- Home improvement registration is not required if your home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year.
- Home improvement registration renews every two years.
Do you need a state license in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania 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.
Home improvement registration is not required if your home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year.
Licensing is set by each of the 2,562 municipalities and the state keeps no list, so call the local office where the work will happen.
How to get set up in Pennsylvania, step by step
- Check with each municipality you work in for an HVAC or mechanical license.
- Get general liability coverage of at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage.
- Register as a Home Improvement Contractor online with the Attorney General and pay $100.
- Put your registration number on your ads, contracts and estimates.
- Get EPA 608 certification if you handle refrigerant.
What it costs in Pennsylvania
The board lists one fee for this license. These are the state's own numbers. Insurance, any bond, exam prep and your business registration come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Home Improvement Contractor registration (every two years) | $100 |
Insurance and bond
Insurance. For home improvement registration: general liability with at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
Renewal
Renewal. Home improvement registration renews every two years.
Good to know in Pennsylvania
- Installing central heating or air conditioning at a private home counts as home improvement, so register with the Attorney General if you do $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year.
- Registration is not a license and does not vouch for your skill.
- EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement for refrigerant work.
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 Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how HVAC companies run on Koira.