Maryland · HVAC licensing · official-source guide
The Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors licenses HVACR work statewide under Business Regulation Article Title 9A. Contractors need a master, master restricted, or limited license to sign HVACR contracts; journeyman, journeyman restricted, and apprentice licenses cover employed technicians. Master-level contractors who contract work must carry at least 300,000 dollars general liability and 100,000 dollars property damage insurance, and pass a Board exam.
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Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (HVACR)State-level license
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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.
The Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, known as the HVACR Board, licenses and regulates every individual who provides commercial or residential heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration services in the state. The Board sits inside the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing at the Maryland Department of Labor, with offices at 100 S. Charles Street, Tower I, Baltimore, MD 21201. Its authority comes from the Business Regulation Article, Title 9A, of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and from the Board's own regulations at COMAR Title 09, Subtitle 15. Those regulations cover installation, alteration, remodeling, maintenance, and repair of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, and they set minimum construction and safety standards for that work statewide. Licensing in Maryland is a state function, not a city or county one. A contractor who holds a state HVACR license can legally work anywhere in Maryland, subject to the county add-on licenses described later in this page. The Board investigates complaints against licensees and against unlicensed individuals performing HVACR work, and it can bring disciplinary charges for violations of the law or regulations. Sanctions can include suspension or revocation of a license and a civil penalty of up to 5,000 dollars for each violation. The Board can be reached at 410-230-6196, and its regulations and forms are published on the Maryland Department of Labor website rather than through a separate state licensing board site.
Maryland issues seven active HVACR license categories plus inactive versions of the contractor-level licenses. An apprentice license covers anyone entering the trade and carries no prerequisites; apprentices must work under the direct, on-site control of a licensed master or journeyman and cannot perform HVACR work alone or sign contracts. A journeyman license lets an individual perform HVACR services while under the direction and control of a licensed contractor. A journeyman restricted license limits that same work to one or more specialized categories. A limited contractor license lets the holder exclusively maintain and repair one or more HVACR systems, in the categories of air conditioning, full heating, forced air heating, hydronic heating, refrigeration, or ventilation. A master restricted license lets the holder install and maintain work in one or more of those same categories rather than all of them. A master license is the broadest credential: it lets the holder provide installation and maintenance services across every area of HVACR work and to sign or approve HVACR contracts. The Board also issues a separate Inspector license for individuals who inspect HVACR work for a state, county, or local government. Master, master restricted, and limited licensees can also apply to place their license on inactive status at renewal, which lets them keep the credential without the right to provide HVACR services or carry the associated insurance until they reactivate it. Renewal applications list Master, Master Restricted, Inspector, Limited, Journeyman, Journey Restricted, Apprentice, Inactive Master, Inactive Master Restricted, and Inactive Limited Contractor as the ten license types tracked in the state's electronic licensing system.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2dllr.state.md.us 3
Maryland law makes it unlawful for an individual to provide, attempt to provide, or offer to provide HVACR services without a master license, to assist in providing those services without at least a master restricted license, or to exclusively maintain or repair heating, cooling, refrigeration, ventilation, or hydronic systems without a limited license. In practice, this means anyone who signs an HVACR contract, bids a job, or takes responsibility for the work needs a master, master restricted, or limited license, sized to the categories of work that person performs. Employees who perform the physical work under a licensed contractor's direction can hold journeyman, journeyman restricted, or apprentice licenses instead, but apprentices specifically may never work alone or contract directly with a customer. A master, master restricted, or limited licensee cannot use their license to pull a permit unless they are personally familiar with the design and purpose of the specific job, available to direct and control every journeyman, apprentice, or other worker on it, and responsible for the finished work. This applies whether the licensee is a solo contractor or the qualifying license holder for a larger HVACR company; the company cannot simply hold a license on paper while an unlicensed manager runs the jobs. Out-of-state contractors get no exemption: Maryland law requires a license issued by the Board in the appropriate category for anyone who offers or provides HVACR services in the state, even a contractor with no Maryland office, who may be asked to designate a resident agent.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1regs.