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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 / Massachusetts

How to become an HVAC technician in Massachusetts

Massachusetts does not license individual HVAC technicians. You learn on the job or in school, and the Sheet metal / HVAC licensing (DPL) licenses HVAC contractors who run their own business.1

51registered apprenticeship programs$37.16median an hour in Massachusetts

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 MA
51 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 MA
8 schools with programs
Compare 8 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

    To bid and contract on your own you need a HVAC contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    Sheet metal / HVAC licensing (DPL)
    Massachusetts contractor license
Pay once you're working

$77,300

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Massachusetts ($37.16 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Boston–Cambridge$37.75
  2. Springfield$36.79
  3. Worcester$35.48
  4. Amherst Town–Northampton$35.27
  5. Barnstable Town$35.25
Massachusetts median $37.16 an hour

Questions

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

Check the Sheet metal / HVAC licensing (DPL) before you bid work on your own.1

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Massachusetts?

Projections Central expects about 800 HVAC technician openings a year in Massachusetts through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Massachusetts

Sources

  1. Sheet metal / HVAC licensing (DPL) (mass.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Massachusetts, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)