- Plan for a trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Set by each city.
- Set by each city.
Do you need a state license in Illinois?
Illinois does not issue a statewide HVAC license. Any license you need comes from the city or county where the job is, so the rules can change from one town to the next.
Cities may license HVAC contractors and charge a license fee of up to $50. Check the building department in your home city first, then each city where you take jobs.
How to get set up in Illinois, step by step
- Call the building department in the city where your business is based and ask if it licenses HVAC contractors.
- Meet that city's exam, insurance and bond rules and get the local license.
- Before each job in another city, confirm its permit rules. Your home city license should carry over under state law.
- Get EPA 608 certification for refrigerant work.
- Carry the liability insurance the Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires for residential work.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. Set by each city.
Illinois HVAC exams
Trade exam. Set by each city. State law lets a city appoint a board of examiners.
Business and law exam. Set by each city.
Separate from any state license, the EPA requires Section 608 certification for anyone who works on equipment with refrigerant. It is federal and applies in every state.
What it costs in Illinois
There is no state license fee for HVAC work in Illinois. Ask the city or county where you work about any local fees.
Insurance and bond
Insurance. Set by each city.
Bond. Set by each city.
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. Set by each city.
Reciprocity. State law says an HVAC contractor licensed by the city where its main place of business is located can install systems in other Illinois cities without another license, as long as it follows that city's rules.
Good to know in Illinois
- For this law, an air conditioning system means a unit over 20,000 BTU per hour, or any unit that hangs over a walkway.
- Home repair contracts over $1,000 must be in writing under the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, and central air and furnace jobs count as home repair.
- EPA Section 608 certification is a federal requirement for anyone who handles refrigerant.
Once you are cleared to work
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for HVAC repair near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with your city or county before you file.
More for your trade: how HVAC companies run on Koira.