How to become an HVAC technician in New Jersey

New Jersey licenses HVAC technicians at the state level through HVACR.¹ You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

Pick your way in

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

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

Get hired as a helper by a licensed HVAC contractor and log hours on the job.

Start as an apprentice or trainee
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
Issued by
New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Contractors
Compare the ways in
Master HVACR contractor license
One of four routes: a four-year DOL-approved HVACR apprenticeship plus one year as a journeyperson under a licensed master; a bachelor's degree in HVACR plus one year; a related bachelor's degree plus three years; or a two-year trade degree with two years of apprenticeship plus one year

Already logging hours?

Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the New Jersey license.

Pay once you're working

$74,450

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in New Jersey ($35.79 an hour, May 2025).⁴

New Jersey median $35.79 an hour

Check the NJ HVACR Contractors Board before you bid work on your own.¹

Projections Central expects about 1,090 HVAC technician openings a year in New Jersey through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.³

Next step

361 registered programs in New Jersey. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.