by 
Texas HVAC licenses are not much different than in other states, but the state offers 2 types of certification:
- one for environmental air conditioning
- one for commercial refrigeration and process cooling or heating.
In order to get the HVAC license, you will need to pass an exam and finish a related program.
Read on for the things you need to know regarding licensing.
Article Table of Contents
HVAC Licenses in Texas
Class A and B licenses enable you to work in heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration.
The first type allows you to work on systems of any size, while the second one is for units lighter than 25 tons.
You can choose to take the certification program online or offline, by contacting the schools below.
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Austin Community College District | 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd Austin, Texas 78752 |
| Cedar Valley College | 3030 North Dallas Ave Lancaster, Texas 75134 |
| Central Texas College | 6200 West Central Texas Expressway Killeen, Texas 76549 |
| Cisco College | 101 College Heights Cisco, Texas 76437 |
| Clarendon College | 1122 College Drive Clarendon, Texas 79226 |
| Del Mar College | 101 Baldwin Blvd. Corpus Christi, Texas 78404 |
| Eastfield College | 3737 Motley Dr Mesquite, Texas 75150 |
| El Paso Community College | 9050 Viscount Blvd El Paso, Texas 79925 |
| Everest College | 300 Six Flags Drive Arlington, Texas 76011 |
| Everest Institute | 9100 US Hwy 290 East, Bldg 1-Ste 100 Austin, Texas 78724 |
| Galveston College | 4015 Ave Q Galveston, Texas 77550 |
| Grayson College | 6101 Grayson Drive Denison, Texas 75020 |
| Houston Community College | 3100 Main Street Houston, Texas 77002 |
| Kaplan College | 1900 North Expressway Brownsville, Texas 78521 |
| Kilgore College | 1100 Broadway Kilgore, Texas 75662 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology | 855 E Lavaca Beaumont, Texas 77705 |
| Laredo Community College | West End Washington St Laredo, Texas 78040 |
| Lee College | 511 S Whiting Baytown, Texas 77520 |
| Lincoln College of Technology | 2915 Alouette Drive Grand Prairie, Texas 75052 |
| Lone Star College System | 5000 Research Forest Drive The Woodlands, Texas 77381 |
| North Lake College | 5001 North MacArthur Blvd. Irving, Texas 75038 |
| Paris Junior College | 2400 Clarksville St Paris, Texas 75460 |
| San Jacinto Community College | 8060 Spencer Hwy Pasadena, Texas 77501 |
| South Plains College | 1401 S. College Ave Levelland, Texas 79336 |
| South Texas Vocational Technical Institute | 734 SE Military San Antonio, Texas 78216 |
| Southwest Texas Junior College | 2401 Garner Field Rd Uvalde, Texas 78801 |
These licenses are also known as TACLA and TACLB, which are abbreviations for “Texas Air Conditioning License (Class) A” and Texas Air Conditioning License (Class) B.”.
HVAC License Requirements in Texas
The requirements are:
- Be 18 years of age
- Become registered as an ACR tech
- An experience of 4 years in HVAC systems while being supervised by a licensed tech
- Submit an application for the ACR contractors test
- Choose the license type
- Take the ACR contractors license test
To take the HVAC license exam, you need to be 18 years old, have 3 years of experience and pay a $115 fee.
After you get licensed, you will need to get proper liability insurance before starting a project.
ACR Certification Exam
In order to take the exam, you first need to be approved, after which you can schedule it with the PSI.
Class A Exams include 120 questions and last for 4 hours
Class B Exams include 100 questions and have a duration of 3 hours.
This exam requires a 70% passing score.
The topics covered in the exam are:
- absorption systems,
- basic refrigeration components,
- boilers,
- business and law,
- combustion air,
- controls,
- design and responsibility,
- equipment requirements,
- heat loads,
- HVAC systems,
- piping,
- pressure relief protection,
- refrigeration principles,
- service,
- testing,
- ventilation and venting.
The environmental air tests feature similar questions but focused more on the environment.
Career opportunities
Texas’ HVAC job prospects will see a 30% increase in the following years.
The median salary in Texas is $45,889 per year, with the range reaching $51,996 per year for the top-paid technicians.
The median salary across the country is $46,731 per year, with the range reaching $52,951 per year for the top-paid technicians.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Houston | $47,899 |
| San Antonio | $45,441 |
| Dallas | $46,280 |
| Austin | $45,960 |
| Fort Worth | $45,535 |
| El Paso | $40,874 |
| Arlington | $45,460 |
| Corpus Christi | $43,338 |
| Plano | $46,081 |
| Laredo | $41,390 |
Regional Salary in Texas
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene, TX | 210 | $43,210 | $20.78 | $57,690 | $29,540 |
| Amarillo, TX | 300 | $48,230 | $23.19 | $65,310 | $34,430 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 2,860 | $52,470 | $25.23 | $75,780 | $36,610 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 420 | $49,740 | $23.92 | $70,860 | $34,790 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 280 | $40,040 | $19.25 | $55,790 | $27,560 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 280 | $47,270 | $22.73 | $62,130 | $35,360 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 520 | $48,540 | $23.34 | $65,090 | $34,420 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 10,230 | $54,840 | $26.36 | $78,670 | $36,810 |
| El Paso, TX | 710 | $44,670 | $21.48 | $59,190 | $29,330 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 6,610 | $53,900 | $25.91 | $77,250 | $36,250 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 420 | $46,530 | $22.37 | $67,580 | $30,560 |
| Laredo, TX | 130 | $44,700 | $21.49 | $64,990 | $29,060 |
| Longview, TX | 200 | $46,560 | $22.39 | $61,280 | $33,890 |
| Lubbock, TX | 430 | $46,520 | $22.37 | $62,200 | $30,620 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 360 | $44,470 | $21.38 | $59,500 | $30,030 |
| Midland, TX | 230 | $53,520 | $25.73 | $76,790 | $30,980 |
| Odessa, TX | 120 | $50,900 | $24.47 | $70,310 | $36,310 |
| San Angelo, TX | 120 | $45,140 | $21.7 | $58,340 | $31,140 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 2,630 | $50,120 | $24.1 | $68,510 | $34,940 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 190 | $45,130 | $21.7 | $61,090 | $29,380 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 130 | $46,800 | $22.5 | $64,980 | $30,760 |
| Tyler, TX | 230 | $51,010 | $24.53 | $74,680 | $35,110 |
| Victoria, TX | 70 | $46,460 | $22.34 | $66,540 | $35,250 |
| Waco, TX | 390 | $47,760 | $22.96 | $61,990 | $32,550 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 130 | $45,920 | $22.08 | $63,050 | $29,380 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Conclusion
If you get trained and develop your skills, you will be able to start a successful career in this lucrative industry.
Read the full guide: How to Become an HVAC Technician
HVAC Schools by City
HVAC Schools by State