Just as there is no such thing as licensing for home inspectors in Minnesota, there’s also no such thing as licensing for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractors. And there never has been. At least, not at the state level.
Bonding is required
While we don’t have licensing in Minnesota, mechanical contractors must be bonded with the state. This costs $100 and is valid for 2 years. This doesn’t indicate professionalism, knowledge, competency, or anything along those lines. It’s just some protection for the public against really bad contractors.
And to be clear, the bond is required for the contractor, not every individual technician.
Many cities have their own requirements
Minneapolis has its own requirements for HVAC contractors; they need a competency card. This doesn’t come easily, and some HVAC contractors do not work in Minneapolis because of this requirement. You can read about the requirements here: Minneapolis Competency Card.
Similarly, there are special requirements to do HVAC work in Saint Paul, Bloomington, Saint Cloud, and many other cities.
Special certifications for handling refrigerants
Before any technician can handle refrigerants, they need to be certified. This is a national requirement set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), known as the Section 608 Technician Certification. We don’t want people ruining the ozone layer through irresponsible handling of refrigerants.
So if you want someone competent, who do you ask for?
This last section is mostly for real estate agents. When they’re writing or amending real estate contracts, the good ones are very specific. Good agents specify who, what, when, where, and how. When it comes to HVAC work, the standard term I usually see is “Licensed HVAC _______ (technician/contractor/professional/etc).” Because there is typically no such thing, here are a few alternatives: “Professional HVAC Technician”, “Qualified HVAC Technician”, or “HVAC Professional”. The most technically accurate would probably be a “Bonded Mechanical Contractor”, but I really don’t like that term. It doesn’t say anything about competence.
Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections
