Short answer: Exchange lists 8 HVAC contractors in British Columbia. Gas and refrigeration work in BC is regulated under the Safety Standards Act: the contracting company needs a Technical Safety BC contractor licence, and the work usually needs a permit. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, Gasfitter Class A and B and Sheet Metal Worker are compulsory trades, so workers must be certified or registered apprentices. Since March 8, 2024, new homes need at least one living space that can stay at or below 26°C.
- Contractor licence
- Gas and refrigeration contractors in British Columbia must hold a Technical Safety BC licence, renewed every year, and an expired licence is treated as suspended.
- Compulsory trades
- Since December 1, 2023, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, Gasfitter Class A and B and Sheet Metal Worker are compulsory trades: workers must be certified or registered apprentices.
- Local permit offices
- Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Kelowna and both North Vancouver jurisdictions issue some gas permits themselves. Technical Safety BC issues them everywhere else.
- Cooling rule
- The 2024 BC Building Code requires new dwelling units to have at least one living space that can stay at or below 26°C (permits applied for on or after March 8, 2024).
- Zero Carbon Step Code
- Since March 10, 2025, most new BC buildings must meet at least level EL-1 of the Zero Carbon Step Code, and local governments can require higher levels.
- Lien deadline
- Under the BC Builders Lien Act, a claim of lien must be filed within 45 days after a certificate of completion is issued or the head contract is completed, abandoned or terminated.
Who licenses HVAC contractors in British Columbia?
In British Columbia, Technical Safety BC licenses HVAC companies that do gas or refrigeration work under the Safety Standards Act. SkilledTradesBC certifies the individual tradespeople who do that work.
Technical Safety BC is an independent, not-for-profit organization that administers the Safety Standards Act for the Province. A company that installs or alters gas appliances needs a gas contractor licence. To get one, it must register its business name with BC Registries (sole proprietors trading under their own legal name are exempt) and post a surety bond that stays continually in force. Refrigeration work comes under a separate class REF licence. That licence needs a quality control program, a named quality control manager and a named refrigeration mechanic whose trade qualification is on file. Both licences are renewed every year. Technical Safety BC treats an expired licence as suspended, so the company cannot solicit or perform regulated work, and any permits tied to the licence are put on hold.
From January 1, 2026, class REF applicants and renewing licensees must submit a written quality control program manual. Existing licensees have until their 2027 renewal to file it. Ductwork, air balancing and controls work that involves no gas, refrigerant or electrical connection is not regulated under the Safety Standards Act. Even so, the people doing sheet metal work still fall under the provincial certification rules covered below. A business licence from the municipality where the work is done is a separate requirement on top of all of this, and many Lower Mainland cities have their own inspection and bylaw rules.
Which HVAC trades are compulsory in British Columbia?
British Columbia made seven electrical and mechanical trades compulsory under Skilled Trades Certification on December 1, 2023. Four of them cover most HVAC work: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, Gasfitter Class A, Gasfitter Class B and Sheet Metal Worker.
Anyone working in those trades in British Columbia must be either a certified journeyperson or an apprentice registered with SkilledTradesBC. A worker who is neither certified nor registered cannot legally do the work of these trades so contractors must register new hires as apprentices. The other compulsory trades are Construction Electrician, Industrial Electrician, Powerline Technician and Steamfitter/Pipefitter, and some HVAC firms also employ people in these. The Province has announced that Mobile Crane Operator and Tower Crane Operator will become compulsory on July 5, 2027. That change matters to mechanical contractors who lift rooftop units by crane.
Gas fitters have a second credential to hold. SkilledTradesBC lists a Class A apprenticeship of 3,000 hours of work-based training plus 20 weeks of technical training over two years, and a Class B certification is required before registering for Class A. Technical Safety BC also issues a gas fitter certificate of qualification under the Gas Safety Regulation. A Class A gas fitter may install and alter any gas system except vehicle fuel systems, under a permit. When you vet a crew, ask which certificates each installer holds, not just the company licence.
