AC repair in Galveston

Every company that installs, repairs or maintains air conditioning in Texas needs a TDLR license, and must employ a licensed contractor at each permanent location. Search the company on TDLR's License Data Search, listed under Air Conditioning Contractors. A Class B license covers cooling systems up to 25 tons; Class A covers any size.

Technicians who help with repairs register with TDLR and work under that contractor. They may not advertise HVAC services on their own, so a technician selling work under their own name is a warning sign.

Galveston's HVAC registration

Galveston's contractor page lists HVAC contractors among the trades that register with the city, with a $200 fee, $25 a year and $300,000 of liability insurance naming the city; HVAC is exempt from the surety bond. Since September 1, 2021, state law has barred cities from charging TDLR-licensed AC contractors registration fees, though permit fees still apply, so ask the Building Division what applies and confirm the registration and insurance with your contractor.

Galveston is in ERCOT's retail-choice area. Depending on the address, CenterPoint or TNMP owns the wires, and you choose the retail provider. ERCOT set an unofficial all-time demand record of 91,089 megawatts on July 22, 2026. Ask a contractor about summer wait times before the next heat wave, not during it.

If the conversation turns to replacement, split-system central air conditioners installed in Texas since January 1, 2023 must reach 14.3 SEER2 under 45,000 Btu/h, or 13.8 SEER2 above it. From January 1, 2025, EPA limits new residential systems to refrigerants with a global warming potential of 700 or less, though systems whose parts were all made before then can still be installed.

Galveston AC permits

Replacement work goes through the Building Division's Accela portal. TDLR rules require contractors to give cities a list of the agents allowed to pull permits under their license, so ask whether the person pulling your permit is on your contractor's list.

HomeGuide's 2025 national figures put a typical AC repair at $150 to $650, with large out-of-warranty repairs at $650 to $2,500 or more, and a standard-efficiency central replacement at $5,000 to $8,300. Treat those as a yardstick and get two written quotes. The Texas HVAC guide breaks costs down further.

Texas rules bar licensees from misrepresenting the need for service. If a technician says the system must be replaced, ask for the failed part and the reading in writing. For a water heater or drain problem, see Galveston plumbers; for the rest of the island's rules, see the Galveston hub, or compare AC repair in League City.