate of Good Standing from the Secretary of State is exactly what MABCD and Johnson County ask contractors to submit with a new license application. On the tax side, the Kansas Department of Revenue's guidance for contractors states that Kansas retailers sales tax applies to the retail sale, rental, or lease of tangible personal property, and to labor services that install, apply, repair, service, alter, or maintain tangible personal property, and it lists heating and air conditioning fixtures and supplies specifically as taxable tangible personal property. Contractors and subcontractors who perform taxable labor services in Kansas must obtain a Kansas sales tax number to report and remit tax collected from customers, though the same guidance notes that a contractor performing only original construction or residential labor services as defined in that publication is not required to register to collect tax on that nontaxable labor. Nonresident contractors face an additional layer: the Nonresident Contractors Act requires registering each Kansas contract worth more than 10,000 dollars with the Director of Taxation and posting a bond before starting work, using the same CR-16 Kansas Business Tax Application used to register for sales and withholding tax.
Sourcessos.ks.gov 1ksrevenue.gov 2
On top of whatever city or county contractor license applies, federal law adds one more requirement that follows an HVAC technician no matter where in Kansas the work happens. EPA regulations issued under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, found at 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, require that technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerant into the atmosphere hold Section 608 Technician Certification. EPA defines a technician for this purpose as anyone who attaches or detaches hoses and gauges to measure pressure in an appliance, adds or removes refrigerant from an appliance, or otherwise violates the integrity of a motor vehicle air conditioner like appliance or a small appliance, other than through disposal. A technician earns certification by passing an EPA approved test administered by an EPA approved certifying organization, and EPA offers four separate certification types: Type I for servicing small appliances, Type II for servicing or disposing of high or very high pressure appliances other than small appliances and motor vehicle air conditioners, Type III for servicing or disposing of low pressure appliances, and a Universal certification covering all four categories, which requires passing the core test as a proctored exam rather than an open book exam. Section 608 credentials do not expire once earned. Apprentices are exempt from the certification requirement as long as they work under close and continual supervision from a certified technician. Because this is a federal requirement tied to handling refrigerant, it applies to HVAC and refrigeration technicians in Kansas exactly as it does everywhere else in the country, regardless of which city or county contractor license the company holds.
Sourcesepa.gov
Because Kansas has no single state license or state database for HVAC contractors, verifying a license means checking the specific city or county where the work will happen. In Johnson County, which covers Overland Park, Olathe, and the surrounding suburbs, the county's Contractor Licensing division publishes a public online tool to search for licensed contractors, along with downloadable lists of licensed companies and licensees, so a property owner or general contractor can confirm a company's Class DM Mechanical license and its current status before signing a contract. Wichita and Sedgwick County property owners can call MABCD's licensing office directly to confirm a contractor's license and trade certificate status, since MABCD schedules its licensing services by appointment and handles verification requests through that office rather than a separate public search tool published on its main licensing page. For any Kansas HVAC company organized as a corporation, LLC, or partnership, the Kansas Secretary of State's business entity search tool can confirm whether that company is in good standing to do business in Kansas, which is the same Certificate of Good Standing that MABCD and Johnson County require as part of a new contractor license application. None of these tools substitute for the others: confirming that a company is in good standing with the Secretary of State says nothing about whether it holds a current Wichita mechanical trade license or an Overland Park Class DM license, and a customer hiring an HVAC contractor anywhere in Kansas should check the specific local licensing office for the address where the work will be performed.
These are common details other guides publish about Kansas, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
No. Kansas has no state board or state exam for HVAC, mechanical, or refrigeration contractors. The Kansas Secretary of State only files business entities and does not issue trade licenses. HVAC licensing in Kansas happens at the city and county level.
You need a Mechanical trade contractor license from the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, MABCD, plus a Journeyman or Master Mechanical trade certificate for the individual who qualifies the work. MABCD licenses Wichita and Sedgwick County jointly.
Johnson County's Contractor Licensing division issues a Class DM Mechanical Contractor License for HVAC, mechanical, and refrigeration work. It covers Overland Park, Olathe, and every other city and unincorporated area inside Johnson County.
Yes. Topeka's Development Services Division issues all contractor and trade licenses for the city and states that all trades must be licensed and pull permits before working in Topeka, separately from any Wichita or Johnson County license.
No. MABCD states directly that it does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions, and Johnson County and Topeka run their own independent licensing systems. A license from one Kansas city or county is not automatically valid in another.
Yes. Federal EPA regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require anyone who services, maintains, repairs, or disposes of equipment that could release refrigerant to hold Section 608 Technician Certification, regardless of which Kansas city or county license the company also holds.
MABCD charges a 35 dollar fee for both a new Journeyman or Master Mechanical trade certificate and its renewal. The certificate is valid for two years and requires twelve hours of continuing education to renew.
Johnson County charges a 100 dollar application fee plus a 225 dollar license fee per class for a new Class DM Mechanical license, for a total of 325 dollars. Renewal is 225 dollars per license type each year, with a 75 dollar late fee after February 1.
Requirements vary by jurisdiction. MABCD requires at least 300,000 dollars in general liability coverage per occurrence plus workers compensation and auto liability as required by Kansas law. Johnson County and Topeka require general liability and workers compensation coverage or a notarized waiver, without publishing a specific dollar minimum on their licensing pages.
The Unified Building and Trade Code treats it as an unclassified misdemeanor with a published fine schedule: 100 to 500 dollars for a first conviction, 200 to 1,000 dollars for a second conviction within 12 months, and 500 to 2,000 dollars for each conviction after that. A fine does not prevent license suspension or revocation.
Inside the MABCD jurisdiction covering Wichita and Sedgwick County, yes. Any advertisement, including business cards, bid forms, and internet postings, must show the company's full name and MABCD license number, and vehicles must display a marked permanent vehicle permit number unless they carry that same advertising instead.
You likely need a Kansas sales tax number from the Department of Revenue, since heating and air conditioning fixtures and supplies are taxable tangible personal property and installation labor on them is generally taxable. Nonresident contractors on contracts over 10,000 dollars must also register that contract and post a bond.
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