Utah HVAC license requirements and insurance

Who it applies to

1Who needs a heating and air conditioning license in Utah? What is this?

HVAC Contractor (H100): any business that installs, repairs or replaces heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems in Utah. There is no small-job exception for this work

License	Who needs it	What it covers
HVAC Contractor (H100)	Any business that installs, repairs or replaces heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems in Utah. There is no small-job exception for this work	Making and installing complete warm air heating, air conditioning and ventilating systems, and refrigeration equipment
Natural Gas Technician certification	Anyone who works on gas piping, combustion air, venting, or altitude adjustment for a home or business gas appliance. That covers most furnace and water heater work	Installing, changing, cleaning, repairing or replacing the gas piping, combustion air vents and exhaust venting of a gas appliance, and adjusting gas input for altitude

License

Who needs it

What it covers

HVAC Contractor (H100)

Any business that installs, repairs or replaces heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems in Utah. There is no small-job exception for this work

Making and installing complete warm air heating, air conditioning and ventilating systems, and refrigeration equipment

Natural Gas Technician certification

Anyone who works on gas piping, combustion air, venting, or altitude adjustment for a home or business gas appliance. That covers most furnace and water heater work

Installing, changing, cleaning, repairing or replacing the gas piping, combustion air vents and exhaust venting of a gas appliance, and adjusting gas input for altitude

Who runs it

2Who issues HVAC contractor licenses in Utah? What is this?

Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), part of the Utah Department of Commerce issues HVAC licenses in Utah.

See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state

Name	Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), part of the Utah Department of Commerce
Website	dopl.utah.gov
Look up a license	secure.utah.gov
The law	Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55 (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act)
The rulebook	Utah Administrative Code R156-55a (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act Rule)

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·3 official pages

Getting licensed

3How to become an HVAC contractor in Utah What is this?

Utah has 2 licenses that matter to an HVAC contractor: HVAC Contractor (H100), Natural Gas Technician certification. Each is below, with what you need before you apply.

License	Experience required	Training required	Exam
HVAC Contractor (H100)	Two years of HVAC work, proved with W-2 forms. If a payroll agency or employer organization pays you, send supporting papers as well	A 25-hour course before you apply, taught live and not as home study. You can skip it with a construction management degree or a Utah engineer license.	Two exams, the Utah Business and Law exam and the HVAC (H100) exam, both through Prov
Natural Gas Technician certification	—	An approved program. The rule names the Rocky Mountain Gas Association and the Home Builders Association of Utah among the providers	Yes, the RMGA Gas Appliance Installers Certification Exam or one the state accepts as equal. You need a score of 80 percent

License

Experience required

Training required

Exam

HVAC Contractor (H100)

Two years of HVAC work, proved with W-2 forms. If a payroll agency or employer organization pays you, send supporting papers as well

A 25-hour course before you apply, taught live and not as home study. You can skip it with a construction management degree or a Utah engineer license.

Two exams, the Utah Business and Law exam and the HVAC (H100) exam, both through Prov

Natural Gas Technician certification

—

An approved program. The rule names the Rocky Mountain Gas Association and the Home Builders Association of Utah among the providers

Yes, the RMGA Gas Appliance Installers Certification Exam or one the state accepts as equal. You need a score of 80 percent

What it costs

4How much does an HVAC license cost in Utah? What is this?

The government fees on this page, added up.

License	Application	Renewal
HVAC Contractor (H100)	$175	$128

License

Application

Renewal

HVAC Contractor (H100)

$175

$128

Added up

Government fees, added up	Not listed yet

We print no total, because the division does not publish one. Expect to pay for the 25-hour course and the contractor application, plus the gas certification and the EPA card if you need them. Insurance, workers' comp, tools and a vehicle come on top.

Checked by a person against the official page·dopl.utah.gov

Insurance

5How much HVAC insurance do you need in Utah? What is this?

The least liability insurance Utah lets an HVAC contractor work with is $1,000,000. Most customers ask for more. Workers' comp is required if you have employees.

