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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / HVAC Technicians / New York

How to become an HVAC technician in New York

New York has no state license for individual HVAC technicians; cities and counties license them. The state licenses HVAC contractors through the NYC Dept of Buildings (master plumber/electrician/oil burner).1

28registered apprenticeship programs$35.78median an hour in New York

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 NY
28 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 NY
13 schools with programs
Compare 13 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

    Class A: 4 years within the prior 7 installing oil-burning equipment under a licensed Class A installer; Class B: 3 years within the prior 5.

    Issued by
    NYC Dept of Buildings (master plumber/electrician/oil burner)
    New York contractor license
Pay once you're working

$74,430

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in New York ($35.78 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. New York–Newark$37.50
  2. Syracuse$32.02
  3. Albany–Schenectady$31.75
  4. Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie$31.50
  5. Rochester$30.56
New York median $35.78 an hour

Questions

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

New York has no state HVAC contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.1

Are HVAC technicians in demand in New York?

Projections Central expects about 2,060 HVAC technician openings a year in New York through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in New York

Sources

  1. NYC Department of Buildings (city only (nyc.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New York, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)