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Two workers in hard hats fitting a rectangular duct between floor framing, seen from above

Home / HVAC Technicians / Kentucky

How to become an HVAC technician in Kentucky

Most HVAC technicians in Kentucky start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

4registered apprenticeship programs$28.18median an hour in Kentucky

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 KY
4 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 KY
17 schools with programs
Compare 17 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. Work as an HVAC technician

    Median pay in Kentucky is $28.18 an hour.

    HVAC Technician pay in Kentucky
  3. Run your own shop

    Affidavit from supervising master HVAC contractor

    Issued by
    Dept of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - HVAC
    Kentucky contractor license
Pay once you're working

$58,620

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Kentucky ($28.18 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Lexington–Fayette$28.98
  2. Owensboro$28.88
  3. Louisville/Jefferson County$28.33
  4. Paducah$27.22
  5. Elizabethtown$26.80
Kentucky median $28.18 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Kentucky licenses HVAC contractors through the Dept of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC).1

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Kentucky?

Projections Central expects about 580 HVAC technician openings a year in Kentucky through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Kentucky

Sources

  1. Dept of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - HVAC contractor licensing (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Kentucky, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)