How to Get an HVAC License in New Mexico: MM-3, MM-98 and the Mechanical Classifications (2026)

To get an HVAC (heating and air conditioning) license in New Mexico, you document four years of qualifying mechanical experience, pass two open book PSI exams, and apply to the Construction Industries Division (CID) for the classification that matches your work: MM-3, MM-2, MM-4, or the combined MM-98. Most HVAC contractors who install, service or repair air conditioning, refrigeration, gas furnaces or hydronic equipment need one of these four classifications, and picking the wrong one is the most expensive mistake in New Mexico mechanical licensing.

At a glance

• License: MM-3, from the Construction Industries Division
• Experience: four years (8,000 hours) within the ten years immediately prior to application
• Exams: Business and Law, plus the 100 question MM-3 exam; both open book, 75% to pass
• Fees: $30 application, $6 certificate, $150 classification fee for MM-3 covering three years, $68.88 per exam
• Bond: $10,000 code bond

What New Mexico does not have is a single license that covers "HVAC" the way a contractor uses that word in conversation.

Air handling and refrigeration are MM-3. Gas piping and gas fired appliances are MM-2. Hydronic, steam, chilled water and process piping are MM-4. Water based fire protection is MM-4 or MS-12.

A commercial mechanical company that installs rooftop units, runs gas to them, and puts in a boiler is touching three separate classifications, or holding MM-98, which rolls all four together.

Getting that split wrong is the most expensive mistake in New Mexico mechanical licensing, and almost none of the published guides explain it.

Every classification scope, fee, statute and rule cited below was verified against the New Mexico Administrative Code, the Construction Industries Licensing Act, and PSI's New Mexico Candidate Information Bulletin (updated April 3, 2026), retrieved September 23, 2026 and reconfirmed October 5, 2026. Board and testing vendor fees change, verify before paying.

New to licensing in New Mexico? Start with the New Mexico contractor license requirements.

Which New Mexico HVAC Classification Do You Need

Start here, then read the full scope language in the section below. An HVAC business should pick its classification around the actual contracts it plans to sign, not around the word "HVAC."

Notes:

• MM-3 may bid structural or electrical work incidental to its scope, but a validly licensed contractor must perform it.
• MM-2 does not authorize LP gas systems; propane runs through separate LP license classifications.
• MM-4 carries no temperature or pressure cap, unlike MM-2's capped boiler authority.
• MM-98 requires passing all four MM-1 through MM-4 trade exams; PSI offers no single combined MM-98 exam.

These scopes come from 14.6.6.11 NMAC. A refrigeration service plan, a natural gas installation and a hydronic piping project are not interchangeable just because each involves heating or cooling. If the planned work crosses classifications, ask CID for a classification determination before committing to one application path.

Who Regulates HVAC in New Mexico

• Department: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD)
• Division: Construction Industries Division (CID)
• Bureau: the statutory mechanical bureau, created by NMSA 1978 § 60-13-31 alongside the electrical, general construction and liquefied petroleum gas bureaus. CID operates it as the Mechanical Plumbing Bureau, based in Albuquerque. Its stated mission is "to provide inspections for the mechanical and plumbing industry and enforce the state adopted codes, standards and licensing."
• Policy body: the Construction Industries Commission, nine voting members serving at the pleasure of the governor, meeting bimonthly, with one seat reserved for a licensed mechanical contractor. Under NMSA § 60-13-6 the Commission "shall establish policy for the division" and "define and establish all license classifications."

PSI is CID's designated contractor for applications, experience verification, examinations and fee collection.

There is no separate New Mexico HVAC board, mechanical board, or refrigeration board. Everything runs through CID.

The Four Mechanical Classifications

These come from 14.6.6.11 NMAC, effective March 10, 2022. In CID's symbol system, "M indicates Mechanical/Plumbing." Every one of them requires four years of experience.

MM-3, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

The core HVAC license. Its scope:

"Install, alter, repair, service and maintain HVAC air handling and refrigeration equipment and piping, including fans, coils, condensing units, self contained packaged air conditioning or heating units, evaporative cooling units, and ductwork and accessories including solar air heating and cooled mechanical air handling and ventilation applications; may connect water to existing valved outlets, and install controls, and control wiring not to exceed 24 volts; may bid and contract for structural alterations, electrical wiring and other work incidental to this scope of work, provided such work is performed by a validly licensed contractor."

Two things in that scope are easy to misread. "May connect water to existing valved outlets" is a narrow permission, not a plumbing license; running the water line is MM-1 work.

"May bid and contract for structural alterations, electrical wiring and other work incidental to this scope" is a bidding permission, not a performance permission: "provided such work is performed by a validly licensed contractor." MM-3 lets you carry that scope in the contract. It does not let your crew perform it.

Control wiring is capped at 24 volts. Line voltage power to the unit is electrical work, covered in our New Mexico electrician license guide.

