Colorado to Connecticut: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Colorado does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Connecticut'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.
Journeyperson by equivalent out-of-state license (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An HVAC technician licensed in any other state applies under DCP's 'Heating Journeyperson - Equivalent Out of State License' path. DCP reviews one out-of-state license for equivalency: it must have required the same number of classroom hours (576 for the S-2), an equivalent classroom curriculum matching DCP's Exhibit A courses, and the same on-the-job training hours (8,000 for the S-2) as the Connecticut license applied for; the limited D-2 class needs 4,000 OJT and 432 classroom hours and the B-2 needs 2,000 and 288. The applicant submits a copy of the license, an official license verification, the laws and regulations that set the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license; only one license will be reviewed and the $90 application fee is non-refundable. If the license is found equivalent, DCP approves the applicant to sit the S-2 exam with PSI ($59 per portion, eligibility valid one year), and the license is issued after passing on payment of the $120 initial license fee. The out-of-state license does not waive the Connecticut exam because Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements. If the license cannot be shown equivalent, the applicant must instead document 576 classroom hours and 8,000 OJT hours with transcripts and notarized employer letters under the equivalent experience and training path.
DCP's out-of-state license page does not itself restate that the exam is required; the exam requirement follows from the Heating, Cooling and Sheet Metal Work Licenses page (every individual applicant must take an exam), CGS 20-334a(a)(2) (competency shown by the state licensure examination) and the PSI bulletin (the State determines eligibility, then the candidate tests). CGS 20-333a permits licensure without examination only where the other state reciprocates for Connecticut licensees, and DCP states no such agreements exist. Many states issue a single HVAC or refrigeration license rather than a heating-piping-cooling license with a 576-hour curriculum, so an applicant may be found equivalent only to a limited class such as the D-2. Neither DCP page mentions EPA Section 608; it is a federal requirement that applies regardless. Typical processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Colorado license must be active and in good standing.
- The out-of-state license must be equivalent: it required the same classroom hours (576 for the S-2; 432 for the D-2; 288 for the B-2), an equivalent curriculum matching Exhibit A, and the same OJT hours (8,000 S-2; 4,000 D-2; 2,000 B-2) as the Connecticut class applied forOnly one out-of-state license is reviewed for equivalency.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training hours required for the S-2; demonstrated through the equivalent out-of-state license or, failing that, through notarized employer letters under the experience and training path.
What you'll do to get licensed in Connecticut
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($90). Journeyperson application fee, non-refundable (CGS 20-333).
- 2Other. Copy of the out-of-state license, official license verification, the laws/regulations listing the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. S-2 Unlimited Heating, Piping and Cooling Journeyperson exam administered by PSI: 70 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass, open book (D-2: 60 questions, 2 hours; B-2: 40 questions, 1.5 hours).
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($59). PSI examination fee per portion, not refundable or transferable (same fee for retakes).
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Initial license fee for a journeyperson license after passing the exam (CGS 20-335); renews annually for $120, expiring August 31.
- 6Other. Hold EPA Section 608 technician certification to handle refrigerant; federal law requires it, but it is not a condition of this state license (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $269, 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.
- Trade exam
- Exam fee · $59
- Other · if applicable
How Connecticut licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Connecticut journeyman HVAC technician · “S-2 Unlimited Heating, Piping and Cooling Journeyperson”
Statewide license
Connecticut licenses HVAC work statewide through the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) as 'heating, piping and cooling' work; the journeyman-level credential is the S-2 Unlimited Heating, Piping and Cooling Journeyperson, which covers all heating, piping and cooling work defined in CGS 20-330 while employed by a licensed contractor. Narrower journeyperson classes exist for technicians whose experience is limited to part of the trade, chiefly the D-2 Limited Warm Air, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Journeyperson (no oil burner servicing) and the B-2 Limited Gas and Oil Burner Journeyperson, plus D-4 cooling-only, G-2 gas piping and S-10 light heating-cooling classes. A new S-2 applicant qualifies through a Connecticut apprenticeship, through equivalent experience and training (8,000 on-the-job hours and 576 classroom hours), or by holding an equivalent out-of-state license, and in every path must pass the PSI-administered S-2 exam (70 questions, 3 hours, 70%, open book). DCP states that Connecticut does not have reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction, even though CGS 20-333a would allow the Commissioner to waive the exam for licensees of states that reciprocate. The application fee is $90, the exam is $59 per portion and the initial license fee is $120; licenses expire every August 31 and renew for $120. EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is a separate federal requirement for anyone handling refrigerants.
