Colorado to Maryland: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Colorado does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Maryland'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.
Out-of-state journeyman without a reciprocal agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman licensed in a state other than Delaware or Virginia must qualify for an original Maryland journeyman license by examination; the Board's FAQ says reciprocal licensing is available only where an agreement exists. The statutory route is 4 years as a licensed apprentice with 6,000 hours of training under a licensed contractor, but Bus. Reg. §9A-302(g) lets the Board credit up to 6 years of HVACR work experience that does not fit that pattern when it provided comparable experience and the shortfall was not the applicant's fault, and up to 3 years of formal HVACR study, so documented out-of-state journeyman experience can be submitted to PSI (the Board's testing vendor, which reviews eligibility) in place of a Maryland apprenticeship. The applicant then passes the open-book PSI journeyman exam with 70% ($150), registers the license with the Department and pays the $25 license fee. Bus. Reg. §9A-305 also allows the Board, by majority vote, to waive the exam for a licensee of any state that waives its exam for Maryland licensees to a similar extent, but the Board has published that waiver only for Delaware and Virginia. There is no separate law or business exam.
The Board's requirements page and Bus. Reg. §9A-302(e) require 4 years as a licensed apprentice with 6,000 hours; the PSI bulletin (updated 9/1/2024) still describes a 3-year/1,875-hour apprentice standard and a Board-approved route for 'at least three years of qualifying experience'. The Board's published materials do not say how PSI and the Board apply §9A-302(g) credit to experience gained under an out-of-state license; ask the Board (410-230-6196) before applying. The HVACR Journeyman exam has 100 questions in 240 minutes; the restricted journeyman exams are 40-50 questions in 90-120 minutes.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Statutory route: held a Maryland apprentice license for at least 4 years and completed at least 6,000 hours of HVACR training under the direction and control of a licensed contractor (Bus. Reg. §9A-302(e)); the Board may credit up to 6 years of comparable work experience and up to 3 years of formal study under §9A-302(g).
What you'll do to get licensed in Maryland
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Maryland HVACR Journeyman examination administered by PSI, 70% to pass, open book (2012 International Mechanical Code, Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, ACCA Manual J, 29 CFR 1926); apply to PSI with experience documentation.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($150). PSI examination fee for the Journeyman exam, valid for one attempt (restricted journeyman specialties $50 each); a failed exam may be retaken after 30 days with a new fee.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman license fee, nonrefundable, effective July 1, 2025 (journeyman restricted $25 per area).
- 4Other. 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 $175, 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 · $150
- Other · if applicable
How Maryland licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Maryland journeyman HVAC technician · “HVACR Journeyman”
Statewide license
Maryland issues a statewide HVACR Journeyman license through the Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors in the Department of Labor, a different board from the State Board of Electricians. Everyone who provides or assists in providing heating, ventilation, air-conditioning or refrigeration services in Maryland must hold a Board license (apprentice, journeyman, journeyman restricted, limited, master restricted or master); the journeyman license authorizes HVACR work under the direction and control of a licensed contractor, and a journeyman restricted license covers a single area (forced air, hydronic, ventilation, air conditioning or refrigeration). A new journeyman must have held a Maryland apprentice license for at least 4 years with at least 6,000 hours of training under a licensed contractor and pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam with 70% ($150 exam fee, $25 license fee); graduates of a Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council program are licensed without the exam. The Board has reciprocal agreements only with Delaware and Virginia, under which a qualifying journeyman is licensed without the Maryland exam. Licenses run to October 1 of odd-numbered years and renew for 2-year terms; Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties also require a county HVACR license.
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 Maryland journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Colorado?
- Yes. Maryland requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maryland journeyman HVAC technician license from Colorado?
- Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Colorado work hours count in Maryland?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maryland's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maryland to Colorado?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to Colorado, 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, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-101 - Definitions (HVACR licenses) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-101 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-301 - License required · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-301 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-302 - Qualifications of applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-302 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-305 - Waiver of examination for out-of-state licensees (reciprocity) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-305 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-306 - Licenses without examination (apprenticeship graduates) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-306(e) · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-309 - Term and renewal of licenses · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-309 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for an Original License (license categories) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (HVACR) - Home · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. Title 9A; COMAR 09.15 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - County Licenses and Permits · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Taking the Exams · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Frequently Asked Questions · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Fees (COMAR fee schedule effective July 1, 2025) · COMAR 09.15.01.03 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Requirements (master, master restricted, limited, journeyman) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for a Reciprocal License · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Maryland State Board of HVACR Contractors - Qualification Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 9/1/2024) · Maryland Department of Labor / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.