Plumbing, HVAC and electrical license requirements by state
The license and what it costs. The insurance you must carry. Whether you need a bond or a credit check. When to charge sales tax. Where your license number has to be printed. And the deadlines that protect your right to get paid. Every number links to the official page it came from, with the date we last checked it.
28 pages across 11 states, every one checked by a person against the official page. 305 official pages watched for changes every month. More states are being added.
Things that catch people out
One line from each state page. The rules are not what most people expect.
The whole rule for the residential R-11 is one sentence. It lets you install and repair residential electrical systems, and nothing else is written down. The commercial C-11 runs to a paragraph and stops at 600 volts.
A C-10 with no employees can still file the no-employee workers' comp exemption. The five trades that cannot are concrete, asbestos abatement, heating and air, roofing, and tree service. That door closes for every trade on January 1, 2028.
There is no credit score to hit. Instead you send a credit report from a recognized credit bureau, dated within the last 12 months, showing liens, judgments, lawsuits and bankruptcies.
HVAC licenses renew by November 30 of odd-numbered years. Plumbing licenses renew in even years. A person who holds both renews in different years.
The licenses renew on different clocks. Journeyman and master renew every year by 31 December. The contractor license runs three years, also to 31 December.
The state sets no insurance minimum to hold the license. Customers, builders and city permit offices will still ask for a certificate.
Pick your state
Each page covers one state and one trade. These are the states we have finished. We are working through the rest, and a page only appears here once a person has checked every figure on it.
The numbers side by side
The three figures that decide your first-year costs. Open a page for the rest, and for where each number came from.
| State and trade | Insurance you must carry | Workers' comp | State bond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Electrical | No state minimum | Required | Credit check instead |
| Arizona HVAC | No state minimum | Required | Credit check instead |
| Arizona Plumbing | No state minimum | Required | Credit check instead |
| California Electrical | No state minimum | Required | Credit check instead |
| California HVAC | No state minimum | Required | Credit check instead |
| California Plumbing | No state minimum | Required | Credit check instead |
| Florida Electrical | $100,000 | Required | Credit check instead |
| Florida HVAC | $100,000 | Required | Credit check instead |
Guides that cover every state
The questions that come up whatever state you are in, answered with one table each.
Sales tax on labor for plumbers and HVAC contractors by state
Which states tax the work itself, which tax only the parts, and how a repair differs from a new install.
Tools you can use today
Ask a subcontractor for proof of insurance
Type in a few details and get a ready-to-send letter with the right coverage amounts for your state. It runs in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.
A printable checklist for your state
Every state page has a checklist you can print or tick off on your phone: the license steps, the insurance to buy, the forms to file, and the dates to watch.
How we keep the numbers right
- We read the official page. Every number on this site comes from a state board, a state tax office, or the law itself. The link sits right next to the number.
- A person checks it before it goes live. The figures that could cost you money, such as the insurance minimum, the bond, and the deadlines, are checked one by one. The date of that check is printed at the top of the page.
- A program watches for changes. Once a month it re-reads all 305 official pages we rely on. If one changed, we look again and update the page and the date.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and point us to the official page that shows the new number. New to all this? Read how a page works.