Washington has no stand-alone HVAC license. L&I registers the HVAC company, certifies the technician's electrical side through the 06A or 06B certificate, and licenses the company's electrical contractor separately. Every fee, bond, hour count and step, plus the 2026 Homeowner Recovery Fund and where a qualifying agent fits when no one in the company holds the credential.
Washington has no stand-alone state HVAC license. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) registers your HVAC company as a specialty contractor, and a separate arm of L&I, the Electrical Program, licenses the electrical side of the work: a 06A or 06B certificate for each technician who does the wiring, and an electrical contractor license for the company that sells that work. Mechanical permits still come from the city or county where the job sits, and a few cities layer their own trade licenses on top.
For the rules every Washington contractor follows, start with the Washington contractor license requirements, and for other states see how to get a contractor license in each state.
At a glance
- Company registration: L&I HVAC/R specialty, $15,000 bond, $150.20 fee, no exam
- Technician certificate: 06A after 4,000 supervised hours and 48 classroom hours
- Exam: PSI, open book, 70 percent passing score on each section
- Company electrical license: $4,000 bond and a full time master or administrator
- Refrigerant: federal EPA Section 608 certification, which never expires
What Washington Regulates for HVAC, and What It Leaves Out
L&I singles out six trades for education, exam and licensing rules on top of ordinary contractor registration: plumbing, electrical, elevators, mobile home installation, boilers and asbestos. HVAC has never been one of them. The HVAC/R registration rule itself, WAC 296-200A-016, says the work "may also require electrical licensing" under Chapter 19.28 RCW or plumber certification under Chapter 18.106 RCW, and that is where Washington's actual HVAC exams sit: inside the electrical program, not a mechanical one.
| Credential | Issued by | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC/R specialty registration | L&I Contractor Registration | Every HVAC business that bids or builds |
| 06A or 06B specialty electrician certificate | L&I Electrical Program | Each person doing HVAC electrical work |
| Electrical training certificate | L&I Electrical Program | Trainees earning 06A or 06B hours |
| Electrical contractor license | L&I Electrical Program | A company that contracts electrical work |
| Mechanical permit | City or county building department | Installs under the mechanical code |
| City trade license | Some cities, such as Seattle and Spokane | Refrigeration or gas work in those cities |
| EPA Section 608 certification | EPA approved certifying organizations | Technicians who service refrigerant equipment |
Notes
- No state mechanical exam: duct work, gas piping and air balancing all sit inside the HVAC/R registration specialty (WAC 296-200A-016).
- Electrical is statewide only: a city or county may not create its own electrical contractor license or bond requirement (RCW 19.28.041).
- Mechanical code is enforced locally: the state building code includes the International Mechanical Code (RCW 19.27.031), and counties and cities enforce it (RCW 19.27.050).
Registering an HVAC Company With L&I
Every construction contractor in Washington, HVAC companies included, registers with L&I and carries a bond and liability insurance before taking a job. Registration carries no trade exam and no experience requirement. L&I regulates 63 separate specialties, and HVAC/R is one line among them.
The rule defines the HVAC/R specialty broadly: fabricating, installing, servicing and maintaining equipment that heats and cools indoor air, from duct work and controls to gas piping and air balancing. Commercial refrigeration and boiler work sit in their own specialties, so match your registration to what you actually sell.
A specialty contractor works only inside its registered specialty. Under RCW 18.27.010, it may subcontract only work that is incidental to that specialty, and a company that routinely runs more than one building trade on a job meets the statute's general contractor definition instead, which carries the larger $30,000 bond.
| Requirement | What L&I requires | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Surety bond | $15,000, or an assigned savings account | RCW 18.27.040 |
| Liability insurance, split limits | $200,000 public liability, $50,000 property damage | L&I registration page |
| Liability insurance, combined | $250,000 combined single limit | L&I registration page |
| Application | Form F625-001-000, notarized original signatures | L&I registration page |
| Fee | $150.20; registration valid two years | WAC 296-200A-900 |
| Reinstatement after a suspension | $70.90 | WAC 296-200A-900 |
| Processing by mail | 3 to 4 weeks; card in about 2 weeks | L&I registration page |
Notes
- Bond history: the specialty bond rose from $6,000 to $15,000, and the general contractor bond rose to $30,000, on July 1, 2024 (L&I, Higher Contractor Bonds Will Help Consumers).
- A fund behind the bond: for a court judgment entered after July 1, 2026, a homeowner who already collected what the bond pays and still has an unpaid balance can apply to L&I's Homeowner Recovery Fund for up to $25,000 more, within 90 days after the case ends (L&I Homeowner Recovery Fund).
- Exact name: the bond and insurance must carry your exact business name, with L&I listed as a certificate holder on the liability policy; a lapse in either suspends the registration (RCW 18.27.040, RCW 18.27.050).
