Pathway lookup
HVAC/R in North Carolina
These pages summarize rules to help you plan. They are not legal advice. Before you place students at a work site or change a program, check with your state agency, your district's counsel and your insurance carrier.
In short
North Carolina HVACR students earn NC NCCER levels and EPA 608, and coursework can count toward a heating license; attic or rooftop work by minors needs an approved arrangement.
State program: HVAC pathway, Construction cluster: IC00, IC31 HVACR I Honors, IC32, IC33
What a high school can deliver
NC NCCER HVACR levels, OSHA-10 and EPA 608, plus coursework that can count toward heating license experience; the license exam waits until 18.
Credentials students can earn
NC NCCER HVACR I-III; Construction Core; OSHA-10; EPA 608 (no age floor)
Age and hour requirements
Heating contractor license exam at 18; 2 years of on-site experience, up to half from academic or technical coursework. EPA 608 has no age floor.
Other agencies involved
None for the program. State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors licenses at 18; NCDOL approves Supervised Practice agreements (about 60 days).
Who can teach it
Initial Professional License, CTE Restricted route, 74026 Construction (HVAC experience qualifies; no provisional): 2/4/6 years by degree; OSHA-10 Construction before teaching; NCCER instructor certification.
Child labor rules for work placements
Youth employment certificate for every minor. 13 NCAC 12 .0406 bars 10-foot falls and, per profile, confined spaces and respirator work unless apprentice, student-learner or NCDOL Supervised Practice; whether attics and crawl spaces count is open. HO 16, 8, 14 need student-learner terms; HO 7 barred.
College credit after high school
No HVACR row in the HS-to-CC Articulation Agreement; credit through CCP or local agreements; up to half of heating license experience may be coursework.
Where to go next
- The full HVAC/R guide, showing North Carolina
- The North Carolina state profile
- Add this pathway to your plan
HVAC/R in other states
Other pathways in North Carolina
- Nurse Aide / Patient Care
- EMT
- Electrical
- Welding
- Construction and Carpentry
- Cybersecurity / Networking
- Programming / Computer Science
- Automotive
- Medical and Dental Assisting
- Cosmetology
- Agriculture
- Early Childhood Education
- Culinary and Hospitality
- Machining and Mechatronics
- Engineering and Drafting
- Firefighting
- Law, Public Safety and Corrections
- Business Management and Marketing
- Entrepreneurship
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