Why Colorado has nothing to transfer
Colorado journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Colorado has no state HVAC license at any level; the Department of Regulatory Agencies licenses electricians and plumbers but no mechanical, heating, air conditioning or refrigeration trade, and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department's exam notice states plainly that 'Colorado does NOT have a state license for the building or mechanical trades.' Journeyman-level HVAC credentials exist only where a city or regional building department issues them. Denver issues Heating and Ventilating Journeyman and Refrigeration Journeyman certificates (4 years / 7,000 hours of field experience plus the ICC F31 Journeyman Mechanical exam, $40 for three years), and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department in Colorado Springs and El Paso County issues a Heating Mechanic IV (HVAC Service Technician) license for technicians employed by a licensed mechanical contractor. Most other Colorado jurisdictions license only the contractor and require no card for employees. An out-of-state journeyman HVAC license is not recognized by Denver, which does not reciprocate certificates from other states, or by PPRBD, which accepts no out-of-state exams; the applicant must document experience locally and pass the ICC exam each jurisdiction uses. EPA Section 608 certification is required nationwide to handle refrigerants.
How local licensing works in Colorado
How local licensing works. There is no state HVAC board; each city, county or regional building department decides whether to license mechanical workers and contractors under its own building code, and most use ICC National Standard exams administered through Pearson VUE ($100 per exam). Passing an ICC exam is not itself a license, and jurisdictions decide individually whether to honor it.
Denver. Community Planning and Development issues person-held Heating and Ventilating Journeyman and Refrigeration Journeyman certificates. Each requires 4 years (at least 7,000 hours) of field installation experience through an apprenticeship or on-the-job training, proven by notarized letters from employers or clients covering projects completed within the last 10 years, plus a passing letter for the ICC #F31 National Standard Journeyman Mechanical exam submitted within 90 days of application approval. The certificate fee is $40 and it renews every 3 years. Denver states that it 'does not accept or reciprocate contractor licenses and/or certificates from other counties or states.'
Colorado Springs and El Paso County (Pikes Peak Regional Building Department). PPRBD issues individual Heating Mechanic licenses: Heating Mechanic I (Fitter) for gas piping after 1 year of experience, and Heating Mechanic IV (HVAC Service Technician) for repairing and servicing HVAC equipment while employed by a licensed Mechanical Contractor A, B, C or D. Applicants pay a $50 application fee and a $10 annual license fee, pass the ICC National Standard Journey Mechanical exam (W31) where applicable, and hold combustible gas indicator and carbon monoxide detection instrument certificates; the Licensing Committee and Board of Review approve each application after a judicial record check. PPRBD accepts only ICC exams passed on or after January 1, 2016 and states that 'no out-of-state exams will be accepted.' Heating Mechanic IV renewal requires 6 hours of approved technical training.
Other jurisdictions. Denver's and PPRBD's pages were the only individual HVAC worker licenses verified for this entry; other Colorado jurisdictions (for example Aurora, Fort Collins, Boulder County and Jefferson County) generally license mechanical contractors only and were not checked for journeyman cards.
Out-of-state holders. Neither Denver nor PPRBD publishes a reciprocity or endorsement path for journeyman licenses from other states. An arriving journeyman should expect to document experience with notarized letters and pass the ICC journeyman mechanical exam for each jurisdiction that licenses individuals.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Connecticut journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Colorado?
- Yes. Connecticut requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Connecticut journeyman HVAC technician license from Colorado?
- Published fees on this path total $269, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Colorado work hours count in Connecticut?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Connecticut's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Connecticut to Colorado?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Connecticut to Colorado, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 393 - Occupational Licensing (Electrical, Plumbing and Piping, Heating, Cooling...) · CGS §§ 20-333, 20-333a, 20-334a, 20-335 · Connecticut General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Heating, Cooling and Sheet Metal Work Licenses (application paths, fees, renewal) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Heating Journeyperson: Equivalent Experience and Training · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Heating Journeyperson: Equivalent Out of State License · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Heating, Piping, Cooling and Sheet Metal Work Examining Board · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Heating, Piping and Cooling License Types and Scope of Work · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Connecticut DCP Occupational Licensing - Heating, Piping and Cooling Trades Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 2/4/2026) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection / PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 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, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.