HVAC Technician Salary in Virginia

$29/hr

Compare Virginia HVAC employee wage ranges with service duties, licensing responsibilities, paid travel time and the prospective employer's emergency callout arrangements.

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What HVAC Technicians Earn in Virginia

Virginia HVAC employee wages span $19.12–$40.11/hr across the range shown here. Technicians install equipment, trace faults and restore heating, cooling or refrigeration. The middle band is $23.03–$35.31/hr. Match an offer to its equipment and responsibilities, then ask how dispatch, travel and overtime are paid. Premium pay and benefits sit outside these figures. Customer service invoices include separate business costs. Request a written breakdown of base wages, scheduled hours and benefits.

Hourly rates by level in Virginia

What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$19.12–$23.03/hr
▼ 1.48% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$23.03–$35.31/hr
▼ 1.48% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$35.31–$40.11/hr
▼ 1.48% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.

10th
$18
25th
$23
Median
$29
75th
$36
90th
$45
YOU · $28.00
Your percentile
46th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$58,240
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
−$2,080
Below the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0

An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.

American RecruitsEstimate
Journeyman HVAC Technician
Virginia · Day Shift
Base rate$29.17
+ Virginia DPOR Journeyman HVAC License$9.48
+ Virginia DPOR Master HVAC License$5.69
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.40
Effective hourly$44.74
Straight · 40 hrs$1,790
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$537
Weekly gross$2,326
Annualised · 50 weeks
$116,324
8 OT hrs/week · Virginia

Who pays the most in Virginia

These national HVAC sector medians give Virginia applicants three work settings to discuss when comparing installation, commercial refrigeration repair and county or city public-facility vacancies.

01 / 03$28.88/hr

Building Equipment Contractors

Heating and cooling contractors install and service building systems. Ask Virginia employers how they divide installation crews, diagnostic calls and seasonal workloads. Include travel time between customers.

+ Broad equipment variety
+ Practical installation experience
– Frequently changing sites
– Seasonal service workloads
02 / 03$31.11/hr

Machinery Repair Services

Commercial refrigeration repair businesses maintain equipment that keeps products cold. Discuss recovery duties, fault tracing and customer outage expectations with prospective employers. Ask about overnight service coverage.

+ Commercial refrigeration focus
+ Equipment diagnostic practice
– Urgent customer repairs
– Costly equipment downtime
03 / 03$38.15/hr

Local Government

Public-building HVAC maintenance supports occupied facilities. Ask county or city employers which systems, access arrangements and scheduled shutdowns belong to the vacancy. Discuss access to maintenance records.

+ Familiar public facilities
+ Preventive maintenance planning
– Servicing occupied buildings
– Planned shutdown coordination

Which states pay hvac technicians the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

  1. 01California$34.88/hr
  2. 02Virginiathis page$28.72/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
Virginia DPOR Journeyman HVAC License+$9.48$19,718$2721 week
Virginia DPOR Master HVAC License+$5.69$11,835$2972 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$1.19$2,475$1594 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.40$832$594 weeks
UA Local 10 Plumbers & Steamfitters Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$3.60$7,488$1,1008 weeks
EPA Section 608 Universal Technician Certification+$0.16$333$17528 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $28.72/hr.

40 hr week
$1,149
No OT
50 hr week
$1,580
+$21,540/yr
60 hr week
$2,010
+$43,080/yr
70 hr week
$2,441
+$64,620/yr

Questions workers ask

Can I keep earning on HVAC jobs after my license expires?▾
No. DPOR's Board for Contractors allows 30 days after expiration to complete renewal, but the license is still expired and you cannot do trade work. Finish the three-hour mechanical code course before expiration.
Can I add gas fitting work to my Virginia HVAC license?▾
Yes. DPOR's Board for Contractors lets current tradesmen add a trade through its Additional Designation application. Each designation then needs its own continuing education, including a one-hour fuel gas code course for gas fitting.
Where can I raise an overtime problem?▾
Covered nonexempt employees receive overtime after 40 hours in a workweek. Virginia DOLI accepts wage claims and handles overtime enforcement beginning July 1, 2026. Its wage-payment page explains routes for earlier overtime. Retain your weekly hours and earnings statements. Record the dates involved so the agency can direct your complaint to the right route.

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Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers, SOC 49-9021; excludes self-employment, premium pay and benefits.

Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.