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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Two workers in hard hats fitting a rectangular duct between floor framing, seen from above

Home / HVAC Technicians / Colorado

How to become an HVAC technician in Colorado

Colorado has no state license or exam for individual HVAC technicians; cities and counties license them. Colorado has no state HVAC contractor license either. Denver does not accept or reciprocate contractor licenses or certificates from other counties or states; a Colorado state electrical or plumbing license substitutes for a Denver supervisor certificate.2

17registered apprenticeship programs$31.35median an hour in Colorado

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In CO
17 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In CO
7 schools with programs
Compare 7 schools
Helper

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
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Run your own shop

    Colorado has no state HVAC contractor license. Cities and counties license HVAC contractors, so check with the building department where you work.

    Issued by
    City or county
    Licensing in Colorado
Pay once you're working

$65,200

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Colorado ($31.35 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Denver–Aurora$34.41
  2. Boulder$34.17
  3. Fort Collins–Loveland$31.87
  4. Greeley$29.82
  5. Colorado Springs$29.55
Colorado median $31.35 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an HVAC technician in Colorado?

Colorado has no state HVAC contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Colorado?

Projections Central expects about 1,120 HVAC technician openings a year in Colorado through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

17 registered programs in Colorado. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Colorado

Sources

  1. City or county building department (denvergov.org, 2026-10-27)
  2. City or county building department: local journeyman licenses (denvergov.org, 2026-10-27)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Colorado, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)