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🛠️ AC Repair

AC Repair: What It Costs, the 2025 Refrigerant Change, and Who to Trust

Honest price ranges for AC service calls, capacitor and refrigerant work, and leak detection-and-repair — plus what the 2025 R-410A-to-R-454B refrigerant change means for your bill, and reviewed local technicians with EPA Section 608 and NATE certification. Listings cover 35 states and 463 cities — each provider scored out of 100 on the Vouched Score, blending public-record signals, customer reviews, and editorial assessment. See methodology →

463 cities Pricing guide Labor costs by state FAQ

AC Repair by state & city

Click a state to expand the full city list, or browse the whole state.

Alabama AL Auburn · Birmingham · Decatur +12 more 15 cities
Arkansas AR Benton · Bentonville · Cabot +12 more 15 cities
California CA Anaheim · Bakersfield · Chula Vista +12 more 15 cities
Colorado CO Arvada · Aurora · Boulder +12 more 15 cities
Delaware DE Dover · Middletown · Newark +1 more 4 cities
Illinois IL Aurora · Bloomington · Champaign +12 more 15 cities
Indiana IN Anderson · Bloomington · Carmel +12 more 15 cities
Iowa IA Ames · Ankeny · Bettendorf +12 more 15 cities
Kansas KS Dodge City · Garden City · Hutchinson +12 more 15 cities
Kentucky KY Bowling Green · Covington · Elizabethtown +12 more 15 cities
Louisiana LA Alexandria · Baton Rouge · Bossier City +9 more 12 cities
Maryland MD Aspen Hill · Baltimore · Bethesda +12 more 15 cities
Michigan MI Ann Arbor · Dearborn · Detroit +12 more 15 cities
Minnesota MN Blaine · Bloomington · Brooklyn Park +12 more 15 cities
Mississippi MS Biloxi · Clinton · Columbus +12 more 15 cities
Missouri MO Blue Springs · Cape Girardeau · Chesterfield +12 more 15 cities
Nebraska NE Bellevue · Columbus · Fremont +8 more 11 cities
Nevada NV Carson City · Enterprise · Fernley +12 more 15 cities
New Jersey NJ Brick · Camden · Cherry Hill +12 more 15 cities
New Mexico NM Alamogordo · Albuquerque · Carlsbad +8 more 11 cities
New York NY Albany · Binghamton · Buffalo +12 more 15 cities
North Carolina NC Asheville · Burlington · Cary +11 more 14 cities
Ohio OH Akron · Canton · Cincinnati +11 more 14 cities
Oklahoma OK Ardmore · Bartlesville · Broken Arrow +12 more 15 cities
Oregon OR Albany · Beaverton · Bend +12 more 15 cities
Pennsylvania PA Allentown · Altoona · Bethlehem +12 more 15 cities
South Carolina SC Aiken · Anderson · Charleston +12 more 15 cities
Tennessee TN Brentwood · Chattanooga · Clarksville +11 more 14 cities
Texas TX Dallas 1 city
Utah UT Draper · Layton · Lehi +12 more 15 cities
Virginia VA Alexandria · Arlington · Charlottesville +12 more 15 cities
Washington WA Auburn · Bellevue · Bellingham +12 more 15 cities
Washington D.C. DC Washington 1 city
West Virginia WV Charleston · Huntington · Morgantown +3 more 6 cities
Wisconsin WI Appleton · Eau Claire · Fond Du Lac +12 more 15 cities

Typical AC Repair pricing (2026)

Last updated June 20, 2026

Estimated typical ranges. Actual cost varies with home size, equipment, and scope — always request a written quote for your job.

ServiceTypical range
AC service call / diagnostic fee$70–$150
Capacitor replacement (installed)$80–$400
Contactor replacement (installed)$100–$350
Refrigerant recharge (R-410A top-up, all-in)$150–$700
Refrigerant leak detection + repair$150–$1,200
Condensate drain line clearing (clog / float-switch trip)$100–$300
AC compressor replacement (installed, out-of-warranty)$800–$2,800
Emergency / after-hours service premium$150–$500

AC Repair technician wages by state

Mean annual AC repair technician wage in states we cover, vs. the national mean. Click a state for local pricing and providers.