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Maryland ties every HVACR license level to a fixed number of years and hours of supervised work, not to a classroom credit count. An apprentice license has no prerequisites at all. A journeyman applicant must have held an apprentice license for at least 4 years and completed at least 6,000 hours of training providing HVACR services under a licensed contractor's direction and control. A limited contractor applicant must have held a journeyman license and worked regularly and principally in HVACR services under a master, master restricted, or limited licensee for at least 2 years, including at least 1,000 hours in the year immediately before applying. A master restricted applicant must have held a journeyman, journeyman restricted, limited, or master restricted license and worked under a master or master restricted contractor for at least 3 years, including at least 1,875 hours in the year before applying, in the specific categories of refrigeration, air conditioning, forced air heating, hydronic heating, or ventilation being sought. A master applicant follows the same 3-year, 1,875-hour rule, but the underlying experience must cover all areas of HVACR work rather than one category. Every level above apprentice also requires the applicant to currently hold the license one step below the one being sought, so a candidate cannot skip from apprentice directly to limited or master status. There is no requirement to graduate from a trade school or community college program, though completing a Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council program lets an apprentice apply for an original journeyman or journeyman restricted license without sitting for the Board's exam.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Every journeyman, journeyman restricted, master, and master restricted applicant must pass a Board exam before applying for that license, unless the applicant qualifies for the no-exam journeyman path through an approved apprenticeship program. PSI Examination Services administers the exams for the Board at testing centers in Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham, and Salisbury. Candidates must first submit an application to PSI, along with documentation proving they meet the years-of-experience and hours requirements for the license sought, before PSI will approve them to sit for the test. The Board publishes a Candidate Information Bulletin that PSI applicants are told to download and review before registering, since it lists the required forms and exam content outline. A passing score on any of the Board's HVACR exams, including the master, master restricted, and limited contractor exams, is 70 percent. An applicant who fails an exam must wait 30 days before reapplying to retake it; if that attempt also fails, the applicant must wait 60 days before the next attempt, and the exam fee must be paid again for every sitting. PSI, not the Board, decides how long an application takes to process, and an incomplete application, such as one missing certified proof of pre-license work experience, gets returned with instructions rather than being denied outright. Once an applicant passes, the Board notifies the applicant and mails a paper license, and the new licensee must then register the license number online with the Maryland Department of Labor.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
The HVACR Board sets its fees under COMAR 09.15.01, calculated to cover the direct and indirect cost of running the licensing program, and the current schedule took effect July 1, 2025. The fee for a master license is 94.50 dollars, and a limited contractor license also costs 94.50 dollars. A master restricted license costs 31.50 dollars for each area of HVACR work the licensee is qualified in, up to a capped number of areas, since master restricted licenses can be issued in up to four combinations covering heating, forced air, hydronic heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. A journeyman license costs 25.00 dollars, and a journeyman restricted license costs 25.00 dollars for each restricted area. An apprentice license costs 12.00 dollars, the lowest fee the Board charges. An Inspector license costs 56.00 dollars. Separately, a Letter of Good Standing, which functions as an official verification of licensure for a customer, employer, or another state, costs 25 dollars. Placing a license on inactive status costs 31.50 dollars. All of these fees are nonrefundable once paid, whether the fee is for an original application, an exam, or a renewal. The Board does not publish a separate application fee distinct from these license fees, and the amounts apply equally to first-time applicants and to licensees renewing an existing credential, since Maryland does not charge a lower renewal rate than the original issuance rate for any HVACR license category.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov
Maryland does not require HVACR contractors to post a surety bond. Instead, the law requires liability insurance for anyone who signs or approves HVACR contracts. A holder of a master, master restricted, or limited license may not contract to provide HVACR services unless that work, including completed operations, is covered by general liability insurance of at least 300,000 dollars and property damage insurance of at least 100,000 dollars, for a combined minimum of 400,000 dollars in coverage. The insurance can be purchased by the licensee directly or by the employer who engages the licensee to provide HVACR services, but coverage bought by an employer does not satisfy the requirement for work the licensee performs outside that employment. Apprentices, journeymen, and journeyman restricted licensees working under a master, master restricted, or limited licensee's control do not need separate insurance of their own. The certificate of insurance must show the licensee's name, a general liability figure of at least 300,000 dollars, a property damage figure of at least 100,000 dollars, and the policy number and expiration date, and the State Board of HVACR Contractors must be named as the certificate holder. A licensee must notify the Board if the policy is canceled, and the Board cannot issue an original license or renew an existing one unless proof of current insurance is on file. A licensee who lets the required insurance lapse cannot legally continue to enter into HVACR contracts, and doing so anyway is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to 1,000 dollars, up to six months imprisonment, or both.
