How to become an HVAC technician in Oregon

The path in Oregon, step by step

Oregon licenses HVAC work at the state level through the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Take the 16 hour pre-license course and pass the Oregon contractor exam.
2. Pick your endorsement, usually residential specialty for a small HVAC shop.
3. Register your business with the Oregon Secretary of State.
4. Buy the surety bond and general liability policy for your endorsement, naming the CCB as certificate holder.
5. Apply online with the CCB and pay the $400 fee.
6. If you also want the Building Codes Division Restricted Energy Contractor license, apply with your CCB number and name a full time signing supervisor.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Oregon

Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

The license to aim for: CCB contractor license (residential or commercial specialty endorsement).

Business exam. Yes. 16 hours of pre-license training and the Oregon contractor exam (80 questions, 70 percent to pass, open book), given through PSI.

Keeping it. CCB license every two years. Residential contractors need 8 hours of continuing education per two year period: 3 hours on laws, regulations and business practices, and 5 hours of approved courses on topics like business practices, building codes or safety. The Restricted Energy Contractor license renews every three years on July 1.

What the Oregon license costs

The fees the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What HVAC technicians earn in Oregon

The median HVAC technician in Oregon earned $30.26 an hour in May 2025, 18th of 51 states, with 3,980 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Oregon earned under $27.09 an hour and a tenth under $22.59. At the top, a quarter earned over $37.93 and a tenth over $45.44.

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

Jobs ahead in Oregon

Oregon's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 3,840 in 2022 to 4,580 in 2032, a change of 19.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 420 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 19.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 6th 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 Oregon

To contract on your own in Oregon, the license is the CCB contractor license (residential or commercial specialty endorsement).

Insurance. General liability depends on endorsement: residential specialty $300,000 per occurrence, residential general $500,000 per occurrence, commercial specialty Level 2 $500,000 per occurrence, Level 1 $1 million aggregate. Workers comp if you have non exempt employees.

Bond. Residential specialty $20,000. Residential general $25,000. Commercial specialty Level 2 $25,000, Level 1 $55,000.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Oregon median of $30.26 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $123.73 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.