Delaware to Maryland: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Maryland has a reciprocity agreement with Delaware: a Delaware journeyman HVAC technician can get a Maryland license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Delaware (journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board of HVACR Contractors lists Delaware as one of its two reciprocal-agreement states, and its reciprocity application is written for masters and journeymen 'reciprocating from Virginia [or] Delaware'. A Delaware journeyman-level HVACR licensee who holds an active license in good standing, holds a license equivalent to Maryland's journeyman license, and became licensed after meeting requirements at least equivalent to Maryland's (including the years of experience) is licensed without taking the Maryland journeyman exam. File the two-page reciprocity application by email with a copy of the Delaware license and an original letter of verification from the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation; the form states that no fee is required with the application, and the Board's fee schedule lists $25 for the journeyman license.
Delaware's Board of Plumbing, HVACR Examiners issues only master HVACR and master HVACR restricted licenses (24 Del. C. §1820 exempts journeymen working under a master), so there is no Delaware state journeyman license to reciprocate; a Delaware apprenticeship 'journeyman certificate' is a training credential, not a license, and the Maryland Board's published materials do not say whether it is accepted under this agreement.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Delaware license must be active and in good standing.
- Origin license is equivalent to the Maryland license applied for
- Became licensed in the origin state after meeting requirements at least equivalent to Maryland's, including the years of work experience required by Maryland law (Bus. Reg. §9A-305(b))
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Maryland
- 1Other. Reciprocity Application for Maryland HVACR License (Journeyman box, reciprocating from Delaware) with a copy of the current Delaware license, emailed to the Board.
- 2Other. Original letter of verification (good standing) from the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman license fee per the Board's July 1, 2025 fee schedule (journeyman restricted $25 per area); the reciprocity form itself carries no application fee.
- 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 $25, 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 · 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 Delaware has nothing to transfer
Delaware journeyman HVAC technician
No individual license at this level
Delaware does not issue a journeyman or journeyperson HVACR license. The Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners issues only Master Plumber, Master HVACR and Master HVACR Restricted licenses, and 24 Del. C. § 1820(c)(1) lets 'an apprentice, journeyman, mechanic or other person' provide HVACR services without a license while working under the supervision of a master HVACR licensee who is their employer or a full-time employee of the same business. An out-of-state journeyman license therefore has nothing to transfer to in Delaware and is neither required nor recognized for employment; technicians who service refrigerant-containing equipment still need federal EPA Section 608 certification. Delaware's own 'journeyman certificate' is a certificate of completion from a federally-registered HVACR apprenticeship program, which is an experience credential used toward the master license rather than a license: with it, 2 years of post-apprenticeship work under a master (in Delaware or under a similar-level licensee in another state) qualifies an applicant for the Master HVACR exam, and without it 7 years of supervised experience plus the Apprenticeship By-Pass exam are required. Out-of-state journeyman experience gained under a licensed master counts toward those requirements.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Maryland journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Delaware?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Delaware.
- What does it cost to get a Maryland journeyman HVAC technician license from Delaware?
- Published fees on this path total $25, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Maryland to Delaware?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to Delaware, 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 - 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 HVACR Board - Reciprocity Application for Maryland HVACR License (Word form) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · 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.