MM-2, Natural Gas Fitting

This is where every gas fired appliance and every foot of gas pipe lives:

"Install, alter, repair, service and maintain natural gas piping and fittings; install hot water heating systems not exceeding 30 p.s.i. or 400,000 b.t.u./hour input; steam and hot water boilers; may connect water to existing valved outlets; warm air heating systems including chimney connections, flues, refractories, burners, fittings valves, thermal insulation, accessories and incidental piping; warm air appliances and other listed gas appliances; incidental controls and control wiring, pneumatic control systems; includes all required excavating, trenching and backfilling. May not install LP Gas systems."

Note that MM-2, not MM-3, carries warm air heating systems, gas furnaces, chimney connections, flues and burners. A furnace changeout is MM-2 work. An air conditioner changeout is MM-3 work. A gas furnace and coil replacement touches both.

MM-4, Heating, Cooling and Process Piping

The commercial and industrial classification:

"Install, alter, repair, service and maintain hydronic heating, cooling and process piping, piping and appurtenances for steam and hot water systems of any temperature or pressure range, chilled water systems, condensing water systems and other process piping systems; includes air handling equipment, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, boilers, refrigeration water chillers, cooling towers, fuel oil tanks and fuel oil piping; electric controls and control wiring not to exceed 24 volts; install high pressure and process piping solar thermal energy systems of any temperature or pressure range conveying gas or fluids other than potable water; water based fire protection sprinkler systems, dry chemical fire protection systems."

"Any temperature or pressure range" is the operative phrase. MM-2's boiler authority is capped at 30 p.s.i. and 400,000 BTU per hour; MM-4's is not capped at all. Chillers, cooling towers, heat exchangers and pressure vessels are MM-4.

MM-1, Plumbing

Covered in full in our New Mexico plumbing license guide. Relevant here for one line: MM-1 "does not include installation of natural gas fired appliances or natural gas piping."

MM-98, Mechanical

"Indicates licensure in individual classifications MM-1 through MM-4 and covers all work described in these classifications, as well as work described in the MS-3, MS-6, MS-12 and MS-14."

MM-98 is the broadest mechanical license New Mexico issues. It is not a residential license and it is not restricted. Guides that describe MM-98 as "residential" and MM-1 as "unlimited mechanical" have reversed both.

For a full service mechanical contractor, MM-98 is usually the right answer. It costs more at the classification fee level, and it is not a shortcut on testing: MM-98 indicates licensure in MM-1 through MM-4, and PSI offers no separate MM-98 exam, so the qualifying party passes all four trade exams. What it buys is the end of the classification boundary problem.

The mechanical specialties MM-98 absorbs

• MS-3, Septic tanks and sewer (two years)
• MS-6, Lawn sprinklers (two years)
• MS-12, Fire protection sprinkler systems (four years)
• MS-14, Dry chemical fire protection (four years)

Water conditioning, and other work with no separate classification

New Mexico's classification list at 14.6.6.11 NMAC does not include a "water conditioning," "water treatment" or "water softener" contractor classification. If your business installs that equipment alongside licensed plumbing or mechanical work, do not assume it is automatically covered by MM-1, MM-3 or MM-4; ask CID for a classification determination before you bid the work.

No Dollar Ceilings, and the Sheet Metal Trap

No MM or MS classification in New Mexico carries a project value cap. The only numbers inside these scopes are engineering limits: 30 p.s.i. and 400,000 BTU per hour on hot water heating in MM-1 and MM-2, and 24 volts on control wiring. There is no "MM-2 is limited to projects under $X." Any guide asserting one is inventing it, and you will notice it never prints the figure.

There is, however, a real boundary on the general construction side that catches sheet metal shops. GS-32, Miscellaneous sheet metal, states that a GS-32 contractor "shall not install heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC) duct systems, vents, grease hoods, or other appurtenances that are authorized by mechanical or plumbing classifications" (14.6.6.9.D(18)). A sheet metal contractor holding GS-32 cannot install HVAC ductwork; that requires MM-3.

The boundary runs the other way too: GB-98, the broad general building license, expressly excludes "those structures covered by the EE, MM, GA or GF classifications" (14.6.6.9.B(2)). A general contractor cannot self perform mechanical work on an MM scope project.

One exception, at 14.6.6.8.B: the prime contractor rule normally requires the major portion of a project by dollar amount to fall within the prime's classification, but "a GB-98 contractor may bid and contract as the prime contractor of a mechanical, plumbing or electrical project ... that includes work authorized by the GB-98 license classification, regardless of the percentage of GB-98 work" (14.6.6.8.B(2)). A GB-98 general can be prime on a mechanical job that includes some GB-98 work. It still cannot perform the mechanical work.

The LP Gas Wall

Propane is not a CID mechanical classification at all. LP gas runs under the LPG and CNG Act, NMSA Chapter 70 Article 5, through the LP Gas Bureau, on separate LP01 through LP10 licenses.

The interlock is worth knowing: LP04, "Limited Installation and Repair," requires you to already hold MM02 or MM98. So the LP path for a mechanical contractor runs through the natural gas classification, not around it.

