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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 / Washington

How to become an HVAC technician in Washington

Washington does not license individual HVAC technicians. You learn on the job or in school, and the WA L&I registers HVAC contractors who run their own business.1

6registered apprenticeship programs$36.38median an hour in Washington

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 WA
6 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 WA
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. Electrical specialty 6B (HVAC/refrigeration, restricted)2,000 hrs
  3. Electrical specialty 06A (HVAC/refrigeration)4,000 hrs
  4. Run your own shop

    Registration: none. Electrician 06A: 4,000 hours + 48 classroom hours; 06B: 2,000 hours + 24 hours.

    Issued by
    WA L&I - Contractor Registration
    Washington contractor license
Pay once you're working

$75,660

a year is the median for HVAC technicians in Washington ($36.38 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Seattle–Tacoma$38.51
  2. Mount Vernon–Anacortes$37.02
  3. Olympia–Lacey$36.66
  4. Kennewick–Richland$36.38
  5. Bremerton–Silverdale$35.89
Washington median $36.38 an hour

Questions

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

Washington requires HVAC contractors to register with the WA L&I.3

Are HVAC technicians in demand in Washington?

Projections Central expects about 930 HVAC technician openings a year in Washington through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for HVAC technicians in Washington

Sources

  1. WA L&I (lni.wa.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. WA L&I: experience requirements (lni.wa.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. WA L&I - Contractor Registration contractor licensing (app.leg.wa.gov, 2026-10-27)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Washington, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)