Do I have to take the Texas journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Florida?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path.

What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman HVAC technician license from Florida?

Published fees on this path total $20, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my Florida 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 Florida?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.

Florida to Texas: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 10 sources

Florida 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

Verified September 15, 2026· 7 sources

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.

Moving to Texas Leaving Texas

Why Florida has nothing to transfer

Florida journeyman HVAC technician · “Journeyman Air Conditioning / Mechanical Journeyman certificate of competency (county-issued)”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 11 sources

Issued by County and municipal licensing boards (no state journeyman license)

Florida has no state journeyman HVAC license. The Construction Industry Licensing Board within DBPR certifies and registers air-conditioning and mechanical contractors only; the contracting statute never defines 'journeyman', and the Board's pages and FAQs contain no journeyman credential. Section 489.1455, F.S., instead authorizes counties and municipalities to issue journeyman licenses 'in the plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical, or HVAC trades' to a person who scores at least 75 percent on a proctored journeyman exam, has completed a registered apprenticeship or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, and completes Florida Building Commission coursework, and it requires every county and municipality to recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. The large South Florida and Tampa Bay counties run such programs (Miami-Dade's Journeyman Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration certificates, Broward's Mechanical Journeyman, Pinellas's Air Conditioning Journeyman) with three years of experience and a 70-75% open-book exam, while other counties such as Hillsborough license no mechanical journeyman at all and technicians simply work as employees of a certified or registered contractor. An out-of-state journeyman or HVAC technician license carries no state-level recognition in Florida and none of the county programs reviewed publishes an out-of-state reciprocity rule (Miami-Dade reciprocates only with Broward and Palm Beach counties), so an arriving technician should expect to document experience and take the county exam in the first county that requires a card, after which that card is portable statewide. EPA Section 608 certification is federal and required of anyone handling refrigerants regardless of any Florida card.

How local licensing works in Florida

How local licensing works. DBPR's Construction Industry Licensing Board certifies (statewide) and registers (locally qualified) air-conditioning and mechanical contractors and issues no personal license below contractor. Section 489.1455, F.S. lets counties and municipalities license journeymen in the plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical and HVAC trades on three conditions: 75 percent on a proctored Block and Associates or other board-approved journeyman exam, a registered and state-approved apprenticeship or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, and Florida Building Commission-approved coursework (within 6 months of certification). Subsection (2) makes every county and municipality recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. A journeyman card never authorizes contracting; the holder works under a certified or registered contractor.

Miami-Dade County. The Construction Trades Qualifying Board issues Journeyman Air Conditioning, Journeyman Room Air Conditioning, Journeyman General Mechanical, Journeyman Heating, Journeyman Refrigeration, Journeyman Warm Air Heating and Journeyman Sheet Metal certificates. Applicants need three years of proven experience in the trade (up to one-half may be equivalent education), documented with employer letters and W-2s, must pass an open-book exam with 75 percent or above, and pay $240. A journeyman 'may only work in the employ of a contractor holding a certificate of competency in the field in which the journeyman is certified', one journeyman is required for every three trainees on a job site, and continuing education is required each certificate term. The county 'only reciprocates with Broward and Palm Beach County in specific trade categories', and only for journeymen who scored 75% or higher.

Broward County. The Building Code Division's Central Examining Boards certify a Mechanical Journeyman (plus Insulation and Sheet Metal Journeymen). Requirements: at least three years of experience in the mechanical field, a notarized affidavit from the licensed employer, the last three years of W-2s, two passport photos, and a GITS or ProV exam with a minimum passing grade of 75 percent; journeymen do not take the Business & Law exam. Since January 1, 2025 the journeyman application fee is $225, renewal $120 and a letter of reciprocity $50; the application offers 'License by Reciprocity' for holders of other Florida county cards, and the packet warns that a Board-accepted lower score 'may not be' reciprocable to another county or state.

Pinellas County. The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board certifies an Air Conditioning Journeyman (and Pipe Fitting and Sheet Metal Journeymen) under Chapter 75-489, Laws of Florida; the open-book exam by an independent testing agency has a 70 percent passing grade, the application fee is $75, and applicants file notarized employer experience certificates, six years of employment history and three character letters. The county states that journeymen 'must be certified by the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board (PCCLB) to work in our county.'

Hillsborough County. Development Services issues journeyman certificates of competency only to electricians and plumbers; its contractor-licensing forms list no mechanical, HVAC or air-conditioning journeyman card, so HVAC technicians in the Tampa area work under a licensed contractor without a personal certificate.

Out-of-state holders. No county page reviewed describes reciprocity for a journeyman or technician license from another state; Miami-Dade limits reciprocity to two neighboring counties and Pinellas prints no reciprocity provision at all. Palm Beach County's contractor certification page could not be opened on this verification date and is not described here.

Moving to Florida Leaving Florida

Common questions

Do I have to take the Texas journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Florida?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman HVAC technician license from Florida?: Published fees on this path total $20, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Florida 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 Florida?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Florida, 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.

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