Idaho HVAC License: Classifications, Fees, PSI Exams and the Gas and Electrical Scope (2026)

There is a page currently ranking for Idaho HVAC licensing that says the state has no unified HVAC license and that the obligation "shifts primarily to the local jurisdiction, cities such as Boise, Nampa, and Coeur d'Alene each administer their own contractor registration or licensing requirements."

Idaho Code § 54-5015(2) says the opposite, in as many words:

"No local jurisdiction shall have the authority to require additional certification or registration or to require payment of any fees in order for any HVAC contractor, specialty contractor, journeyman, specialty journeyman, apprentice, or specialty apprentice to engage in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning trade within the local jurisdiction."

Idaho HVAC licensing is exclusively a state function, and a contractor who goes chasing city licenses is spending money on something the legislature forbade. Two narrow things stay local: a city or county may impose stricter public safety rules (§ 54-5015(3)), and a local government that runs its own mechanical program may still collect permit and inspection fees (§ 54-5016(4)). That is a permit, not a license. Here is what the state actually requires.

At a glance

• Who issues it: DOPL, for the Idaho HVAC Board
• Local licenses: Forbidden; local permits and fees still allowed
• Journeyman experience: 8,000 hours plus 576 classroom hours, or 16,000 hours
• Contractor requirements: Pass the exam and post a $2,000 HVAC compliance bond
• Exam vendor and fee: PSI, $75 per attempt; passing score 70 on all three HVAC exams

Idaho HVAC license at a glance

Who licenses HVAC in Idaho

The Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), through the Idaho Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Board created by Idaho Code § 54-5004(1). Under § 54-5004(2) and (3), the board has seven members appointed by the governor: two active HVAC contractors with at least five years each in the contracting business, a city official, a county official, a private sector mechanical engineer, a representative of the HVAC industry, and a public member.

The exclusivity provision is worth reading in full, because ranking pages keep naming the wrong licensing authority:

"Only the administrator of the division of occupational and professional licenses of the state of Idaho is authorized and empowered to conduct examinations and to pass upon the qualifications of applicants, and to grant and issue certificates of competency and registration of apprentices...", § 54-5015(1)

If a guide names the "Idaho Division of Building Safety," the "Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses," or an "Idaho Contractors Board under DBS" as your HVAC licensing authority, it is describing agencies that no longer exist in that role. DOPL absorbed them, and § 54-5004(1) now places the HVAC board inside DOPL.

Reciprocity. DOPL's HVAC FAQ asks whether Idaho has a reciprocal licensing agreement and answers: "No." Out of state hours still count toward the journeyman requirement when earned under the rules of that jurisdiction.

The classifications

Idaho Code § 54-5009: "There shall be four (4) classifications of competency... (1) An apprentice... (2) A journeyman... (3) A heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor... (4) A heating, ventilation and air conditioning specialty contractor."

Section 54-5003 separately defines the specialty apprentice, specialty journeyman, and the "specialty limited heating" variants. The practical credential list DOPL issues runs to nine:

Apprentice, Journeyman, Contractor, Specialty Apprentice, Specialty Journeyman, Specialty Contractor, Limited Heating Specialty Apprentice, Limited Heating Specialty Journeyman, Limited Heating Specialty Contractor.

There is no master HVAC license in Idaho. The word "master" does not appear in Title 54, Chapter 50, in IDAPA 24.39.70, or on DOPL's HVAC fee table.

At least one page currently ranking on Idaho HVAC terms describes a "master HVAC license" as the credential "required to contract directly with property owners." That credential does not exist. The contractor certificate is what lets you contract.

For contrast, Idaho does issue a master electrician license. So does the plumbing side have a master? No, see our Idaho plumbing license guide. One trade out of three has a master tier, and it is the electrical one.