Which licences, permits and registrations apply in British Columbia?
| Requirement | Who issues it | When it applies | What it involves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas contractor licence | Technical Safety BC | Companies installing or altering gas appliances and systems | Registered business name, surety bond kept in force, annual renewal; an expired licence is treated as suspended |
| Refrigeration contractor licence (class REF) | Technical Safety BC | Companies working on regulated refrigeration equipment | Quality control program and manager, named refrigeration mechanic; QCP manual required from January 1, 2026 |
| Trade certification | SkilledTradesBC | Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, Gasfitter A and B, Sheet Metal Worker since December 1, 2023 | Worker must be a certified journeyperson or registered apprentice |
| Gas, refrigeration or electrical permit | Technical Safety BC or one of ten local governments | Most regulated installations and alterations | Permit pulled by the licensed contractor before work; inspection on completion |
| Building permit and step code compliance | Local building department | New construction and major renovations | 2024 BC Building Code, 26°C living space for new dwellings, Energy Step Code and at least EL-1 of the Zero Carbon Step Code |
| Refrigerant handling | Province of BC, B.C. Reg. 387/99 | Servicing air conditioning or refrigeration equipment | Approved person with environmental awareness course; no venting; leak test before charging |
How do I check an HVAC contractor in British Columbia before I sign?
7 checks, in order, using the British Columbia registers and rules described on this page:
- Search the company name or licence number on the Technical Safety BC Find a Licensed Contractor registry, and confirm it holds an active gas or class REF licence covering your equipment.
- Ask for the names of the installers and check that each is a certified journeyperson or registered SkilledTradesBC apprentice in a compulsory trade such as Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic or Gasfitter.
- Confirm whether Technical Safety BC or your municipality (for example Vancouver, Burnaby or Richmond) issues the gas and electrical permits, and write into the contract who pulls them.
- For a heat pump, confirm the contractor is registered with Better Homes BC before signing, or the CleanBC rebate may not be paid.
- For new construction, ask for the CSA F280 load calculation showing the designated living space can stay at or below 26°C, and the Zero Carbon Step Code level your municipality requires.
- If you sign at home, check that the contract includes a supply date and the cancellation information required by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, and note your 10-day cancellation window.
- On commercial jobs, hold back 10 percent under the Builders Lien Act and diarize the 45-day lien period from the certificate of completion before releasing funds.
Do HVAC installations need a permit in British Columbia?
Yes. In British Columbia, gas appliance installations and regulated refrigeration and electrical work generally need a permit. Technical Safety BC issues them, except in a handful of municipalities that issue their own.
The Province has agreements with ten local governments that share authority over gas or electrical safety. Burnaby, Vancouver, Maple Ridge, the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver issue both gas and electrical permits. Kelowna and Richmond issue gas permits only. Surrey, Victoria and West Vancouver issue electrical permits only. Even in these places, the municipal role covers mainly single detached dwellings at low gas pressure and other premises within set pressure and load limits. Commercial, industrial and larger multi-unit residential gas work goes back to Technical Safety BC. So a furnace swap in a Burnaby house and a rooftop unit on a Burnaby office tower may need permits from two different offices.
The building permit for a new home or major renovation is separate again and comes from the local building department. A heat pump retrofit often involves both a gas or refrigeration permit and an electrical permit for the new circuit. Before work starts, confirm which office has jurisdiction and who on the contractor's side will pull each permit. Remember that a lapsed Technical Safety BC licence puts the contractor's open permits on hold, so a licence check matters even after the permit is issued. Technical Safety BC does issue homeowner permits for some gas and electrical work, but only after assessing whether the owner has enough knowledge and experience to do it safely.
Which building code and energy rules apply to HVAC in British Columbia?
British Columbia uses the 2024 BC Building Code, in effect since March 8, 2024, together with the BC Energy Step Code and the Zero Carbon Step Code. Both step codes directly shape heating and cooling design.
The 2024 code added a cooling requirement. New dwelling units in both Part 9 and Part 3 buildings must have at least one living space that can keep indoor air at or below 26°C. It applies to projects with a building permit applied for on or after March 8, 2024. For Part 9 houses, Sentence 9.33.5.1.(1) requires designers to calculate peak cooling loads using CSA F280, so equipment sizing must be documented rather than guessed. A provincial bulletin dated May 1, 2023 made Step 3 of the Energy Step Code the baseline for Part 9 buildings across the province, which means new construction must be 20 percent more energy efficient.
