The Guide: Heating and Cooling Contractors in Long Branch and Red Bank, NJ
New Jersey licenses heating and cooling work to a named person. Every company that installs or repairs a furnace, boiler, heat pump or air conditioner in this state works under a Master HVACR contractor’s licence held by an individual, registered with the State Board of Examiners, and searchable by anyone in about ninety seconds.
Almost nobody publishes which one. Search for a contractor in Long Branch and Red Bank and you will find a dozen companies described as “licensed and insured” — a phrase that costs nothing to write and carries no information at all. This guide reports, for every company, exactly what it publishes about its own licence and exactly what the state record says. Where a company publishes nothing, the guide says that too.
How We Selected These Companies
A company appears here if it installs, repairs or replaces residential heating and cooling systems for homeowners in Long Branch, West Long Branch, Oceanport, Deal, Oakhurst, Eatontown, Monmouth Beach, Rumson, Little Silver, Fair Haven and Red Bank.
That is the whole test, and it is deliberately a low bar. Heating and cooling is work that travels to the customer, so where a company keeps its office is a fact in the table rather than a reason to leave it out.
The licence is not the gate. It is the first column. Making it a condition of entry would delete companies from the page on the strength of what their websites do not say. Instead every qualifying company is listed, and the column reports what each one publishes and what the state registry returns.
Thirteen companies meet the test. They are listed alphabetically.
About This Guide
This guide is produced by Garden State Circle. Companies appear here because they meet the criterion described above — they perform residential heating and cooling work for homeowners in the towns this guide covers. That is a test, not a judgment, and it is the only route onto this page. No company can pay to be included in this guide, to be listed higher, or to change what the comparison table says about it. Companies are listed alphabetically, and every detail in the table was verified against each company’s own website and against the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs licensee record in September 2026.
Everything under the heading that begins this guide is governed by the rules above, on every guide we publish. Where a sponsor’s message appears above that heading, it is paid for and labelled, and it buys nothing in the guide. Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that participate in it. Participation pays for our ongoing work: keeping a business’s entry accurate, re-checking its record, and publishing a page of its own details that the business maintains. There is no paid placement in this guide. Participation does not buy a place here, a position here, or anything the comparison table says.
Garden State Circle is published locally in New Jersey by Jake Slowinski and covers Long Branch, West Long Branch, Oceanport, Deal, Oakhurst, Eatontown, Monmouth Beach, Rumson, Little Silver, Fair Haven and Red Bank. Contact the publisher at jake@gardenstatecircle.com.
Which of These Companies Is Actually Nearby
Most homeowners asking whether a company is “local” are really asking one question: will they come out for my small job? That is worth separating from geography, because the two are not the same thing.
Four companies in this guide keep premises inside the towns it covers:
- Local Mechanical — Joline Avenue, Long Branch
- Brown’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing — 176 West Front Street, Red Bank
- California Coolers — 12 Deal Avenue, Oceanport
- Garon T, which keeps an office at 54 Broad Street in Red Bank and gives its main address as Brick Township
The rest work from Allenhurst, Ocean Township, Lincroft, Belford, Tinton Falls, Freehold, Manasquan and Old Bridge and travel in.
There is one thing worth asking on this coast that does not come up inland. Salt air corrodes outdoor condenser coils faster here than a few miles west, so it is worth asking any contractor what they do about coil coatings before you accept a quote.
On the second question — whether a company will take a single repair call rather than only quoting replacements — we are asking every company on this list directly, and their answers will be published here as they come in. It is not a question a website answers honestly, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
The Companies, Compared
Listed alphabetically. The middle two columns are two different things and the difference is the point: one reports what the company puts on its own website, the other reports the name the State Board of Examiners holds the licence under.
