STATE LICENSE
NoneSee what applies
K.S.A. 12-1540 defines a mechanical heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor as one who undertakes HVAC planning, installation, alteration, or repair for another, for hire, and defines master and journeyman HVAC mechanics. K.S.A. 12-1541 designates the ICC, IAPMO, or Prometric examinations in effect on July 1, 2008 as the standard tests.
Under K.S.A. 12-1542, licensing cities and counties must require 75% to pass, charge a uniform fee, and require 12 CE hours every two years (6 in code). Journeyman: two years of field experience (up to one year by 930+ hours of schooling). Master: two years as journeyman or four years of field experience. Technicians handling refrigerants also need federal EPA Section 608 certification.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Licensing jurisdictions must follow K.S.A. 12-1542; otherwise licensing, permits, and inspections are local. Johnson County issues the DM mechanical license; MABCD issues Mechanical and related trade licenses and master/journeyman certificates; Lawrence licenses mechanical contractors and requires certified employees.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Kansas 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.
MABCD lists Mechanical, Refrigeration, Sheet Metal, Gas Fitter, and Solid Fuel as separate trade contractor licenses — match the license to the work.
Four years of field experience qualifies for the master exam without holding a journeyman certificate (K.S.A. 12-1542(f)).
No Kansas license replaces EPA Section 608 certification for refrigerant handling.
A practical sequence for a new HVAC contractor in Kansas. 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.
Johnson County cities, MABCD (Wichita/Sedgwick County), and Lawrence condition permits on an active local license of the matching class; penalties are set by each local code, not by state statute.
A lien statement on residential property must be filed within four months after the last labor or materials; commercial claims get five months only if a notice of extension is filed within the first four.
Contractors selling to consumers are suppliers under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act; a court may impose civil penalties for each violation, up to $20,000 for willful violation of a court order.
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: Which Johnson County cities require the county contractor license — no official county page lists participating cities (Overland Park's requirement is documented in our Johnson County office record) · MABCD and Lawrence license fee amounts for this class (MABCD's licensing page lists no amounts; a 2024 MABCD application form was seen only as a search excerpt) · K.S.A. 12-1543 and 12-1544 (alternative HVAC exams and related provisions) were not read directly
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.