Tennessee HVAC Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

Tennessee licenses the contractor (the business and its qualifying individual), not individual HVAC technicians. biennial renewal — verified from official sources.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division) (official site) and last verified July 23, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must be licensed - the $25,000 threshold: A contractor's license is required before contracting - including bidding, offering to engage, or negotiating a price - for projects of $25,000 or more (Board's contractor page). A subcontractor 'must be licensed when contracting directly with a contractor, not the owner, to perform electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or roofing work when that portion of the project is $25,000 or more, including materials, equipment, and labor.' Rule 0680-01-.24 restates this: 'a subcontractor is required to be licensed in order to perform electrical, plumbing, heating ventilation, air conditioning, and roofing work when the amount is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or more ... including materials and labor.' Projects may not be split into phases to circumvent the law.
No state license below $25,000 - and no limited HVAC license exists: Unlike electricians (Limited Licensed Electrician, LLE) and plumbers (Limited Licensed Plumber, LLP), Tennessee has NO limited HVAC/mechanical license. The Board's 'How to Get a License' index lists exactly five credentials - Contractor, Home Improvement Contractor, LLE, LLP, and Course Provider - with no HVAC-specific below-threshold license. HVAC/mechanical work under $25,000 therefore requires no state license; local jurisdictions may impose their own requirements.
Business-entity license via a Qualifying Agent: The license is issued to the business entity. Designate a Qualifying Agent (owner, full-time employee, or officer) to sit the exams; a Power of Attorney is required if the QA has no ownership. Up to two (2) people may take each exam for the company, and the person who takes the Business & Law exam need not also take the trade exam.
Financial statement or surety bond (monetary limit): Submit a CPA-prepared financial statement - 'Reviewed' for limits of $3,000,000 or less, 'Audited' for limits exceeding $3,000,000 (must show at least $300,000 in working capital, net worth, and experience) - OR, beginning July 1, 2026, a Contractors' Surety Bond equal to at least 50% of the monetary limit requested. The monetary limit is calculated as 10 times the lesser of working capital or net worth, plus required experience; an unlimited limit requires $300,000 in both working capital and net worth. The financial statement must be less than 12 months old and follow GAAP.
Insurance: General liability insurance based on the monetary limit, and workers' compensation coverage unless proof of exemption is provided.
Other application items: A signed and notarized Contractor's Affidavit (QA, owners, partners, members, main officers, and major stockholders); a Letter of Reference; registration with the Tennessee Secretary of State (charter/Articles of Organization + active status); and a local business tax license for each city or county of operation (via the Department of Revenue). Applicants with complaints, convictions, or prior unlicensed bidding must interview with the Board.
Reciprocity - trade-exam waiver (HVAC/mechanical): Tennessee does not recognize an out-of-state license directly, but it has a Trade Exam Waiver agreement. For HVAC/mechanical, actively-licensed contractors from these states may obtain a trade-exam waiver: Alabama (HVAC), Louisiana (Mechanical), Mississippi (Mechanical - Unlimited), Ohio (HVAC), South Carolina (HVAC, commercial only). Tennessee also accepts the NASCLA National Commercial exam. Note: North Carolina's waiver covers only Building and Electrical (NOT HVAC), and Arkansas covers Building only. The waiver applies only to 'Contractors' - not to Home Improvement, LLE, or LLP.
Local exam preemption for state licensees: A state Mechanical (CMC / CMC-C) licensee, and its employees, cannot be required by any county or municipality to pass a local test or examination. Rule 0680-01-.16 records that the CMC classification 'represents that the licensee has passed the Board licensing exam and that no county or municipality shall require such state licensee or its employees to pass any county or municipal test or examination pursuant to T.C.A. Sec. 62-6-111(i)(2)(C).'

