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What central air, heat pumps and mini-splits cost here this year by size, what the LADBS permit and Title 24 tests add, and how to check a CSLB license in three minutes.
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The short answer
AC installation in Los Angeles is published at $8,000–$16,000 for a 3-ton central AC on usable ducts, and $6,500–$25,000 across 2 to 5 tons, by LA HVAC companies in 2026.
A ducted heat pump is published at $8,000–$22,000 and a single-zone mini-split at $4,000–$7,500. New ducts, a 200-amp panel or a crane lift add to any of them.
These ranges come from 6 named LA sources, not from us. The permit and the Title 24 duct and refrigerant tests belong in every quote.
Sources and retrieval dates are listed under the cost section and in our editorial policy. Page last reviewed .
Why use this site
Six things a contractor's booking form does not give you.
Every range names its source and the date we read it.
Partners are matched against the CSLB C-20 register first.
Tons, published price band and the adders in one card.
The ten lines an LA installation quote should carry.
No testimonials, ratings or staff we cannot verify.
Woodland Hills sees 115 days at 90 °F+; LAX sees 5.
What it costs
Installation is priced by size in tons for ducted systems and by zone for mini-splits. These are the installed ranges LA HVAC companies printed this year.
None of it is our price. We publish a figure of our own only once we hold twelve dated Los Angeles quotes for that size and system. Our editorial policy explains the method; the full Los Angeles AC cost breakdown covers scope, first-time installs and rebates.
| Size | Central AC | Ducted heat pump | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ton ~1,200 sq ft | $6,500–$12,000 | $9,000–$11,500 | Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, E & A Mechanical |
| 2.5 ton ~1,500 sq ft | $7,000–$13,500 | not printed | Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud |
| 3 ton ~1,800 sq ft | $8,000–$16,000 | $12,000–$15,000 | Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, E & A Mechanical |
| 3.5 ton ~2,100 sq ft | $11,000–$17,500 | not printed | Reliable H&A; AC least settled |
| 4 ton ~2,400 sq ft | $9,500–$19,000 | $14,500–$18,000 | Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, E & A Mechanical |
| 5 ton ~3,000 sq ft | $11,000–$25,000 | $17,000–$22,000 | Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, E & A Mechanical |
Central AC figures assume usable ducts and keep the furnace. Heat pump figures by size come from one company; HVACProjectCost.com ($9,000–$17,000) and LA Heating and Air Conditioning ($8,000–$14,000) print an all-sizes band.
| Zones | Published range | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 1 zone | $4,000–$7,500 | E & A Mechanical, HVACProjectCost |
| 2 zones | $9,000–$12,500 | E & A Mechanical; least settled |
| 3 zones | $12,000–$16,500 | E & A Mechanical; least settled |
| 4 zones | $15,000–$20,000 | E & A Mechanical; least settled |
| Permit and Title 24 paperwork Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud | +$250–$800 |
| Line set, pad or a long refrigerant run Reliable H&A, E & A Mechanical | +$300–$1,500 |
| Duct repair and sealing Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, E & A Mechanical | +$800–$4,500 |
| New or fully replaced ductwork Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, HVACProjectCost | +$3,500–$8,000 |
| Electrical panel, 100 A to 200 A Reliable H&A, Cold Cloud, E & A Mechanical, HVACProjectCost | +$2,000–$7,500 |
| Crane lift to a roof or over a building HVACProjectCost | +$800–$2,000 |
| Asbestos abatement on old ducts Reliable H&A | +$2,000–$9,000 |
| Full system with all-new ducts HVACProjectCost | $14,000–$22,000 |
Sales tax: California taxes the installed AC unit as a fixture, ducts as the contractor's materials, and not the labor (CDTFA, Sales and Use Tax Regulation 1521, Appendices A and B).
| Source | Page dated | What it prints |
|---|---|---|
| Reliable Heating and Air (Woodland Hills), AC installation cost in LA and Ventura County retrieved 2026-09-29 | 2026 | Central AC by size, 2 to 5 tons, plus adders: panel, duct repair, full ducts, permits, line set, asbestos. |
| Cold Cloud (Glendale), central air cost in Los Angeles retrieved 2026-09-29 | 2026-05 | Central AC by size, 2 to 5 tons, on usable ducts; 17+ SEER2 adds $2,500–$5,000. Adders: ducts, panel, permit and Title 24 paperwork. |
| E & A Mechanical (Tujunga), heat pump installation cost in Los Angeles retrieved 2026-09-29 | 2026-04-18 | Ducted heat pump by size, 2 to 5 tons; mini-splits by 1 to 4 zones. Adders: ducts, panel, long line set. |
| HVACProjectCost.com, Los Angeles HVAC replacement cost retrieved 2026-09-29 | 2026-07-16 | Central AC $5,500–$12,000; heat pump $9,000–$17,000; mini-split one zone $4,000–$7,000, multi-zone $10,000–$18,000; new ducts, panel, crane. |
| LA Heating and Air Conditioning (Woodland Hills), heat pump installation cost in Los Angeles retrieved 2026-09-29 | 2026-08-11 | Heat pump without new ducts $8,000–$14,000; with new ducts from $13,000. |
| Affordable Heating and Air (Chatsworth), AC replacement cost in Los Angeles retrieved 2026-09-29 | 2026 | Full system $9,000–$22,000, middle of the market $11,000–$13,000. Not used by size; lists what a quote should itemize. |
Enter the conditioned floor area and where the house sits. You get a size band and the published LA price range for it. It checks a quote; it is not one, and it is no substitute for the Manual J the contractor should run.
