Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Indiana?

Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.

Do my Indiana work hours count in District of Columbia?

Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.

Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to Indiana?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Indiana, the mechanism is not applicable.

Indiana to District of Columbia: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 9 sources

Indiana does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is District of Columbia'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 HVAC technician (any state)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

The Board of Industrial Trades publishes no reciprocity for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, so a journeyman-level HVAC licensee from any state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant. The application needs a passport-style photo, government ID, the $65 application fee, tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic showing at least 3 years of experience, and a CFC Universal certification; the applicant then schedules the open-book journeyman exam with PSI (2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) and pays the $110 license fee for a term ending September 30 of the next even-numbered year. Two statutory routes can waive the exam: D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(d) requires the Board to accept a certificate from a national certifying organization (a registered trade organization, non-union sponsor or labor union) that the applicant completed its apprenticeship, passed its exam and is designated a journeyman, and § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for a licensee in good standing of a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits DC licensees in a like manner, with § 47-2853.08 leaving the substantial-equivalence finding to the Board case by case. No District-law exam applies; § 47-2853.12(c)(4) exempts journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics from one.

The Board's fee page refers exam fees to '§ 3500.3' without stating an amount; the PSI fee for the DC journeyman refrigeration exam could not be confirmed from an official page. Whether experience letters signed by an out-of-state master are accepted, and which states or national certifying organizations the Board has listed under § 47-2853.12(d), were not confirmed from an official page. The 3-year experience figure comes from DLCP's application instructions; the statute itself sets no journeyman experience term.

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 3 years of qualifying work experience.Three years of refrigeration and air conditioning experience, documented with tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic (DLCP application instructions).

What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable), paid online with the DLCP application.
2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic examination administered by PSI (schedule at psiexams.com after Board pre-approval), open book on the 2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning; waived for graduates of a registered apprenticeship program or holders of a national certifying organization's journeyman certificate under § 47-2853.202(d).
3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee, amount set by 17 DCMR § 3500.3 (not stated on the Board page).
4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($110). Mechanic license fee for a term ending September 30 of the next even-numbered year (renewal $155).
5Other. Tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic detailing the applicant's experience and length of employment, uploaded with the online application.
6Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. DLCP's refrigeration application instructions list a 'CFC Universal Certification' among the journeyman exam documents.

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
Other

How District of Columbia licenses journeyman HVAC technicians

District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician · “Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)

The District of Columbia licenses HVAC technicians as Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), the same board that licenses electricians and plumbers. Three person-held credentials exist: apprentice (registered without exam), Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, and Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic (regular, or limited to systems of 25 compressor horsepower and below). 17 DCMR § 303.6 requires a journeyman license for anyone doing the mechanical work of installing, maintaining, repairing or replacing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. DLCP's application instructions require 3 years of experience verified by a master, tax records, a CFC (EPA 608) Universal certification, and a PSI-administered open-book journeyman exam; a graduate of a registered apprenticeship program (classroom work plus 8,000 hours over 4 years under a master) may waive the journeyman exam, which mirrors the national-certification substitute in D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(d). Fees are a $65 application fee and a $110 mechanic license fee; all refrigeration licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years. The Board publishes reciprocity for electricians and plumbers from Maryland and Virginia but none for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.

Moving to District of Columbia Leaving District of Columbia

Why Indiana has nothing to transfer

Indiana journeyman HVAC technician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 13 sources

