- Virginia requires a state contractor license with the HVAC (HVA) classification for jobs over $1,000, and the company's qualified individual must hold a Master HVAC tradesman license from the Board for Contractors.
- Journeyman: from 8 years of practical experience with no schooling, down to 4 years with 240 hours of vocational training, 2 years with a 2-year degree, or 1 year with a related engineering degree. Master: 1 year as a journeyman, 3 years with a residential HVAC license, or 9 years of experience.
- Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Pay runs from about $19.12 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of HVAC technicians to $40.11 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 5.5% projected nationally.
The path in Virginia, step by step
Virginia licenses HVAC work at the state level through the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Build experience and vocational training to qualify for the journeyman HVAC exam.
- Pass the journeyman exam through PSI, then qualify for and pass the master HVAC exam.
- Pick your firm class (A, B or C) based on job size and yearly volume.
- Have a member of management finish the 8-hour basic business course. For Class A or B, have a designated employee pass the board exam.
- For Class A or B, show the required net worth or post a $50,000 bond.
- Apply to the Board for Contractors with the HVA classification, naming the master as qualified individual.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: HVAC license in Virginia.
Finding an apprenticeship in Virginia
Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia
The license to aim for: Contractor license (Class A, B or C) with HVA classification, plus Master HVAC tradesman license.
Trade exam. Yes. Journeyman and master HVAC tradesman exams are given by PSI. The exam fee is $100 for journeyman and $125 for master.
Business exam. Class A and B firms need a designated employee who passes a board exam. Every new firm needs 8 hours of pre-license basic business education, taken by a member of management (or, for Class A and B, the designated employee).
Keeping it. Contractor licenses expire two years from the last day of the month they were issued. Renewal is $220 (C), $260 (B) or $270 (A) plus a $30 Recovery Fund assessment. HVAC tradesmen need 3 hours of approved continuing education on code updates in each two-year license term.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| HVA | Installing, altering, repairing or maintaining heating, ventilation and cooling systems, steam and hot water heaters. |
| Journeyman HVAC tradesman | Individual HVAC mechanic license. |
| Master HVAC tradesman | Required for the qualified individual of an HVA firm. |
| Class A, B, C | Class C: over $1,000 to under $30,000 per job. Class B: $30,000 to under $150,000. Class A: $150,000 or more. |
What the Virginia license costs
The fees the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tradesman license, original | $150 |
| Journeyman tradesman exam (paid to PSI) | $100 |
| Master tradesman exam (paid to PSI) | $125 |
| Class C initial license | $235 |
| Class B initial license | $380 |
| Class A initial license | $400 |
| Recovery Fund assessment with initial license | $25 |
What HVAC technicians earn in Virginia
The median HVAC technician in Virginia earned $28.72 an hour in May 2025, 33rd of 51 states, with 14,690 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Virginia earned under $23.03 an hour and a tenth under $19.12. At the top, a quarter earned over $35.31 and a tenth over $40.11.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.12 | $39,760 |
| 25th percentile | $23.03 | $47,910 |
| Median | $28.72 | $59,730 |
| 75th percentile | $35.31 | $73,440 |
| 90th percentile | $40.11 | $83,420 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: HVAC technician salary in Virginia.
Jobs ahead in Virginia
Virginia's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 13,780 in 2022 to 14,610 in 2032, a change of 6%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,260 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 44th 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 Virginia
To contract on your own in Virginia, the license is the Contractor license (Class A, B or C) with HVA classification, plus Master HVAC tradesman license.
Bond. Class A needs $45,000 net worth and Class B needs $15,000, or either can post a $50,000 surety bond instead.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Virginia median of $28.72 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $121.03 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 Virginia'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.
- Board for Contractors (checked 2026-10-08)
- Tradesmen program (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-22-61 classification prerequisites (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-30-39 tradesman exam qualifications (checked 2026-10-08)
- Code of Virginia 54.1-1103 license required (checked 2026-10-08)
- 18VAC50-22-140 renewal fees (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.