A New Mexico HVAC company serving rural propane customers needs both, and the MM license is the prerequisite.

Experience and Education

Four years, within ten

NMSA § 60-13-14(B)(8) requires "four years, within the ten years immediately prior to application, of practical or related trade experience dealing specifically with the type of construction." CID and PSI express this as 8,000 hours.

The published experience table is unambiguous about which classifications sit in which tier:

• Four years / 8,000 hours: MM-1, MM-2, MM-3, MM-4, MM-98, MS-12, MS-14, plus GB-98, GA-98, GF-98, EE-98, EL-1.
• Two years / 4,000 hours: MS-3 and MS-6 only, plus the GB-2, GS, GA, GF, ER and ES families.

Every mechanical classification an HVAC contractor is likely to want is a four year classification.

The statute does allow the Commission to reduce the requirement by regulation "where it is deemed excessive," but "the requirement shall not be less than two years." It also allows a waiver of work experience "when the qualifying party has been certified in New Mexico with the same license classification within the ten years immediately prior to application", relevant if you held the classification before and let it lapse.

The half value education rule

14.6.3.8.G(1) NMAC:

"Training that is classified as technical training by an accredited college, university, manufacturer's accredited training program, technical vocational institute or an accredited apprenticeship program will be considered in lieu of work experience. Each year of equivalent training shall be applied as one half year of experience, but in no case shall accredited training exceed one half of the total work experience requirement."

Two constraints stack. Training counts at half value, and it may cover at most half the requirement. For MM-3, that means at most two of the four years can come from training, and buying those two years takes four years of accredited training.

Note also that manufacturer's accredited training programs are named explicitly. For HVAC, where manufacturer training is a normal part of a career, that is worth documenting rather than discarding.

Proving it

Experience is proven by notarized Mechanical/Plumbing Work Experience Affidavit, one form per employer or affiant. Acceptable affiants are employers past or present, supervisors, foremen, or other contractors. The experience must have been gained "while employed by a contractor licensed in the trade being applied for, or considered legal work in the state in which the work was performed."

The Exams

Both required exams are open book, and both require 75% to pass (14.6.3.8.G(2)(c)).

Business and Law, 50 questions, 130 minutes, 38 points to pass. Required of all new candidates in every CID trade, not just HVAC; there is no separate plumbing or electrical version of this exam. Content: Licensing Requirements 8; Estimating and Bidding 5; Business Organization and Financial Management 8; Tax Laws 5; Labor Laws 4; Project Management and Lien Law 5; Contracts 8; Risk Management 4; Environmental and Safety 3.

Allowed references include the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Basic 14th Edition, the Construction Industries Licensing Act, and NMAC Title 14 Chapter 6 Part 3. This exam may alternatively be satisfied by an approved Business and Law course instead of the PSI exam.

MM-3, Heat, Vent and Air Conditioning, 100 questions, 245 minutes, 75 points to pass. Content: Motors, Controls, and Low Voltage Wiring 20; Piping 10; Heating and Cooling General Knowledge 20; Heating and Cooling Equipment and Components 15; Refrigerants and Refrigeration 15; Duct Work, Ventilation, and Exhaust 20.

Motors, controls and low voltage wiring is the single largest section at 20 items, a full fifth of the exam, tied with ductwork and ventilation. Candidates who prepare only on refrigeration are preparing for 15% of the test.

The other mechanical exams, for comparison:

• MM-2 Natural Gas Fitting, 100 questions, 255 minutes, 75 to pass. Content: General Knowledge and Principles 16; Piping 19; Gas Sizing 13; Safety and Testing 8; Appliances 15; Combustion Air 9; Chimneys, Flues, and Vents 10; Heating Systems 10.
• MM-4 Heating, Cooling and Process Piping, 90 questions, 235 minutes, 68 to pass. Content: General Knowledge 29; Steam and Hot Water Boiler Systems 7; Process Piping and Systems 28; Fire Suppression Systems 6; Controls and Components 15; Combustion Air and Venting 5.
• MM-1 Plumbing, 100 questions, 250 minutes, 75 to pass.
• MS-12 Fire Protection Systems, 80 questions, 135 minutes, 60 to pass.
• MS-14 Dry Chemical Fire Protection, 50 questions, 90 minutes, 38 to pass.

The procedural gates that end applications

1. "Candidates must be pre-approved to take any examination." Experience is verified before you can register. This is not a same week process.
2. Once approved, you must test within six months of the date of eligibility, or you must reapply with CID. This is separate from, and earlier than, the six month clock on finishing the full application.
3. Your exam fee is valid for one year from the date PSI receives it.
4. You must pass both the Business and Law exam and the trade exam within one year of each other.
5. All licensing requirements must be met within six months of CID receiving your application (14.6.3.8.D(3)): "any application not completed within the six month period shall expire and any fees paid ... shall automatically forfeit." This application level six month clock is the one that ends most applications, distinct from the exam eligibility window above.
6. You may not repeat an exam more than twice in any 30 day period.
7. Cheating invalidates the exam, forfeits all fees, voids any license issued on it, and bars you from any CID exam for one year (14.6.3.8.G(2)(e)).

