License check
To verify a Texas HVAC contractor, search their license number on the TDLR license search and confirm three things: the license is active, it is an air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license with the Environmental Air Conditioning endorsement, and the name matches the company on your contract.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses these contractors. The license number must be printed on their proposals and invoices, so it should already be on your quote.
The TDLR license search takes a license type, license number, name (Last, First, or the business name), city, county or ZIP. It covers active licenses only, so "no result" can mean a license has expired. TDLR, read 2026-10-20.
A Class A license allows work on any size unit. A Class B license allows work on cooling systems of 25 tons and under and heating systems of 1.5 million Btu/hour and under. Either class can cover a typical house.
TDLR, contractor license, read 2026-10-20
Home comfort systems fall under the Environmental Air Conditioning endorsement: treating air to control temperature, humidity, cleanliness, ventilation and circulation for human comfort. Commercial Refrigeration and Process Cooling or Heating are separate endorsements.
TDLR; Occupations Code §1302.002, read 2026-10-20
At all times during the license period, a Class A contractor must carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 products and completed operations; a Class B contractor at least $100,000, $200,000 and $100,000.
16 Tex. Admin. Code §75.40, read 2026-10-20
Licenses are valid for one year from issue. Contractors complete eight hours of approved continuing education each renewal, one hour of it on Texas laws and rules.
TDLR, ACR continuing education, read 2026-10-20
Technicians who work under a contractor hold their own TDLR registration or certification; the contractor license is the one that matters for the company you hire.
Texas issues two classes of air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license, and the difference is the size of system the holder may work on, not the quality of the work.
| Class | Cooling limit | Heating limit | Minimum liability insurance | Covers a house? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | No limit | No limit | $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, $300,000 products and completed operations | Yes |
| Class B | 25 tons and under | 1.5 million Btu/h and under | $100,000 per occurrence, $200,000 aggregate, $100,000 products and completed operations | Yes |
A home system is typically 1.5 to 5 tons, far inside the Class B limit, so either class is enough for residential work. What matters more is the endorsement: residential comfort cooling and heating is the Environmental Air Conditioning endorsement. Commercial Refrigeration and Process Cooling or Heating are separate endorsements.
A Class A license allows work on any size unit. A Class B license allows work on cooling systems of 25 tons and under and heating systems of 1.5 million Btu/hour and under. TDLR, contractor license; insurance: 16 Tex. Admin. Code §75.40, read 2026-10-20.
The licensee’s number must appear on all advertising, proposals and invoices, an invoice is required for all ACR work, and proposals, invoices and written contracts must carry the notice “Regulated by The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, Texas 78711, 1-800-803-9202, 512-463-6599; www.tdlr.texas.gov”.
A proposal without the license number or the notice is worth a question before you sign.
16 Tex. Admin. Code §75.71 (Cornell LII mirror of the Texas Administrative Code), read 2026-10-20.
Tick what you have confirmed yourself. For each item, say whether you saw it on an official record or only heard it from the contractor. This checklist does not certify anyone; it records what you checked. Nothing is saved or sent.
Nothing checked yet.
Once the license checks out, work through the questions to ask an HVAC installer.
Complaints against a licensee are filed with TDLR online or by mail. File a TDLR complaint.
The TDLR license is valid across Texas. Cities add their own layer: Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, Richardson, Carrollton and Grand Prairie are among those that require the contractor to register with the city before a permit is issued. TDLR adopted amended ACR rules effective 1 September 2026, moving the state’s adopted model codes from the 2021 to the 2024 editions. Cities enforce their own adopted codes; Dallas’s current set is the 2021 codes with local amendments.
TDLR rule adoption notice, read 2026-10-20.