Minimum liability insurance	$1,000,000
Most the insurance pays in a year, all claims together	$2,000,000
Type of policy	Public liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 for any one claim and $2,000,000 for all claims in a year. These amounts began on 20 April 2026 and apply to every contractor classification
What changed recently	The old amounts were $100,000 for each incident and $300,000 in total. They went up on 20 April 2026, so anything written before that date is out of date
Who this applies to	The contractor license, meaning the business. The policy must cover the kind of work you do and stay in force the whole time the license is active
Who must be named on the certificate	The Division of Professional Licensing must be named as a certificate holder
Workers' comp required?	Yes, if you have employees. You file proof of coverage with the division before the license is issued
Who can opt out	A sole owner or a partner is not counted as an employee unless they choose to be covered. A corporation can leave out up to five directors or officers by telling its insurer in writing. That applies only to a registered Utah corporation. A limited liability company is treated like a partnership, so its members may ask for a waiver.
Workers' comp: if you skip it	At least $1,000. The state can also go to court to stop you trading, and you lose the protection that normally keeps an injured worker from suing you. Getting in the way of a worker's claim carries a separate fine of up to $5,000.

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Money checks

6Does Utah check your credit for an HVAC contractor license? What is this?

Utah checks your finances before it trusts you with a license. The rule: no set score. The law asks you to show you can pay your bills, and the division can audit that at any time.

Credit score you need	No set score. The law asks you to show you can pay your bills, and the division can audit that at any time
What you have to show	In an audit the division can ask for a current credit report and proof of how you pay your debts. It looks at judgments, tax liens, collections, child support and bankruptcies. It also looks at the owners' own money history.
If your score is lower	If the division decides you are not on firm footing, it can ask for a license bond instead of turning you down

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Bonds

7Does an HVAC contractor need a bond in Utah? What is this?

Utah does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.

Does the state require a bond?	No
Amount	Not listed yet

Not for everyone. The division asks for a license bond only when it finds a contractor's finances are weak. For a specialty class such as S350 the rule sets at least $15,000. If you owe $1,000 or more in unpaid debts, the bond is 30 percent of that total when that is higher.

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Federal rules

8Federal rules that also apply What is this?

Rules from the US government that apply to an HVAC contractor in Utah on top of the state's own.

EPA refrigerant certification	Anyone who opens a refrigerant circuit needs EPA Section 608 certification. That means adding or removing refrigerant, or hooking up gauges and hoses. The cards are Type I, Type II, Type III and Universal, and they never expire. An apprentice can work without one only while a certified technician watches closely the whole time. Utah does not issue this card.

Checked by a person against the official page·epa.gov

Showing your number

9Where must an Utah HVAC contractor show the license number? What is this?

In Utah: we found no state rule that makes an HVAC contractor print the license number on ads, quotes, invoices or trucks. The rules do say you must give a copy of your license or its number to anyone who asks while you are on a job.

The rule	We found no state rule that makes an HVAC contractor print the license number on ads, quotes, invoices or trucks. The rules do say you must give a copy of your license or its number to anyone who asks while you are on a job.
On quotes, contracts, and invoices	No state rule found
On ads	No state rule found
On your vehicles	No state rule found. The one vehicle rule in the licensing law covers sign contractors only
If you forget	Not giving your license number when asked is unprofessional conduct. The rule itself sets no fine. The licensing law has a general scale, up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for a second, then up to $2,000 a day while it continues

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Tax

10Does an HVAC contractor charge sales tax on labor in Utah? What is this?

