HVAC Contractor - Class A Unlimited

Arkansas HVAC Contractor — Class A Unlimited License

The Arkansas HVACR Licensing Board's Class A Unlimited license authorizes HVAC contracting with no limits on system capacity — no ceiling on cooling tonnage, heating BTU input, or refrigeration horsepower. The annual license fee is $200, with 4 hours of continuing education required each calendar year.

No tonnage or horsepower cap

Class A is defined by the HVACR rules as authorizing work "without limitation to BTUH or horsepower capacities." Class B contractors are capped at 15 tons of cooling and 15 HP of refrigeration per unit. Systems above those limits — large commercial rooftop units, chilled-water systems, industrial refrigeration — require Class A.

$200 license fee — same at initial issuance and renewal

The HVACR Board charges a single $200 annual fee that applies at both first-time licensing and each subsequent renewal. There is no separate application charge beyond the exam fee charged by the testing provider.

Four CE hours per calendar year — two must be on the mechanical code

Renewal requires 4 hours of board-approved continuing education each calendar year. The HVACR rules specify that 2 of those 4 hours must cover the mechanical code as adopted by the board. The remaining 2 hours may be any board-approved instruction. Hours from a prior calendar year do not carry forward.

$250,000 general liability — proof filed at issuance and every renewal

All Class A licensees must maintain minimum $250,000 general liability coverage and submit proof to the HVACR Board at initial issuance and at each annual renewal. Workers' compensation is required under Arkansas employer law if you have employees.

The $10,000 surety bond is an ACLB requirement, not HVACR

The HVACR rules contain no bond requirement. The $10,000 surety bond applies if you also take on commercial contracting work totaling $50,000 or more in labor and materials — that triggers a separate ACLB Commercial Contractor license, which carries the bond under A.C.A. §17-25-401. HVAC-only projects below the $50,000 ACLB threshold do not require the bond.

Two years of HVACR experience, then pass the Class A exam

Applicants must have at least 2 years of experience as an HVACR contractor or as an employee of one, then pass the board-approved Class A examination. Out-of-state licensees may qualify for reciprocity without re-examination.