STATE LICENSE
RequiredState of Alabama Board of Heating, Air Co…
Under Code of Ala. § 34-31-24, no one may advertise, solicit, bid, pull permits, or perform the work of a certified contractor unless the person in responsible charge holds a board certification. The board certifies two trades — Heating & Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (commercial, non-comfort cooling) — through a written exam that requires 3,000 hours of work experience or an approved HVAC curriculum to sit.
Active status costs $220 a year and requires a business name and a $20,000 performance bond naming the board as obligee; inactive certificates cost $110 with no bond. Certification numbers and company names must appear on all advertising, documents, and service vehicles. Local governments may collect privilege and business-license fees but may not require any further local testing of certified contractors (§ 34-31-28(d)).
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
The certification is statewide, and under Code of Ala. § 34-31-28(d) counties and municipalities may not require further local testing of certified contractors — only their privilege, license, or business fees. Under § 34-31-24(a)(4), the local official who issues a business license to an HVAC company must first see the board certificate. Mobile's contractor guide states the city requires HVAC licensing to bid on HVAC work, and Huntsville requires mechanical contractors to be certified by the state board and to buy permits for their trade. Mechanical permits and inspections stay with the city or county building department.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Alabama county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Unlike general contracting, HVAC certification applies to a $200 service call the same as a $200,000 install.
Renewals are due December 31; the board may remove the certification of anyone not renewed by March 1 and require a new application and re-testing.
Commercial HVAC undertakings of $100,000+ also need a GC Board Mechanical classification; the GC application flags HVAC as needing a certification card and lists the HACR Board among card issuers.
A practical sequence for a new HVAC contractor in Alabama. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Doing business as, or performing the functions of, a certified contractor in violation of the chapter is a Class A misdemeanor.
The board may fine each violation, issue cease-and-desist orders, and seek injunctions; ignoring a stop order bars licensure for up to a year.
After a declared emergency, concealing noncompliance with § 34-31-32 in a home-repair contract — or repeating a prior conviction — is a felony.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Amount of the board's late-renewal penalty · Exam vendor and per-attempt retake fee beyond the $175 application fee
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.