HVAC in Houston, TX: written quotes on one scope

Key facts for hiring an HVAC contractor in Houston

• Houston mechanical permit fee on the evaporator coil page: 2% of total job cost plus $47.00, plus an admin fee of $33.56 (read 30 October 2026).
• Houston heating system permit page: inspection required, valid period 180 days, processing time up to 1 hour (read 30 October 2026).
• The Houston Mechanical Inspections page names duct alterations and furnace replacement as situations for a mechanical permit and inspection (read 30 October 2026).
• Home heating fuel in Houston: electricity 63.9% (plus or minus 0.5 points), utility gas 33.7% of occupied homes (Census ACS 2020-2024).
• TDLR License Data Search for Texas air conditioning contractors: search by license type, license number, name, city, county or zip code; it lists active licenses only (read 30 October 2026).

How to get written quotes on one scope

Write down which Houston parts change before you ask for quotes. The Houston Permitting Center keeps separate permit pages for condensing units, for evaporator coils, for heating systems and for altering an existing HVAC system by adding or removing parts or equipment (all read 30 October 2026).

Ask each written quote to show the City of Houston permit fee as its own line. The evaporator coil page lists 2% of total job cost plus $47.00 and an admin fee of $33.56 (read 30 October 2026).

Ask each quote to say who applies for the Houston mechanical permit and who calls in the cover, grill seal and final inspections that the Mechanical Inspections page lists (read 30 October 2026).

1. Describe the job once, using the scope checklist below, built from what we found for Houston.
2. Post it on InstaBids and send it.
3. Every quote is written against the same scope, so they compare line by line.
4. You choose who gets your number.
5. Your AI assistant can help you write it: InstaBids works as a connector in Claude and in any MCP client, added by URL with your InstaBids sign-in, and a ChatGPT app is coming. You send the request yourself. Connect an assistant

Your written scope for a heating or air-conditioning job in Houston

For AC repair in Houston, the source names the installation, repair or replacement of condensing units as permit work, and the installation or repair of evaporator coils as permit work (both read 30 October 2026).

Both Houston pages list inspection as required and a valid period of 180 days. Put the parts being replaced, the unit size and the heating type in your written scope so every quote prices the same job.

Ask whether the bidder has registered its Texas A/C license with the City of Houston: the Mechanical Inspections page lists initial registration and renewal of HVAC contractor licenses among its tasks (read 30 October 2026).

• The equipment: capacity, efficiency rating and model, in writing
• Heat source: if yours is one of Houston's homes that heat with electricity, ask whether a heat pump fits the job
• Who pulls the Houston permit for HVAC alteration, and when the inspection is booked
• Who pulls the Houston permit for A/C condensing unit replacement, and when the inspection is booked
• Removal and disposal of the old parts or materials
• Warranty terms on parts and labor, in writing

Do you need a permit for a heating or air-conditioning job in Houston?

Houston's permit page (read 17 October 2026): “Situations that require a mechanical permit and inspection include:” “New commercial or residential air conditioning (a/c) installations (replacement of commercial or residential a/c)”. Open Houston's source page

Houston's permit page (read 17 October 2026): “The City of Houston requires a permit for the installation, repair, or replacement of condensing units.” Open Houston's source page

What license does an HVAC contractor need in Houston?

Texas's licensing board, in its own words: “Contractors who install, repair, or maintain systems related to air conditioning, refrigeration, or heating must have a TDLR license and ACR companies must employ an ACR contractor in each permanent location.”

Texas's license lookup (tdlr.texas.gov)

Texas license lookup guide

Local job questions

Ask which heat source the quoted equipment will use.

Median hourly wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area, May 2025: $28.34 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).

This is what workers in this occupation are paid per hour. It is not what a contractor charges for a job.

How does InstaBids work?

InstaBids does not hold payment for the work; you pay the contractor directly on the terms of the bid you accepted.

How is InstaBids different?

Each bidder appears under a stable label such as Contractor A, so you judge the work, not the brand.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.

Sources for the facts on this page

• Houston permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.houstonpermittingcenter.org
• Houston permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.houstonpermittingcenter.org
• Houston permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.houstonpermittingcenter.org
• Houston permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.houstonpermittingcenter.org
• Houston permit page, read 17 October 2026: www.houstonpermittingcenter.org
• tdlr.texas.gov, read 22 October 2026: www.tdlr.texas.gov
• tdlr.texas.gov, read 22 October 2026: www.tdlr.texas.gov
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25040), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (series OEUM002642000000049902108), May 2025, read 17 October 2026: api.bls.gov
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25040), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.