Selling an HVAC company in Texas

Texas is one of the busiest places in the country to sell an HVAC company, and one of the strictest about licenses. Texas and Florida led HVAC consolidation in 2024. The TDLR rules say an air conditioning contractor license number is not transferable, and a temporary license is not available to a new unlicensed owner. Grata ties Texas demand to extreme heat and heavy population growth.

How many HVAC companies are in Texas

The card above shows 8,704 plumbing and HVAC firms combined in Texas with $1M to $10M in revenue, from the 2022 Economic Census. With that many firms and that many buyers, Texas companies in Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio get compared against plenty of local peers. The license question below is often what separates a smooth Texas sale from a stalled one.

License and qualifier rules when you sell

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses air conditioning and refrigeration contractors. Its rules say a license is not transferable, and the TDLR law and rules booklet says each office needs a full time license holder and a temporary license is not available to a new unlicensed owner. TDLR's temporary license form is written for an owner whose only license holder has died or become disabled, not for a sale.

In plain terms, the buyer must have a licensed person at each office on the day it takes over. If you are the license holder, the buyer will bring its own, hire a licensed tech from your team, or ask you to stay on. A licensed manager who will stay is worth more in Texas than in many states. Read how buyers price this on our HVAC value drivers page, and confirm the details with TDLR before you sign a letter of intent.

What moves value in Texas

Heat sells service here. Grata reports that extreme heat is driving constant demand for installs, maintenance and replacement, and that Texas has become a major hub for data center development, which matters if you do commercial work. A long cooling season can make summer months heavy, so a base of maintenance agreements that keeps techs busy in spring and fall makes your monthly cash flow easier for a buyer or an SBA lender to trust.

Buyers active in Texas

Salt Creek Advisory's deal log names two Texas HVAC deals (Salt Creek Advisory, checked November 2026). Southern Home Services bought Nick's Plumbing and Air Conditioning in Houston, and Chill Brothers, backed by Forum Asset Management, bought Bowles Heating and Cooling in San Angelo. The San Angelo deal shows platforms buying outside the four big metros too. See every buyer type on our HVAC buyers page. We are not paid by any buyer named here.

Business broker rules in Texas

Texas is not on BizBuySell's list of the 17 states that tie business brokerage to a real estate license. That does not settle what rules apply to your broker or deal, so check with a Texas attorney. This is general information, not legal advice.