The NASCLA waiver does not apply to mechanical. CID's waiver authority at 14.6.3.8.G(2)(f) reaches general construction and electrical; PSI states it as applicable to GB98 and EE98 only. An HVAC contractor arriving from another NASCLA state sits the full New Mexico MM-3 exam.

PSI test sites are in Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces, Roswell and Santa Fe, plus out of state centers in Durango, Amarillo, El Paso, Lubbock and Midland that administer the New Mexico exams.

How to Apply, Step by Step

The CID application process and the PSI contractor application packet lay out the same sequence in practice. Business name approval, entity evidence, tax registration, experience verification and the bond all move on their own timelines, so the order below is the one that avoids rework.

1. Define the work and pick the classification. Write down the installations, repairs and systems the company will actually sell. Match that list against the classification table above, or ask CID for a classification determination where the scope is genuinely uncertain.
2. Identify the qualifying party. Confirm the individual can document four years of experience within the last ten years in the target classification, and that the role fits an actual employment or ownership relationship. See "The Qualifying Party" section below.
3. Get business name approval through PSI before you prepare entity and tax paperwork, so those documents can be filed under the approved application name.
4. Assemble entity and tax records. Corporation, LLC, limited partnership or LLP registration evidence, plus tax registration from the Taxation and Revenue Department issued within the required window and matching the application name exactly.
5. Prepare the experience affidavits and schedule the exams. File the notarized Mechanical/Plumbing Work Experience Affidavit for each qualifying employer or affiant, get pre-approved, then schedule the Business and Law exam and the trade exam through PSI within your six month eligibility window.
6. Arrange the $10,000 code bond in the exact entity name, covering the full three year term, before submission.
7. Submit the complete application and track it against the six month clock (14.6.3.8.D(3)). A submitted packet is not an issued license. Keep a list of anything CID requests afterward so a follow up document does not quietly blow the deadline.

Want the Application Done for You?

Every step above is yours to complete directly with CID and PSI. If you would rather not manage the paperwork yourself, The Licensing Company's License Application Processing service prepares and submits the state contractor license application: an eligibility audit before anything is filed, a document checklist (we chase the pieces with you), every state form prepared and reviewed line by line, submission the way the board requires, and the board's paperwork questions answered and resubmitted until the board decides.

It is a flat $999 per state application, paid up front. State fees, exam fees, background checks and fingerprinting are paid to the state, not to us. We do not promise approval, only CID decides, and we do not promise a timeline or take the exam for you.

Call 615-219-2110 or see License Application Processing for details.

State Fees

The fee rule in the code, 14.5.5 NMAC, still carries a 2004 effective date and is written around a one or two year license. The license is now three years. Use the current CID/PSI schedule for what you actually pay.

Contractor license

• Application fee (new), non-refundable, $30
• Certificate fee (license certificate plus two cards), $6
• Classification fee, new and renewal, MM-98, $300 per classification, covering the full three year term
• Classification fee, new and renewal, any other single classification including MM-3, $150
• Maximum for multiple classifications within a category, $300

That last line is the one that changes the MM-98 decision. Because multiple classifications within a category cap at $300, and MM-98 alone is $300, the fee difference between MM-3 by itself and the full MM-98 is $150 across three years.

The fee is the small part of the decision. The real cost of MM-98 is testing: all four trade exams, MM-1 through MM-4, at 90 to 100 questions each and 75% to pass. For a qualifying party who can pass them, MM-98 is usually the right path for a company that expects to grow into gas, hydronic or fire protection work.

Qualifying party certificate

• Application fee per submittal, non-refundable, $30
• Certificate fee, $6 per classification
• Adding a qualifying party to an existing license, $30 application plus $6 certificate per classification plus a prorated classification fee

Journeyman

• New, $75 application plus certificate fee per classification, one card issued
• Renewal, $75 per classification
• Duplicate card, $6
• Late, up to six months, $25; after six months, cancelled

Exams (PSI), $68.88 for Business and Law and for each MM or MS trade exam. JSM and JG written $68.88 each, practical $68.88 each, $137.76 combined.

Late renewal (contractor), 1 to 30 days, $1 per day; 30 to 90 days, an amount equivalent to one year's fee; after 90 days the license is cancelled.

Fees are set by the Construction Industries Division and by PSI and are subject to change. Verify with CID and PSI before submitting payment. Some CID and PSI materials quote a $36 qualifying party fee; that is the $30 application fee plus the $6 certificate fee for a single classification.

The $10,000 Code Bond

Every New Mexico contractor licensee posts a $10,000 bond, fixed by NMSA § 60-13-49(B) and repeated at 14.6.3.8.C(1) NMAC. The same $10,000 applies to every classification, MM-3, MM-98, a two year specialty. There is no tiered or scaled bond in New Mexico.

