HVAC License Arkansas: Class C Is Gone, and It Still Isn't the Health Department (2026)

Arkansas licenses HVAC contractors through the HVACR Licensing Board, a branch of the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, a completely different agency from the one that licenses plumbers. As of 2026, that Board recognizes five license classes, not six, after a 2025 law repealed Class C and folded its scope into a wider Class B.

At a glance

• Who issues it: the HVACR Licensing Board, Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
• Classes today: A, B, D, E, and the lifetime Class L; Class C no longer exists
• Class B ceiling: 25 tons cooling or 1,000,000 BTUH heating per unit, up from 15 tons
• Annual license fee: Class A $200, Class B $150, Class D $150, Class E $150
• Exam fee: a flat $100 per sitting, offered at least four times a year

That merger trips up more people than any other detail in the state, because most pages ranking for this search, including the Board's own 2022 and 2023 application forms still circulating online, describe six classes and a 15 ton Class B ceiling. They are describing the rule as it stood before Arkansas Act 746 of 2025 took effect.

The second thing worth knowing: Arkansas does not license HVAC by journeyman and master. It licenses by class, and the class is defined by the size of equipment you are allowed to touch, plus, as of this year, how much electrical and gas hookup work you can do without a separate license.

This guide covers the current five classes, what happened to Class C, the new 75-foot wiring and gas rule, the registrant rule, continuing education on its new code-cycle schedule, insurance, and the step up to a general contractor license.

New to licensing in Arkansas? Start with the Arkansas contractor license requirements, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

The five Arkansas HVACR license classes, after Class C

These come from 17 CAR § 261-103, the HVACR Licensing Board's current rule, as amended in 2026 to carry out Arkansas Act 746 of 2025. The rule it replaced, in force from June 2022 until that amendment, had six classes. Class C is now gone.

Notes on each class:

• Class A has no equipment ceiling, and the current rule gives it its own authority to run limited wiring and gas piping to the equipment it installs, something the old rule handled through a separate license.
• Class B absorbed Class C's old scope. A licensee who held Class C on September 1, 2025 became a Class B licensee, and may now install and replace equipment up to the new 25 ton ceiling, not just service it the way Class C was limited to.
• Class D has no ceiling on duct size, but a Class D holder cannot sell, install, or service HVACR equipment, and cannot do any of the new electrical or gas fitting work at all.
• Class E is process and commercial refrigeration under Ark. Code § 17-33-101, not comfort cooling. It is expressly barred from heating and air conditioning equipment used for human comfort, though it may do electrical and gas work tied to the refrigeration unit it is installing.
• Class L is harder to qualify for than it used to be. It now requires age 65, ten consecutive years already licensed, and a current Class A, B, D, or E license in good standing, not just prior eligibility for one. A Class L holder may not install original equipment, replace existing equipment, or employ registrants.

What happened to the Class C license

Arkansas Act 746 of 2025 eliminated the Class C HVACR license, repealing the Class C provisions of Ark. Code § 17-33-303. The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing notified license holders in an August 1, 2025 bulletin, and the transition took effect September 1, 2025: every license active as Class C on that date became a Class B license, carrying the full Class B scope rather than Class C's old service-only restriction.

The HVACR Licensing Board finished updating its own rule text to match the statute in 2026, the same rulemaking that moved Class B's ceiling from 15 tons to 25 tons cooling capacity (1,000,000 BTUH heating input) per unit. If a card in your shop still says Class C, it is not a valid license category anymore. Call the Board to confirm the conversion went through correctly on your record.

There is also no more moving between classes. The old rule let a holder transfer down a class for a $15 fee, or transfer up by passing the exam, with a routing rule that only a Class A holder could transfer into Class D or Class E. That entire section, 17 CAR § 261-111, was repealed in the same rulemaking and now reads "[Repealed]." Getting a different class now means filing a new application under 17 CAR § 261-104, or using the reciprocity path below if you already hold an out-of-state license.

Electrical and gas work: the new 75-foot rule

Arkansas used to license HVAC-related electrical hookups through a standalone HVAC/R electrician license. Act 746 of 2025 repealed that license too, and built a limited version of the same work directly into Classes A, B, and E.