The TDLR result is short, and each field answers a different question. Read it in this order.
| Field on the record | The question it answers | What to do if it looks wrong |
|---|---|---|
| License type | Is this an air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license, or something else (a technician registration, another trade)? | Ask who holds the contractor license for the company. |
| Name | Who holds it: an individual, or a business name. | Ask the company to explain, in writing, how that licensee is connected to it. |
| License number | Does it match the number printed on your quote? | A mismatch is worth a direct question before anything else. |
| Class and endorsement | Class A or B, and whether it carries the Environmental Air Conditioning endorsement for home comfort systems. | A Commercial Refrigeration or Process endorsement alone does not cover home comfort work. |
| Expiration date | Will it be current on the day the work is done? | Licenses run one year. If it expires before your install date, ask about renewal. |
| Location (city, county) | Where the licensee is based. | Not a problem on its own; the license is statewide. Check city registration separately. |
The exact labels on TDLR's page may differ from this table. What matters is that each question gets an answer from the record itself, not from the contractor.
The license search does not show insurance, but Texas rules require it. At all times during the license period, a Class A contractor must carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 products and completed operations; a Class B contractor at least $100,000, $200,000 and $100,000. Here is how to check it yourself.
Verify: this page does not state whether Texas requires HVAC contractors to carry workers' compensation; we did not confirm it on an official page. Ask the contractor and, if it matters to you, your own insurer.
Invented examples to show how the checks play out. None describes a real company.
Say a quote comes from "North Dallas Comfort LLC", and its license number returns an individual, J. Smith. That can be normal: the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses air conditioning and refrigeration (ACR) contractors, and ACR companies must employ a licensed ACR contractor at each permanent location. The next step is to ask the company, in writing, whether J. Smith is its licensed contractor at the location doing your job. A clear answer and matching paperwork settle it.
Say the number on a door hanger returns nothing. The TDLR license search takes a license type, license number, name (Last, First, or the business name), city, county or ZIP. It covers active licenses only, so "no result" can mean a license has expired. Try the name instead, in Last, First form and as the business name. If neither finds an active license, ask the contractor for the exact holder and number. If it still cannot be found, treat the contractor as unverified.
Say a Fort Worth company has an active license and quotes a job in Richardson. The license is valid statewide. Richardson's page says contractors register before a permit is issued, so ask whether they are registered there, or will be before work starts.
Say a relative offers to install your system cheaply. The licensing chapter does not apply to a person doing ACR work in a building owned solely by that person as their home (Texas Occupations Code §1302.053). The statute describes work by the owner in their own home; it does not say that someone else working for you is covered. Before a relative or friend does ACR work on your system, ask TDLR whether they need a license, and ask your city whether the work needs a licensed contractor on the permit.
Complaints against a licensee are filed with TDLR online or by mail. Before you file, gather what TDLR will need to understand the problem:
A TDLR complaint concerns the licensee's conduct under the licensing law. It is not a way to recover money; for a billing or contract dispute, or equipment warranty problems, other routes may apply. The consumer notice on your paperwork gives TDLR's mailing address and phone numbers, so keep a copy with your records.
TDLR complaint page, read 2026-10-20.
To weigh contractors against each other once each one checks out, use the quote comparison guide.
Use the TDLR license search at tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch. Choose the air conditioning and refrigeration license type and search by license number or business name. The search shows active licenses only.
An air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license from TDLR, Class A or Class B, with the Environmental Air Conditioning endorsement. Class B covers cooling systems of 25 tons and under.
Not necessarily. The search covers active licenses only, so an expired license will not show, and the license may be held under an individual’s name rather than the company’s. Ask the contractor for the exact name and number, search again, and if it still does not appear, ask TDLR.
The licensing chapter does not apply to work in a building owned solely by the person as their home (Occupations Code §1302.053). Cities still require a permit and inspection, and may require a homestead affidavit.
Not on the TDLR search. Ask for a certificate of insurance and call the insurer listed on it to confirm the policy is current.
Every year. Licenses are valid for one year from issue, and contractors complete eight hours of approved continuing education each renewal. Check the expiration date close to your install date.
File it with TDLR online or by mail through its complaints page. Include the license number, your contract and invoice, dates, the permit number and photos.
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