STATE LICENSE
NoneSee what applies
Colorado licenses electricians and plumbers and stops there. There is no state mechanical or conditioned-air board, and C.R.S. 12-155-118(6)(a)(I) removes any doubt by exempting the installation, extension, alteration and maintenance of building heating appliances and systems and of air conditioning installations from the plumbing license requirement altogether.
What replaces it is a patchwork. Denver issues Heating and Ventilating Class A and Class B supervisor certificates behind a mechanical contractor license; Pikes Peak Regional Building Department licenses Mechanical Contractor A, B, C and D and separately licenses the individual Heating Mechanics who do the work; Aurora issues a Mechanical Systems Contractor license conditioned on ICC Master Mechanical certification; and Fort Collins licenses HVAC(C), HVAC(R), HVAC(RR) and Gas Piping as specialized trades. The state layers show up only at the edges — line-voltage wiring needs a licensed electrician, boilers and some pressure vessels are inspected by the Division of Oil and Public Safety, and refrigerant handling is federal.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
HVAC is where Colorado's local-first structure bites hardest, because nothing preempts anyone. Denver runs a two-step system: the individual earns a Heating and Ventilating Class A or Class B supervisor certificate ($60, three years), and the company then holds a mechanical license ($250, three years) with Heating and Ventilating Journeymen certified at $40 each. Pikes Peak Regional Building Department — one department licensing Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Fountain, Woodland Park, Manitou Springs, Monument, Green Mountain Falls, Palmer Lake and Calhan — licenses Mechanical Contractor A (commercial), B (one- and two-family to three stories), C (gas piping, commercial refrigeration, residential maintenance and replacement) and D (manufactured buildings), requires $1,000,000/$2,000,000 general liability, and licenses the mechanics themselves as Heating Mechanic I and IV. Aurora issues a single Mechanical Systems Contractor license at $131 supervisor plus $164 license, conditioned on ICC Master Mechanical certification. Fort Collins splits the trade into HVAC(C), HVAC(R), HVAC(RR) and a separate Gas Piping category, all ICC-tested. Four jurisdictions, four credentials, four renewal calendars.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Colorado 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 September 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Because no state license preempts anyone, a company working Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora and Fort Collins carries four separate mechanical credentials, four insurance filings and four renewal dates.
Pikes Peak licenses Heating Mechanic I (gas fitter) and Heating Mechanic IV (HVAC service technician) individually, and its contractor licenses say employees shall also be appropriately licensed. Denver certifies Heating and Ventilating Journeymen the same way.
Pikes Peak requires ten days' advance notice of any reduction or cancellation and treats a lapse, cancellation or reduction as cause for automatic suspension of the license or registration.
A practical sequence for a new HVAC contractor in Colorado. 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.
There is no Colorado HVAC license and therefore no state unlicensed-practice offense. The exposure is municipal: no permit issues, work is red-tagged, and the local license or registration is suspended or revoked.
Wiring beyond the low-voltage scope without an electrician license is unauthorized practice of the electrical profession.
An employer who fails to carry or keep workers' compensation insurance in force may be ordered to cease business operations immediately and fined for every day of default.
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 September 2026.
Pending verification: Fort Collins license term length and current fee amounts for HVAC categories — the city publishes the categories and exam requirements but the term was not stated on the licensing page · Pikes Peak Regional Building Department mechanical license and application fee amounts, which are published on the separate license application forms rather than the license types page · Whether every Colorado municipality outside these four licenses HVAC at all — smaller jurisdictions vary and several rely on county or regional departments
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.