"HVACR electrical work" under 17 CAR § 261-102 means supplying an electrical connection to an HVAC or refrigeration unit, limited to 75 feet or less of wiring from an existing electrical panel to the unit's final connection, done under the state-adopted National Electrical Code. "HVACR gas fitting work" is the gas-side equivalent: 75 feet or less of final gas piping to a heating unit, run from an existing, accessible manual safety shutoff gas cock, plus flue gas vents and combustion air for the system, under the Arkansas Fuel Gas Code. Both distances replace the old rule's six-foot gas allowance, which no longer applies.

Class D never gets this authority, at any distance. A Class D licensee can run duct of any size but cannot touch the unit's wiring or gas connection. Beyond 75 feet, or outside these narrow definitions, you are into licensed-electrician and licensed-plumber territory, which the Department of Health, not the HVACR Board, regulates; see the Arkansas plumbing license guide for that boundary.

Getting licensed: what Arkansas actually requires

The bar here is lower than most states expect, and Arkansas says so explicitly.

Age. Applicants for Class A, B, D, or E must be at least 18. Class L applicants must be at least 65 with ten consecutive years already licensed by the Board.

Experience. An applicant with no licensing background must show at least two years of experience as an HVACR contractor or an employee of one. The Board may substitute approved HVACR educational training for experience, with transcripts submitted before the Board considers the application.

No apprenticeship gate. Current rule still states plainly that apprenticeship, education, or training cannot be a prerequisite or condition for licensure. There is a separate Earn and Learn provision under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-6-103(1) for those who do complete an apprenticeship, codified today at 17 CAR § 261-121, but it remains a route in, not a hurdle.

How you prove experience. The Board must use the least restrictive standard, accepting records, affidavits, or evidence from current or former employers or others who can attest to the applicant's HVACR work history.

Examination. Applicants must pass a Board-approved examination unless they qualify through reciprocity. Exams are offered at least four times per year, or more often at the Board's discretion.

Temporary license. On request, the Board issues a temporary license to eligible Class A, B, D, or E applicants, valid 90 days. The candidate must schedule and sit the HVACR exam within 60 days of receiving it, or the temporary license is forfeited.

Criminal background. The Board is not authorized to run criminal background checks, though it may ask about convictions at application or renewal. Disqualifying offenses are those listed in Ark. Code Ann. § 17-3-102 et seq., unless sealed, pardoned, or expunged, and the Board may grant a waiver.

New: reciprocity for an out-of-state license

Section 17 CAR § 261-112, adopted in the same 2026 rulemaking, lets Arkansas license a contractor through reciprocity instead of the standard application:

1. Hold a Class A, B, D, or E equivalent license, in good standing, from another U.S. state or territory.
2. Show that license is "substantially similar" in scope, using copies of the license, a verification form from the issuing state, and a list of every state where you hold or have held a license.
3. Have no revoked license for bad faith, fraud, or an ethics violation, and no active suspension or probation anywhere.
4. Pay the standard license fee. No exam, continuing education, or apprenticeship is required under this path.

A related rule, 17 CAR § 261-119, grants automatic licensure on the same terms to uniformed service members stationed in Arkansas, veterans who move here, and their spouses, and extends a deployed member's license and CE deadline by 180 days after they return.

Arkansas HVAC license fees

These figures come from 17 CAR § 261-106, current as of the Board's 2026 rulemaking. License and examination fees are set by the Board and change; confirm the current schedule before submitting payment.

Annual license fees:

• Class A, $200.00
• Class B, $150.00
• Class D, $150.00
• Class E, $150.00
• Class L (lifetime), no charge
• Registrant, $25.00

Examination fee: a flat $100.00 per sitting for Class A, B, D, or E, whether it is a first attempt or a retest. There is no longer a separate lower fee for a written exam; the old $55 written / $100 computerized split is gone.

Deferment is gone. The Board's inactive-license deferment program was eliminated in the same rulemaking that removed Class C. Every license that was sitting in deferred status was activated to its normal expiration date; there is no longer a reduced-fee inactive status to fall back into.

Late payment: a penalty of $10.00 per month is added to a license that lapsed for non-payment.

Inspection fees: $25.00 for the first $1,000 (or fraction) of installation valuation, plus $2.00 for each additional $1,000 or fraction. Total inspection fees are capped at $1,000.00 per job. Each re-inspection is $25.00. The Department does not charge to investigate consumer complaints, and it may also run random, no-cost jobsite inspections and license checks.

