Home / HVAC Technicians / Alabama
Home / HVAC Technicians / Alabama
How to become an HVAC technician in Alabama
3,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.2 Alabama licenses HVAC technicians through the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors.1
Pick your way in
Every route ends at the same place: 3,000 logged hours and the state exam.
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In AL
- 13 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In AL
- 10 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed HVAC contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Journeyman license from the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors.
Start as an apprentice or trainee
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
- Issued by
- Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
Log 3,000 hours3,000 hrs
About 2 years of full-time work under a licensed HVAC technician. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.
- Issued by
- Your employer signs off
- Time
- 3,000 hrs
Pass the journeyman exam$175 exam
Apply to the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors with your hours, then book the exam.
- Issued by
- Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Cost
- $175 exam
Keep it currentEvery year$220 renewal
Renew every year. At least 4 hours every year
- Issued by
- Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Time
- Every year
- Cost
- $220 renewal
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a HVAC contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
$48,370
a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Alabama ($23.26 an hour, May 2025).4
Pay by city and percentile- Huntsville$24.01
- Decatur$23.44
- Birmingham$23.43
- Montgomery$23.40
- Tuscaloosa$23.29
Questions
How long does it take to become an HVAC technician in Alabama?
About 2 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 3,000 hours of supervised experience.2
Do you need a license to work on your own as an HVAC technician in Alabama?
Check the Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors before you bid work on your own.1
Are HVAC technicians in demand in Alabama?
Projections Central expects about 780 HVAC technician openings a year in Alabama through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3
Find an apprenticeship near you
13 registered programs in Alabama. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for HVAC technicians in Alabama
Sources
- Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (hacr.alabama.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors: experience requirements (hacr.alabama.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Alabama, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)