| Company | Based in | Licence, as published on their own site | Master HVACR holder | Also published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Perri | Tinton Falls | 19HC00378400 | Anton J Cunningham · active | Plumbing 36BI01029400 (Thomas Kober) · NJ HIC 13VH1169330 |
| American Dream Air LLC | Freehold | HVAC/R 19HC00735000 | Not found by us | NJ HIC 13VH06352600 |
| Arctic Air Conditioning | 1 Pleasant Valley Rd, Old Bridge | HVAC #19HC00271800 | Anthony Perriello · active | Plumbing 36BI01035900 · Electrical 34EB01393400 · HIC 13VH01741400 |
| AVC Mechanical Services | 7 Malibu Ct, Jackson | Master HVAC-R License # 19HC00088500 | Not found by us | Not published |
| Brown’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing | 176 W Front St, Red Bank | HVAC Contractor 19HC00740900 | Christian Brown · active | Master Plumber 36BI01277900 (James D’Annunzio) · HIC 13VH02217800 |
| C & C Air Conditioning and Heating | Belford | Heating and Cooling: 19HC00398200 | Not found by us | Not found by us |
| California Coolers | 12 Deal Ave, Oceanport | Not found by us | Not found by us | Not found by us |
| Garon T Plumbing, Heating & AC | 1787 Route 88, Brick Township, with an office at 54 Broad St, Red Bank | HVAC Lic. #3649 — see the note below | Not found by us | Plumbing Lic. #13784 · Electrical Lic. 9350A |
| Guaranteed Service | 2675 NJ-70, Manasquan | Not published | Not found by us | Not published |
| Joe Hurley Inc. | 1311 Allaire Ave, Ocean Township | Not found by us | Not found by us | Not found by us |
| Local Mechanical | Joline Ave, Long Branch | Not found by us | Not found by us | Not found by us |
| Nova Heating & Air Conditioning | Not found by us | Not found by us | Not found by us | Not found by us |
| Oceanside Home Services | 531 Main St, Allenhurst | HVAC/R #19HC0026580, as printed | Not found by us | Plumbing 36BI01256600 · Electrical 34E101535800 · HIC 13VH02498300 |
| Uncle Mike’s Home Service | Lincroft | Not found by us | Not found by us | Not found by us |
Licence numbers and holders were verified against the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs licensee record and each company’s own website in September 2026. “Not published” means the company’s website was read and the fact is not on it. “Not found by us” means our search did not resolve it, and is a statement about our search rather than about the company.
A Note on Reading the Licence Column
Garon T publishes “HVAC Lic. #3649.” Written that way it returns nothing in the state lookup, and unlike the other short-form numbers in these guides it does not resolve to an obvious match, so we have left the holder column blank and written to the company rather than guess. That is not a suggestion of anything wrong — it is a statement about what we could confirm.
It is also worth separating two things that look alike. A number beginning 13VH is a New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration, and a number beginning 36BI is a master plumber. Both are real credentials and neither tells you who holds the heating and cooling licence behind the work.
The Companies
A.J. Perri, Tinton Falls
In business since 1971 and running more than a hundred vehicles out of Tinton Falls, A.J. Perri publishes its heating, plumbing and home improvement credentials in full with the licence holder named against each.
American Dream Air LLC, Freehold
American Dream Air is a Freehold-based heating and cooling company listing service across central New Jersey.
Arctic Air Conditioning, Old Bridge
Serving central New Jersey since 1977, Arctic Air publishes all four of its state licences in full, with the HVACR licence held by Anthony Perriello, and its technicians are NATE-certified.
AVC Mechanical Services
A family-run company operating since 2007, AVC offers a three-year labour warranty as standard on new installations with longer options available.
Brown’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, Red Bank
Trading on West Front Street since 1972, Brown’s publishes its heating and cooling, plumbing and home improvement licences in full, with the HVACR licence held by Christian Brown and the plumbing licence by James D’Annunzio.
C & C Air Conditioning and Heating, Belford
A family-run operation in Belford working heavily in Lennox equipment, C & C includes multi-year labour protection with full system replacements.
California Coolers, Oceanport
Owned by Patrick Chavez and working from Deal Avenue in Oceanport, California Coolers has operated in Monmouth County for more than twenty-six years.
Garon T Plumbing, Heating & AC, Brick Township
A veteran-owned business with an office on Broad Street in Red Bank, Garon T publishes a licence number for each of its three trades and is known for breaking a quote down into its price components.
Guaranteed Service, Manasquan
Guaranteed Service runs a twenty-four-hour operation from Route 70 in Manasquan covering heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical work.
Joe Hurley Inc., Ocean Township
With more than thirty years on Allaire Avenue in Ocean Township, Joe Hurley services all major brands and offers a written best-price guarantee.
Local Mechanical, Long Branch
Working from Joline Avenue in Long Branch, Local Mechanical handles custom attic ductwork and full replacements, and offers a free second opinion when another contractor has recommended a new system.
Nova Heating & Air Conditioning
A small family-run business of more than thirty years, Nova has been voted best of Monmouth and Ocean counties five years running.
Oceanside Home Services, Allenhurst
Operating around the clock from Main Street in Allenhurst, Oceanside works heavily in next-generation heat pump installation and complex attic duct repair.
Uncle Mike’s Home Service, Lincroft
Working out of Lincroft, Uncle Mike’s handles emergency response and home efficiency audits.
Common Questions
How do I check whether a New Jersey HVAC contractor is licensed?