StateMean annual wagevs. national
Washington D.C. $83,780 +24.9%
California $74,470 +11.0%
Washington $74,000 +10.3%
Illinois $72,860 +8.6%
Minnesota $71,780 +7.0%
New Jersey $71,490 +6.6%
New York $70,480 +5.1%
Maryland $68,890 +2.7%
Colorado $68,100 +1.6%
Oregon $67,380 +0.5%
Wisconsin $66,360 -1.0%
Missouri $64,980 -3.1%
Delaware $64,530 -3.8%
Pennsylvania $63,250 -5.7%
Indiana $62,530 -6.8%
Nevada $62,370 -7.0%
Ohio $62,140 -7.3%
Virginia $61,260 -8.6%
Michigan $61,120 -8.9%
Iowa $60,160 -10.3%
Utah $59,030 -12.0%
Nebraska $58,630 -12.6%
Kentucky $58,450 -12.8%
Texas $58,120 -13.3%
Kansas $57,210 -14.7%
New Mexico $56,190 -16.2%
Oklahoma $55,400 -17.4%
Louisiana $55,140 -17.8%
Tennessee $55,130 -17.8%
South Carolina $55,010 -18.0%
North Carolina $54,710 -18.4%
Alabama $52,440 -21.8%
Mississippi $50,210 -25.1%
Arkansas $50,010 -25.4%
West Virginia $48,040 -28.4%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS 2024 (SOC 49-9021) · pulled 2026-05-08.

AC Repair FAQ

Do AC repair companies need a license?
Yes — air-conditioning repair is licensed mechanical work in all three of our launch states. Texas regulates it through TDLR's Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (ACR) program (a licensed ACR contractor at each location), Florida through the DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board (Class A unlimited, or Class B up to 25 tons), and Arizona through the Registrar of Contractors. Separately, federal law requires EPA Section 608 certification for anyone who handles refrigerant. Verify the state license plus general liability insurance before hiring — an unlicensed 'handyman AC repair' is the biggest red flag.
What do EPA 608 and NATE certification mean for an AC tech?
EPA Section 608 is the federal certification required to buy and handle refrigerant; Type II covers the high-pressure systems most central AC uses, and it doesn't expire. NATE (North American Technician Excellence) is the leading voluntary competency certification. Think of 608 as the legal baseline and NATE plus manufacturer training as the signal that separates a true specialist from a generalist — ask to see both.
What does the 2025 refrigerant change mean for my AC repair?
As of January 1, 2025, new residential systems must use lower-global-warming A2L refrigerants (R-454B or R-32) instead of R-410A, under the federal AIM Act. Your existing R-410A system is fine and can still be serviced — technicians who already hold EPA 608 are grandfathered to work on it — but R-410A is getting scarcer and pricier, so a refrigerant recharge now costs more than it did a year ago. That makes finding and fixing a leak, rather than repeatedly topping off, more worthwhile than ever.
How can I tell a real AC repair specialist from a guesser?
A specialist measures: refrigerant pressures plus superheat and subcooling to verify the charge (not 'beer-can-cold' by feel), and static pressure and airflow to catch the duct and blower problems that masquerade as low refrigerant. Proper work also means evacuating the system to around 500 microns with a micron gauge after any open-refrigerant repair. If the diagnosis is a five-minute 'you're low on Freon,' get a second opinion.
How do I avoid common AC repair scams?
The most common one is a refrigerant 'top-off' that ignores the leak causing the low charge — an honest shop finds and repairs the leak before recharging, and bills for the actual refrigerant added. Be wary of a premature 'your compressor is dead, you need a whole new system' before a documented diagnosis, and of '$29 tune-up' offers used to upsell unneeded work. Insist on a written, flat-rate diagnosis, proof of EPA 608 (and ideally NATE), and a clear explanation before you authorize any major part.