What "specialty" actually covers

IDAPA 24.39.70.100.04.a defines the specialty scope narrowly:

"Permitted to install hearth appliances, and non-duct connected oil furnaces, the associated fuel gas piping, and venting dedicated exclusively thereto. Does not include any plumbing, electrical or duct work."

Specialty limited heating is defined by statute at § 54-5003(10) and is narrower still: LP gas fired appliances, LP fuel gas piping and related exhaust venting. It expressly "shall exclude boilers, hydronic systems, ducted forced air systems, ventilating and air conditioning systems, systems with a BTU input rating over three hundred thousand (300,000), solid fuel and electric fueled systems." Its own path is two years of experience plus either 120 hours of board approved LP gas career technical instruction or the exam.

One useful detail from § 54-5009(4): a certificate issued for the installation of hearth and barbecue products "shall include the authority for all low voltage work necessary to complete the installations."

Experience and education by credential

Journeyman, IDAPA 24.39.70.100.02, structurally identical to plumbing:

"An applicant must pass an examination designated by the Board and either (a) submit evidence of a minimum of eight thousand (8,000) hours of work experience as an apprentice making HVAC installations... and satisfactory completion of 576 hours of a board-approved course of instruction, or (b) submit proof of sixteen thousand (16,000) hours of HVAC experience..."

Under 100.02.a, you may sit for the exam once you show either the 576 hours of instruction or the 16,000 hours of experience.

The HVAC rule contains one provision the plumbing rule does not:

"Educational Lab Work. Time spent by an applicant performing lab work in a board-approved course of instruction may be credited toward the eight thousand (8,000) hour work experience requirement."

If you came up through a trade program, that lab time counts twice, once toward your 576 classroom hours and again toward the 8,000. Idaho plumbing apprentices get no equivalent credit. On February 25, 2026 the board put numbers on it: 224 lab hours per completion of the College of Southern Idaho program, 758 for Lewis-Clark State College, and 324 for the Northwest HVAC/R Association and Training Center, each "until the Board takes further action." DOPL's list of board approved HVAC programs also includes the College of Eastern Idaho, College of Western Idaho, Idaho State University, North Idaho College and two sheet metal JATCs.

HVAC Specialty Journeyman, 2,000 hours of specialty related experience, plus either the board exam or "evidence of satisfactory completion of a minimum of sixty (60) hours of education in fuel gas code and piping installation methods" (IDAPA 24.39.70.100.04).

Apprentice registration is mandatory. Section 54-5012(4): each apprentice and specialty apprentice "is required to register with the division of occupational and professional licenses and maintain such registration during the entire period in which work experience is accrued." Working as an HVAC apprentice without an active registration is a civil penalty offense under IDAPA 24.39.70.300.02. A page claiming Idaho "does not mandate a state apprenticeship registration for HVAC work specifically" has this exactly backwards, and following it would cost an apprentice every hour they logged; DOPL's FAQ confirms unlicensed hours do not count.

There is no numeric apprentice to journeyman ratio in Chapter 50 or IDAPA 24.39.70, only § 54-5003(2)'s requirement that "An apprentice shall perform HVAC work under the supervision of an HVAC journeyman or HVAC contractor."

Who is exempt. Section 54-5002 exempts an owner working on their own single or duplex dwelling, farm buildings outside city limits, an employer's own premises staffed with HVAC journeymen, and a few narrow cases. High school program students skip apprentice registration, but their hours do not count.

The contractor certificate: what the rule says and what the application asks

Contractor, IDAPA 24.39.70.100.03, in full:

"An applicant must successfully pass an examination designated by the Board and provide a compliance bond in the amount of two thousand dollars ($2,000) which is effective for the duration of the certificate period."

Idaho Code § 54-5007 sets the same HVAC contractor bond, and lets it be met by "a corporate industry group bond acceptable to the board." The rule text names no minimum experience hours for the HVAC contractor certificate, which is a real structural difference from plumbing, where IDAPA 24.39.20.100.03 explicitly requires the journeyman certificate as a prerequisite.