Fee waiver. Act 725 of 2021 still lets the Board waive the initial licensing fee for applicants receiving Arkansas Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, TEA, or Lifeline assistance; approved for unemployment within the last twelve months; or with income not exceeding 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. The waiver does not extend to the exam fee.

Renewal, continuing education, and reinstatement

Arkansas HVACR licenses now expire on the last day of the month, one year after the original date of issuance, under 17 CAR § 261-105. That is close to the old "anniversary date" framing but rounds forward to month-end, so check your card rather than assuming the exact calendar day. It is still different from the plumbing side, where Master, Journeyman, and Apprentice licenses all expire December 31 and Restricted licenses expire June 30.

Continuing education changed its clock. Under 17 CAR § 261-120, a license cannot renew unless the holder completes at least 8 hours of continuing education per International Mechanical Code cycle, due before the final year of that cycle, not 4 hours every calendar year the way the pre-2026 rule required. The hours can be any Board-approved instruction on HVACR systems or the current Mechanical Code; there is no longer a mandatory split between code-specific and general hours.

Miss the deadline now and the consequence is different too: the rule suspends the license outright until the Board receives an approved, verifiable completion certificate, rather than the old 90-day no-penalty grace window. Other civil penalties can still apply for performing unlicensed work in the meantime.

Only Board-approved courses count, curricula must be submitted to the Board at least 60 days before the course date, and the course provider's roster is the only document that proves completion, not your personal certificate. Providers must keep that roster for at least five years.

Reinstatement now depends on why the license lapsed. An expired license (non-payment) is reinstated on payment of current and past-due fees plus the $10 per month penalty, with a mandatory exam if the holder has been delinquent more than three years, down from the old five-year threshold. A revoked license requires a one-year wait before reapplying, a passing exam score, and a written statement of intent to comply. A suspended license must be reinstated within five business days of the suspension ending, or the Board treats it as still suspended.

The registrant rule, this still governs your whole crew

This is the part of Arkansas HVAC law that most affects a growing company, and it has nothing to do with your own license.

A registrant is a person who does not hold a Class A, B, D, or E license, who can only perform HVACR work for a licensee, and who holds a current registration. Registration costs $25.00 per year. Registrants must be legally employed by a licensed Class A, B, D, or E contractor; a Class L holder may not employ registrants at all under the current rule.

The obligation sits with the license holder, not the worker. A designated license holder is the Class A, B, D, or E licensee responsible for the HVACR work performed on a job, and Arkansas law makes that holder responsible for maintaining the registration of the employees working under them.

Licensees, registrants, and mechanical inspectors must all carry their license and a photo ID, in paper or digital form, on the jobsite, and show it to a state or local inspector on request.

Insurance, signage, and the lien trap

Liability insurance is still mandatory and specific. Any Class A, B, D, or E holder must maintain liability insurance for work performed, or be covered by an employer policy, with minimum coverage of $250,000 for an individual licensee, or $250,000 per licensed employee under an employer policy. Proof must be presented to the Board at issuance and at every renewal. The current rule adds a narrow waiver: a licensee who works mainly for an employer that maintains its own equipment, or who instructs at a recognized school or apprenticeship program without doing for-profit HVACR work, may request a coverage waiver with an annual letter confirming that status.

There is still no surety bond at the trade-license level. A bond appears later, at the contractor-license level, covered below.

Vehicle, jobsite, and business-card identification are rules, not marketing suggestions. Service and installation vehicles must show the license number and company name in letters at least two inches high on both sides. Any jobsite doing new HVACR work needs a sign at least 8.5 by 11 inches showing the company name, license number, and phone number, and business cards for the company must show the same three items. Each license must also be displayed at the contractor's place of business as listed with the Board.

Address and affiliation changes are on a 30-day clock. A license holder must notify the Board in writing within 30 days of any change in mailing address, business affiliation, business location, or business phone number. A change of address, affiliation, or location requires a formal license revision; the rule does not list a dollar figure for that revision in its current text, so confirm the fee with the Board before filing. The address on file is your address of record, and every notice, including your expiration notice, goes there.

