Arizona to Texas: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Arizona does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Texas's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Technician registration required of everyone (no exam, no reciprocity)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An HVAC technician or journeyman licensed in any other state must register with TDLR as an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician before assisting a Texas ACR contractor; the registration is a $20, no-exam filing that does not evaluate or credit the out-of-state license. TDLR publishes no reciprocity, endorsement or exam waiver at this level because there is no exam to waive. A technician who wants the optional Certified Technician designation must meet the Texas experience or training requirement and pass the PSI Certified Technician exam; TDLR's certified technician page does not describe any credit for an out-of-state license.
Applicants without a criminal conviction receive a 21-day temporary registration on filing (16 TAC §75.27). Whether TDLR will count out-of-state supervised experience toward the voluntary Certified Technician credential was not confirmed from an official page.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Do not count
- Typical processing
- About 21 days
What you must already have
- At least 16 years old; criminal history questionnaire if convicted of a felony or misdemeanor
What you'll do to get licensed in Texas
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($20). Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician registration application fee (non-refundable, 16 TAC §75.80); renewal $20 per year.
- 2Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. TDLR's technician pages do not list it, but it applies to every technician who services refrigerant-containing equipment.
- 3Other. Optional Certified ACR Technician designation: $50 application fee plus $60 PSI exam, after 24 months of supervised ACR work or a TDLR-approved 2,000-hour certification training program (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $20, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Other
- Other · if applicable
How Texas licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Texas journeyman HVAC technician · “Registered Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician”
Statewide license
Issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
Texas has no journeyman HVAC license in the usual sense; the person-held credential for an employee who does air conditioning and refrigeration work is the Registered ACR Technician registration issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Anyone who assists a licensed ACR contractor with non-exempt maintenance or repair work must register: the applicant must be at least 16, file a one-page application with a $20 fee and answer a criminal history questionnaire, and there is no exam, no experience requirement and no continuing education. The registration is valid one year and is renewed for $20. TDLR also offers a voluntary Certified ACR Technician credential for technicians with 24 months of supervised experience or a TDLR-approved 2,000-hour training program who pass a PSI exam ($50 application, $60 exam, renewed for $35); it is not required to work. Because the registration is not an examined license, an out-of-state journeyman or technician license has nothing to transfer to: every technician must register with TDLR regardless of licenses held elsewhere, and all work must be performed under a Texas-licensed ACR contractor. Technicians who handle refrigerants also need federal EPA Section 608 certification.
Why Arizona has nothing to transfer
Arizona journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Arizona has no state journeyman HVAC license; the Registrar of Contractors licenses only air conditioning and refrigeration contractors (C-39, R-39 and CR-39), and individual technicians work under a licensed contractor without a personal state license. The one large jurisdiction that does license individuals is Phoenix, whose building code requires permitted mechanical work to be done by a City of Phoenix Mechanical Journeyman or a registered apprentice: the journeyman card requires four years of documented experience and passing a $100 mechanical exam based on the 2024 International Mechanical Code, costs $50 for three years, and is not required of an ROC-licensed contractor's qualifying party. Other Arizona cities were not verified for this entry, and the Registrar's pages describe no journeyman credential. An out-of-state journeyman HVAC license has no state-level recognition; Phoenix publishes no reciprocity and requires its own exam, while outside Phoenix a journeyman simply works for a licensed contractor. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required to handle refrigerants.
How local licensing works in Arizona
How local licensing works. Arizona licenses HVAC contractors at the state level through the Registrar of Contractors, and state law leaves individual tradesperson licensing to cities. Phoenix is the only jurisdiction verified here that licenses mechanical workers.
Phoenix. The Planning and Development Department issues Journeyman licenses in the Plumber, Mechanical and Gas Fitter trades (and combinations) and Apprentice licenses. A mechanical journeyman applicant must first pass a journeyman exam at an approved testing site (Arizona Sheet Metal JATC for union and non-union candidates, or P.I.P.E. in Tempe for union members; $100 paid to the site; based on the 2024 IMC), then apply with proof of at least four years of experience in the trade (a United Association or Sheet Metal Workers union card, or a notarized statement on company letterhead signed by a company official), photo ID and the $50 fee (paid within 60 days of the exam). The license is valid three years and renews for $20. An apprentice license ($50, one year, no exam) requires a notarized employment letter and work under a licensed journeyman or Arizona-licensed contractor. A contractor licensed by the Registrar of Contractors (the qualifying person) does not need a journeyman license to perform or observe work. Phoenix's pages describe no reciprocity with other cities or states.
