Nevada HVAC Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

Nevada licenses the contractor (the business and its qualifying individual), not individual HVAC technicians. PSI exam — verified from Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) (official site) and last verified July 24, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must be licensed - the business, through a qualifier: Nevada requires a Nevada State Contractors Board license before contracting - 'bidding, offering to engage, or negotiating a price.' A 'contractor' is anyone who undertakes or offers to construct, alter, repair, add to, improve, move, wreck or demolish any building or structure, including a subcontractor or specialty contractor (NRS 624.020). HVAC/refrigeration is a SPECIALTY classification (C-21); a general building contractor may not perform specialty contracting 'in plumbing, electrical, refrigeration and air-conditioning or fire protection without a license for the specialty' (NRS 624.215(3)). Crucially, 'the license belongs to the business and not the qualifying party' (NSCB) - Nevada licenses the contracting business (individual, partnership, corporation, LLC, or joint venture) through a trade-qualified individual, so an employed HVAC technician working for a licensed contractor needs no individual state license of their own.
Four-year experience requirement: The trade-qualified individual must have had, within the 15 years immediately before the application, at least 4 full years of experience as a journeyman, supervising employee, or contractor in the specific classification requested (NRS 624.260(6)). Training at an accredited college or university or an equivalent Board-accepted program may be used to satisfy up to - but not more than - 3 of those 4 years. Acceptable proof includes four Certification-of-Work-Experience forms per qualifier, a current government-issued master's certification in a substantially similar discipline, or transferable military experience and training. There is no education requirement to qualify.
Two examinations (trade + business/law), via PSI: Applicants must pass two exams through PSI: the trade examination for the C-21 classification/subclassification (closed book, except allowed code references) and the general Construction Management Survey business-and-law exam (CMS, open book - the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada may be used). Three attempts are allowed per exam; failing the third attempt voids the application (reapply after 30 days). Under NAC 624.600 and the Board's endorsement process, the Board may waive the trade examination for an applicant qualifying by licensure by endorsement from a state Nevada deems substantially equivalent (State Equivalency Chart), and will not require an exam where the qualifier served as a qualified employee in the same classification on another Nevada license within the past 4 years.
Surety bond or cash deposit ($1,000-$500,000): Before a license issues, the applicant must file a surety bond (or a cash deposit in lieu) in a form acceptable to the Board (NRS 624.270). The amount is fixed by the Board with reference to the contractor's financial and professional responsibility and the magnitude of operations, but must be not less than $1,000 or more than $500,000. The bond must be continuous and provided by a surety whose long-term debt is rated 'A' or better. After a licensee has operated for at least 5 consecutive years, the Board may relieve it of the bond/deposit requirement on evidence supporting relief. At renewal, the applicant must show the bond or deposit remains in full force.