Do not stop reading at the rule, though. DOPL's own HVAC Contractor Application (revised July 1, 2023) lists the qualifications for licensure as an individual or as an entity:

• Individual contractor: "Do you hold an active Idaho HVAC Journeyman license?"
• Entity contractor: "Does the entity employ at least one active Idaho licensed HVAC Journeyman?"

For an entity, "the applicant submitting the application must represent the entity for examination." After passing, every applicant submits proof of the $2,000 HVAC contractor bond and pays the $225 license fee. The form says applications expire one year after the date of application, and § 54-5010(3) cancels any application whose applicant has not appeared for the exam within one year. Exams now run through PSI, and DOPL's exams page says that after you pass, you apply for licensure through eDOPL.

So plan on a journeyman in the picture: either the person testing holds the Idaho HVAC journeyman certificate, or the company employs one.

Fees

Statutory rates (Idaho Code § 54-5012): application for examination $35.00 for contractor, specialty contractor, journeyman or specialty journeyman. Certificates issue for twenty four months, "or may be issued at the annual rate for up to three (3) years": contractor or specialty contractor $75.00 initial and $50.00 renewal; journeyman or specialty journeyman $50.00 and $25.00. Apprentice and specialty apprentice registration $20.00, valid two years, expiring on the apprentice's birthday.

What DOPL actually charges (dopl.idaho.gov/hvac, page last updated September 16, 2026):

Plus a $35 application fee.

DOPL sells the three year option at the statutory annual rate, which is why the numbers reconcile: contractor $75 a year times 3 is $225 initial and $50 a year times 3 is $150 renewal; journeyman $50 a year times 3 is $150 and $25 a year times 3 is $75.

Note the size of the gap with plumbing. An Idaho plumbing journeyman certificate costs $29.40 for three years on DOPL's plumbing fee table. The HVAC journeyman certificate costs $150 for the same period, more than five times as much, for a trade with identical experience requirements. That is not an error; it is what the two statutes set (§ 54-2616 for plumbing, § 54-5012 for HVAC).

Revival fee: $35 on top of the full renewal fee (§ 54-5013(2)). Exam fee: $75, paid to PSI, not refundable or transferable, valid one year from payment, and charged again on every attempt. HVAC contractor bond: $2,000 (§ 54-5007; IDAPA 24.39.70.100.03).

Fees are set by statute, the board and the testing vendor and change. Verify current amounts with DOPL and PSI before budgeting.

The PSI exams, and what the contractor exam actually tests

Vendor: PSI. From the PSI Combined Candidate Bulletin, effective December 10, 2025:

Seventy is the passing score for all three. Pages publishing 75 for the Idaho HVAC journeyman or contractor exam have it wrong; 75 is the passing score on the Idaho plumbing contractor exam.

The Idaho HVAC Contractor exam contains no mechanical code at all. All 100 items come from DOPL's Contractor's Business and Law Reference Manual, Sections 1 through 13, and that manual is the only permitted reference in the room. There is no IMC content, no IFGC content, no load calculation, no duct sizing. Three sections carry 60 percent of the test:

The HVAC Journeyman exam is the opposite: all code, chapter weighted, and not only mechanical. The bulletin puts 63 items on the 2018 International Mechanical Code and 37 on the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, and allows both books. The HVAC Specialty Journeyman exam is 100 percent 2018 International Fuel Gas Code.

So a contractor studying mechanical code for the contractor exam is studying the wrong book, and a journeyman who brings only the IMC walks in without the book for more than a third of the test.

Binder rules. The exams are open book, but you bring your own references; the contractor manual must be printed, hole punched and in a three ring binder. Pre exam highlighting and tabs are allowed, writing during the exam is not. PSI lets you retake as many times as needed, paying the fee each time.