Other cities. Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale and other municipalities were not checked for this entry; a journeyman should confirm local requirements before pulling permits there.
Out-of-state holders. Neither the Registrar of Contractors nor Phoenix recognizes an out-of-state journeyman HVAC license. In Phoenix the applicant takes the local exam and documents four years of experience; elsewhere no personal license is required.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Texas journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Arizona?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman HVAC technician license from Arizona?
- Published fees on this path total $20, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Arizona work hours count in Texas?
- No. Texas does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 21 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Texas to Arizona?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Arizona, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements · 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F (Clean Air Act §608) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Other · verified September 15, 2026Federal requirement in every state: technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified (Type I small appliances, Type II high-pressure, Type III low-pressure, Universal). Apprentices under direct supervision are exempt. Certification does not expire; the core exam must be proctored for Universal certification. State HVAC boards commonly require it before licensure, but it is not itself a state license.
- TDLR Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation / PSI Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026Linked from the TDLR exam page. Exam fees: Environmental Air Class A $74 (120 items, 230 minutes), Class B $60 (100 items, 170 minutes); Commercial Refrigeration Class A $74, Class B $60; Certified Technician $60 (60 items, 112 minutes); passing score 70%. Effective September 1, 2026 the exams reference the 2024 IFGC, 2024 IMC and 2024 UMC.
- 16 TAC §75.120 - Certified Technician: Application and Eligibility Requirements · 16 TAC §75.120 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Certified technician: age 18, completed education or 24 months of supervised work experience, pass the examination, pay the fees, complete all requirements within one year; certification expires on the first anniversary of issuance.
- 16 TAC §75.27 - Technician Registration Requirements: Initial Application · 16 TAC §75.27 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026A technician registration requires only a completed application and the fee; the term is one year; a 21-day temporary registration is issued to applicants without a criminal conviction who pay the fee. No exam or experience is required.
- 16 TAC §75.80 - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration: Fees · 16 TAC §75.80 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Read on the Cornell Legal Information Institute mirror because the Texas Secretary of State's texreg site has moved to a new portal that could not be opened. Contractor application $115, renewal $65, endorsement addition $25; registered technician application and renewal $20; certified technician application $50, renewal $35; all application fees non-refundable.
- TDLR - Apply for a New Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Certified Technician · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Certified Technician is a voluntary qualification that exceeds the Registered Technician standard: age 18; 24 months of ACR work under a licensed contractor or a TDLR-approved 2,000-hour certification training program (apply within 48 months of completion); $50 application fee; exam after approval; all requirements within one year; certification valid one year. No out-of-state provision.
- TDLR - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors FAQs · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Faq · verified September 15, 2026States that Texas reciprocates only with South Carolina and Georgia, that experience from states or municipalities with substantially equivalent licensing requirements is accepted, that anyone performing non-exempt air conditioning work must hold at least a technician registration, that 'there is no exam required' for technician registration ($20, one-page application, criminal background check), and that all work must be provided through a Texas-licensed ACR contractor holding the required liability insurance.
- TDLR - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors program · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program home page. Lists the three credentials (Contractor License, Technician Registration, Certified Technician) and states that a company must employ an ACR contractor at each permanent location. Links to the out-of-state and reciprocity pages.
- TDLR - Apply for a New Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician Registration · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Any person who assists a licensed ACR contractor in performing air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance or repair work must register as a technician; age 16; $20 non-refundable fee; registration valid one year; criminal history questionnaire if convicted; technicians work under contractor supervision and may not advertise independently. No exam is listed.
- TDLR - Renew an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician Registration or Certification · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Registered technician renewal $20 and certified technician renewal $35, each valid one year from issue.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.