If you want to get your heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) license in Minnesota, there’s some good news. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, HVAC technicians, contractors and installers earn 14% more than the national average wage. The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington metro areas are among the top-paying regions in the country.
Learn what it takes to be an HVAC professional in this state, including:
Minnesota does not require HVAC professionals to be licensed at the state level, but most cities have local licensing requirements. Check with local municipalities where you plan to operate for requirements.
While there is no state-level licensing, if you will be working with refrigerants, you must get the federally mandated EPA Section 608 certification. To get this certification, you must pass a certification exam and pay an exam fee.
There are four types of EPA certifications for refrigerants:
Exams are tailored to the equipment you want to work with and must be administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization. Once you get this certification, you’re good to go; credentials don’t expire.
If you’re part of an HVAC apprenticeship program, you’re exempt from certification requirements as long as a certified technician continuously supervises you.
To get your HVAC license, you need the right business insurance coverage. Besides being required for some licenses, HVAC contractor insurance can help protect your business from financial losses if something goes wrong on one of your jobs.
Minnesota general liability insurance can help protect your business if you or one of your employees damages someone’s property or injures someone who isn’t an employee.
To work as an HVACR contractor in the state, you must have liability insurance coverage. Coverage amounts vary based on where you operate your business.
For instance, in Minneapolis, license holders must carry the minimum liability coverage of $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 in aggregate for bodily injury and property damage. Those in St. Paul must have $500,000 for bodily injury and property damage combined.
Learn more about general liability for contractors.
Most Minnesota HVAC licensed contractors with employees must have workers’ compensation insurance, which can help cover medical expenses and lost wages for employees who get sick or injured on the job.
If you don’t have employees, you usually must sign an exemption waiver or explain why you’re exempt. Even if you don’t have employees, you may want to consider purchasing coverage. Under Minnesota law, subcontractors are sometimes considered employees.
Learn more about workers’ comp for construction workers.
If you lease or own a business property, commercial property insurance can help provide coverage if your business property — including furniture, equipment and inventory — is damaged or vandalized. It also can help protect you against losing business income and related expenses if you temporarily close due to a covered event.
A business owner’s policy, or BOP insurance, provides broad coverage of general liability and commercial property policies combined in a single, cost-efficient bundle. It can help cover damage that you or your employees may accidentally cause to another person’s property and help protect your business equipment in the event of a fire or other covered event.
Tools and equipment insurance can help cover repairs and replacements if your work gear is stolen or damaged. While the state does not mandate this coverage, it helps ensure your gear is always protected — including in your vehicle, stored in a trailer or at a job site.
Learn about tools and equipment insurance.
Every vehicle on the road in Minnesota must have insurance coverage. Personal auto insurance doesn’t usually cover work-related activities, so commercial auto can help cover accident-related costs, such as towing, repairs and rental reimbursement.
In MN, the minimum required coverage is $30,000 (injuries to one person — bodily injury), $60,000 (per accident) and $10,000 (physical damage to other vehicles or property).
While there is no state licensing requirement, many local licensing agencies have similar requirements. Check your town’s trade license department for the official requirements, but get an overview of a typical process here.
Because the state doesn’t oversee licensure, check with the cities or counties where you plan to work for local license requirements. For instance, HVAC technicians and contractors in Minneapolis and St. Paul have different license types.
In Minneapolis, there are these two licenses for HVAC contractors (not including specialized mechanical contractor licenses such as refrigeration or gas fitters):
In St. Paul, there are several trade licenses related to HVAC work:
Work with local licensing departments to understand the requirements for the license you want.
A competency card proves that the cardholder has the training, experience and technical knowledge to install, alter, repair and service equipment. Many local authorities will require a competency card to issue a license.
To get a competency card, you must be at the journeyman or master level. However, the applicant must usually hold a master-level competency card to get a trade license.
Master-level competency card requirements include the following:
To get the card, you must:
If you have a City of Saint Paul competency card, you can use it to expedite your license application for a Minneapolis card and vice versa.
Surety bonds are frequently required for contractors and construction professionals to obtain work from government agencies and property owners. A bond helps protect customers if a contractor fails to complete a job contract.
While no HVAC or mechanical contractor state license exists, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry requires bonding for mechanical contractors. Businesses must file a $25,000 mechanical contractor surety bond to perform HVACR work legally. Here’s the State of Minnesota bond form.
Municipalities may also have local bonding requirements, depending on the type of license you’re applying for. For instance, if you are applying for a Class B HVAC license in Minneapolis, you can get a $25,000 state bond or a City bond for $10,000.
Most local authorities require HVAC license applicants to have liability insurance. However, the coverage amounts may vary.
For instance, all Minneapolis HVAC license holders must produce a certificate of insurance with the minimum liability coverage of $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury and property damage.
However, in St. Paul, you need to have $500,000 for bodily injury and property damage combined. Duluth has no insurance requirement, just the state’s mechanical contractor bond requirement.
Regardless of where you operate, you must purchase workers’ compensation insurance if you have employees. If you do not have employees, you must certify it on your application or get a coverage waiver.
Depending on the municipality, you must submit your license application online, via mail or in person. Follow the instructions on the licensing department’s website for the application submission process.
License fees vary. Here are the fees for several cities:
| City | License application fee |
| Minneapolis | $285 + $140 new license processing fee |
| St. Paul | $188 |
| Rochester | $112 |
| Bloomington | $75 |
| St. Cloud | $132 |
License renewals vary by municipality. Most contractor licenses are valid for a year and must be renewed annually.
Licenses expire one year from the issue date in Minneapolis, but in St. Paul, they expire yearly on December 1st. Check with your local authority to stay licensed.
NEXT is 100% dedicated to helping small businesses and self-employed individuals protect their businesses. We’ve helped thousands of contractors get the right insurance for their needs. Our affordable and simple-to-manage Minnesota business insurance can help HVAC contractors stay protected and thrive.
You can complete the online application process and get a certificate of insurance in about 10 minutes. For no additional charge, you can get and share unlimited digital certificates anywhere, anytime, from your mobile device or computer.
Start a free instant quote with NEXT.
Do you want to work as an HVAC contractor in another U.S. state? Learn what states require licenses in our guide to HVAC license requirements.
This information has been provided as a service. It is correct and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge; however, it is in no way intended to offer legal advice and you must always consult with local authorities before you make any business decisions. Regulations and requirements may change at any time.
Kim Mercado is a content editor at NEXT. She writes and edits content for small business owners, and enjoys helping entrepreneurs solve their business challenges and learn about insurance. Kim has contributed to Salesforce, Samsara and Google.
You can find Kim trying new recipes and cheering the 49ers.
