Do HVAC contractors need a license in Rhode Island?

Yes. In Rhode Island, a person must hold a mechanical trades license from the department of labor and training to contract for or advertise the installation, repair or servicing of pipefitting, refrigeration and air conditioning, or air distribution systems. The mechanical trades chapter covers heating, cooling and air distribution systems; licenses include master pipefitting, master refrigeration and master sheet metal contractor. A master holding a license under the chapter may do sheet metal work only up to 10 tons of air handling or 250,000 BTUs of heating, and must subcontract larger sheet metal work to a licensed sheet metal contractor. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 28-27-1, 28-27-4, 28-27-5.

WhatRhode Island
HVAC licenseState mechanical trades license (refrigeration/AC)

Source

R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 28-27-1, 28-27-4, 28-27-5

Read the statute in the Rhode Island General Laws (Rhode Island General Assembly): webserver.rilegislature.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps each license with its issuing state, its expiry date and the last four digits of its number, and the business is warned before one lapses — on the website and both phone apps. A customer finding a pro on Seayora sees whether a license is on file.

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