An HVACR license issued in Maryland runs on a fixed 2-year cycle rather than an anniversary date tied to when the individual license was first issued. Unless renewed, a license expires on the first October 1 that falls in an odd-numbered year after the license took effect. To renew before that expiration date, a licensee must still qualify for the license, pay the Board's renewal fee, submit proof of current insurance where insurance applies, and file the renewal application the Board provides; the Board must then renew the license and issue a renewal certificate. At renewal, a master, master restricted, or limited licensee may instead request inactive status, during which the person may not provide HVACR services in the state, and an inactive license follows the same 2-year, odd-year-October-1 expiration cycle unless it is renewed or reactivated. If a license lapses, the Board can restore it on payment of the renewal or reinstatement fee as long as the individual applies for restoration within 4 years of the expiration date; after 4 years, the Board can require the person to reapply and retest as if never licensed before. A person seeking restoration after missing a renewal must also submit a written letter explaining why the license was allowed to lapse and may have to appear before the Board. The Maryland Board of Heating Ventilation Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors does not require continuing education credits for renewal at any license level, which distinguishes HVACR from several other Maryland trade licenses that do carry a continuing education mandate.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1regs.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Maryland's HVACR law lets an individual who holds an HVACR license in another state apply for a Maryland license through reciprocity, without sitting for the Maryland exam, but only where the Board has an actual reciprocal agreement with that state. As of this writing, the Board's reciprocal agreements cover only Delaware and Virginia, and only for individuals licensed there as Master, Master Restricted, Journeyman, or Journeyman Restricted. To use reciprocity, the applicant must meet the qualifications of Maryland's HVACR law, hold an active license in good standing in the other state, hold a license equivalent to the specific Maryland license being sought, and have become licensed in that other state only after meeting requirements there that were at least as strict as Maryland's, including the same number of years of required work experience. A license from any state other than Delaware or Virginia gets no reciprocity benefit at all under current Board agreements, and an applicant from one of those states in a category the agreement does not cover, such as a limited license, would also need to apply and test through Maryland's standard path instead. Reciprocity does not exempt a contractor from Maryland's insurance requirement, its fee schedule, or its advertising and license-display rules; those apply the same way to a reciprocal licensee as to anyone who tested in Maryland. The Board processes reciprocal applications on paper, using a form that names the applicant's current state license and asks the Board to confirm the agreement covers that license type before it issues a Maryland credential.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov
Maryland treats unlicensed HVACR work as a criminal offense, not just a civil matter. The Board's own public notice states that failing to hold the required HVACR license, whether as an apprentice, journeyman, journeyman restricted, limited contractor, master restricted, or master contractor, can carry a criminal sentence of up to six months imprisonment for a first violation, and up to two years imprisonment per violation for a subsequent violation after an earlier conviction. On top of any criminal sentence, the Board can impose an administrative monetary penalty of up to 5,000 dollars per violation, and it can suspend or revoke a license in the same proceeding. Apprentices are licensed but still restricted: an apprentice must be supervised by, and physically present on the jobsite with, a licensed master or journeyman, and an apprentice may not perform HVACR work alone or enter into a contract to perform HVACR services under any circumstance. A related statute limits who can even buy HVACR equipment in Maryland: with narrow exceptions for sellers of general construction materials, a person may not knowingly sell heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or refrigeration equipment to a buyer unless that buyer holds a master, master restricted, or limited license, employs someone who does, resells only to Board-licensed buyers, or is otherwise exempt from licensure under the law. Sellers must give purchasers written notice of the licensing requirement at the time of sale. This equipment-sale rule functions as a second enforcement layer behind the direct licensing requirement, since it makes it harder for an unlicensed individual to obtain the equipment needed to perform the work in the first place.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2mgaleg.maryland.gov 3regs.maryland.gov 4
