Terre Haute is the first city in the United States to specifically adopt NATE certification as a mechanism for awarding a license to a contractor operating in that city. As a result, NATE certification will be red hot, a profitable priority for technicians in that area.

Specifically Sec.4-117 Licensure of Heating and Cooling Contractors states:

"a. In order to obtain licensure as a heating and cooling contractor, the contractor must employ at least one (1) full-time employee who is certified for heating and cooling work by North American Technician Excellence (NATE), or equivalent. The applicant for licensure shall present a copy of NATE or equivalent certification at the time of application.
b. The contractor’s license shall specify the certified individual responsible for the licensure of the business. This person shall be responsible for the activities of the business, and shall be designated as the supervisor. This person shall not be listed as a supervisor for more than one (1) heating and cooling contractor."

Ed Utterbeck , president of the Wabash Valley ACCA noted: "Until this time, Terre Haute has had licensing requirements for electrical and for plumbing contractors, but not HVAC ones. Two factors made NATE appealing: First, the certification is available to everyone regardless of membership in association, union, or group. Second, there was a continuing education requirement stating the technician had to recertify every five years. That means the people of Terre Haute will be getting contractors with technicians who stay on top of their profession."

Carl Smith, NATE’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations said, "This is an exciting day for NATE, and hopefully only the first of many such actions by municipal bodies."

There are over 21,000 NATE certified technicians nationwide in every state and seven international countries. For more information about NATE, go to www.natex.org.