Financial statement and monetary limit on the license: Every Nevada contractor's license carries a MONETARY LIMIT - the maximum contract the licensed contractor may undertake on one or more contracts on a single construction/subdivision site for a single client (NRS 624.220(2)). A financial statement is required regardless of the limit requested, and its rigor scales with the limit: a Board-form or software-prepared statement (with affidavit) for limits of $25,000 or less; a CPA-compiled statement for limits over $25,000; CPA-compiled-with-full-disclosures or reviewed/audited statements for $500,000 or more; and a reviewed or audited statement for $1,000,000 or more. A Bank Verification Form is also required. A contractor may request a permanent or single-project increase to the limit (NRS 624.220(3); a $250 fee for a permanent change, $75 for a single project under NAC 624.130).
Proof of industrial insurance (workers' compensation) and Recovery Fund: An applicant/licensee must comply with Nevada's industrial insurance (workers' compensation) requirements and provide proof to the Board (NRS 624.256). In addition, a RESIDENTIAL contractor must pay a biennial assessment into the Board's Recovery Fund, in addition to the license fee: $200 per biennium if the monetary limit is $1,000,000 or less, $500 if more than $1,000,000 but limited, and $1,000 if unlimited (NRS 624.470). The Recovery Fund pays claims by injured homeowners; it is not required of a purely commercial contractor.
The small-job / handyman exemption does NOT reach HVAC work: Nevada's nearest thing to a handyman exemption - NRS 624.031(6), for work to repair or maintain property valued at less than $1,000 - expressly does NOT apply where '(a) A building permit is required to perform the work' or where '(b) The work is of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor.' Because HVAC work is a type performed by a refrigeration/heating/air-conditioning contractor, this exemption does not cover it regardless of price. The parallel rule for licensed contractors is the same: 'A licensed contractor shall not perform work of a type for which the contractor does not have a license in the applicable classification or subclassification if the work is of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration or air-conditioning contractor' (NRS 624.220(4)(b)).
No continuing education; biennial renewal: Nevada imposes no continuing-education requirement to renew a contractor's license - NRS 624 and NAC 624 contain no CE condition for renewal. A license expires 2 years after issuance (the Board may set staggered biennial renewals), and any license not renewed on or before its renewal date is automatically suspended (NRS 624.283(1)). A suspended license may be reinstated within 6 months by filing the renewal application and paying the renewal fee plus a reinstatement fee; after 6 months it may be cancelled, requiring a new original application. Renewal requires the renewal application, the $600 fee, the Recovery Fund assessment (residential contractors), evidence the bond/deposit is in force, and any required demonstration of financial responsibility. (Federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is separate and is held by the individual technician.)