Step by step: getting an Idaho HVAC license

1. Register as an apprentice with DOPL before you log a single hour.
2. Enroll in a board approved program for the 8,000 hour route and keep lab hour records.
3. Work under an HVAC journeyman or contractor and keep the registration current.
4. Reach exam eligibility with 576 hours of instruction or 16,000 hours of experience.
5. Register and pay PSI ($75) at test-takers.psiexams.com/idcon/test; PSI's acceptance is automated.
6. Pass the HVAC Journeyman exam (70 or better) with the 2018 IMC and IFGC in your binder.
7. Apply to DOPL through eDOPL ($35 application fee) and pay the $150 certificate fee.
8. For the contractor certificate, pass the business and law exam, then apply to DOPL, submit the $2,000 HVAC compliance bond and pay the $225 license fee. The contractor application asks for an active Idaho HVAC journeyman: you, or one the entity employs.
9. Pull permits, not city licenses, for each job, and request inspections.
10. Renew within the sixty days before expiration; there is no CE to report.

Code editions: IMC, not UMC

IDAPA 24.39.70.600 adopts, as the Idaho Mechanical Code:

• 2018 International Mechanical Code, including appendix A, with Idaho amendments
• 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, including appendices A, B, C and D
• 2018 International Residential Code, Part V (Mechanical) and Part VI (Fuel Gas) with appendices A, B, C and D, for one and two family dwellings

Anyone writing that Idaho adopted the Uniform Mechanical Code has the wrong code family. (The plumbing side is the reverse: Idaho plumbing runs on the Uniform Plumbing Code.)

A trap worth knowing: Idaho Code § 54-5001 still literally names the 2006 editions. It also authorizes "including amendments, revisions and later editions of these codes as adopted by the Idaho heating, ventilation and air conditioning board." The operative editions are the 2018 ones, adopted by rule.

Cite IDAPA 24.39.70.600 for code edition, never § 54-5001. That may change: the board's draft minutes of August 27, 2026 record DOPL bringing legislation to move the code adoption language from rules into statute and to change the code cycle update process.

Notable Idaho amendments include a mandatory carbon monoxide alarm outside each separate sleeping area when permitted work occurs in an existing dwelling with a fuel fired appliance; gas test pressure minimums of 20 psig, 60 psig, or six times working pressure depending on the system, held "not less than twenty (20) minutes"; and a requirement that all plastic pipe within a dwelling used for venting flue gases be tested at five psi for fifteen minutes. Idaho also limits the IRC's equipment sizing (M1401.3) and duct design (M1601.1) rules to new one and two family dwellings.

Gas piping and electrical: exactly what an HVAC licensee may do

Idaho does not leave this crossover to interpretation. Section 54-5015(4) enumerates it:

"(a) Individuals holding a current HVAC or electrical license or a current plumbing certification to install electrical circuitry from the disconnecting means to a water heater and electrical connections to the water heater as long as the disconnect is in sight from the unit and the circuit from the disconnecting means to the water heater is no more than fifty (50) feet long; (b) Individuals holding a current HVAC or electrical license to install: (i) Electrical space heaters with no attached ductwork; (ii) Electrical connections to HVAC equipment from the disconnecting means to the unit as long as the disconnect is in sight from the unit and the circuit... is no more than fifty (50) feet long; and (iii) Ventilating fans, except ducted range hoods in residences; (c) Individuals holding either an HVAC certification or plumbing certification to install: (i) Boilers that are not otherwise subject to inspection by the industrial commission...; (ii) Fuel piping; (iii) Piping for hydronic systems; and (iv) Piping for steam and hot water boiler systems; (d) HVAC licensees to install control wiring of twenty-four (24) volts or less for HVAC equipment of five (5) tons or less in capacity."

And § 54-5015(5): "Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, plumbing certificate holders are not authorized to install control wiring in HVAC equipment, regardless of voltage."

The plumbing chapter mirrors it at § 54-2602(1)(j)(ii): "Individuals holding a current HVAC license may install gas piping and piping for hydronic systems."

