How to become an HVAC technician in Minnesota

The path in Minnesota, step by step

Minnesota licenses some HVAC work at the state level and leaves the rest to cities or to no one.

1. Get the DLI mechanical contractor bond packet.
2. Buy a $25,000 mechanical contractor bond on the DLI form from a surety licensed in Minnesota, signed and notarized.
3. File the bond with DLI online or by mail and pay the $100 filing fee.
4. Check each city you work in for local licensing or comp card rules.
5. Refile the bond every two years.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Minnesota

Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

The license to aim for: Mechanical contractor bond (state filing, not a license).

Keeping it. The bond filing is good for two years.

What the Minnesota license costs

The fees the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What HVAC technicians earn in Minnesota

The median HVAC technician in Minnesota earned $36.71 an hour in May 2025, 6th of 51 states, with 4,200 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Minnesota earned under $28.30 an hour and a tenth under $23.18. At the top, a quarter earned over $41.92 and a tenth over $48.09.

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

Jobs ahead in Minnesota

Minnesota's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 4,980 in 2022 to 5,380 in 2032, a change of 8%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 470 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 33rd 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 Minnesota

To contract on your own in Minnesota, the license is the Mechanical contractor bond (state filing, not a license).

Bond. $25,000 mechanical contractor surety bond filed with DLI.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Minnesota median of $36.71 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $135.06 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.