Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Tennessee's official board.
Tennessee has no separate sheet metal trade licence for individuals; the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors licenses the contracting business, and sheet metal appears only as BC-20 Sheet Metal, a Building Construction sub-category in the Board's classification outline, with ducted HVAC work falling under CMC-C. A licence is triggered by project value, generally $25,000 or more, rather than by the trade itself.
| Requirements | A contractor's licence is required before contracting, including bidding, offering to engage or negotiating a price, for projects of $25,000 or more when acting as a prime contractor, certain subcontractor, or construction manager or consultant. Subcontractors must be licensed when contracting directly with a contractor rather than the owner to perform electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC or roofing work when that portion of the project is $25,000 or more including materials, equipment and labour. Sheet metal appears in the Board's classification outline as BC-20 Sheet Metal, a Building Construction sub-category; for up to five building categories no trade exam is required, though the Business and Law exam and the experience requirement still apply. Ducted heating and cooling work sits under Mechanical Contracting as CMC-C HVAC, Refrigeration and Gas Piping, which does require a trade exam. Every applicant must take the Tennessee Business and Law exam; the exams are open book and are administered by Prov from July 1, 2026. The law also requires a reviewed or audited financial statement prepared by a licensed independent accounting firm, less than 12 months old at the time of the initial application; from July 1, 2026 a Contractors' Surety Bond equal to at least 50 percent of the monetary limit requested may be used as an alternative. The licence is issued to the entity, which designates a Qualifying Agent who may be an owner, full time employee or officer to sit the exams. |
| Reciprocity | The Board states that you cannot operate in Tennessee with a licence from another state, but that Tennessee has a trade exam waiver agreement with several states. If you are actively licensed in Alabama (General, Electrical, Residential, HVAC), Arkansas (Commercial/Residential Building only), Louisiana (Residential, Commercial, Electrical, Mechanical), Mississippi (Residential, Commercial, Electrical, Mechanical Unlimited), North Carolina (Residential/Commercial Building and Electrical), Ohio (Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC), South Carolina (Commercial only for Building, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing) or West Virginia (Residential, Commercial, Industrial Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Masonry), and the licence you are requesting requires a trade exam, you may apply for a trade exam waiver using the Board's License Verification form. Tennessee also accepts the NASCLA National Commercial exam. The waiver agreement applies only to Contractors licensed with the Board and not to the Home Improvement, Limited Licensed Electrician or Limited Licensed Plumber programmes. |
| Renewal | Contractor licences renew on a two year cycle; the renewal option appears in the CORE account within 90 days of expiration and should be submitted at least 30 days before the expiration date. There is a 12 month grace period with a $20 per month late fee, and a licence expired 12 months or longer requires a new application rather than a renewal. Continuing education is required only of BC-A and BC-A/r residential contractors, who must complete eight hours with every biennial renewal; the Board publishes no continuing education requirement for BC-20 or the CMC classifications. |
| Notes | Tennessee has no separate sheet metal trade licence for individuals; the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors licenses the contracting business, and sheet metal appears only as BC-20 Sheet Metal, a Building Construction sub-category in the Board's classification outline, with ducted HVAC work falling under CMC-C. A licence is triggered by project value, generally $25,000 or more, rather than by the trade itself. |
A free report on your market: what the trade pays, how that compares with nearby counties, and where your credential sits against the local licensed workforce. No account needed.
Sources: www.tn.gov, www.tn.gov, www.tn.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
This page is a free snapshot of Tennessee. Track the same market every night and see which contractors just got licensed, added a trade, or dropped off, and pull the full record, with contact details, on any of them. Ask it anything, track what matters, and get the weekly intelligence email. Free trial, cancel anytime.