The Zero Carbon Step Code limits operational emissions from space heating and water heating and has four levels: EL-1 (measure only), EL-2 (moderate), EL-3 (strong) and EL-4 (zero carbon). Since March 10, 2025, most new buildings must meet at least EL-1. Part 9 builders can comply prescriptively by decarbonizing space heating, water heating and cooking equipment, or through a performance path with greenhouse gas targets. Part 3 buildings have no prescriptive path and must use an energy model. Local governments can require higher levels, and in practice a higher level steers builders toward heat pumps over gas furnaces. Check the step levels your municipality has adopted before you price equipment.
How do HVAC payment and lien deadlines work in British Columbia?
In British Columbia, HVAC contractors and suppliers must file a claim of lien under the Builders Lien Act within 45 days after a certificate of completion is issued or the head contract or improvement is completed, abandoned or terminated.
The Builders Lien Act requires owners and contractors to retain a holdback equal to 10 percent of the greater of the value of work or materials provided and the amount of any payment made. The holdback period ends 55 days after a certificate of completion is issued. Without a certificate, it runs from completion, abandonment or termination. On request, the payment certifier must decide within 10 days whether a contract or subcontract is complete and, if it is, issue a certificate. Mechanical subtrades that finish well before the building do well to ask for one, because it starts their own 45-day lien clock and their holdback release. Once a lien is filed, the claimant has one year to start an enforcement action and register a certificate of pending litigation.
Payment rules are changing. Bill 20, the Construction Prompt Payment Act, received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025. Under the Act, owners must pay proper invoices within 28 days and contractors must pay subcontractors within 7 days after that. Disputes go to fast-track adjudication, where an adjudicator's determination is binding on an interim basis. As of the Province's latest update, the Act is not yet in force: it will be brought into force after a transition period, and no date has been set. Mechanical contractors should draft invoicing and subcontract terms so they can adapt when it takes effect.
Why is demand for cooling and heat pumps rising in British Columbia?
In British Columbia, the June 2021 extreme heat event, CleanBC electrification targets and the new 26°C building code rule have turned air conditioning and heat pumps from optional upgrades into mainstream HVAC work.
The BC Coroners Service found that 619 deaths between June 25 and July 1, 2021 were heat related. Temperatures peaked on June 28 and 29, and 98 percent of the deaths occurred indoors, mostly in homes without adequate cooling such as air conditioners or fans. That finding is a large part of why the 2024 code now requires a cooled living space in new homes, and why landlords, strata councils and care facilities have been retrofitting cooling. Coastal homes built without ductwork are often good candidates for ductless heat pumps. Interior and northern climates need cold-climate equipment sized for much lower design temperatures.
Provincial rebates reinforce the shift. Better Homes BC, run by the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions under CleanBC, offers heat pump rebates that vary with household income and home type. Its key condition: to be eligible for a rebate, upgrades must be installed by a contractor registered with the program. Ask whether a contractor is registered before you sign, because using an unregistered installer can cost the homeowner the rebate. Rebate amounts and eligibility change from time to time, so confirm the current terms on the Better Homes BC site, or with its energy coach line, before you base a quote comparison on them.
What refrigerant rules apply to HVAC work in British Columbia?
In British Columbia, the Ozone Depleting Substances and Other Halocarbons Regulation, B.C. Reg. 387/99, says only an approved person may service air conditioning or refrigeration equipment, and it prohibits releasing halocarbons.
An approved person has the appropriate industry training credentials, or is an apprentice, and has completed an environmental awareness course approved by Environment Canada and the provincial ministry. Section 4 prohibits releasing an ozone depleting substance or other halocarbon from air conditioning or refrigeration equipment, and prohibits adding an ozone depleting substance to equipment that is leaking. Section 11 requires equipment to be leak tested before it is charged or recharged, and bars adding an ozone depleting substance to equipment just to leak test it. Section 6 limits buying and possessing ozone depleting substances for servicing to approved persons.
For owners, this means anyone who opens a refrigerant circuit, recharges a heat pump or decommissions an old air conditioner should be able to show their credentials, and recovered refrigerant should be documented rather than vented. A contractor who offers to top up a leaking system without finding and fixing the leak is describing work the regulation prohibits for ozone depleting substances. These provincial rules sit alongside the Technical Safety BC refrigeration licence and permit requirements described above, so larger commercial systems are covered by both environmental and safety regulation.
What consumer protection rules cover HVAC contracts in British Columbia?
