HVAC licensing in Michigan

There is no Michigan card to bring, because Michigan creates no HVAC journeyman or master license at all — we read the whole mechanical article of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act and neither word appears in it once. The one instrument is the MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR'S LICENSE, per work classification, and MCL 339.5809(1) is satisfied when 'the person... or an employee of the person' holds it — so the company complies through its designated license holder and the crew needs nothing personal.

Michigan states its own reciprocity position flatly: it does NOT reciprocate with any state — but out-of-state EXPERIENCE counts toward the 3-year/6,000-hour bar, which is the half people misread.

Nothing pending for a crew tech — no personal card exists. The one timing rule worth knowing is the company's: if the contractor of record leaves, the business has 90 DAYS to designate another license holder. That is a continuity rule, not a work permit — never present it as one.

Contractor-level, per classification: 3 years or 6,000 hours IN EACH classification applied for, proven by employer statements signed under penalty of perjury, with a cross-classification ladder that opens related classes after 3 years licensed. Out-of-state experience counts; the Michigan exam is never waived. Your personal floor is EPA 608.

No apprentice card exists in the mechanical article — time is banked as an employee and proven later by the employer's sworn statement. A 2-year program completion and qualifying military service are recognized routes toward the contractor exam.

None can exist — statutory preemption, in words: 'a municipality shall not establish or maintain local licensing requirements' for the mechanical classifications (MCL 339.5811). One state answer covers every Michigan city. Municipal building PERMITS still apply — preemption removes the local license, not the local permit.

The mechanical contractor's license is issued per CLASSIFICATION — HVAC equipment (which excludes window units under 1.5 hp), hydronic, limited heating service by BTU band, limited refrigeration and A/C service, process piping and more — so confirm the company holds the class that covers the job. Two provisions written for our world: a plant's in-house QUALIFIED MAINTENANCE CREW is expressly contemplated (339.5809(5)), and security-alarm licensees may service HVAC thermostats with no mechanical license at all.

A 1099 individual performing regulated work needs the license personally.