What it covers is narrower than most contractors assume. Per § 60-13-49(B)(1), bond payments "shall only be used to cure code violations caused by a licensee, certified by the division and not corrected by the licensee." This is a code bond: not a payment bond, not a performance bond, not a consumer recovery fund.

• Claim window: within two years of final inspection, or two years of issuance of a certificate of occupancy, whichever is earlier.
• Aggregate cap: total surety liability for all claims is limited to the face amount.
• The 40 day cliff. A carrier cancelling gives 30 days' notice, and § 60-13-49(B)(5) provides that "if the licensee has not provided proof of a new bond before the fortieth day ... the license shall be subject to revocation." Separate from, and much shorter than, the 90 day renewal cliff.
• Term coverage. The bond must cover the entire three year period (14.6.3.8.C(2)), and the PSI contractor application requires it to be issued in the exact name shown on the application.

Under § 60-13-51, no New Mexico municipality may require a CID licensee to post an additional license bond.

Insurance. Workers' compensation is required of all licensees, with a sole proprietor with no employees exemption. Proof is filed with the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration, not with CID. Non-compliance makes the license invalid under 14.6.3.8.K(1)(c).

No CID general liability minimum was found in the Act, in 14.6.3 NMAC, or on the application.

How Long It Takes

New Mexico does not publish one official number for how long it takes to get an HVAC license, because the clock runs in independent pieces:

• Documenting experience: however long it takes you to assemble four years (8,000 hours) of verifiable work, with notarized affidavits from employers or supervisors.
• CID pre-approval: experience is verified before PSI will let you register for an exam. This is the step with the least predictable timeline.
• The exam eligibility window: once approved, PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin requires you to test within six months of the date of eligibility or reapply with CID, and your exam fee is valid for one year from the date PSI receives it.
• Passing both exams: the Business and Law exam and the trade exam must both be passed within one year of each other.
• Finishing the application: once CID receives your contractor license application, 14.6.3.8.D(3) NMAC gives you six months to complete every remaining requirement, including the bond, or the application and its fees are forfeited.

For a candidate who already has the required experience documented and ready to prove, the exam-and-application portion of the process typically runs weeks to a few months. The experience-verification step at the start is usually the longest unknown, so start assembling affidavits early. CID does not publish a formal processing-time standard; call the Mechanical Plumbing Bureau directly for a current estimate on your file.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The contractor license runs three years, expiring on the last day of the month in which it was issued. Renewal requirements that catch companies out:

• Must be notarized
• Must be signed by someone with authority to sign for the licensee and by the qualifying party or parties on the license for each classification (14.6.3.8.I(3))
• A new code bond or a continuation certificate covering the next three year term is required at each renewal
• Originals only, no fax, no email
• Cancelled after 90 days

That signature requirement has a consequence worth planning around: if your qualifying party has left or is unreachable, you cannot file the renewal.

Contractor licenses currently carry no CE requirement. NMSA § 60-13-18(D) is permissive, CE applies "when required by rule adopted by the division," and 14.6.3.8.I, as amended in January 2023, imposes none. Guides asserting a contractor CE requirement are reading the enabling statute as if it were the rule.

Journeyman certificates do carry CE, and it is specific. Per 14.6.4.8.H, renewal requires a minimum of 16 hours of approved coursework, of which at least 8 hours must cover the current CID code enforced by that journeyman classification.

It applies to JP, JPF, JG, JPG, JSM, JS, JR, MS-12J and MS-14J. It does not apply to JW, JMG, BO1 or BO2.

Certificates expire "not more than three years from the month of issuance," are renewable within six months at double the fee, and are cancelled after that.

CE courses are approved by the Commission on the bureau chief's recommendation, approval runs three years, course applications are due 120 days before the course begins, and providers must report completions within 30 days.

Journeyman Certificates on the Mechanical Side

Journeyman certificates are the individual working credential. They require two years of experience within the ten years immediately prior to application, unless noted.

• JR, Journeyman Refrigeration. 50 questions, 120 minutes, 75%. Works under MM-3, MM-4, MM-98 or JSM. Must show EPA recovery compliance before the certificate issues, not after. If your Section 608 card is not in hand, the certificate does not issue.
• JSM, Journeyman Sheet Metal. 70 questions, 185 minutes, 75%, plus a separate hands on practical exam. Works under MM-3 and MM-98.
• JPF, Journeyman Pipe Fitter. 50 questions, 120 minutes. Works under MM-1, MM-2, MM-4, MM-98.
• JG, Journeyman Natural Gas Fitter. 70 questions, 200 minutes, plus a practical exam. Works under MM-2 and MM-98.
• JS, Journeyman Sprinkler. 45 questions, 120 minutes.
• MS-12J / MS-14J, fire protection journeymen, four years' experience.
• JW, Journeyman Welder. Must first hold JP, JG, JPG, JPF or JSM and ASME Section IX certification. Per 14.6.4.8.F(8), the holder "is not required to test separately for this certificate of competence."
• BO1 / BO2, boiler operators, six months, institutional employment only; cannot construct or repair a boiler.

