- No state license.
- Pay runs from about $20.99 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of HVAC technicians to $40.14 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 8.1% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally.
The path in Kansas, step by step
There is no state HVAC license in Kansas. Get licensed by the city or county where you work. Each sets its own fees, codes and inspections. The training is the same as anywhere: learn the trade under someone experienced, ideally in a registered apprenticeship.
- Work two years in the field under a journeyman or master, up to one year of it in trade school.
- Pass a state-designated ICC, IAPMO or Prometric journeyman exam with at least 75%.
- Get your journeyman certificate from the city or county where you work.
- After two years as a journeyman, pass the master exam.
- Apply for the local contractor license and meet its insurance and bond rules.
- Keep up 12 hours of continuing education every two years.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: HVAC license in Kansas.
Finding an apprenticeship in Kansas
Kansas 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 Kansas 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.
Licenses and exams around Kansas
The license to aim for: None at state level.
Trade exam. State-designated exams from ICC, IAPMO or Prometric. Local passing score is 75%.
Business exam. Set by each city or county.
Keeping it. Set by each city or county. State law requires 12 hours of continuing education every two years, or 6 hours a year, with at least half on code.
Coming from another state. A certificate based on a state-designated exam plus the experience rules is valid for licensure in any Kansas city or county that licenses HVAC, without another exam. Licenses based on other local exams only work in that city or county unless the cities have a reciprocal agreement.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Mechanical HVAC Contractor | Local business license for HVAC contracting. |
| Master HVAC Mechanic | Local certificate. Needs two years as a journeyman or four years of field experience. |
| Journeyman HVAC Mechanic | Local certificate. Needs two years of field experience. |
What HVAC technicians earn in Kansas
The median HVAC technician in Kansas earned $29.07 an hour in May 2025, 29th of 51 states, with 3,770 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Kansas earned under $23.57 an hour and a tenth under $20.99. At the top, a quarter earned over $35.02 and a tenth over $40.14.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.99 | $43,660 |
| 25th percentile | $23.57 | $49,030 |
| Median | $29.07 | $60,460 |
| 75th percentile | $35.02 | $72,830 |
| 90th percentile | $40.14 | $83,500 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: HVAC technician salary in Kansas.
Jobs ahead in Kansas
Kansas's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 3,930 in 2022 to 4,250 in 2032, a change of 8.1%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 370 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 8.1% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 32nd 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 Kansas
Insurance. Set by each city or county.
Bond. Set by each city or county.
Get licensed by the city or county where you work. Each sets its own fees, codes and inspections.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Kansas median of $29.07 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $121.64 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 Kansas'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.
- K.S.A. 12-1541 (designated HVAC exams) (checked 2026-10-08)
- K.S.A. 12-1542 (experience, CE, portability) (checked 2026-10-08)
- K.S.A. 12-1543 (local exams and codes) (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.