Coast means Santa Monica or Long Beach; Valley means the San Fernando or San Gabriel valleys. Sources and dates are in the table above. The 600 sq ft per ton start follows the size bands those guides print; the coast and Valley half-ton shift is our own rule of thumb.
Your band
Ask for the Manual J result; it should land near this.
Published 2026 figures from named LA companies, not quotes from us. A quote outside the band is not wrong; it should explain why.
Get quotes for a 3 ton systemHeat pump or AC
Central AC. A new condenser and coil on the ducts you have, keeping the gas furnace. The published 3-ton band is $8,000–$16,000. It fits a house with sound ducts and a furnace with years left.
Heat pump installation. The same outdoor unit cools and heats, so it can retire the furnace. LA sources print a ducted system at $8,000–$22,000. LADWP, Burbank and Pasadena rebate heat pumps per ton.
Ductless mini-split. For Craftsman and Spanish houses without ducts, condos, ADUs and additions. Priced per zone, from $4,000–$7,500 for one.
LADWP, "Consumer Rebate Program", LADWP; prices from the sources in the cost section. Retrieved 2026-10-20.
Days a year at 90 °F or above, 1991–2020 normals:
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020, retrieved 2026-09-29.
A new condenser, coil or air handler is an alteration under Title 24: the contractor seals and tests the ducts, and a third-party rater under the CEC's ECC program checks the work.
LADWP in the city; Burbank and Pasadena run their own utilities; SCE elsewhere, whose central heat pump incentive ran through TECH Clean California, fully reserved since 14 November 2025.
Services
Nine jobs Los Angeles homeowners ask for, starting with the installation.
Adding central air to a house that never had it, which in older LA stock can mean new ducts and a panel check.
Published range, central AC, 2–5 tons: $6,500–$25,000
Read the central air installation guide Get central air quotesOne outdoor unit that cools and heats, often replacing an AC plus gas furnace. LADWP, Burbank and Pasadena rebate heat pumps per ton.
Published range, ducted heat pump: $8,000–$22,000
Read the heat pump installation guide Get heat pump quotesSwapping an aging condenser and coil. The quote should state SEER2, EER2, the refrigerant, the permit and the Title 24 tests.
Published range, central AC, 2–5 tons: $6,500–$25,000
Read the ac replacement guide Get replacement quotesFor homes, condos, ADUs and additions without ducts. Priced by zone; ask where the outdoor unit and line set will run.
Published range, 1 to 4+ zones: $4,000–$20,000
Read the ductless mini-split installation guide Get mini-split quotesNot cooling in a Valley heat wave. A repair quote on an older R-410A system is where the replacement question starts.
Request a repairNew gas furnaces sold in the South Coast air district must meet its Rule 1111 NOx limit. Price a heat pump alongside it.
Get furnace quotesA spring check before the Valley's first 100 °F week: refrigerant charge, capacitor, drain and filter.
Book a tune-upA new condenser triggers Title 24 duct sealing and testing. Ask how old attic or crawlspace ducts will be sealed if they fail.
Read the ductwork, sealing and testing guide Get duct quotesRooftop units and split systems for shops, offices and apartment common areas. Crane lifts and roof access move these prices.
Read the light commercial hvac guide Get commercial quotesThe rules that change your quote
None of this is optional for the contractor, and most of it shows up in the price. Which office issues your permit.
HVAC work in California needs a CSLB license in the C-20 classification, which covers installing air-conditioning systems and their ducts and controls. Since 2025 the unlicensed limit is $1,000, and only for work that needs no permit.
Every licensee carries a $25,000 bond.
California Code of Regulations, Title 16, § 832.20, via Cornell LII — source; CSLB AB 2622 release; CSLB bond rules. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
The CEC says replacing or altering an HVAC unit needs a permit. In the City of Los Angeles that is LADBS, with an online express permit for a like-for-like change-out; a heat pump that adds a circuit needs an electrical permit too.