In Utah, no sales tax on labor done on a building or the land. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states

Who pays tax on materials	You. Utah treats a contractor as the final user of furnaces, condensers, ductwork and other parts that become part of a building. You pay sales tax when you buy them and you do not charge the customer tax on them. It works this way whether you quote one price, time and materials, or cost plus.
Labor	No sales tax on labor done on a building or the land
Homes versus businesses	No difference. Utah looks at whether the item becomes part of the building, not at who owns the building
New buildings versus repairs	No difference. Materials that become part of the building are taxed when you buy them either way
Things that are not part of the building	Things that stay movable are treated differently. The rule lists items attached only for a while, factory equipment, and trade fixtures that come out without real damage. Repairs to movable items are taxed, labor included.
Service contracts	Labor under a service plan is not taxed when the equipment is permanently attached to the building. Parts stay taxable unless the law exempts them.
Working for a tax exempt customer	A job for a church or charity is tax-free on materials only in two cases. Either the institution pays the supplier itself, or the materials are clearly marked and set aside for its building.
Sales tax license	You need a sales tax license only if you also sell goods apart from your building work
Tax rate	The state part is 4.85 percent, made of a 4.70 percent sales and use tax and a 0.15 percent Medicaid rate. Cities and counties add their own on top. Check the Tax Commission rate chart for the job site

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Getting paid

11Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for an Utah HVAC contractor What is this?

If you are not paid in Utah, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: file your preliminary notice within 20 days of your first day of work on the property (first day on June 3 means you file by June 23). If you file late, your lien only covers work from five days after you file.

The order things have to happen in, counted in days

Day 0
Your first day on the job
The clock starts here.
Day 20
Send your notice
File your preliminary notice within 20 days of your first day of work on the property (first day on June 3 means you file by June 23). If you file late, your lien only covers work from five days after you file.
Day 180
File your lien
Record your lien with the county recorder within 180 days after the whole job is finished (finished on March 1 means you record by August 28). If a notice of completion is filed on the registry, you get 90 days from that filing instead.

Each day count is counted from the day the rule beside it names, which is not always the same day. Read the sentence under each one.

Who has to send a notice	Everyone who wants to keep the right to file a lien. That includes you when the owner hired you directly. You do not mail this notice. You file it online on the State Construction Registry, the state's website for building projects.
Send your notice by	File your preliminary notice within 20 days of your first day of work on the property (first day on June 3 means you file by June 23). If you file late, your lien only covers work from five days after you file.
File your lien by	Record your lien with the county recorder within 180 days after the whole job is finished (finished on March 1 means you record by August 28). If a notice of completion is filed on the registry, you get 90 days from that filing instead.
Copy to the owner	Within 30 days after you record the lien, deliver a copy to the owner or send it by certified mail.
Homes the owner lives in	A subcontractor often cannot keep a lien on a home the owner lives in. That is the case when the owner had a written contract with a licensed contractor and paid it in full. You go after the contractor who did not pay you instead. If a court judgment still leaves you unpaid, you can apply to the state's Residence Lien Recovery Fund within one year.

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Keeping it

12How do you renew an HVAC license in Utah? What is this?

The HVAC Contractor (H100) renews every two years, on November 30 of odd-numbered years. You need 6 hours of training each renewal.

License	Renewal	Training hours each renewal
HVAC Contractor (H100)	Every two years, on November 30 of odd-numbered years	—

License

Renewal

Training hours each renewal

HVAC Contractor (H100)

Every two years, on November 30 of odd-numbered years

—

Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.

Watch out

13What catches people out in Utah What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about Utah, in a few sentences.

Utah has no state license for an HVAC technician. The state licenses the business, as an H100 HVAC Contractor, and has journeyman and master licenses only for plumbers and electricians.
The rules changed in April 2026. The old S350 class asked for no experience and no trade exam, and $100,000 of insurance. The H100 class that replaced it asks for two years of HVAC work, two exams and $1,000,000 of cover, so guides written before that date are out of date.
Gas work has its own card. Anyone who touches gas piping or venting on a furnace needs Natural Gas Technician certification, with an 80 percent pass mark, unless they hold a journeyman plumber license.
Unlicensed people may take building jobs under $7,000 in Utah, but not HVAC jobs. Installing, repairing or replacing an HVAC system always needs a licensed HVAC contractor.
Three of your six training hours at each renewal must be about HVAC systems, and the contractor license renews on November 30 of odd-numbered years.

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14Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.