Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / HVAC Technicians / Michigan

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

Home / HVAC Technicians / Michigan

How to become an HVAC technician in Michigan

Michigan does not license individual HVAC technicians. You learn on the job or in school, and the LARA BCC licenses HVAC contractors who run their own business.1

33registered apprenticeship programs$29.26median an hour in Michigan

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 MI
33 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 MI
19 schools with programs
Compare 19 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

    3 years under a licensed mechanical contractor (or 3 years military, or program graduate plus 2 years); exam required.

    Issued by
    LARA BCC - Plumbing / Mechanical Boards
    Michigan contractor license
Pay once you're working

$60,850

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Michigan ($29.26 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Ann Arbor$36.06
  2. Detroit–Warren$30.37
  3. Kalamazoo–Portage$29.46
  4. Traverse City$29.13
  5. Lansing–East Lansing$29.06
Michigan median $29.26 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Michigan licenses HVAC contractors through the LARA BCC.2

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Michigan?

Projections Central expects about 1,360 HVAC technician openings a year in Michigan through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Michigan

Sources

  1. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes (legislature.mi.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. LARA BCC - Plumbing / Mechanical Boards contractor licensing (michigan.gov)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Michigan, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)