JSM and JG each carry a practical exam in addition to the written, at $68.88 each, $137.76 for the combination. Budgets built on one exam fee per certificate are short.

There is a scope conflict inside the code worth knowing. 14.6.6.11.D(5) says JR "can work under a MM-3 or MM-98 license." 14.6.4.8.F(5) says "MM-3, MM-4 or MM-98 or JSM."

Two parts of Title 14 disagree. If you are relying on the broader reading to put a JR on MM-4 process work, get it in writing from the bureau.

There is no apprentice license. Apprentices work unregistered under a certified journeyman, at ratios set by 14.6.6.11.A(2): one journeyman to two apprentices on commercial and industrial work, one to three on residential.

CID's published reciprocity page names EE-98J electrical as its reciprocal journeyman classification. It does not list JR, JSM, JPF or JG as reciprocal. An out of state HVAC journeyman should not assume the electrical reciprocity list covers a mechanical certificate; confirm the correct mechanical application route with the bureau before relying on prior state credentials.

New Mexico and PSI do not publish a standalone "study guide" for any journeyman exam. The closest official equivalents are PSI's Contractor and Journeyman Candidate Information Bulletins, which list the exact content outline, question counts and allowed reference materials for each exam, including the Uniform Mechanical Code and the New Mexico Mechanical Code.

The Code: UMC, Not IMC

New Mexico adopts the Uniform Mechanical Code. 14.9.2.8(A) NMAC: "this rule adopts by reference the 2021 UMC, as amended by this rule." Since September 10, 2022, permits may be issued only under the current rule. Plumbing runs on the 2021 UPC under 14.8.2 NMAC.

If you are buying reference books, note that PSI's own candidate bulletin lists the "New Mexico Mechanical Code (NMAC 14.9.2), 2015" in its reference list while simultaneously listing the 2021 UMC, even though 14.9.2 has been the 2021 New Mexico code since March 2022. Buy the current amendment book, not the one the bulletin's reference line names.

What Changes When You Hire or Become the Qualifying Party

The license belongs to the business. The certificate of qualification belongs to an individual, the qualifying party, and without one attached, the company has no license.

The statutory definition

NMSA 1978 § 60-13-2(E): a qualifying party is "an individual who submits to the examination for a license to be issued under the Construction Industries Licensing Act and who is responsible for the licensee's compliance with the requirements of that act and with the rules, regulations, codes and standards adopted and promulgated in accordance with that act."

That is personal responsibility for the company's code compliance, in statute.

Who can serve

14.6.3.8.A(3)(a) NMAC: licenses "are issued only to qualified business entities which employ or are owned by one or more qualifying parties validly certified by CID." NMSA § 60-13-14(A): no license issues "unless the director is satisfied that the applicant is or has in his employ a qualifying party."

The CID contractor application prints the relationship as a single choice:

Choose One: Owner, Corp Officer, LLC Member, Employee, Partner, Other (Specify)

There is no ownership percentage threshold to qualify a single license.

But the role has teeth. 14.6.3.8.E(2) NMAC:

"While validly attached to, and qualifying a license, no qualifying party shall accept or engage in any employment that would conflict with his responsibilities as a qualifying party for, or conflict with his ability to adequately supervise the work performed by, the licensee."

A qualifying party who cannot adequately supervise the licensee's work is out of compliance regardless of which box was checked.

New Mexico gives a mechanical contracting company real flexibility in structuring the role, since the application itself lists Employee alongside Owner and Partner, provided the person can genuinely supervise the work. A qualifying agent QUALIFIES the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who supervises the work, a genuine employment relationship, not a paper arrangement. If you cannot yet document four years of experience in your own name but need an MM-3, MM-2, MM-4 or MM-98 license to start or grow a business now, a qualifying agent can qualify the company while you build toward your own license. See What Is a Qualifying Agent and Hire a Qualifying Agent.

One person, one license, unless 30 percent common ownership

14.6.3.8.E(3) NMAC: "No individual may qualify more than one licensed entity, other than a joint venture, unless there is at least thirty percent common ownership among the qualified entities. CID may require evidence of such ownership that is satisfactory to the director."

Qualifying two or more licenses at once requires 30 percent common ownership across all of them plus a filed Declaration of Common Ownership Form.

The replacement clock

NMSA § 60-13-25: "In the event the employment or business relationship between the qualifying party and the licensee is terminated, the licensee and the qualifying party shall notify the division within thirty days of that termination in relationship, and the license shall be suspended for one hundred twenty days from the date of the termination ... and then canceled unless another individual who is a properly certified qualifying party is approved."

14.6.3.8.K(2) NMAC is harsher still: the license "will be automatically cancelled and the licensee may not bid or commence any new work in that classification," and "work in progress at the time of the cancellation may continue for not more than 120 days." After 120 days the permits are automatically cancelled, no inspection will be conducted under them, and continued work "will be deemed to be unlicensed activity."

