Get a heating company on the phone and ask for a written price.

A heating company is a private business, and that includes the companies that may call if you use the form. The checks below are ones you can use on that call and on any other.

Do you need a company at all?

What to do when the furnace stops heating covers the first hour: leave for a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm, then the pipe steps if the air is clear. A company is the next call when the furnace will not light, the air from the vents is cold, or you do not want to open the unit.

HomeAdvisor, updated June 20, 2026, says furnace repair costs average $318, with a normal range of $133 to $505. The wider range on that page is $64 to $1,475. Those figures are national, not a bid. Ask the company for a written price.

Who is allowed to pull the permit

The license rule is local. Each city page states who may pull the permit. What does a furnace repair cost? has the national HomeAdvisor range.

In Duluth, the HVAC page says a one- or two-family permit application can be filed by the owner or by a mechanical contractor with a bond registered at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. In Rochester, the permit page says single-family owners must get a permit for work they do themselves, and that trade work on a rental has to be done by a professional contractor. In Sioux Falls, the mechanical contractor page says contractors who do mechanical or HVAC work in the city need a city Mechanical Contractors License, and that a homeowner who lives in and owns a single-family home needs mechanical homeowner permits instead. The building permit FAQ says a building permit does not cover mechanical work unless a licensed mechanical contractor does it. In Cedar Rapids, Building and Trades says a mechanical permit goes to a State of Iowa licensed contractor or to a homeowner with a homestead exemption.

Questions to ask before they start

Ask these on the first call, and ask for the answers in writing.

• What license do you hold in this city, and what is the license number?
• Who will be in the house, and is that person an employee or a subcontractor?
• Will you pull the mechanical permit this city requires if the job is a replacement?
• What failed, and what is the written price to repair it?
• What is the written price to replace it, if you are also offering that?
• What does the price include, and what would make it change?
• Will you wait for a yes before taking the furnace apart?

Red flags

These come from two attorney general warnings. They are not a finding about a company in Duluth, Rochester, Sioux Falls, or Cedar Rapids, and they are not those cities' license laws. The Missouri office wrote about furnace and HVAC season. The Iowa office lists red flags for hiring any home contractor.

• A very low price for a furnace inspection or duct cleaning, followed by a claim that the system is unsafe and needs a large repair. The Missouri Attorney General described that pattern on November 3, 2025. Missouri Attorney General
• A claim that an igniter or a control board must be replaced, at a high price, when you have not been shown what failed. The same Missouri warning names those parts. Missouri Attorney General
• A demand for full payment before any work begins. The Missouri warning says reputable technicians will not demand that. Missouri Attorney General
• No written estimate, or a refusal to write the offer down. Missouri says to ask for a written estimate and to compare quotes. Iowa lists "No Written Contract" among contractor red flags and says to make sure important promises are written into the agreement. Iowa Attorney General
• Pressure to sign today, or a cash-only offer. Both are on the Iowa list of contractor red flags. Iowa Attorney General
• Someone at the door who says they are from the utility. The Missouri warning says to call the utility yourself before you let that person in. Missouri Attorney General

What to do when a company calls from this site

Use the same questions. Duluth, Rochester, Sioux Falls, and Cedar Rapids each spell out the permit. A company that calls from this site is still a private company, and a yes on the phone is still your decision.