The lien trap, and a higher ceiling on penalties. The rule still bars an unlicensed person from claiming a mechanic's and materialman's lien, a laborer's lien, or any other artisan's lien for work done in violation of it. That is separate from, and usually far worse than, the civil penalty, which the current rule caps at $1,000.00 per violation, up from the old $250 ceiling, with each day of a continuing violation treated separately. Before the Board can assess any penalty, the license holder must be given a chance to correct the violation, and the matter must go through a hearing under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act.

What is exempt

Arkansas carves out a specific list, including two additions from the 2026 rulemaking.

The rule does not apply to household appliances; AGA-approved unvented space heaters; factory-assembled, air-cooled, self-contained refrigeration equipment of 1.5 HP or less with no refrigerant lines outside the cabinet; factory-assembled window units of 36,000 BTUH or less not connected to ducts; window, attic, ceiling, and wall fans in residences; or poultry operations, whether hatching, primary processing, or further processing of chicken, turkey, or other fowl.

It also does not apply to a person performing HVACR work on an existing building they own and occupy as their home or farm; public utility construction and maintenance incidental to the utility's business; motor vehicle work; architects and registered engineers designing systems for design criteria only; hospital employees doing work incidental to hospital operations; and gas-fired floor furnace, wall furnace, or unit heater work by a person licensed under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-301 et seq. within that license's limits.

Two items are new. Pipefitters, welders, well drillers, sheet metal workers, and plumbers working under a Class A, B, D, or E licensee are exempt while they are enrolled in, or have completed, a state-approved apprenticeship in their own trade, within that trade's license limits. And a person or public entity servicing its own HVACR system with its own specially trained personnel is exempt as well.

Anyone exempt still has to conform to the rules on performance of HVACR work and still has to obtain local permits and inspections.

The adopted code is still the International Mechanical Code, 2021 edition, under 17 CAR § 261-122, the standard for the conduct of HVACR work; that adoption did not change in the 2026 rulemaking.

Getting from HVAC license to contractor license

An HVACR license lets you perform mechanical work. It does not let you contract for construction above Arkansas's dollar thresholds. That belongs to the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, also under the Department of Labor and Licensing but a separate board, at 4100 Richards Road, North Little Rock.

The thresholds:

• Residential contract work of $2,000.00 or more including labor and materials requires a residential license.
• Commercial projects of $50,000 or more require a commercial license. Restricted Commercial caps you at projects under $1,500,000, raised from $750,000 by Act 235 of 2025, effective August 4, 2025; Unrestricted Commercial has no ceiling.
• A commercial license automatically qualifies you for residential work in the same classification or specialty.

The Contractors Licensing Board's commercial application lists "Mechanical (Plumbing & HVACR)" as major classification 6, and "Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration" as a named specialty. Both require an Arkansas trade license or certification, which is precisely your HVACR class license. Major classifications require five years of documented experience; specialties require one year.

The commercial application also requires a $10,000 Contractor's Bond in the principal's name and EIN as registered with the Secretary of State, a compiled financial statement from an independent CPA less than one year old, and a passing score on the Arkansas Business and Law exam, delivered by PSI at an $84.00 examination fee, open book, 50 multiple-choice questions, two-hour limit.

The license's expiration date is pinned to the date of the financial statement submitted, not the application date. Half the required net worth for the classification must be cash in the bank, not stockholder notes or receivables.

Who has to be the licensed person

Every Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board application, commercial and residential alike, asks for one named individual: the person who took the Business & Law exam. It asks their name, Social Security Number, how long they have been with the company, and requires them to check exactly one of three boxes:

• Sole Owner
• Full time paid employee
• Officer, member, or partner of the company and actively involved in day-to-day operations

If the licensed individual is not an owner and not an officer, there is exactly one remaining box, and it reads full time paid employee. That is why every qualifier The Licensing Company places is placed as a W-2 full-time employee of the client's company. Not a percentage of the job. Not a flat fee per project. Not a 1099.

The full breakdown of Arkansas's structure is in Arkansas Contractor License Qualifier: The Three Boxes on the Form, and the multi-state comparison is in Does a Contractor License Qualifier Have to Be an Owner or an Employee?.

