Home / HVAC Technicians / Maine
Home / HVAC Technicians / Maine
How to become an HVAC technician in Maine
Maine licenses HVAC technicians at the state level through the Maine Fuel Board.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.
Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In ME
- 7 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In ME
- 7 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
Start as an apprentice or trainee$40 registration
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
- Issued by
- Maine Fuel Board
- Cost
- $40 registration
Journeyman license1 yrlicense $100
1 year as a licensed apprentice; or a board-approved 160-hour course (75 lab hours) plus 6 months as a licensed apprentice; or a one-year accredited community college heating course of 320 hours (150 lab hours)
- Time
- 1 yr
- Cost
- license $100
master solid fuel2 yrs
2 years as a licensed apprentice solid fuel technician
- Time
- 2 yrs
master oil burner4 yrs
4 years of licensed experience, at least 2 as a licensed journeyman
- Time
- 4 yrs
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a HVAC contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Electricians' Examining Board (OPOR)
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Maine license.
$63,170
a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Maine ($30.37 an hour, May 2025).4
Pay by city and percentile- Lewiston–Auburn$32.30
- Portland–South Portland$30.81
- Bangor$29.53
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as an HVAC technician in Maine?
Check the Electricians' Examining Board (OPOR) before you bid work on your own.2
Are HVAC technicians in demand in Maine?
Projections Central expects about 190 HVAC technician openings a year in Maine through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3
Find an apprenticeship near you
7 registered programs in Maine. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for HVAC technicians in Maine
Sources
- Maine Fuel Board (maine.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Electricians' Examining Board (OPOR) (www1.maine.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Maine, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)