The practical answers:

Gas piping, yes. A current Idaho HVAC licensee may install fuel gas piping. There is no separate gas fitter license in Idaho. (Propane is its own lane: DOPL's Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Board licenses LPG dealers and facilities, and Idaho Code § 54-5303(9) defines LPG dealer practice to include installing systems, pipes or containers for the use or storage of LPG.)

Electrical, limited yes. You may run the circuit from an in sight disconnect to the unit if that run is fifty feet or less; install control wiring of 24 volts or less on equipment of five tons or less; install electric space heaters with no ductwork; and install ventilating fans, but not ducted residential range hoods. Everything beyond that (panel work, feeders, the branch circuit up to the disconnect, the disconnect itself, runs over fifty feet, control wiring on equipment over five tons) requires an electrical license under Title 54, Chapter 10. Our Idaho electrician license guide covers that side.

Permits, permit fees and inspections

Section 54-5016(1) requires a permit from the authority having jurisdiction before any HVAC installation, extension or alteration; repair or maintenance of an existing system needs none. DOPL's FAQ adds that a city or county building permit may not be enough.

Permits cross cover. Section 54-5016(2): where a plumbing or electrical permit includes part of an HVAC installation, or an HVAC permit includes part of a plumbing or electrical installation, "the permit issued and inspection performed shall be sufficient to satisfy the permitting and inspection requirements of the other division entities."

Where DOPL is the permitting authority, IDAPA 24.39.70.500.02 sets the fees:

A DOPL HVAC permit expires 365 days after purchase or the last inspection and renews for another year for $65. A transfer costs $45 and needs the original holder's notarized consent. Commercial and industrial permit applications include a verified copy of bid acceptance. Homeowners using the § 54-5002 owner exemption still buy a homeowner permit.

New for 2026: 48 hour inspections and a refund if you are left waiting

House Bill 585, signed March 31, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026 under an emergency clause, added Idaho Code § 54-5020A:

"If an inspection requested by a permit holder is not performed within forty-eight (48) business hours, such permit holder shall be authorized to hire a third-party inspector to perform such inspection."

You notify DOPL or the local government, supply the results, and get refunded the inspection fee you already paid. Second provision, less publicized: if an inspector fails your work and does not tell you why within three business days, the division or local government owes you a ten percent refund of that fee.

Identical sections were added for plumbing (§ 54-2626A) and electrical (§ 54-1004A). It has been in force since July 1, 2026, so it already applies to the inspections you request today.

Continuing education: there is none

DOPL's HVAC FAQ answers it directly: "There are no Continuing Education Requirements (CEU) for HVAC."

Same statutory trap as plumbing: § 54-5010(1) says the board "shall establish by rule the requirements as to education, continuing education and examinations," but IDAPA 24.39.70 contains no CE section, and every section of the current rule still carries its 3-28-23 date. Pages advertising "sixteen hours of Idaho HVAC Board approved continuing education, including IMC updates, each renewal cycle" are selling hours no one is required to buy.

Renewal and revival

Idaho Code § 54-5013(1): certificates "shall expire twenty-four (24) calendar months from the date of issue, or on the last day of the month of the certification period, unless renewed." DOPL sells three year terms at the annual rate, which is why the fee table reads three years while the statute reads twenty four months.

Renewal may be requested within sixty days prior to expiration. An expired certificate "may be revived at any time within one (1) year from the first day of the final month of the certification period" on payment of the $35 revival fee plus the full renewal fee and any outstanding penalties. A revoked certificate cannot be reapplied for until one year has passed.

Penalties for unlicensed HVAC work

IDAPA 24.39.70.300 makes each separate count subject to a civil penalty of up to $1,000. Listed violations include HVAC work without an active certificate or registration (300.02), work outside a specialty scope (300.03), knowingly employing unlicensed workers (300.04), apprentice work without journeyman supervision (300.05), permit and inspection failures (300.06), and advertising HVAC contracting without a current contractor certificate or without printing the certificate number in the ad, internet and door to door solicitation included (300.09).