Legal basis

Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division) administers HVAC contractor licensing in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee the state credential is an HVAC/mechanical CONTRACTOR license, not an individual technician license. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors licenses the BUSINESS entity (through its Qualifying Agent) at a $25,000 project threshold, using the HVAC (CMC-C) or full Mechanical (CMC) classification. A search for a ‘Tennessee HVAC license’ maps to that contractor classification; a worker employed by a licensed contractor needs no separate state license, and HVAC work under $25,000 needs no state license at all (Tennessee has no limited HVAC license, unlike the LLE for electricians and LLP for plumbers). ‘HVAC license,’ ‘AC license,’ and ‘mechanical contractor license’ are common informal names for the state contractor credential. Separately, the federal EPA Section 608 certification (to handle refrigerants) is a nationwide requirement, not a Tennessee HVAC license.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Contractor license, HVAC (CMC-C) classification (HVAC only)	Issued to the business entity through a Qualifying Agent (owner, full-time employee, or officer); Tennessee publishes no fixed apprenticeship-hours path. Experience is demonstrated through a Letter of Reference (from a past client, employer, or code official who has inspected the applicant's work; not a family member) and the Board's evaluation of the applicant's experience for the classification (Rule 0680-01-.12), together with the financial/monetary-limit qualification. The CMC-C (HVAC) trade exam does NOT require Board pre-approval (only the full mechanical CMC and plumbing CMC-A exams do).	Tennessee Business & Law exam + HVAC (CMC-C) trade exam. Open-book; exams are typically valid two (2) years. Administered by Prov (provexam.com) for exams on or after July 1, 2026; PSI continues only already-scheduled exams through September 2026. The same person taking the Business & Law exam need not take the trade exam, and up to two (2) people may sit each exam for the company.	$250 initial / reinstatement / ownership change (business-entity license); $200 bi-annual renewal. Trade-exam fee is set by the exam provider (Prov), not published on the Board fee page.
Contractor license, Mechanical (CMC) classification (Full Mechanical: Plumbing & HVAC)	Same business-entity/Qualifying-Agent structure and experience evaluation as CMC-C. The full mechanical CMC trade exam requires Board PRE-APPROVAL: submit a completed Pre-Approval Request Form to [email protected] with a $50 fee before scheduling. CMC covers all mechanical sub-scopes (Rule 0680-01-.16 Appendix A: A. Plumbing and Gas Piping; B. Process Piping; C. HVAC, Refrigeration, Gas Piping; D. Sprinklers & Fire Protection; E. Insulation of Mechanical Work; F. Pollution Control; G. Pneumatic Tube Systems; H. Temperature Controls; I. Boiler Construction & Repairs; J. Fuel Gas Piping and Systems).	Tennessee Business & Law exam + Full Mechanical (CMC) trade exam. Open-book; typically valid 2 years; Prov (PSI through September 2026 for already-scheduled exams). The CMC exam requires Board pre-approval ($50 fee).	$250 initial / reinstatement / ownership change; $200 bi-annual renewal; plus the $50 CMC exam pre-approval fee. Trade-exam fee set by Prov.

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Tennessee’s HVAC credential attaches only at a dollar threshold, so the largest ’exemption’ is the threshold itself. (1) THE $25,000 THRESHOLD: no state Contractor license is required to perform HVAC/mechanical work below $25,000 (materials, equipment, and labor) - the licensing trigger in T.C.A. Sec. 62-6-102 reaches only contracting (bidding, negotiating, or contracting) at $25,000 or more, and Rule 0680-01-.24 states the same for ‘heating ventilation, air conditioning’ subcontractors. Crucially, unlike electrical work (which has the below-threshold Limited Licensed Electrician program) and plumbing (Limited Licensed Plumber), Tennessee has NO limited HVAC license, so below $25,000 HVAC work is simply outside the state licensing scheme (a city or county may still regulate it). The Board warns that projects may not be split into phases to stay under the threshold. (2) PROPERTY OWNER / INDIVIDUAL USE: by rule, ‘Any person, business or church that owns property and constructs single residences or buildings for their individual use shall not need a contractor’s license. Individual use shall mean use by persons other than the general public’ (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0680-01-.22, adopted under T.C.A. Secs. 62-6-103 and 62-6-108). Rule 0680-01-.26 ties this to the statutory exemption in T.C.A. Sec. 62-6-103(2)(A) - ‘any person, firm, church, or other religious institution that owns property and constructs on the property single residences, farm buildings or other buildings for individual use’ - and states it ‘does not apply to construction pertaining to resale, lease, rent or other similar purpose’ or to buildings ‘for a business-type purpose that cater to and depend upon usage by members of the general public.’ (3) EMPLOYEES (not contracting): because the licensing trigger is contracting, an HVAC technician doing in-house work as a bona fide employee of a licensed contractor is not separately licensed - the state license and its exams belong to the business entity, sat by its Qualifying Agent. NOTE ON COMPLETENESS: the full statutory exemption list in T.C.A. Sec. 62-6-103 is available only through the state’s LexisNexis service and is not reproduced here in full; the property-owner exemption above is the one implemented verbatim in the Board’s rules. Separately, T.C.A. Sec. 62-6-111(i)(2)(C) is not an exemption from the state license but a limit on LOCAL governments - a state CMC/CMC-C licensee and its employees cannot be required to pass a county or municipal exam (Rule 0680-01-.16).

Fees

Contractor (business-entity) fees, from the Board’s fee schedule (all non-refundable): Initial / Reinstatement / Ownership Change $250; Renewal $200; Late Renewal Penalty $20 per month up to 12 months; Mode of Operation Change $100; Retirement $25 per year of renewal (up to 7 years, then a $200 reset fee every 7 years); Duplicate License $25. Exam pre-approval fee for the full mechanical CMC (and plumbing CMC-A) exam: $50. The HVAC (CMC-C) trade exam fee is set by the exam provider (Prov) and is not on the Board fee page. There is NO state license or state fee for HVAC work under $25,000, because no state credential (and no limited HVAC license) applies below the threshold.