Legal basis

Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) administers HVAC contractor licensing in Nevada. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

In Nevada the state HVAC credential is a specialty CONTRACTOR license issued by the State Contractors Board (NSCB) - classification C-21, ‘Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning,’ with subclassifications C-21a (Refrigeration), C-21b (Air-Conditioning), C-21c (Sheet Metal), C-21d (Maintenance), C-21e (Solar Air-Conditioning), C-21f (Chilled and Hot Water Systems) and C-21g (Industrial Piping). Searchers commonly call it an ‘HVAC license,’ ‘AC license,’ ‘air conditioning license,’ ‘C-21 license’ or ‘C-21b license’ - all informal names for this NSCB refrigeration-and-air-conditioning specialty classification. Because the license belongs to the business and not the qualifying party (NSCB), there is no individual Nevada ‘HVAC technician license’ for an employed technician: the state licenses the contracting company through a trade-qualified individual, and employees work under that license. Separately, federal EPA Section 608 certification (to handle refrigerants) is a nationwide U.S. EPA requirement held by the individual technician, and it is not a Nevada contractor’s license and does not substitute for one.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Classification C-21 - Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (full)	Nevada licenses the CONTRACTING BUSINESS through a trade-qualified individual (qualifier), who may be an owner, officer, member, manager, or employee. The qualifier must have, within the 15 years immediately preceding the application, at least 4 full years of experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee, or contractor in the specific classification requested (NRS 624.260(6)); training at an accredited college/university or an equivalent Board-accepted program may satisfy up to 3 of the 4 years. Documentation is four Certification-of-Work-Experience forms per qualifier, a substantially-similar government-issued master's certification, or transferable military experience.	Two examinations administered by PSI: (1) the trade examination for classification C-21 (closed book, except for allowed code references), and (2) the general 'Construction Management Survey' business-and-law exam (CMS, open book - the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada may be used). An applicant has three attempts per exam; a third failure voids the application (reapply after 30 days). The Board may waive the trade exam for an applicant qualifying by endorsement from a substantially-equivalent state (State Equivalency Chart); the CMS exam and experience are also relieved for a qualifier who served as a qualified employee in the same classification on another Nevada license within the last 4 years.	$300.00 nonrefundable application fee (paid with the application), plus a $600.00 fee to issue or renew the license, which is biennial (NAC 624.130). Examination fees are separate and paid directly to PSI (the Board's exam provider); a surety bond ($1,000-$500,000, set by the Board) is also required (see requirements). Scope (NAC 624.380): a person holding the full C-21 license may perform any of the work authorized for the C-21 subclassifications C-21a through C-21g.
Subclassification C-21a - Refrigeration	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21a refrigeration classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)), up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + the open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the construction, erection and installation of devices, machinery and units for the control of air temperatures below 50 degrees F in refrigerators, refrigerated rooms and insulated spaces,' plus related insulation, ducts, blowers, registers, humidity/thermostatic controls, gas lines from the unit to the point of connection in the existing gas line at the meter or beyond, and electrical service from the unit's device to the main panel - but not other gas or electric services for the units (NAC 624.380(3)(a)).
Subclassification C-21b - Air-Conditioning	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21b air-conditioning classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)); up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the installation, repair, service and maintenance of equipment, devices, machinery, units and related ductwork which use evaporation, refrigeration, boilers or combustion for the control of air temperatures in structures,' including any humidity and thermostatic controls in connection with such equipment (NAC 624.380(3)(b)). This is the subclassification most comfort-cooling/heating HVAC contractors seek.
Subclassification C-21c - Sheet Metal	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21c sheet metal classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)); up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the fabrication and installation of sheet metal,' including cornices, flashings, gutters, leaders, downspouts, pans, food-service equipment, ducts, louvres, patented chimneys, flues and metal roof systems - but not the fabrication or installation of equipment which uses refrigeration as an integral part of the system (NAC 624.380(3)(c)).
Subclassification C-21d - Maintenance	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21d maintenance classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)); up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the repair and replacement of any parts of existing units or systems of air-conditioning and refrigeration,' including compressors, motors, relays, coils, heat exchangers and other appurtenances - but not the replacement of complete condenser assemblies on remote systems, air handlers, or any work that may alter the design of an existing system (NAC 624.380(3)(d)).
Subclassification C-21e - Solar Air-Conditioning	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21e classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)); up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the installation of the collectors, piping, storage and other equipment used in the conversion of solar energy to energy used for the control of air temperatures' (NAC 624.380(3)(e)).
Subclassification C-21f - Chilled and Hot Water Systems	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21f classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)); up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the installation of boilers, chillers, coils, cooling towers, piping, pumps, storage tanks, valves and other equipment used in the production and transfer of water for the control of temperatures' (NAC 624.380(3)(f)).
Subclassification C-21g - Industrial Piping	Same qualifier standard: 4 years' experience in the C-21g classification within the preceding 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)); up to 3 years substitutable by accredited training.	PSI trade exam for the subclassification + open-book CMS business/law exam; three attempts each; trade exam waivable by qualifying endorsement.	$300 application + $600 license (biennial) + separate PSI exam fees + surety bond. Scope: 'the fabrication, installation, repair and removal of piping and equipment used for the transmission of water, steam, gas, chemicals, food and other substances for industrial uses' (NAC 624.380(3)(g)).

