Texas HVAC Contractor Continuing Education: The 8-Hour Annual Rule
Once you hold an ACR Contractor license, Class A or Class B, TDLR's ACR continuing education page requires continuing education (CE) every year before renewal, not just at licensure. This page covers the CE requirement itself, in depth; for how to get the contractor license in the first place, see requirements. Neither ACR Registered Technicians nor ACR Certified Technicians owe any CE at all, a distinction covered further down this page.
How Many CE Hours Does a Texas HVAC Contractor Need Each Year?
Eight hours per annual renewal cycle, required under Tex. Occ. Code Ch. 1302 and 16 TAC Ch. 75, and this total applies identically to both Class A (unrestricted) and Class B (capacity-limited) contractor licenses, with no reduction for either class.
TDLR does not prorate this requirement for a contractor who was only licensed for part of the year; the 8-hour total applies to the full annual renewal cycle regardless of when in that cycle the license was issued or last renewed.
What Is the Mandatory 1-Hour Texas Law Requirement Inside the 8 Hours?
Exactly 1 of the 8 annual hours must cover Texas state law and rules, Tex. Occ. Code Ch. 1302 and 16 TAC Ch. 75, and this sub-topic is non-substitutable: no other approved subject area can replace it.
This 1-hour requirement is embedded within, not in addition to, the 8-hour total. A contractor who completes 8 hours entirely outside this sub-topic has not met the requirement, even though the hour count is technically correct; the law/rules content specifically has to be one of the eight.
What Subjects Cover the Remaining 7 CE Hours?
The remaining 7 hours may come from any combination of TDLR-approved subject areas: Tex. Occ. Code Ch. 1302, 16 TAC Ch. 75, the International Mechanical Code, the Uniform Mechanical Code, other applicable codes, ethics, business practices, or technical requirements.
This is a broader menu than the single mandatory law/rules hour, so a contractor has real choice in how to fill the remaining 7 hours based on what is most useful to their specific business, whether that is a deeper code-compliance course or a business-practices course.
Can Texas HVAC Contractor CE Be Completed Fully Online?
Yes: TDLR's CE provider search includes an "Offers Internet Courses" filter, and TDLR's own ACR continuing education page directs contractors to use that filter to find providers offering online delivery specifically.
Not every TDLR-approved ACR CE provider offers an online option; some are classroom-only. Filtering for "Offers Internet Courses" on TDLR's own search, or checking approved providers on this site, is the way to confirm online availability before enrolling, rather than assuming every approved provider offers it.
Does Completing the Same CE Course Twice Count Toward the 8 Hours?
No: TDLR's no-repeat-credit rule means a contractor who completes the same approved course more than once does not receive credit for the repeat, so the 8-hour total must be met with genuinely distinct course content each renewal cycle.
This matters for a contractor renewing over multiple years with the same handful of favorite providers: reusing an identical course from a prior year will not satisfy the current year's 8-hour requirement, even if the course remains TDLR-approved.
What Happens to CE Hours if I Renew Late?
All CE must be completed before the license's expiration date under normal timing; for a late renewal within one year of expiration, TDLR accepts CE completed within the year immediately prior to that late renewal date.
CE hours do not carry over from one renewal cycle into the next: hours are tied to the specific license term in which they are earned, so completing extra hours in one year does not reduce the following year's 8-hour obligation.
Do ACR Registered and Certified Technicians Owe Any CE at All?
No: only the two contractor license classes, Class A and Class B, carry the 8-hour annual CE requirement; ACR Registered Technicians and ACR Certified Technicians renew annually with TDLR but are not subject to any continuing education obligation whatsoever.
This is a meaningful distinction for anyone comparing the technician-tier credentials to the full Contractor license: the CE workload tracks the contractor classification specifically, not general HVAC/ACR licensure, and a technician-tier credential holder does not need to plan for annual CE time or cost at all. See requirements for how the technician tiers differ from the Contractor tiers on experience and fees as well.
Return to Texas HVAC License and Electrician License: Requirements, Cost, and CE for the full overview of both trades.
Sources
| Fact | Value | Authority | URL | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total CE hours per year | 8 hours (Class A and Class B) | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/acrce.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| Mandatory sub-topic | 1 hour: Texas law and rules (Tex. Occ. Code Ch. 1302; 16 TAC Ch. 75) | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/continuing-education-providers/air-conditioning-and-refrigeration.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| Approved subject areas for remaining 7 hours | Codes, ethics, business practices, technical requirements | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/acrce.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| Online CE delivery | Allowed; "Offers Internet Courses" filter on TDLR search | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/acrce.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| No-repeat-credit rule | Same course completed twice earns no added credit | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/acrce.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| Late-renewal CE window | CE within 1 year prior to a late renewal date is accepted | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/acrce.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| ACR Registered/Certified Technician CE requirement | None | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/technician-renew.htm | 2026-06-19 |
| CE shortfall at renewal moves license to late-renewal track | Confirmed via TDLR's general CE policy plus ACR's own late-fee schedule; no separate CE-shortfall penalty described | TDLR | https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/tdlrce.htm ; https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/acr/contractor-renew.htm | 2026-09-14 |
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1-hour Texas law requirement the same for Class A and Class B contractors?
Yes. The mandatory 1-hour Texas state law and rules sub-topic applies equally to both Class A and Class B ACR Contractor licenses, with no exemption or reduction for either class.
Can I take all 8 CE hours from a single course?
TDLR's rules describe the 8-hour total and its mandatory 1-hour sub-topic, not a minimum number of separate courses, so a single provider's combined 8-hour package can satisfy the requirement as long as it covers the mandatory sub-topic and is TDLR-approved.
Does TDLR track my completed CE hours for me?
TDLR-approved providers are responsible for reporting completed hours to TDLR; a contractor can check hours on file through TDLR's CE hours lookup rather than relying solely on a provider's own completion certificate.
What happens if I complete only 7 hours by my renewal date?
TDLR requires the full 8 hours before renewal; falling short by even 1 hour means the license goes unrenewed on time and moves into TDLR's late-renewal track rather than being rejected outright. TDLR's general continuing-education guidance confirms that for a late renewal, the missing CE hours must be completed within the one-year period immediately before the actual renewal date, on top of the late-renewal fee already covered on cost ($97.50 within 90 days of expiration, $130 from 91 days to 18 months). Complete the shortfall and pay the applicable late fee to bring the license current; TDLR's own site does not describe a separate penalty specific to a CE shortfall beyond this standard late-renewal path.
Where can I find TDLR-approved providers for this 8-hour requirement?
See approved providers for TDLR-confirmed HVAC/ACR CE providers, including the two this site has an affiliate relationship with, RocketCert and At Your Pace Online (TradesmanCE).