Frequently asked questions

Does Arkansas require an HVAC license? Yes, for anyone performing HVACR work for the public, with the exemptions listed above. Licensing is by class, now A, B, D, E, plus the lifetime Class L, after Class C was repealed in 2025. Employees who do not hold a class license must be registered as registrants at $25.00 per year, and the designated license holder is responsible for maintaining those registrations.

What happened to the Class C HVAC license in Arkansas? It was repealed by Act 746 of 2025. Every license that was active as Class C on September 1, 2025 automatically became a Class B license, with the full Class B scope rather than Class C's old service-only limit. Arkansas no longer issues Class C licenses at all.

Which Arkansas HVAC class do I need? If you install or replace equipment over 25 tons of cooling, over 1,000,000 BTUH heating input, or refrigeration over 15 HP per unit, you need Class A. Under those ceilings, Class B now covers both installation and service. Class D is ductwork with no size limit but no equipment work at all. Class E is refrigeration only, expressly not comfort cooling.

Can I still transfer between HVAC classes in Arkansas? No. The rule that allowed transferring down a class for a fee, or up by exam, was repealed in the Board's 2026 rulemaking. Moving to a different class now requires a new application, or a reciprocity application if you hold a substantially similar out-of-state license.

Can I use my out-of-state HVAC license in Arkansas? Often, yes. Under the Board's reciprocity rule, a Class A, B, D, or E equivalent license from another state that is substantially similar and in good standing can qualify for an Arkansas license without a new exam, continuing education, or apprenticeship, on payment of the license fee.

How long is an Arkansas HVAC license good for? One year, expiring on the last day of the month in which it was originally issued. Renewal requires 8 hours of continuing education per International Mechanical Code cycle, due before the final year of that cycle.

Do I need a bond for an Arkansas HVAC license? Not for the HVACR class license itself. The Board requires liability insurance with minimum coverage of $250,000 for an individual licensee or $250,000 per licensed employee under an employer policy, with proof at issuance and renewal. A $10,000 contractor's bond applies separately at the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board level.

How much does it cost to bring in a qualifier for the Mechanical classification? There is no honest single number, and any site that publishes one is guessing. It moves with the classification, the project ceiling you need, the risk profile of the work, how many jurisdictions are involved, and how long the arrangement needs to run. Tell us the actual scope through a call and we will price that, not a hypothetical.

The short version

Arkansas cut its HVACR classes from six to five in 2025, repealing Class C and folding every holder straight into Class B, which now reaches 25 tons instead of 15. A separate electrician license for HVAC hookups is gone too, replaced by a 75-foot wiring and gas allowance built into Classes A, B, and E.

Class transfers are gone; continuing education now runs on an 8-hour, code-cycle clock instead of 4 hours a year; the deferment program that used to let a license go inactive for a reduced fee no longer exists; and the civil penalty ceiling quadrupled, from $250 to $1,000 per violation. An out-of-state license now has a real path in, through reciprocity or, for military families, automatic licensure.

What has not moved: two years of experience to get in the door, no apprenticeship requirement, $250,000 in liability coverage proved at every renewal, two-inch lettering on every truck, and no lien rights at all for work done unlicensed.

The commercial ceiling at the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board is still where most companies hit the wall, because the Mechanical classification will not issue without an Arkansas trade license behind it. If you need that classification before your own experience clock runs out, start with what a qualifying agent is and then how to bring one on, or call 615-219-2110.

Related coverage: Plumbing License Arkansas · How to Get an Electrician License in Arkansas · HVAC License Mississippi · HVAC License Kansas · State licensing guides

Sources

• Code of Arkansas Rules, 17 CAR § 261, HVACR Licensing Board rules, the Board's current rule as amended in 2026 to implement Act 746 of 2025 (confirmed against the Department of Labor and Licensing's posted rule text), retrieved October 10, 2026
• Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, HVAC/R licensing program, including the August 1, 2025 notice on Act 746 of 2025, retrieved October 10, 2026
• Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, news page and commercial contractors law, retrieved October 10, 2026
• PSI Services, Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board candidate bulletin, retrieved October 10, 2026
• International Code Council, Arkansas state code adoptions, retrieved October 10, 2026

Requirements, fees, and rule citations reflect the Arkansas HVACR Licensing Board's rules as amended in 2026 under Arkansas Act 746 of 2025. Board and testing-vendor fees are subject to change; verify current figures with the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing HVACR Board, the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, and PSI before relying on them.