In British Columbia, the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act lets a homeowner cancel a direct sales contract within 10 days after receiving a copy. This covers HVAC contracts signed at home, away from the contractor's business.
The Act defines a direct sales contract as one entered into in person somewhere other than the supplier's permanent place of business. That catches the common situation where a furnace or heat pump salesperson writes up the deal at the kitchen table. Most HVAC replacement jobs are also future performance contracts, because the work or full payment happens after signing. Section 18.2 lists the information such a contract must include, including a supply date. Under section 23, if the goods or services are not delivered within 30 days after that supply date, the consumer may cancel at any time before delivery.
Consumer Protection BC enforces these rules. Commercial and strata clients are not covered by the consumer cancellation rights, so their protection comes from the contract itself, the Builders Lien Act and, once in force, the Construction Prompt Payment Act. On any job, ask the contractor for its Technical Safety BC licence number, the permit numbers once issued, and whether its installers are certified or registered apprentices. Keep the signed contract, the permit and the final inspection record together, because a future buyer, insurer or rebate program may ask for them.
Where can I verify a licence and check the source in British Columbia?
Every figure and rule on this page can be checked against the primary source. These are the offices that publish them. Confirm current requirements directly before you rely on any of them:
Find a Licensed Contractor Guide, Technical Safety BC; Skilled Trades Certification is Now in Effect, SkilledTradesBC; Safety Standards Act, Government of British Columbia; Zero Carbon Step Code, Government of British Columbia; Builders Lien Act, BC Laws.
Nearby regions and related trades
HVAC contractors in other regions: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ontario, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington.
Other trades in British Columbia: Drywall, Electrical, General Contracting, Mechanical, Painting.
Jump to licence verification sources for HVAC in British Columbia, or back to all hvac contractors on Exchange.
Frequently asked questions
Can a handyman install a gas furnace or heat pump in BC?
Not legally, unless they are properly licensed and certified. Gas work must be done by a Technical Safety BC licensed gas contractor using certified gas fitters, and regulated refrigeration work needs a class REF licence. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic and Gasfitter are compulsory trades, so workers must be certified or registered apprentices. Technical Safety BC does offer homeowner permits for some work on your own home. Check with it before relying on one.
How do I check a BC HVAC contractor licence?
Use Technical Safety BC's Find a Licensed Contractor registry. You can search by company name or by licence number entered without spaces or dashes. The registry shows contact details, licence type, the scope of work the licence covers, and any enforcement actions since 2022. Only active licences appear, so a company missing from the list may not be authorized to do regulated gas or refrigeration work.
Do new BC homes have to include air conditioning?
Not air conditioning as such. For building permits applied for on or after March 8, 2024, the BC Building Code requires every new dwelling unit to have at least one living space that can keep indoor air at or below 26°C. A heat pump is the usual way to meet this. The designated space cannot be a bathroom, laundry room, closet, service room or unfinished basement.
What is the difference between the Energy Step Code and the Zero Carbon Step Code?
The BC Energy Step Code sets steps for overall building energy efficiency, with Step 3 the provincial baseline for Part 9 homes since May 2023. The Zero Carbon Step Code limits greenhouse gas emissions from space and water heating, with levels EL-1 to EL-4. Most new buildings must meet at least EL-1 since March 10, 2025, and municipalities can require more.
Who can recharge or repair a heat pump refrigerant circuit in BC?
Only an approved person under B.C. Reg. 387/99. That means someone with appropriate industry training credentials, or an apprentice, who has completed an approved environmental awareness course. Releasing halocarbons is prohibited, equipment must be leak tested before it is charged, and ozone depleting substances cannot be added to leaking equipment. The company also needs the right Technical Safety BC licence.
When does BC prompt payment for construction start?
No date has been set. The Construction Prompt Payment Act received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025, and the Province says it will come into force after a transition period. Under the Act, owners will have 28 days to pay a proper invoice and contractors 7 days to pay subcontractors, with adjudication for disputes. Until then, the Builders Lien Act holdback and lien rules govern.
Which BC cities issue their own gas permits?
Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Kelowna, the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver issue gas installation permits under agreements with the Province. Their authority covers mainly single detached dwellings with low-pressure gas and other premises within set load limits. Commercial, industrial and larger multi-unit gas work in those cities still goes to Technical Safety BC.