Go to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs licence verification system at newjersey.mylicense.com, choose Person Search, set the profession to HVACR and the licence type to Master HVACR Contractor, and search by the licence number or the holder’s surname. The result gives you the holder’s name, the licence number and whether the status is active. It is free and it takes about ninety seconds.
What is a Master HVACR contractor’s licence?
It is the New Jersey licence that permits heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration work. It is issued to an individual, not to a company, after an examination, and it carries a $3,000 bond and a continuing education requirement at each renewal. A company performs HVAC work under the licence of a named individual associated with it.
Does the licence number have to be on the company’s website?
New Jersey requires a licensed Master HVACR contractor to display the licence number and the designation on business vehicles, websites, invoices, stationery, contracts and advertising. In practice many companies serving these towns do not, which is what the middle column of the table above is reporting.
Is a 13VH number the same thing?
No. A number beginning 13VH is a New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration. It is a real credential and worth having, but it is a different regime from the HVACR licence and it does not tell you who holds the heating and cooling licence behind the work.
Who Governs Heating and Cooling Work in Long Branch and Red Bank, NJ
Heating and cooling work in New Jersey answers to two state agencies with confusingly similar names, and they do different things. The licence belongs to the State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, part of the Division of Consumer Affairs — (973) 504-6250 — which issues the Master HVACR licence in the table above and runs the search described in the questions above. The permit belongs to the Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23, written by the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards — (609) 292-7899 — and enforced by each municipality’s own construction office, listed below. New Jersey adopted the 2024 editions of its construction subcodes on August 17, 2026; the mechanical subcode is the International Mechanical Code 2024 (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.20) and the fuel gas subcode is the International Fuel Gas Code 2024 (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.22), per the Division’s current-codes table, read September 2, 2026.
| Municipality | Construction permit office, as the town names it | Phone | Construction Official, as published | Hours, as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Long Branch | Building & Development | 732-571-5690 | John Palmer | Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:30pm |
| Red Bank Borough | Building Department | 732-530-2760 ext. 0347 | Anthony Neibert (Construction Code Official) | Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:00pm |
Every office above was opened and read on September 2, 2026. Names are published only where the municipality publishes them.
Long Branch takes all inquiries and inspection requests by email at Building@longbranch.org, and its staff directory lists Building & Development, Code Enforcement and Planning & Zoning as three separate departments — the permit is the first of those. Red Bank titles its head Construction Code Official and publishes a direct extension for every subcode official; its office is on the third floor of borough hall. This guide also covers the towns between the two — Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, West Long Branch, Little Silver, Shrewsbury, Fair Haven and others — and each is its own municipality with its own construction office. We have not yet opened those offices and do not list them here; the state search above works in every one of them, and the permit office is found on each town’s own website.
Fee schedules are adopted by ordinance and change. Whether a particular job needs a permit is interpreted by the town’s own construction office, not by us. We publish what each municipality published, with the date we checked it — confirm with the office before you rely on it, and if any of it has changed, the correction address at the foot of this page is the fastest way to tell us.
More Garden State Circle Guides
The same guide for other markets
- Heating and cooling contractors in Somerville
- Heating and cooling contractors in Bridgewater
- Heating and cooling contractors in the Somerset Hills
- Heating and cooling contractors in Warren, Watchung and Green Brook
- Heating and cooling contractors in Belle Mead, Skillman and Montgomery Township
- Heating and cooling contractors in Franklin Township, Manville and North Plainfield
- Heating and cooling contractors in Clinton and Flemington
More guides to the Monmouth coast
- Oral surgeons serving Long Branch and Red Bank
- Med spas on the Monmouth coast
- Orthodontists in Long Branch, Red Bank and Little Silver
- Roofing contractors on the Monmouth coast
- Siding and window contractors on the Monmouth coast
- Dentists in Long Branch and Oceanport
Every guide we publish is listed at Garden State Circle Guides.
Something Out of Date?
This guide is maintained. If anything here is wrong or has changed — a name, an address, a licence number, or whether a business has closed — tell us and we will check it. Businesses listed here are welcome to write in directly, and a company that publishes a licence number we have recorded as absent is exactly the kind of correction we want.
And if you run a heating and cooling company that should be on this list and is not, write to us. We would rather be told than be incomplete. The test is the same one every company here cleared: that you install, repair or replace residential heating and cooling systems for homeowners in Long Branch, West Long Branch, Oceanport, Deal, Oakhurst, Eatontown, Monmouth Beach, Rumson, Little Silver, Fair Haven and Red Bank. A permit pulled in one of those municipalities, a completed job, or your licence will do it. Show us that and you go on the page.
admin@gardenstatecircle.com
This is not a ranking.
