How to become an HVAC technician in Maryland

The path in Maryland, step by step

Maryland licenses HVAC work at the state level through the Maryland State Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Get an apprentice license and train under a licensed HVACR contractor.
2. Log four years and 6,000 hours, then pass the journeyman exam through PSI.
3. Work three years as a licensed journeyman with at least 1,875 hours in the last year.
4. Apply through PSI and pass the master or master restricted exam with 70 percent.
5. Get $300,000 general liability and $100,000 property damage coverage and send the certificate to the board.
6. Renew every two years by October 1 of odd numbered years.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: HVAC license in Maryland.

Finding an apprenticeship in Maryland

Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

The license to aim for: HVACR Master license.

Trade exam. Exam for each license level (master, master restricted, limited, journeyman), handled by PSI, the board's testing vendor. A score of 70 percent is needed to pass.

Keeping it. Two year term. Licenses expire on October 1 of odd numbered years.

Coming from another state. The board has reciprocal agreements with Delaware and Virginia.

What the Maryland license costs

The fees the Maryland State Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What HVAC technicians earn in Maryland

The median HVAC technician in Maryland earned $33.67 an hour in May 2025, 13th of 51 states, with 8,560 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Maryland earned under $27.06 an hour and a tenth under $22.20. At the top, a quarter earned over $46.05 and a tenth over $51.32.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: HVAC technician salary in Maryland.

Jobs ahead in Maryland

Maryland's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 7,450 in 2022 to 8,170 in 2032, a change of 9.7%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 720 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 9.7% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 27th 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 Maryland

To contract on your own in Maryland, the license is the HVACR Master license.

Insurance. Masters, master restricted and limited license holders must carry at least $300,000 general liability and $100,000 property damage insurance, and send proof to the board.

Bond. If a county or town requires an HVACR surety bond, proof of the state required insurance can satisfy it.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Maryland median of $33.67 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $129.72 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.