Maryland regulates how an HVACR licensee advertises far more specifically than most trades. Under COMAR 09.15.02.03, any vehicle that advertises heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or refrigeration services must display the current license category and license number of the master, master restricted, or limited licensee who supervises and controls that company's work in that area, on both sides of every vehicle primarily used for HVACR work. The category must be shown using the Board's own prefix codes, .01 for a master license, .02 for a master restricted license, and .06 for a limited license, in the format Md.-HVAC-category prefix-license number, and the letters and numbers must be at least 1.5 inches tall. The same requirement extends beyond vehicles: every printed, audio, or video advertisement, and every HVACR contract, must display the license category and license number, in that same format, of the current licensee responsible for the work. There is no separate list of prohibited job titles in the regulation, but the practical effect is the same as one, because a company cannot advertise or contract as a master contractor, for example, unless the individual actually named on that advertisement or contract holds a current master license and that license number is shown. Advertising under a category the responsible individual does not hold, or omitting the license number from a printed ad, a truck, or a signed contract, is a violation the Board can act on directly, separate from any complaint about the quality of the underlying HVACR work performed.
Sourcesregs.maryland.gov
Maryland maintains a free public lookup for every HVACR license the Board has issued, hosted on the Department of Labor's electronic licensing system rather than on a general business-registration site. A customer, competitor, or property manager can search the HVACR Public Query tool by license number, licensee name, or business name to confirm whether a given license is active, what category it covers, and whether it carries any Board discipline on record. This is the same system a licensee uses to register a new license number after passing an exam, to renew online, or to request a Letter of Good Standing, so the underlying license record it draws from is kept current by the Board rather than by a third-party data broker. Because the advertising rule in COMAR 09.15.02.03 forces every HVACR vehicle, printed ad, and contract to show a license number, a customer does not need to ask a contractor for that number directly; it should already be visible on the truck, the estimate, or the marketing material the contractor provided, and that same number can then be typed into the Board's lookup tool. A search that turns up no active license for the name or number given is a signal that the individual or company is not currently authorized to sign or perform HVACR contracts in Maryland, regardless of what the person's advertising claims, and a customer with that result can report it to the Board as a potential unlicensed-practice complaint rather than proceeding with the job.
A Maryland HVACR license is valid statewide, but two of the state's largest counties layer an additional local license on top of it. Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County both require an individual to hold a county HVACR license, in addition to the Maryland Board license, before performing HVACR services within those counties, according to the Board's own guidance. Baltimore City and Montgomery County are not named on the Board's list of counties with a separate HVACR license requirement, but the Board's guidance is explicit that other counties and cities can still require local plumbing, gasfitting, and electrical permits before HVACR work can begin, and that counties and cities may impose their own building and mechanical code compliance in addition to, or instead of, the codes the state Board applies. In practical terms, this means a contractor working across the Baltimore and Washington metro areas needs to check permit requirements jurisdiction by jurisdiction rather than assuming the state license alone clears every local hurdle, since the mix of required local permits differs by county and by the type of system being installed or serviced. The Board directs contractors to consult local permitting agencies directly for the specifics of any given county or city rather than publishing a single statewide summary of every local requirement, which means the state HVACR license, while mandatory everywhere in Maryland, is treated by the Board as the floor for legal HVACR work rather than the complete local permitting picture in every jurisdiction.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov
Maryland restricts who can legally buy heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment, and the restriction is written directly into the same title of law that creates the HVACR license. A seller may not knowingly sell or offer to sell HVACR equipment to a buyer unless that buyer holds a master, master restricted, or limited license, employs an individual who holds one of those licenses to provide or assist in providing HVACR services, operates a business that resells the equipment only to Board-licensed buyers, or otherwise is not required to be licensed under the law. A narrow carve-out applies to sellers of general construction materials who are not primarily in the HVACR equipment business: this exception does not apply to a seller who derives 25 percent or more of revenue from selling HVACR equipment. Sellers covered by the rule must give any purchaser a written notice, in a form the Board prescribes, explaining the licensing requirement for anyone who installs or assists in installing the equipment being sold. For a licensed contractor, the practical effect is straightforward: a supply house is required to confirm a license before completing a sale of most HVACR equipment, so a contractor should expect to show a current license number when opening a trade account or making a purchase, and a business that skips this check is itself exposed to Board action. This rule gives the Board a second point of enforcement against unlicensed HVAC operators beyond catching unlicensed work directly on a jobsite.
