AC repair in Texas

All of the figures below are national, from HomeGuide's cost guides. HomeGuide gives no Texas-only AC prices, so use them to test the written quotes you collect.

The range to watch sits between the top of a large repair ($2,500 or more) and the bottom of a replacement ($5,000). When a repair quote climbs toward that gap, ask for a written replacement price as well, so you can compare the two on paper.

Ask before the visit how the technician charges: a flat diagnostic fee, an hourly rate in HomeGuide's $75 to $150 range, or a fixed price per repair. Then get the repair price in writing before work starts.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses air conditioning and refrigeration contractors under Occupations Code Chapter 1302. Contractors who install, repair or maintain air conditioning, refrigeration or heating systems must hold a TDLR license, and an HVAC company must employ a licensed contractor at each permanent location.

The license is valid statewide, so a contractor doesn't need a separate city license (§1302.251), and it can be assigned to only one permanent office of one company.

Class A and Class B HVAC licenses

A Class A license covers equipment of any size. A Class B license is limited to cooling systems of 25 tons or less and heating systems of 1.5 million BTU per hour or less. Each license carries one endorsement: Environmental Air Conditioning, Commercial Refrigeration, or Process Cooling or Heating. The license number shows both, in the form TACL/A/000000/C.

To qualify, a contractor needs 48 months of supervised experience in the past 72 months, or 36 months in the past 48 months after a year as a certified technician, and must pass a TDLR exam. Contractors must keep commercial general liability insurance at all times: Class A at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 for products and completed operations; Class B at least $100,000, $200,000 and $100,000.

AC technicians in Texas

The person at your door is often a technician. Anyone who assists a licensed contractor with maintenance or repair must register with TDLR, work under the contractor's supervision, and may not advertise AC services. Technicians are registered or certified, and those under 18 must work under the direct supervision of a licensed contractor or a certified technician.

One exemption applies to homeowners: the licensing law doesn't cover someone doing AC work in a building they solely own as their home (§1302.053). Check your city's permit rules before you start.

TDLR's License Data Search covers Air Conditioning Contractors and A/C Technicians. It lists active licenses only; if one doesn't come up, call TDLR at 800-803-9202. Search the company's contractor license and the technician's registration.

Read the license number, too. A Class B license on a quote for a very large system, or a Commercial Refrigeration endorsement on a home AC job, is worth a question.

Texas rules (16 TAC §75.70) bar HVAC licensees from misrepresenting the need for services or making false statements to win a contract. If a technician says the whole system must go, ask for the reason in writing and get a second written opinion. The same rule makes contractors give cities a list of agents authorized to pull permits under their license, so a permit should trace back to a licensed contractor.

Since September 1, 2021, Texas cities may not charge TDLR-licensed HVAC contractors registration fees, though they can collect building permit fees. A permit fee on your quote is normal; a city registration fee is a reason to ask.

The city lists on this site are ranked on public review data (see our terms of service). The ranking doesn't check licenses, so run the lookup on whichever company you call.

A new AC in Texas faces a higher federal efficiency floor than the national minimum. Texas is in the federal Southeast region, so a split-system central air conditioner installed on or after January 1, 2023 must be at least 14.3 SEER2 under 45,000 Btu/h, or 13.8 SEER2 at 45,000 Btu/h and up. The national minimum for split-system air conditioners made from that date is 13.4 SEER2, and split-system heat pumps must reach 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. An outdoor unit whose certified combination falls below the regional standard can't be installed in Texas.

Refrigerants are changing too. Under EPA's Technology Transitions rules, new residential and light-commercial AC and heat pump systems are limited to refrigerants with a global warming potential of 700 or less from January 1, 2025. Systems whose specified components were all made or imported before that date have no installation deadline. Ask the contractor which refrigerant your new system uses and how it fits the rule.

On HomeGuide's national figures, a standard-efficiency central AC replacement costs $5,000 to $8,300 (July 2025). Ask every quote to state the SEER2 rating and the refrigerant, so you compare like with like.

Texas summers push the grid hard. ERCOT, which serves most but not all of Texas, set an all-time peak demand record of 91,089 megawatts on July 22, 2026, above the 85,508 MW set on August 10, 2023; ERCOT treats records as unofficial until final settlement. Book AC maintenance before the heat: HomeGuide puts a tune-up at $70 to $200.

Austin Energy and CPS Energy publish rebate terms. Oncor runs efficiency programs through service providers when programs are open, with no current amounts on its pages. If your power comes from another utility, ask it directly before you sign.

• Austin Energy offers an AC rebate averaging $800 when a participating contractor replaces existing equipment with a qualifying system. All components must be replaced, equipment that got rebates in the last 10 years doesn't qualify, and the contractor must apply within 90 days of installation. Austin Energy customers only.
• CPS Energy in San Antonio lists HVAC rebates of $90 to $310 per ton for central air conditioners and heat pumps, and $50 to $75 for window units, for its customers. Questions go to 210-353-2728.
• Oncor runs energy efficiency programs through independent service providers listed on its Take A Load Off Texas site when programs are open. Oncor isn't a party to your contract with the provider, so read that contract as closely as any other.

A rebate doesn't replace the license check: whichever program you use, look the contractor up on TDLR's search. If the job needs new electrical work, the electricians guide covers that separate license.

1. Search the contractor and the technician on TDLR's License Data Search.
2. Read the class and endorsement in the license number.
3. Ask how the visit is charged, and get the diagnosis and repair price in writing before work starts.
4. For a replacement, get written quotes from more than one licensed contractor, each listing the SEER2 rating, refrigerant, permit and total.
5. Ask who pulls the permit; it should trace back to the licensed contractor.
6. Ask for the insurance certificate: Class A contractors carry at least $300,000 per occurrence and Class B at least $100,000.
7. If you're an Austin Energy or CPS Energy customer, ask whether the contractor takes part in the rebate program before you sign.
8. If you're told the system must be replaced, get the reason in writing and a second opinion.

For a water heater or other plumbing job, see the plumbers guide.

Each city page lists local AC repair and HVAC companies ranked on review data and adds the local license and utility checks.

AC repair in Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas, Garland, Irving, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, Carrollton, Richardson, Fort Worth, Arlington, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Grapevine, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper, Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Little Elm, Rockwall, Weatherford, Burleson. Region guide: Dallas-Fort Worth.

AC repair in North Texas and Texoma

Sherman, Wichita Falls. Region guide: North Texas and Texoma.

AC repair in Houston and the Gulf Coast

Houston, Pasadena, Cypress, Baytown, Katy, Sugar Land, Conroe, The Woodlands, Pearland, League City, Galveston, Alvin, Angleton, Freeport. Region guide: Houston and the Gulf Coast.

AC repair in Southeast Texas

Beaumont. Region guide: Southeast Texas.

AC repair in East Texas

Tyler, Longview. Region guide: East Texas.

AC repair in Austin and the Hill Country corridor

Austin, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, Dripping Springs, Lockhart. Region guide: Austin and the Hill Country corridor.

AC repair in Central Texas

Killeen, Waco. Region guide: Central Texas.

AC repair in San Antonio and the Hill Country

San Antonio, New Braunfels, Boerne. Region guide: San Antonio and the Hill Country.

AC repair in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley

Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville, Harlingen. Region guide: South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

AC repair in West Texas

El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, San Angelo. Region guide: West Texas.

AC repair in Panhandle and South Plains

Lubbock, Amarillo. Region guide: Panhandle and South Plains.