- Arizona requires a Registrar of Contractors license for HVAC work.
- The qualifying party needs at least four years of practical or management experience in the trade, at least two within the last ten years, and must meet the class requirements.
- Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Pay runs from about $18.25 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of HVAC technicians to $38.54 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 18.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally.
The path in Arizona, step by step
Arizona licenses HVAC work at the state level through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Pick your class: R-39 for homes, C-39 for commercial, or CR-39 for both.
- Make sure your qualifying party has four years of HVAC experience, two of them in the last ten years.
- If you use an LLC or corporation, register it with the Arizona Corporation Commission first.
- Pass the online SRE exam through Gmetrix and the trade exam through PSI, each with 70% or better.
- Submit background checks and ID for everyone on the license, plus your license bond.
- Apply and pay on the ROC online portal, then renew every two years.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: HVAC license in Arizona.
Finding an apprenticeship in Arizona
Arizona runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Arizona State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.
Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.
Across the country. Some technicians train through an apprenticeship, which usually lasts several years. Each year mixes paid on-the-job training with some classroom work on safety, blueprint reading, and heating and cooling systems.
License levels and exams in Arizona
The license to aim for: R-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (residential), C-39 (commercial) or CR-39 (dual).
Trade exam. Yes. A trade exam for your class, online or at a testing center through PSI. The fee is $66 and you need 70% to pass.
Business exam. Yes. The Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE), an open book course and exam online through Gmetrix. The fee is $61.
Keeping it. Licenses run two years. The late renewal fee is $50.
Coming from another state. Arizona has no direct reciprocity. The registrar may waive the trade exam and experience if your qualifying party held a comparable license in another state, gained by exam, within the past 5 years. The SRE exam generally cannot be waived.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| R-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Including Solar | Install and repair comfort air conditioning, refrigeration, evaporative cooling, ventilating and heating systems on homes, with or without solar. |
| C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration | Install, alter and repair refrigeration, evaporative cooling, heating and ventilation systems, including duct work, on commercial jobs. |
| CR-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (dual) | Covers the commercial C-39 scope and the residential R-39R air conditioning and refrigeration scope. |
What the Arizona license costs
The fees the Arizona Registrar of Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| New specialty residential (R) license: application, license fee and recovery fund | $720 |
| New specialty commercial (C) license: application and license fee | $580 |
| New specialty dual (CR) license: application, license fee and recovery fund | $850 |
| Renewal, specialty residential (R) | $540 |
| Renewal, specialty commercial (C) | $480 |
| Renewal, specialty dual (CR) | $650 |
| SRE statutes and rules exam (paid to Gmetrix) | $61 |
| Trade exam (paid to PSI) | $66 |
What HVAC technicians earn in Arizona
The median HVAC technician in Arizona earned $28.56 an hour in May 2025, 34th of 51 states, with 10,860 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Arizona earned under $22.68 an hour and a tenth under $18.25. At the top, a quarter earned over $35.49 and a tenth over $38.54.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.25 | $37,950 |
| 25th percentile | $22.68 | $47,170 |
| Median | $28.56 | $59,400 |
| 75th percentile | $35.49 | $73,810 |
| 90th percentile | $38.54 | $80,160 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: HVAC technician salary in Arizona.
Jobs ahead in Arizona
Arizona's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 9,140 in 2022 to 10,810 in 2032, a change of 18.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 990 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 18.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 7th of the 50 states in the file.
These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.
Starting your own HVAC technician business in Arizona
To contract on your own in Arizona, the license is the R-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (residential), C-39 (commercial) or CR-39 (dual).
Insurance. You must attest that you follow the state workers' compensation rules, and at renewal licensees with employees give their workers' comp policy number and insurer. Check with the board for liability insurance.
Bond. Residential specialty: $4,250 if yearly volume is under $375,000, or $7,500 at $375,000 or more. Commercial specialty: $2,500 up to $50,000 based on yearly volume. A dual license combines both amounts.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Arizona median of $28.56 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $120.74 per billable hour. Try your own in the HVAC technician labor rate calculator.
The full checklist is in how to start an HVAC business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Arizona's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- AZ ROC license classifications (checked 2026-10-08)
- AZ ROC license and renewal fees (checked 2026-10-08)
- AZ ROC bond information (checked 2026-10-08)
- AZ ROC applying for a license (checked 2026-10-08)
- AZ ROC renew a license checklist (checked 2026-10-08)
- A.R.S. 32-1122, qualifications (checked 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 49-9021
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become an HVAC technician.