Unincorporated areas use LA County Public Works.
CEC; LADBS (verify; LADBS refused our automated read); LA County Public Works. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
The contractor seals and tests the ducts, and a third-party rater verifies the installation. From 1 January 2026 that rater works under the CEC's Energy Code Compliance program, which replaced HERS for code verification.
CEC single-family resources; CEC HERS/ECC; climate-zone detail per Energy Code Ace (verify). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
California is in DOE's Southwest region. A new split AC needs 14.3 SEER2 plus an EER2 minimum (11.7 below 45,000 Btu/h, or 9.8 at 15.2 SEER2 and up). Split heat pumps need 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.
10 CFR 430.32(c), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations — eCFR, retrieved 2026-09-29
New equipment uses A2L refrigerants such as R-454B or R-32. EPA's May 2026 rule lets installers fit R-410A split systems built before 2025 until stock runs out.
California keeps its own HFC rules through CARB, so ask which refrigerant the quote uses and confirm it can be installed here.
NAHB summary of the EPA final rule under the AIM Act (May 2026); California rules per CARB (verify) — source. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
The federal 25C credit applied to qualifying equipment placed in service before 31 December 2025. A system installed in 2026 does not qualify. LADWP rebates heat pumps rated 15.2 SEER2 and 7.7 HSPF2 or better, and asks for the final approved permit.
TECH Clean California's single-family heat pump incentives are fully reserved. Labor is not subject to sales tax.
IRS; LADWP; TECH Clean California; CDTFA Reg. 1521. Retrieved 2026-10-20.
Before you sign
A quote missing three or more of these is hard to compare. Line up your quotes side by side.
Open the CSLB license check and enter the license number or the business name.
Confirm it is active and lists C-20, that the bond and workers' comp are current, and that the name matches your contract.
What happens next
Service, ZIP, home size and ducts. Nothing is shared until you submit.
We match your ZIP to a contractor whose C-20 license we have checked. If none covers your ZIP yet, we email you and say so.
The contractor sizes the system and quotes it. Check it against the estimator.
The contractor pulls the permit from LADBS or your city, then installs.
The rater verifies the ducts and charge; the inspector signs off. Keep the permit for any rebate.
Service area
The equipment is the same across the county; the permit office, the utility, the climate and the housing are not. Coverage is confirmed by ZIP. All service areas and local guides.
The form accepts Los Angeles County ZIPs from 900xx to 918xx and tells you if we cannot route yours. Orange County, the Conejo Valley and Santa Clarita wait on a partner there.
Utility and permit-office lines: Burbank Water and Power, "Residential Rebates"; Pasadena Water and Power, "Heat Pump Rebate" (verify your address); Long Beach Development Services; climate from NOAA normals.
Questions
More answers in the installation guides, or try the system comparison tool.
LA HVAC companies publish a 3-ton central AC at $8,000–$16,000 installed on usable ducts, and 2–5 tons at $6,500–$25,000. A ducted heat pump prints at $8,000–$22,000. These are published ranges from named sources, not our prices; ducts, a panel or a crane add to them.
The two LA price guides that print sizes pair about 600 square feet with each ton: a 1,800 sq ft home lands near 3 tons. A Valley house may need more than a coastal one of the same size. The contractor should run a Manual J load calculation before quoting.
Yes. The California Energy Commission says a permit is required when an HVAC unit is replaced or altered. In the City of Los Angeles it comes from LADBS; Burbank, Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Monica and unincorporated areas use their own offices. The permit brings Title 24 duct and refrigerant tests.
Often worth pricing both. A heat pump cools like an AC and also heats, so it can replace an AC plus gas furnace. LADWP, Burbank and Pasadena utilities rebate heat pumps per ton. Published LA prices for a ducted heat pump run $8,000–$22,000 by size.
LA sources publish a single-zone ductless mini-split at $4,000–$7,500 installed and multi-zone systems at $10,000–$20,000. The zone count, the line-set run and where the outdoor unit can sit move the price most.
No federal credit: 25C ended for equipment placed in service after 2025. LADWP, Burbank Water and Power and Pasadena Water and Power run their own heat pump rebates. TECH Clean California's single-family incentives have been fully reserved since 14 November 2025.
Use the CSLB license check. Search the license number or business name, confirm the license is active and carries the C-20 classification, then check the bond and workers' compensation status on the record. The name on the license should match your contract.
No. Despite the name, this site is an independent lead-generation publisher. Your request goes to licensed Los Angeles HVAC contractors who pay us for the introduction. We do not install, repair or warranty anything.
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