The practical rule: stop bidding and stop starting new work immediately, notify CID within 30 days, and finish work in progress within 120. The 120 days is a completion window, not a grace period for normal operations.

Both parties owe the notice, the company and the departing individual.

The temporary qualifying party

NMSA § 60-13-16(D) contains a safety valve almost nobody publishes. If the qualifying party's employment is terminated without fault of the licensee, a tradesperson experienced in the classification who "has been employed for five or more years by the licensed contractor" shall be issued without examination a temporary certificate of qualification, and must pass the regular exam within ninety days.

Narrow conditions, but if you have a long tenured lead who has never sat the exam, this can keep the license alive.

Certificate lifecycle

• A new certificate that "does not qualify a valid license within 12 months from the date on which the exam score was reported to CID ... shall automatically expire" (14.6.3.8.K(3)(a)).
• A qualifying party who does not qualify a valid license "for any consecutive two year period shall lose eligibility ... and the certificate shall automatically expire," requiring reapplication and retesting (14.6.3.8.K(3)(b)), though the director may waive the exam for an additional 12 months on documentation of equivalent experience.
• The certificate is not transferable (§ 60-13-16(E)).
• A revoked qualifying party "shall not reapply for a certificate for one year" (§ 60-13-16(F)).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get an HVAC license in New Mexico? Document four years (8,000 hours) of qualifying mechanical experience within the last ten years, get pre-approved by CID, pass the open book Business and Law exam and the 100 question MM-3 exam at 75% each, arrange the $10,000 code bond, and submit your contractor license application within the six month completion window. See "How to Apply, Step by Step" above.

What license do I need for HVAC in New Mexico? MM-3 covers air handling, refrigeration, air conditioning, evaporative cooling, ductwork and ventilation. But gas furnaces, gas piping and warm air heating are MM-2; hydronic, steam, chilled water, boilers and process piping are MM-4; and MM-98 rolls MM-1 through MM-4 together plus the MS-3, MS-6, MS-12 and MS-14 specialties. Most full service mechanical contractors need MM-98.

Is MM-98 a residential license? No, the opposite. MM-98 is the broadest mechanical license New Mexico issues. Any guide describing MM-98 as residential and MM-1 as "unlimited mechanical" has reversed both.

How long does it take to get an MM-3? Four years (8,000 hours) of qualifying experience within the ten years immediately prior to application, plus the Business and Law exam and the 100 question MM-3 exam. Accredited training substitutes at half value and may cover at most half the requirement, so two years maximum, requiring four years of training. See "How Long It Takes" above for the exam and application clocks that run on top of the experience requirement.

How much does a New Mexico HVAC license cost? $30 application, $6 certificate, $150 classification fee for MM-3 covering three years (or $300 for MM-98), $68.88 per exam, and a $10,000 code bond. Fees are set by CID and PSI and change, verify before paying.

Have New Mexico HVAC license fees gone up recently? Not as of this writing. The $30 application fee, $6 certificate fee, $150 single classification fee, $300 MM-98 fee, and $68.88 exam fee verified here match the current CID and PSI fee schedule, confirmed October 5, 2026. The underlying fee rule, 14.5.5 NMAC, still carries a 2004 effective date, but the current CID/PSI schedule, not that date, is what you actually pay. Fees are subject to change without notice, verify with CID or PSI before paying.

How much does it cost to bring in a qualifying party? There is no published rate. What a qualifying party is worth depends on the classification, the volume and value of the work the license will carry, and the personal compliance responsibility that individual accepts under § 60-13-2(E). We evaluate per situation; talk to us about hiring a qualifying agent.

Do I need continuing education to renew my New Mexico contractor license? Not currently. § 60-13-18(D) authorizes CE but 14.6.3.8.I does not impose it. Journeyman certificates do require 16 hours per cycle, of which at least 8 must be current CID code.

Can a GS-32 sheet metal contractor install HVAC duct? No. 14.6.6.9.D(18) states a GS-32 contractor "shall not install heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC) duct systems, vents, grease hoods, or other appurtenances that are authorized by mechanical or plumbing classifications." That is MM-3 work.

What happens if my qualifying party leaves? Both parties notify CID in writing within 30 days. Under 14.6.3.8.K(2) you may not bid or commence new work in that classification from the moment the license ceases to be qualified. Work already underway may continue not more than 120 days, after which permits are automatically cancelled and continued work is unlicensed activity. If the departure was without your fault and you have a tradesperson with five or more years at the company, § 60-13-16(D) allows a temporary certificate without examination, with 90 days to pass the real exam.

Does the NASCLA exam get me out of the New Mexico trade exam? Not for mechanical. CID's waiver reaches GB98 and EE98 only. An HVAC contractor from another state sits the full MM-3 exam.