In practice, the board's draft minutes of August 27, 2026 record it delegating authority to staff to keep issuing notices of violation with $200 civil fines for first offenses and $500 for unregistered (unlicensed) practice.

The federal layer: EPA Section 608

Idaho's certificate is not the only credential on an HVAC truck. Under its Section 608 program, the EPA requires that "technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified." The four types are Type I (small appliances), Type II (high and very high pressure), Type III (low pressure) and Universal, issued by EPA approved certifying organizations, and EPA states the credentials do not expire.

Registration, general contracting, and public works

First, the Idaho Contractor Registration Act (Title 54, Chapter 52) requires most construction businesses to register, but § 54-5205(1) exempts anyone already licensed under Chapter 50, so an HVAC licensee is covered, "so long as such person is not acting with the intent to evade this chapter." The same subsection adds that no one exempt under it may hold himself out as a registered contractor.

Second, Idaho has no statewide general contractor license. The only statewide general construction license with an exam is the Public Works Contractor License, which applies only to publicly funded work.

Some ranking pages publish a "$2,000 threshold under Idaho Code § 54-1902" for public works licensing. Section 54-1902 contains no dollar threshold at all; the exemption is at § 54-1903(9) and it is less than one hundred thousand dollars, off by a factor of fifty. We cover that in the Idaho public works qualified individual guide, and the statewide picture on our Idaho contractor license page.

Where the qualifier fits

Now the part that determines whether your company can hold work at all. Idaho's HVAC statute ties competency to an examined person.

A business entity can hold the HVAC contractor license, but Section 54-5008 makes it unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, association or corporation to engage in HVAC work "unless such person or responsible person representing such firm, copartnership, association or corporation, has successfully passed an examination as provided herein and has been issued a state certificate of competency." The same section says the certificate "shall not be transferable." DOPL's application follows through: a business entity's applicant "must represent the entity for examination," and the form asks whether the entity employs at least one active Idaho licensed HVAC journeyman.

When an HVAC business needs that examined responsible person and does not have one (the owner never tested, the certificate holder quit, the company is expanding into Idaho), The Licensing Company places a qualifying agent who qualifies the company as a full time W-2 employee who actually supervises the work. Not a percentage of revenue, not a per project fee, not a 1099 arrangement where a name sits on a certificate with no real connection to the jobs. Idaho's own agency draws the same line on payroll: DOPL's public works FAQ tells licensed contractors who bring another contractor's crew onto a job that "you must pay the employees directly and provide them with a form W-2." Our founders, Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, built the placement model on that standard; see how we place a qualifying agent.

If you want the mechanical trade version of how this works, see HVAC contractor qualifying agent. If your certificate holder has already given notice, the contractor qualifier contingency plan lays out the deadlines state by state. For every state's rules in one place, start at our contractor license guide.

Frequently asked questions

Does Idaho have a master HVAC license? No. Idaho Code § 54-5009 lists four classifications, apprentice, journeyman, contractor and specialty contractor, and DOPL issues nine credential types in total. None is a master. Idaho does issue a master electrician license, which is where the confusion usually comes from.

Do cities in Idaho require their own HVAC license? No, and they are forbidden from doing so. Idaho Code § 54-5015(2) prohibits any local jurisdiction from requiring additional certification or registration, or charging fees, for HVAC work. A city or county that runs its own mechanical program may still require permits and collect permit and inspection fees under § 54-5016(4).

Does Idaho have HVAC license reciprocity with other states? No. DOPL's HVAC FAQ says Idaho has no reciprocal licensing agreement. Out of state experience can count toward the journeyman hours, but you apply and test in Idaho.

Can an HVAC contractor run gas line in Idaho? Yes. Section 54-5015(4)(c)(ii) authorizes HVAC licensees to install fuel piping, and § 54-2602(1)(j)(ii) confirms it from the plumbing side. Idaho has no separate gas fitter license.