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Nevada licenses HVAC as a specialty CONTRACTOR classification (C-21) through the State Contractors Board, and NRS 624.031 lists twelve categories of persons/work to which the licensing chapter ‘do[es] not apply.’ THE ONE THAT MOST OFTEN GETS MISUSED FOR HVAC - and does not work - is subsection 6: ‘Any work to repair or maintain property the value of which is less than $1,000, including labor and materials, unless: (a) A building permit is required to perform the work; (b) The work is of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor; (c) The work is of a type performed by a contractor licensed in a classification prescribed by the Board that significantly affects the health, safety and welfare of members of the general public; (d) The work is performed as a part of a larger project: (1) The value of which is $500 or more; or (2) For which contracts of less than $500 have been awarded to evade the provisions of this chapter; or (e) The work is performed by a person who is licensed pursuant to this chapter or by an employee of that person.’ Because HVAC work is expressly ‘of a type performed by a … refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor,’ subsection 6 never exempts real HVAC installation, repair or maintenance regardless of price. The parallel constraint on licensed contractors is NRS 624.220(4)(b): a licensed contractor may do minor out-of-classification work under $1,000 not requiring a permit, but ‘A licensed contractor shall not perform work of a type for which the contractor does not have a license in the applicable classification or subclassification if the work is of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration or air-conditioning contractor.’ THE OTHER ELEVEN EXEMPTIONS in NRS 624.031: (1) work performed exclusively by an authorized representative of the United States, the State of Nevada, or a Nevada city/county/district/municipal subdivision; (2) a 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) entity that contracts with the State or a local government to facilitate repair/maintenance (including weatherization and energy-efficiency services), facilitates the work by a licensed contractor, and is a party with the property owner and a licensed contractor to the work agreement; (3) an officer of a court acting within the scope of his or her office; (4) work performed exclusively by a public utility, regulated by the PUCN, on construction, maintenance and development work incidental to its business; (5) an owner building or improving a residential structure on the owner’s property for the owner’s own occupancy and not intended for sale or lease (sale/lease or offering within 1 year after completion creates a rebuttable presumption of intent to sell/lease; the owner must apply to the Board for the exemption); (7) ‘The sale or installation of any finished product, material or article of merchandise which is not fabricated into and does not become a permanent fixed part of the structure’; (8) construction/alteration/improvement/repair of personal property; (9) work financed in whole or part by the Federal Government within the limits of a federal site or reservation; (10) an owner of agricultural/farming property building or improving a structure for the owner’s own use and not for sale or lease; (11) construction oversight services (coordination and oversight of volunteer labor) provided to a long-term recovery group within a declared disaster/emergency area by a qualified person; and (12) a licensed real estate broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson who, within the scope of the license or a property-management permit, assists a client in scheduling repair/maintenance of residential property (only where no building permit is required and the value does not exceed $10,000 per residential property during the agreement term). Nevada also lets an owner-builder claim the subsection-5 exemption by filing an Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement (NAC 624.015-624.017). None of these exemptions authorizes a person who is not licensed to perform work for which a license is required.

Fees

Set by NAC 624.130 (adopted under the statutory caps in NRS 624.280 - application not to exceed $550, license not to exceed $900 biennially, examination not to exceed $300 each). Operative fees for a C-21 contractor’s license: a $300.00 nonrefundable application fee (submitted with the application; NAC 624.130 charges $300 ’to consider an application for the issuance of a license for a classification in which the applicant is not licensed’), plus a $600.00 fee ’to issue or renew a license’ - the license is issued biennially, so $600 is both the issuance and the two-year renewal fee. Examination fees are separate and paid directly to PSI (the Board’s exam provider); the Board’s published pages do not state the PSI per-exam dollar amount, so it is omitted here rather than guessed (statutory cap: not more than $300 per exam). Other fees: late filing to renew an active license $150; cash-deposit administrative fee $200; issue/renew an inactive license $300; duplicate license $25; permanent monetary-limit change $250; single-project limit increase $75. A RESIDENTIAL contractor additionally pays a Recovery Fund assessment of $200/$500/$1,000 per biennium depending on the monetary limit (NRS 624.470). A surety bond ($1,000-$500,000) is required but is paid to a surety, not the Board. An expedited license costs twice the application fee plus the Board’s actual processing costs (NRS 624.281).

