HVAC licenses in Washington, explained

1. Contractor registration (HVAC/R)

L&I names HVAC among the 63 specialties that require contractor registration. (L&I) The HVAC/R specialty covers fabricating, installing, servicing and maintaining heating and cooling equipment, including duct work, air filtering, controls and insulation. (WAC 296-200A-016)

A registered specialty contractor posts a $15,000 bond, a general contractor $30,000, and carries $200,000 public liability plus $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined. (L&I)

2. Electrical: the 06A and 06B specialties

• 06A, HVAC/refrigeration: no voltage, phase or amperage limit. It covers low-voltage control wiring, line-voltage parts inside the equipment, and supply whips up to six feet. It does not cover branch circuits, feeders, panelboards, or disconnects outside the equipment, apart from a narrow like-in-kind replacement exception. (WAC 296-46B-920)
• 06B, HVAC/refrigeration restricted: the same idea with added limits, and no work where the primary power connection exceeds 250 volts single phase or 120 amps. (WAC 296-46B-920)
• Training: 06A takes 4,000 hours of experience; 06B takes 2,000. (L&I)

A business doing that electrical work also needs an L&I electrical contractor license with a $4,000 bond and a designated master electrician or administrator. (RCW 19.28.041, read Oct 17, 2026) If the job needs a new circuit or a panel change, that falls outside 06A and 06B, so ask who on the crew is licensed for it.

3. Refrigerant: EPA Section 608

Federal rules require technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerant to pass an EPA-approved test. The certification types are Type I (small appliances), Type II (high and very-high pressure), Type III (low pressure) and Universal. The credential does not expire. Apprentices are exempt only under close, continual supervision by a certified technician. (EPA)

What the bond pays

The $15,000 or $30,000 registration bond pays unpaid wages, taxes and suppliers, plus amounts a court awards for breach of contract, including improper work. A homeowner has two years from substantial completion or abandonment to sue, and the bond never pays out more than its face amount. (RCW 18.27.040, read Oct 17, 2026)

Doing it yourself

Washington's owner exemption lets you do electrical work at your own home without a license, unless it is new construction for rent, sale or lease, or you sell within 12 months. (RCW 19.28.261) Olympia still requires a permit for all mechanical work, furnace replacement included. (Olympia)

How to check

1. Look up the registration and the electrical contractor license on L&I Verify.
2. Ask which technician holds the 06A or 06B certificate, and whether that person is on your job.
3. Ask to see the EPA 608 card for whoever handles refrigerant.

Then use the HVAC hiring questions, or pick a contractor from the list.