A Maryland HVACR license covers the state's own licensing requirement, but it does not replace a separate federal certification that most HVAC and refrigeration technicians also need. Under 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, issued under Section 608 of the federal Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires any technician who maintains, services, repairs, or disposes of equipment that could release refrigerant into the atmosphere to hold a 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, or otherwise violates the integrity of a motor vehicle air conditioner-like appliance or a small appliance, other than for disposal. That definition reaches most of the hands-on work a Maryland journeyman, limited contractor, master restricted, or master contractor performs on air conditioning and refrigeration systems, so a Maryland HVACR license alone does not authorize that refrigerant-handling work without the matching federal certification. EPA created four certification types: 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 a Universal certification covering all equipment types, each earned by passing a test through an EPA-approved certifying organization. Section 608 credentials do not expire once earned. EPA exempts apprentices from the certification requirement only while they are closely and continually supervised by a certified technician, which mirrors, but is legally separate from, Maryland's own supervision requirement for apprentice-licensed HVACR workers.
Sourcesepa.gov
These are common details other guides publish about Maryland, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes. The Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors licenses HVACR work statewide under Business Regulation Article Title 9A, and a license is required to sign, contract for, or perform HVACR services anywhere in Maryland.
Maryland issues apprentice, journeyman, journeyman restricted, limited contractor, master restricted, master, and Inspector licenses, plus inactive versions of the master, master restricted, and limited contractor licenses for licensees who are not currently performing HVACR work.
A master applicant needs at least 3 years of active experience under a licensed master, including at least 1,875 hours in the year before applying, and must pass the Board's master examination with a score of 70 percent.
The Board requires a score of 70 percent on the journeyman, limited contractor, master restricted, and master examinations, all of which are administered by PSI Examination Services at Board-approved Maryland testing centers.
Fees range from 12.00 dollars for an apprentice license to 94.50 dollars for a master or limited contractor license, with journeyman at 25.00 dollars and master restricted at 31.50 dollars per licensed area, effective July 1, 2025.
A master, master restricted, or limited licensee who contracts HVACR work must carry general liability insurance of at least 300,000 dollars and property damage insurance of at least 100,000 dollars, naming the HVACR Board as certificate holder.
No. Maryland's HVACR law requires liability insurance for contractors who sign or approve contracts, but it does not require a surety bond at any HVACR license level.
Every HVACR license runs on a 2-year cycle and expires on the first October 1 in an odd-numbered year unless renewed, with restoration available up to 4 years after expiration on payment of the required fee.
No. The Maryland Board of Heating Ventilation Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors does not require continuing education credits for renewal of any HVACR license level.
Only through reciprocity, and only if you are licensed as Master, Master Restricted, Journeyman, or Journeyman Restricted in Delaware or Virginia, the only two states with a current reciprocal agreement with the Maryland Board.
Unlicensed HVACR work can carry up to 6 months imprisonment for a first violation, up to 2 years for a subsequent violation, and an administrative penalty of up to 5,000 dollars per violation, plus license action if applicable.
Yes. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is separate from the Maryland license and is required by law for any technician who handles refrigerant, regardless of what state license that technician already holds.
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