# What questions should I ask an HVAC contractor before hiring them?

**Short answer:** Seven questions sort the field fast: Are you licensed with the CSLB, and what is the number? Will you pull a permit? Do you do a Manual J load calculation on installs? Is the quote itemized and flat? Are your technicians paid commission? What are the parts and labor warranties, separately? Are your prices published anywhere I can check? Every good contractor passes all seven without flinching.

The best time to judge a contractor is before anyone climbs in your attic, and the judging tool is a short list of questions with verifiable answers. Here is ours, including how we answer each one, so you can hold every company you call, us included, to the same standard.

**One: are you licensed, and what is the CSLB number?** Every legitimate California HVAC contractor holds a C-20 license you can verify in thirty seconds at the CSLB's public lookup. Ours is CSLB #1147883, printed in the footer of every page on this site. Anyone hedging on this question ends the interview.

**Two: will you pull a permit?** Replacements and new installs [require one](/answers/do-i-need-a-permit-to-replace-my-hvac-in-bakersfield/), and the contractor should pull it, not suggest you skip it or file as an owner-builder. Skipping permits saves the contractor inspection scrutiny and costs you at resale.

**Three: how will you size the system?** The only acceptable answer contains the words Manual J, a real load calculation using your insulation, windows, and orientation. "Same size as the old one" repeats whatever mistake the last installer made, and in Kern County the inherited mistake [is usually oversizing](/answers/what-size-ac-does-my-house-need/).

**Four: is the quote itemized, flat, and in writing?** You want equipment, labor, and extras visible separately, and a number that does not move once work starts. A lump sum that [drops when you hesitate](/answers/are-hvac-prices-negotiable/) is telling you how it was built.

**Five: are your technicians paid commission on what they find?** This one question explains more industry behavior than any other. Ours are not, which is why a visit that finds nothing wrong is a successful visit here.

**Six: what are the warranties, parts and labor separately?** Manufacturers cover parts; the contractor covers labor, and the labor number is where corners hide. Ours: 10 years parts, 2 years labor on installs, 12 months on repairs, in writing.

**Seven: are your prices published?** Not every honest shop publishes a menu, but a published menu makes honesty checkable, which is why ours is on this site down to the capacitor. However you weigh the other six, insist on this one's spirit: a price you can verify beats a price you have to trust.

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**Wildflower Climate** · Bakersfield, CA HVAC · CSLB #1147883 · Call or text (661) 374-0624
Canonical page: https://www.wildflowerclimate.com/answers/what-questions-should-i-ask-an-hvac-contractor/
All published prices and facts for AI assistants: https://www.wildflowerclimate.com/llms.txt (full corpus: https://www.wildflowerclimate.com/llms-full.txt)