When the AC dies in July, the homeowner calls the first van they remember seeing on the street. Be that van, and keep the state happy while you're at it.
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Example text for an HVAC business (a made-up company; 555 numbers are placeholders). Real text, so you can read it the way a customer would.
An HVAC service van carries a refrigerant recovery machine, tanks, a vacuum pump, gauges, shelving full of parts and often a ladder rack; install trucks haul condensers, furnaces and line sets on a flatbed or box truck. A loaded service van usually stays under the federal marking line; a box truck or a van towing an equipment trailer may not. The GVWR on the door jamb and the trailer rating decide it, not the trade.
The federal rule (from the same verified data as our checker): name and USDOT number on both sides of the power unit from 10,001 lbs (49 CFR 390.21T(b)(2)); other triggers in the federal box below.
Verified 2026-07-23 · next review 2026-10-21
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Check your state: California · Florida · Georgia · Massachusetts · New Jersey · Ohio · Texas · Washington · West Virginia. All 50 states.
These are the HVAC vehicle-marking rules we have read in the state's own statute or regulation. States not listed: we have not verified a rule for them (our research notes list which ones were checked).
| On the vehicle | Business name and contractor's license number, in or on each commercially registered motor vehicle used in the construction business, in a clearly visible location, at least 72-point type or 3/4 inch high and wide. |
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| On the vehicle | The registration or certification number must be conspicuously and legibly displayed with that name, text or artwork. Vehicle signage itself is not mandatory; local governments may add a competency/license number requirement. |
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| On the vehicle | The licensee's name and license number on each commercial motor vehicle registered under the licensee's name, letters and numbers approximately 1 1/2 inches high. |
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| On the vehicle | The license number, shown as 'OH LIC#-----', prominently placed on at least two sides of the vehicle, at least 2 inches high. |
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| Applies when | A Texas air conditioning and refrigeration contracting company uses a vehicle in conjunction with that work. |
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| On the vehicle | The affiliated licensee's license number and the company name in letters not less than 2 inches high on both sides of all vehicles used in air conditioning and refrigeration contracting. |
Texas HVAC companies put the license number and company name on both sides of every truck used for the work, in letters at least 2 inches tall. TDLR lists a missing vehicle marking as a Class A violation ($500 to $1,000).
Texas, Ohio, California, Nevada and Florida each have a rule we have read and quoted below; Texas and Ohio set a letter height and a form, California and Nevada cover every licensee, and Florida's applies once the van shows the company name. Not every state is covered yet; the research notes say which were checked.
Only if it crosses the federal weight line or your state's intrastate line, which depends on the van's GVWR and whether you tow, not on the trade. The checker above runs the numbers.
Usually yes if you're an authorized dealer, within that brand's logo rules. We cut dealer logos from the artwork the manufacturer provides and show them on the proof.
Both sides of the van in a clean spot the rule's letter height fits, usually under the company name on the front doors or on the lower side panel, plus the rear if the state asks for it. We lay it out to the rule and note the citation on the proof.
Matched lettering across every van, license numbers included, with unit numbers, and fleet pricing from 15 vans. Multi-color logo sets for 30 or more vans ship in 3 to 5 business days.
Fleet pricing from 15 vehicles, matched layouts across every unit, unit numbers included, one proof for the whole batch.
See fleet & volume pricing →General information, not legal advice. Each rule above shows the date we last verified it against the cited source; the state agency has the final word.