Can an HVAC tech do the electrical hookup? Within limits. You may run the circuit from an in sight disconnect to the unit if the run is fifty feet or less, install control wiring of 24 volts or less on equipment of five tons or less, install electric space heaters without ductwork, and install ventilating fans, but not ducted residential range hoods. Panel work, feeders and the branch circuit up to the disconnect need an electrical license.

Do I have to be a journeyman before getting the HVAC contractor certificate? The rule text, IDAPA 24.39.70.100.03, names only the exam and the $2,000 HVAC compliance bond. DOPL's HVAC Contractor Application, however, asks an individual applicant whether they hold an active Idaho HVAC journeyman license and asks an entity whether it employs at least one. Plan on the person testing holding the journeyman certificate or the company employing a journeyman.

What is the passing score on the Idaho HVAC exams? Seventy, on the contractor, journeyman and specialty journeyman exams alike, per the PSI bulletin effective December 10, 2025. The 75 you may see elsewhere belongs to the Idaho plumbing contractor exam.

Does the Idaho HVAC journeyman exam cover fuel gas? Yes. The PSI bulletin puts 37 of the 100 items on the 2018 IFGC and 63 on the 2018 IMC, and allows both books. Bring both.

Does Idaho require HVAC continuing education? No. DOPL states there are no continuing education requirements for HVAC. The statute authorizes the board to set them; the board has not.

How long does it take to get an Idaho HVAC license? The journeyman route is 8,000 hours of registered apprentice work plus 576 hours of instruction, roughly four years full time, or 16,000 hours of experience. The specialty journeyman route is 2,000 hours. The contractor certificate adds an exam and a bond rather than more hours.

What does it cost to hire a qualifying agent for an Idaho HVAC license? There is no published rate, and any figure you see online is invented. It depends on the classification and scope, whether you have licensed people on staff already, the risk profile of the work, how many licenses the arrangement supports, and your timeline. It is scoped per situation. Start with a consultation and we will scope it against your actual business.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-09-25.

• DOPL, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Board, fees and board roster
• DOPL, HVAC Frequently Asked Questions
• DOPL, HVAC Program Information and Exams
• PSI Combined Candidate Bulletin, effective 12.10.2025
• DOPL, Contractor's Business and Law Reference Manual
• DOPL, HVAC Contractor Application (revised July 1, 2023)
• DOPL, Board Approved Apprenticeship Programs
• Idaho HVAC Board minutes, February 25, 2026
• Idaho HVAC Board draft minutes, August 27, 2026
• DOPL, Plumbing Board fee table
• DOPL, Public Works Contractor FAQs
• IDAPA 24.39.70, Rules Governing Installation of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems
• IDAPA 24.39.20, plumbing rules
• Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 50 (§§ 54-5001, 54-5002, 54-5003, 54-5004, 54-5007, 54-5008, 54-5009, 54-5010, 54-5012, 54-5013, 54-5015, 54-5016, 54-5020A)
• Idaho Code § 54-2602 and § 54-2626A
• Idaho Code § 54-1004A
• Idaho Code § 54-2616 (plumbing certificate fees)
• Idaho Code § 54-5303 and DOPL Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Board
• Idaho Code § 54-5205
• Idaho Code §§ 54-1902 and 54-1903
• House Bill 585 (2026), status and text
• U.S. EPA, Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements

Fees, exam specifications and code editions cited here are set by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, the Idaho HVAC Board and PSI, and are subject to change. Verify current requirements with DOPL and PSI before applying. Statutes and rules current as of September 2026.

Talk to us about your Idaho HVAC company

If your Idaho HVAC business needs an examined certificate holder standing behind it, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 and we will walk through your classification, your staff and your timeline. You can also see how qualifying agent placement works. If you hold an Idaho HVAC contractor certificate yourself, look at becoming a qualifying agent.