Exam

Nevada requires two examinations, both administered by PSI. The first is the trade examination for the classification C-21 (or the specific C-21 subclassification) - closed book, except for certain code references identified in the exam content outline. The second is the general business and law examination, the ‘Construction Management Survey’ or CMS, which is open book (the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada may be used). An applicant receives an exam eligibility letter after the application is filed and the Board verifies experience, then schedules with PSI; exams are offered seven days a week in Las Vegas and most weekdays in Reno, and may be taken at PSI sites in other states. An applicant is allowed three attempts per exam - failing the third attempt voids the application, and the applicant may reapply after a 30-day waiting period (NAC 624.600(3)). Under certain circumstances the Board will waive the trade examination for applicants qualifying by licensure by endorsement from a substantially-equivalent state (see the State Equivalency Chart); a qualifier who served as a qualified employee in the same classification on another Nevada license within the last 4 years generally is not required to retake an exam. The Board reserves the right to require any applicant to take and pass an examination.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial. Each license expires 2 years after the date it is issued, except that the Board may by regulation prescribe shorter or longer periods and prorated fees to establish a system of staggered biennial renewals; any license not renewed on or before its renewal date is automatically suspended (NRS 624.283(1)). Renewal requires a renewal application, the $600 renewal fee, the Recovery Fund assessment for residential contractors, evidence that the surety bond or cash deposit is in full force (NRS 624.270(2)), and all information needed to complete the renewal; the Board may require a demonstration of financial responsibility. A license automatically suspended for non-renewal may be reinstated within 6 months by filing the renewal application and paying the renewal fee plus a reinstatement fee, if the licensee is otherwise in good standing; a license not reinstated within 6 months may be cancelled, after which only an application for an original license will issue a new one. There is no continuing-education or re-examination step at renewal. None. Nevada does not require continuing education to renew a contractor’s license - NRS Chapter 624 and NAC Chapter 624 impose no CE condition for renewal; renewal turns on the fee, an in-force bond/deposit, the Recovery Fund assessment (residential contractors), and, when requested, a demonstration of financial responsibility (NRS 624.283; 624.270). Separately, federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant-handling certification is required of the individual technician who could release refrigerant; it is a federal credential, not a Nevada license, and is not part of NSCB renewal.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB). Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to do HVAC work in Nevada?

Yes. HVAC/refrigeration is a specialty classification (C-21) licensed by the Nevada State Contractors Board, and you must be licensed before contracting - bidding, offering to engage, or negotiating a price (NRS 624.020, 624.700). Nevada licenses the contracting BUSINESS through a trade-qualified individual, and ’the license belongs to the business and not the qualifying party,’ so an employed HVAC technician working for a licensed contractor does not need an individual state license. The small-job exemption for work under $1,000 (NRS 624.031(6)) does not help HVAC contractors: it does not apply to work ‘of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor,’ or where a building permit is required.

What is the Nevada HVAC license classification?

It is the classification C-21, ‘Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning,’ issued by the Nevada State Contractors Board (NAC 624.380). The full C-21 covers all of its subclassifications: C-21a Refrigeration, C-21b Air-Conditioning, C-21c Sheet Metal, C-21d Maintenance, C-21e Solar Air-Conditioning, C-21f Chilled and Hot Water Systems, and C-21g Industrial Piping. Most comfort heating-and-cooling contractors hold C-21b (Air-Conditioning) or the full C-21; you choose by the scope of work and the experience your qualifier can document.

How much does a Nevada C-21 contractor license cost?

The Board charges a $300 nonrefundable application fee and a $600 fee to issue or renew the license (the license is biennial, so $600 covers the two-year term). Examination fees are separate and paid to PSI, the Board’s exam provider. On top of the Board fees you must post a surety bond set by the Board within a $1,000-$500,000 range, and residential contractors pay a Recovery Fund assessment of $200, $500 or $1,000 per biennium depending on the monetary limit on the license. There is no education requirement and no continuing-education fee.

What experience and exams does Nevada require for a C-21 license?

The trade-qualified individual must have at least 4 full years of experience as a journeyman, supervising employee, or contractor in the specific classification, accrued within the 15 years before applying (NRS 624.260); up to 3 of those years can be satisfied by an accredited college/university or equivalent program. The qualifier must then pass two PSI exams - the closed-book C-21 trade exam and the open-book ‘CMS’ business-and-law exam - with three attempts allowed on each. The Board may waive the trade exam for applicants who qualify by licensure by endorsement from a substantially-equivalent state.

Does Nevada require continuing education for HVAC contractors?

No. Nevada does not require continuing education to renew a State Contractors Board license; renewal (every two years) turns on paying the $600 renewal fee, keeping the surety bond or cash deposit in force, paying the Recovery Fund assessment if you are a residential contractor, and demonstrating financial responsibility if the Board asks. Note that federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is a separate, federal requirement for technicians who handle refrigerant - it is not a Nevada license.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Nevada.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 24, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.