- Advertising: your registration number must appear on advertising that shows your name or address and on any material soliciting retail customers directly; a violation can bring a penalty of up to $10,000 unless it was an inadvertent error (RCW 18.27.100).
- Disclosure statement: required before work on residential jobs of $1,000 or more and commercial jobs of $1,000 or more but under $60,000 (RCW 18.27.114).
The Electrical Side: 06A and 06B Certificates
RCW 19.28.161 bars anyone from the electrical construction trade without an L&I certificate of competency, and the control and line voltage connections inside an HVAC install count as electrical work. L&I issues two HVAC specialties for this: the full 06A and the restricted 06B.
| Requirement | 06A HVAC/R | 06B HVAC/R restricted |
|---|---|---|
| Work hours to certify | 4,000 | 2,000 |
| Hours before the exam | 4,000 | 1,000 |
| Supervision while training | At least 75 percent | 100 percent until the exam |
| Classes | 48 hours basic classroom | 24 hours basic trainee classes |
| Power limit | None on voltage, phase or amperage | 250 volts single phase, 120 amps |
| PSI exam time | 2 hours NEC and theory, 1 hour WA codes | 1 hour for each section |
| PSI exam fee | $65 (3 hours) | $55 (2 hours) |
Notes
- The 06B route: a 06B candidate tests after 1,000 hours at 100 percent supervision, then works on a nonrenewable zero percent supervision modified training certificate, good for up to two years, to finish the 2,000 hours (WAC 296-46B-945).
- 06B is not a dead end: the 2,000 hours that certify a 06B count toward the 4,000 the 06A needs, so a technician who starts restricted can still work up to the full certificate later (WAC 296-46B-945).
- Exam rules: open book, 70 percent passing score on each section, normally given through PSI; a candidate can ask L&I to administer the exam directly instead, for a separate $80.30 fee (WAC 296-46B-960, WAC 296-46B-909).
- Renewal: specialty certificates run three years (WAC 296-46B-940), with at least 8 hours of continuing education for every year since the last renewal, up to 24 hours total, including 8 hours on code changes and 4 hours on Chapter 19.28 RCW and its rules (WAC 296-46B-970).
What a 06A Technician Can and Cannot Wire
Under WAC 296-46B-920, a 06A electrician may install and repair Class 2 control wiring and line voltage components inside HVAC/R equipment, and may repair, replace or maintain the internal parts of the equipment's disconnect or controller and flexible supply whips up to six feet. It may not install disconnect switches or controllers outside the equipment, panelboards, or service, feeder and branch circuit conductors, aside from a narrow exception for a supplementary overcurrent device within sight of the unit.
So the new branch circuit and disconnect for a heat pump belong to a general (01) electrician, or a residential (02) electrician on a home. One exception helps on change outs: when equipment is replaced, a 06A may swap a disconnect mounted on the equipment for a like-in-kind one rated up to 20 amps and 120 volts, using the existing wiring.
Trainees and Supervision
Anyone earning 06A or 06B hours needs an electrical training certificate and works under a certified electrician on the same jobsite. Training certificates renew every two years with 48 hours of approved classes. On specialty work such as HVAC, each certified electrician may supervise no more than two trainees, and the electrical contractor must verify and attest the hours its trainees work (RCW 19.28.161).
The Company's Electrical Contractor License
The company that advertises, bids or performs electrical work needs its own electrical contractor license, either general (01) or a specialty such as 06A (RCW 19.28.041). L&I requires a UBI number, a $4,000 surety bond or assigned savings account, a workers' compensation account once the business has employees, and a certified, assigned administrator or master electrician (L&I Electrical Contractor page).
The license runs 24 months. Apply on form F500-018-000, and expect L&I to notify you of its decision within 8 to 10 weeks.
Who Can Qualify the Electrical Contractor License
RCW 19.28.041 accepts one of three designees: a master journey level electrician, a master specialty electrician in the specialty (a 06A master for an HVAC/R license), or a general or specialty administrator. The 06A master exam requires holding the 06A certificate for two years (RCW 19.28.191). Administrator candidates need no L&I approval to register for the PSI exam.
The designee must be a full time supervisory employee or a member of the firm, and no one may qualify more than one contractor at a time (RCW 19.28.061). If the designee ends the relationship, the designee must tell L&I in writing within 10 days, and the license is void within 90 days unless another master or administrator is qualified. If the designee dies or is incapacitated, the contractor gives that notice instead and the window is 180 days. The designee answers for code compliance, safety procedures, permits and labels, and corrective notices.