Exam

Contractor applicants take the Tennessee ‘Business and Law’ exam plus a trade exam for the HVAC classification: the HVAC (CMC-C) trade exam, or the Full Mechanical (CMC) trade exam if the broader mechanical scope (plumbing + HVAC) is sought. Exams are open-book and typically valid two (2) years. Beginning July 1, 2026, Prov (provexam.com) administers the exams; PSI continues only already-scheduled exams through September 2026. Board PRE-APPROVAL (a completed Pre-Approval Request Form emailed to [email protected] , $50 fee) is required only for the full mechanical CMC and the plumbing CMC-A exams - the HVAC-only CMC-C exam does not require pre-approval. The Qualifying Agent registers with the exam provider; up to two people may sit each exam for the company. Trade-exam fees are set by Prov and are not published on the Board fee schedule.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial (2-year). The renewal option appears in the CORE account within 90 days of expiration; submit at least 30 days before expiration to avoid working on an expired license. The grace period is 12 months, with a $20/month late fee; a license expired 12 months or longer requires a new application. Renewal requires a financial statement (a self-prepared balance sheet if the limit is less than $1.5 million; a CPA-Compiled statement if more than $1.5 million), a General Liability certificate of insurance, workers’ compensation (or exemption registration), and proof of active status with the Secretary of State. Renewal fee $200. None for the Mechanical (CMC) or HVAC (CMC-C) classification. Tennessee requires continuing education only of BC-A and BC-A/r (residential building) contractors - 8 hours per bi-annual renewal - and the Board states no CE requirement for other classifications, including mechanical/HVAC.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance, Regulatory Boards Division). Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee require an HVAC license?

Only at a dollar threshold. Tennessee has no HVAC ’technician’ license and no limited HVAC license. A state Contractor license is required before bidding, negotiating, or contracting for HVAC/mechanical work when that portion of the project is $25,000 or more, including materials, equipment, and labor (Board contractor page; Rule 0680-01-.24). The credential is a CONTRACTOR license issued to the business - with the HVAC (CMC-C) or full Mechanical (CMC) classification - held through a Qualifying Agent. HVAC work under $25,000 needs no state license (though a city or county may have its own rule). Projects cannot be split into phases to stay under $25,000.

What is the difference between the CMC and CMC-C classifications?

CMC-C is HVAC only. CMC (‘Full Mechanical - Plumbing & HVAC’) is the broader mechanical classification whose sub-scopes include plumbing and gas piping, process piping, HVAC/refrigeration/gas piping, sprinklers, boiler construction, temperature controls, and more (Rule 0680-01-.16 Appendix A). CMC-A is Plumbing and CMC-D is Fire Sprinkler. For HVAC work you take the HVAC (CMC-C) trade exam; only the full mechanical CMC and plumbing CMC-A exams require Board pre-approval ($50) before scheduling.

Who administers the Tennessee contractor exam, and is it open-book?

Contractor applicants take the Tennessee Business & Law exam plus the HVAC (CMC-C) or full mechanical (CMC) trade exam. The exams are open-book and are typically valid for two years. Beginning July 1, 2026, Prov (provexam.com) administers the exams; PSI continues only already-scheduled exams through September 2026. The Qualifying Agent registers with the provider, and up to two people may sit each exam for the company.

How much does a Tennessee HVAC contractor license cost?

The business-entity Contractor fees (non-refundable) are $250 for initial licensure, reinstatement, or ownership change, and $200 for the bi-annual renewal, with a $20-per-month late fee (up to 12 months). If you seek the full mechanical CMC classification, add a $50 exam pre-approval fee. The trade-exam fee itself is set by Prov and is not on the Board’s fee schedule. There is no state license fee for HVAC work under $25,000, because no state credential applies below the threshold.

Does a Tennessee HVAC contractor need continuing education?

No. Tennessee requires continuing education only of BC-A and BC-A/r residential building contractors (8 hours per bi-annual renewal). The Board states no CE requirement for the Mechanical (CMC) or HVAC (CMC-C) classification.

Can a licensed HVAC contractor be forced to pass a local city or county exam?

No. A state Mechanical (CMC/CMC-C) licensee, and its employees, cannot be required by any county or municipality to pass a local test or examination (T.C.A. Sec. 62-6-111(i)(2)(C), quoted in Rule 0680-01-.16). The local government may still require permits, inspections, and a local business tax license, but not a duplicate trade exam.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Tennessee.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 23, 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.