Does an out of state HVAC journeyman certificate transfer to New Mexico? CID's published reciprocity statement names only EE-98J electrical as a reciprocal journeyman classification. JR, JSM, JPF and JG are not listed as reciprocal, so a mechanical journeyman moving to New Mexico should confirm the correct application route with the bureau rather than assume a blanket transfer.

Do New Mexico plumbing contractors take the same Business and Law exam as HVAC contractors? Yes. PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin lists one Business and Law exam, required of every new CID contractor candidate regardless of trade, covering licensing requirements, estimating, business organization, tax and labor law, contracts, risk management, and environmental and safety rules. There is no separate plumbing specific business exam.

Does New Mexico have a separate water conditioning contractor license? No. The CID classification list at 14.6.6.11 NMAC does not include a water conditioning, water treatment or water softener classification. If your business installs that equipment alongside licensed plumbing or mechanical work, ask CID for a classification determination rather than assume it falls under MM-1, MM-3 or MM-4 automatically.

Is solar panel installation covered by a New Mexico HVAC license? It depends on the system. Solar thermal equipment, water or air heated by the sun, falls inside MM-3's "solar air heating" language and MM-4's "solar thermal energy systems" language. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that generate electricity are electrical work, not mechanical, and run through New Mexico's electrical classifications, covered in our New Mexico electrician license guide.

Is there an official study guide for the New Mexico HVAC or journeyman exam? New Mexico and PSI do not publish a standalone study guide. The closest official equivalents are PSI's Contractor and Journeyman Candidate Information Bulletins, which list the exact content outline, question counts, passing scores and allowed reference materials for each exam, including the Uniform Mechanical Code, the New Mexico Mechanical Code, and the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management. Commercial "study guide" products are not state or PSI endorsed.

Sources

Retrieved September 23, 2026, and reconfirmed October 5, 2026 against the live PSI New Mexico Candidate Information Bulletin, the PSI New Mexico Licensing Fees schedule, and the 14.6.6 NMAC classification text; no cited figure had changed between the two dates. Board and testing vendor fees change; verify before paying.

• 14.6.6 NMAC, Classifications, Construction Industries Division classification scopes including MM-1 through MM-4, MM-98, GS-32 and GB-98.
• 14.6.3 NMAC, License and Qualifying Party Requirements, experience, education, exam gates, qualifying party rules, bond and renewal.
• 14.6.4 NMAC, Journeyman Requirements, journeyman certificates and continuing education.
• 14.5.5 NMAC, Miscellaneous Fees, application, certificate and classification fees.
• NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13, Construction Industries Licensing Act, including § 60-13-2 (definitions), § 60-13-6 (Commission authority), § 60-13-14 (experience and qualifying party), § 60-13-16 (qualifying party certificate, temporary certificate), § 60-13-25 (replacement clock), § 60-13-49 (bond), § 60-13-51 (no additional municipal bond).
• PSI New Mexico Candidate Information Bulletin, updated April 3, 2026, exam fees, question counts, content outlines, exam eligibility windows and procedural rules.
• PSI New Mexico Journeyman Candidate Information Bulletin, updated April 13, 2023, journeyman written and practical exam specifications and fees.
• PSI New Mexico Licensing Fees, current classification, qualifying party, journeyman and late renewal fees, and the LP04 prerequisite.
• PSI, How to Obtain a Contractor License and Qualifying Party Application Instructions, application sequence, bond, common ownership and NASCLA waiver rules.
• PSI, Contractor License Renewal, three year term, notarization, originals only, bond and late fees.
• CID, Apply for a Construction Industries License, application sequence overview.
• CID, Find a Bureau, Mechanical Plumbing Bureau contact and mission.
• The Licensing Company, License Application Processing, service terms, price and disclaimers, retrieved October 5, 2026.

The Classification Decision Is a Business Decision

New Mexico's mechanical structure rewards contractors who think two years ahead. MM-3 alone is $150 in classification fees and one trade exam. MM-98 is $300 and four trade exams, MM-1 through MM-4, and it removes the gas, hydronic and fire protection boundaries permanently. Growing from MM-3 into MM-2 and MM-4 later means two more 90 to 100 question exams at 75%.

The larger constraint is the one every state imposes in some form: the license belongs to the company, and the company only holds it while a qualifying party is attached. The Licensing Company places qualifying agents with contracting businesses as W-2, full time employees, a genuine employment relationship, which is what CID's own application contemplates when it prints "Employee" as a qualifying party relationship, and what the responsibility language at § 60-13-2(E) requires in substance. A real job with real supervision, not a paper arrangement.

If your company needs a qualifying party for MM-3, MM-98 or another classification, talk to us about hiring a qualifying agent. If you would rather have the state application itself handled for you, see License Application Processing. If you hold a mechanical classification and want to understand what it is worth inside a growing company, see becoming a qualifying agent.

Related reading: our New Mexico plumbing license guide, our New Mexico electrician license guide, and our national HVAC contractor qualifying agent guide. Browse our contractor license overview or all state licensing guides for the requirements where you plan to work.

Call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 or explore qualifying agent support.