HVAC Contractor Permit Requirements in Warwick, RI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Rhode Island Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Rhode Island. Rhode Island charges a 7% state sales tax with no local sales taxes. Register with the RI Division of Taxation online via the RI Tax Portal.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. EPA Section 608 Certification (for refrigerants)

   Technicians who purchase, recover, or handle refrigerants must hold EPA Section 608 certification. Required by federal law regardless of state.

   Official government source

   $20–$100 (exam)·1–2 days

   $20–$100 (exam)

   1–2 days

1. Rhode Island DLT - Mechanical Trade License (HVAC/Refrigeration)

   HVAC work in Rhode Island is licensed by the RI Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation (Board of Examiners of Mechanical Trades) - not by the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board, whose own guidance directs electrical, HVAC, mechanical and plumbing applicants to DLT. A firm doing HVAC work needs a Master Mechanical Contractor (MMA) or a Contractor Master class license such as Contractor Master Refrigeration. EPA Section 608 certification is separately required for refrigerant handling.

   Official government source

   $75 non-refundable application processing fee for exam-based licenses, plus a two-year license fee: $240 for Contractor Master, Contractor Master Refrigeration or Refrigeration Master 1; $480 for the Master Mechanical Contractor (MMA), which requires no test. The license fee is invoiced only after a passing exam score of 70 or better.·Not published by DLT; the two-year license fee is invoiced after the examination is passed.

   $75 non-refundable application processing fee for exam-based licenses, plus a two-year license fee: $240 for Contractor Master, Contractor Master Refrigeration or Refrigeration Master 1; $480 for the Master Mechanical Contractor (MMA), which requires no test. The license fee is invoiced only after a passing exam score of 70 or better.

   Not published by DLT; the two-year license fee is invoiced after the examination is passed.

2. No General Business License in Warwick

   Warwick issues no general business license or business tax certificate. The city's Licensing Division, administered through the Warwick Police Department and filed on the city's OpenGov portal, licenses only specific activities - liquor, second class victualler, inside and outside entertainment, food truck/cart/trailer, general and produce peddlers, daily vendor, kennel, massage therapy, permanent make-up, second hand dealer, used car dealer, tobacco, private detective, laundromat, dry cleaners and similar. Mobile dog grooming appears nowhere in that catalogue, and Rhode Island has no state grooming license.

   Official government source

   No fee - Warwick issues no general business license, and neither Warwick nor the state licenses dog grooming.·Not applicable - no general business license is issued.

   No fee - Warwick issues no general business license, and neither Warwick nor the state licenses dog grooming.

   Not applicable - no general business license is issued.

3. City of Warwick Building Department - Mechanical Permit (per project)

   A mechanical permit must be obtained from the Warwick Building Department for each HVAC installation or major repair, and inspections are required on completion. Kent County has no government and issues no permits. The work must be performed by a tradesperson holding an RI Department of Labor and Training mechanical license.

   Official government source

   State-mandated valuation-based fee per Warwick's published permit fee sheet: $10.00 per $1,000 of project value with a $75.00 minimum, then $100 + $8.00 per $1,000 over $10,000 and $420 + $6.00 per $1,000 over $50,000, plus $0.002 per thousand of project valuation for the state CE/ADA fee.·Not published by the city; permits are filed through Warwick's OpenGov permitting portal.

   State-mandated valuation-based fee per Warwick's published permit fee sheet: $10.00 per $1,000 of project value with a $75.00 minimum, then $100 + $8.00 per $1,000 over $10,000 and $420 + $6.00 per $1,000 over $50,000, plus $0.002 per thousand of project valuation for the state CE/ADA fee.

   Not published by the city; permits are filed through Warwick's OpenGov permitting portal.

Official Sources

• Rhode Island Contractors Registration and Licensing Board — HVAC Contractor License
• City of Warwick City Clerk

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