How to become an HVAC technician in West Virginia

The path in West Virginia, step by step

West Virginia licenses HVAC work at the state level through the West Virginia Division of Labor, HVAC Technician Certification. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Log HVAC hours; start as a Technician in Training if you need supervised time.
2. Apply to the Division of Labor and pass the written technician exam with ProV.
3. For your own company, email the Contractor Licensing Board your scope of work.
4. Pass the Contractor Licensing Act and HVAC contractor exams.
5. Register with the State Tax Department and set up workers' comp and unemployment coverage.
6. Apply for the contractor license and renew it every 12 months.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in West Virginia

West Virginia has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the West Virginia Apprenticeship Office 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 West Virginia

The license to aim for: HVAC Technician certification, plus an HVAC contractor license.

Trade exam. Technician and Residential Technician applicants take a written exam with ProV, Inc. Technicians in Training do not test. The company license adds the Heating, Ventilating and Cooling contractor exam.

Business exam. For the contractor license, the WV Contractor Licensing Act exam.

Keeping it. Certification renewal fees match the initial fees, and notices go out about 45 days ahead. The contractor license renews every 12 months.

Coming from another state. For the HVAC contractor classification, West Virginia has reciprocity with Alabama, Ohio (including its business and law exam) and Tennessee. Workers still need West Virginia HVAC certification.

What the West Virginia license costs

The fees the West Virginia Division of Labor, HVAC Technician Certification lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What HVAC technicians earn in West Virginia

The median HVAC technician in West Virginia earned $23.49 an hour in May 2025, 48th of 51 states, with 1,690 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in West Virginia earned under $18.46 an hour and a tenth under $17.38. At the top, a quarter earned over $29.23 and a tenth over $34.92.

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

Jobs ahead in West Virginia

West Virginia's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 1,770 in 2022 to 1,880 in 2032, a change of 6.2%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 160 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 6.2% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 43rd 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 West Virginia

To contract on your own in West Virginia, the license is the HVAC Technician certification, plus an HVAC contractor license.

Insurance. For the contractor license: workers' compensation and unemployment coverage for all employees working in West Virginia.

Bond. A wage bond status affidavit with the contractor license application.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the West Virginia median of $23.49 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $111.84 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.