City Licenses and Mechanical Permits
Because counties and cities enforce the mechanical code, your mechanical permit comes from the local building department where the job sits. A few cities also license the people:
- Seattle: a refrigeration and air conditioning contractor license requires a designated employee with a journeyman refrigeration mechanic license (Class A freon type, B ammonia, C all). Both licenses renew every June 30 (Seattle SDCI).
- Spokane: no one may perform work requiring a mechanical permit without a city license; the Gas Heating Mechanic I covers gas work up to 400,000 BTU per hour and the II covers larger work (Spokane Municipal Code 10.29.030).
EPA Section 608 for Refrigerant Work
Technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere must hold federal EPA Section 608 certification from an EPA approved certifying organization (EPA). Type I covers small appliances, Type II high and very high pressure appliances, Type III low pressure appliances, and Universal all types. The credential never expires; see EPA 608 certification vs. an HVAC license for how it stacks with state credentials.
L&I Fees in Effect Since July 1, 2026
L&I raised its contractor registration, electrical and plumbing fees by 6.51 percent on July 1, 2026 (WSR 26-10-060). The amounts below come from the amended rules, so they already include that increase.
| Fee | Amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration, two years | $150.20 | WAC 296-200A-900 |
| Electrical contractor license, 24 months | $353.90 ($306.20 online renewal) | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| 06A or 06B certificate application | $114.60 ($44.20 nonrefundable) | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| 0% supervision modified training certificate (06B) | $102.20 | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| Electrical training certificate | $56.00 ($48.10 online) | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| Specialty certificate renewal, three years | $106.40 ($92.60 online) | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| Administrator original certificate | $160.00 | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| Assign or unassign a master or administrator | $53.00 | WAC 296-46B-909 |
| PSI 06A electrician exam, 3 hours | $65 | PSI candidate bulletin |
Notes
- Department-administered retest: if L&I itself gives the exam instead of PSI, the fee is $80.30 for the first test or a retest (WAC 296-46B-909).
- Online discount: several fees drop when filed online; use the mail or in-person figure for a paper application.
How to Become a Licensed HVAC Contractor in Washington, Step by Step
- Set up the business. LLCs and corporations file with the Secretary of State; every business gets a UBI number from the Department of Revenue.
- Buy the bond and insurance. A $15,000 specialty bond (or assigned savings) and a liability policy naming L&I as certificate holder, both in your exact business name.
- Register as an HVAC/R specialty contractor. File form F625-001-000 with notarized signatures and the $150.20 fee, by mail or at an L&I office.
- Choose who qualifies the electrical side. A master electrician, a 06A master specialty electrician, or an administrator who works for the company full time.
- Pass the administrator exam if that is your route. Register with PSI, then apply for the certificate within 90 days of the last passing score.
- Apply for the electrical contractor license. File form F500-018-000 with the $4,000 bond, the $353.90 fee and your designee's assignment.
- Put trainees on training certificates. Track and attest their hours as they earn 06A or 06B time.
- Certify your technicians. At 4,000 hours and 48 classroom hours, a trainee files form F626-001-000 with $114.60, then schedules the PSI exam once L&I approves.
- Cover refrigerant and the city. EPA Section 608 for refrigerant work, local mechanical permits, and city licenses where required.
- Keep everything current. Registration renews every two years, the electrical contractor license every 24 months, and each electrician certificate every three years.
Where a Qualifying Agent Fits
The HVAC/R registration has no qualifying person; the bond, insurance and fee are enough on their own. The electrical contractor license is different: it rests on one named master or administrator who works for the company full time, and the license goes void within 90 days of losing that person unless another is qualified.
If you own the company but hold no master or administrator certificate, or you are bringing an HVAC company into Washington from another state, the statute leaves two routes. You can earn an administrator certificate yourself, or you can employ a certified master or administrator full time, as a W-2 employee rather than a 1099 contractor, who supervises the electrical work and carries the statutory duties. That second person is a qualifying agent. Learn what a qualifying agent is, see how to hire a qualifying agent, or go straight to our contractor qualifier services to see how we structure the placement. Our founders, Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, built The Licensing Company around placing qualifying agents the lawful way in Washington and beyond.
Our HVAC qualifying agent guide walks through that placement in more depth.
Costs to Budget For
Bond premiums and underwriting requirements vary by bonding company, as L&I notes, and L&I points registrants to a licensed insurance agent for the liability policy. The 2026 Homeowner Recovery Fund is one more reason to treat the bond and insurance minimums as a floor, not a ceiling: a judgment that outruns the bond does not necessarily end there for a residential customer. We do not publish a single price for placing a qualifying agent, because it depends on your trade mix, the states involved and your volume. For other states, see contractor bond requirements by state and contractor insurance requirements by state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Washington have a state HVAC license?
Not a stand-alone one. The company registers with L&I as an HVAC/R specialty contractor, technicians carry 06A or 06B certificates for the electrical work, and the company holds an electrical contractor license if it contracts that work.
Is there an exam to register an HVAC contractor in Washington?
No. Registration takes a bond, insurance, a notarized application and the $150.20 fee. The exams sit on the electrical side: the 06A or 06B certificate and the master or administrator exam.
How much does HVAC contractor registration cost in Washington?
The L&I fee is $150.20 for two years, the amount in effect since the July 1, 2026 fee update, plus your premiums on the $15,000 bond and liability insurance. The electrical side adds its own fees, starting with $353.90 for the electrical contractor license.
What insurance does a Washington HVAC or mechanical contractor need?
Registration requires $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or a $250,000 combined single limit, with L&I listed as certificate holder. A lapse suspends the registration automatically.
Do heat pump installs require an electrician?
The electrical connections do. A 06A technician can wire the controls and the components inside the heat pump, but a new branch circuit and a disconnect outside the unit fall to a general (01) electrician, or a residential (02) electrician on a home, under WAC 296-46B-920.
Does my HVAC company need an electrical contractor license?
If it advertises, bids or performs electrical work, yes: RCW 19.28.041 makes that unlawful without one. It needs a $4,000 bond and a full time master or administrator designee.
What happens if our master electrician or administrator leaves?
The departing designee must notify L&I in writing within 10 days, and the license is void within 90 days unless another master or administrator is qualified. If the designee dies or is incapacitated, the company notifies L&I within 10 days and the window is 180 days.
Does Seattle require a separate HVAC license?
For refrigeration and air conditioning work, yes: a city contractor license backed by a designated journeyman refrigeration mechanic, both renewed every June 30, on top of your state credentials.
Is there any recovery beyond the bond for a homeowner?
Yes, as of 2026. If a homeowner's final court judgment against a registered contractor is bigger than what the bond pays, the homeowner can apply to L&I's Homeowner Recovery Fund for up to $25,000 more, for judgments entered after July 1, 2026 and within 90 days of the case ending.
Related Washington and HVAC Guides
- Washington General Contractor License
- Washington Electrician License
- Washington Electrical Contractor License
- Washington Plumbing License
- Washington Plumbing Contractor License
- HVAC Contractor License, National Guide
- HVAC Licensing in Colorado
- Become a Qualifying Agent
Talk to Our Team
Washington splits HVAC between a registration with no exam and an electrical license that stands on one certified person. To talk through your structure, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 or start at hire a qualifying agent.
Fees, bond amounts and insurance minimums are set by L&I and the legislature and can change. The figures on this page were checked against L&I, the statutes and the rules on October 19, 2026.
Sources
- Washington L&I, Register as a Contractor, retrieved 2026-10-19
- L&I, Higher Contractor Bonds Will Help Consumers Stuck With Shoddy Construction, retrieved 2026-10-19
- L&I, Homeowner Recovery Fund, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-200A-016, Specialty Contractor Classifications, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-200A-900, Contractor Registration Fees, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WSR 26-10-060, L&I Fee Rule Effective July 1, 2026, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 18.27.010, Contractor Definitions, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 18.27.040, Contractor Registration Bond, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 18.27.050, Contractor Insurance, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 18.27.100, Contractor Advertising, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 18.27.114, Disclosure Statement, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Washington L&I, Electrician Certification, retrieved 2026-10-19
- L&I Application for Electrical Examination, form F626-001-000, retrieved 2026-10-19
- L&I Form F500-097-000, 06B Exam and 0% Supervision Certificate, retrieved 2026-10-19
- L&I Form F500-098-000, 2,000 Hour Specialty Certificate, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Washington L&I, Electrical Contractor, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Washington L&I, Electrical Exam Information, retrieved 2026-10-19
- PSI Candidate Bulletin, Washington Electrical Exams, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-46B-909, Electrical Fees, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-46B-920, Electrical Certificate Types and Scope, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-46B-940, Certificate Term and Renewal, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-46B-945, Electrician Examination Eligibility, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-46B-960, Electrical Examinations, retrieved 2026-10-19
- WAC 296-46B-970, Continuing and Classroom Education, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 19.28.041, Electrical Contractor License, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 19.28.061, Master Electrician or Administrator Designee, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 19.28.161, Electrical Certification and Trainees, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 19.28.191, Electrician Examination Eligibility, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 19.27.031, State Building Code, retrieved 2026-10-19
- RCW 19.27.050, Enforcement by Counties and Cities, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Seattle SDCI, Refrigeration Licensing, retrieved 2026-10-19
- Spokane Municipal Code 10.29.030, Heating Mechanics License, retrieved 2026-10-19
- EPA, Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements, retrieved 2026-10-19
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.