Indiana has no statewide journeyman HVAC or HVAC technician license; the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency licenses plumbers but its list of regulated professions contains no heating, air conditioning, refrigeration or mechanical trade, and Indianapolis's own exam information states that there is no state heating and cooling license. Cities and counties license HVAC workers under their own ordinances, and the journeyman level exists only where a local ordinance creates it: Allen County (Fort Wayne) issues a Mechanical/Air Conditioning Journeymans License after four years and 7,000 hours as a registered apprentice, and Evansville licenses Journeyman Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioner Installers and Journeyman Refrigeration Installers who work under a licensed master. Indianapolis/Marion County, South Bend and Terre Haute license only heating and cooling contractors (with an exam-qualified license holder or certified employee) and have no journeyman credential; their unlicensed technicians work under the contractor's direction and control. An out-of-state journeyman HVAC license therefore has no state-level recognition in Indiana; a journeyman must apply in each jurisdiction that licenses individuals, where prior licensure is treated at most as evidence of experience or, in Allen County, as grounds for discretionary reciprocity. Federal EPA Section 608 technician certification is required everywhere for refrigerant work and is demanded by the local boards (Indianapolis requires a copy of the EPA card with every application).

How local licensing works in Indiana

How local licensing works. Indiana regulates plumbers at the state level through the Professional Licensing Agency but has never created a state HVAC, mechanical or refrigeration license. Each city or county building department decides whether to license HVAC contractors, supervisors/masters, journeymen and apprentices, and requirements differ from one jurisdiction to the next. The Prov and ICC/Prometric national exams have become the de facto portable credentials at the contractor level, but no jurisdiction publishes a journeyman reciprocity rule for other states.

Indianapolis / Marion County. The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services licenses Heating and Cooling Contractors (Air Conditioning A, B and D, Refrigeration, High Pressure Steam) through its Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners; the business must have a craft license holder who documented five years of HVACR experience and passed the Prov exam with 70%. Unlicensed employees may perform heating and cooling work under the direction and control of the licensed contractor. No journeyman or technician license is issued.

Fort Wayne / Allen County. The Building Department licenses HVAC Supervisors (Air Conditioning A, B or Sheet Metal C; four years and 7,000 hours as a journeyman, $25), Mechanical/Air Conditioning Journeymen and Sheet Metal Journeymen (four years and 7,000 hours as a registered apprentice, with approved apprentice schooling counting for 1,000 hours so the test may be taken at three years and 6,000 hours; $15), registers apprentices ($10) and HVAC contracting businesses ($90, which must employ a supervisor licensee). Examinations are administered by the Building Commissioner or an approved testing facility for a fee set by the Commissioner. Section H of the rules grants reciprocity subject to the trade's guidelines and the minimum qualifications, and lets the Building Commissioner grant reciprocity to applicants who present the necessary credentials.

Evansville. The Building Commission licenses Master and Journeyman Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioner Installers, Master and Journeyman Refrigeration Installers, and Master and Journeyman Steam Fitters, and registers apprentices. Applicants submit three notarized letters on letterhead proving at least four years of experience, are approved to test by the Board of Examiners of HVAC, Steam Fitters, and Refrigeration Installers, and sit the exam through Ivy Tech (70% for journeyman exams; 75% on each part for the master mechanical, sheet metal, ventilation and refrigeration exams). Fees: journeyman $35 new / $25 renewal, apprentice $25, late fee $25 after January 31.

South Bend. The Building Department registers HVAC contractors (including refrigeration and hood installers) after verifying at least 21 years of age, experience, and a passing score of at least 70% on the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (F29-N) via Pearson Vue or Prometric or a comparable board-approved national exam; a $5,000 bond, workers' compensation proof, a $50 application review fee and $125 annual registration are required. There is no journeyman license.

Terre Haute. The Engineering Department issues a Mechanical license to contractors that employ a full-time NATE, HVAC Excellence, RSES, Experior or Indianapolis Class A-certified person, with a $10,000 bond and $500,000 insurance ($350 original, $175 renewal). No individual journeyman license.

Out-of-state holders. None of these jurisdictions publish a reciprocity path for another state's journeyman HVAC license. Allen County's discretionary reciprocity clause is the closest equivalent; otherwise expect to document experience (out-of-state work counts toward the local hour requirements) and take the local exam in each jurisdiction that licenses journeymen.

Moving to Indiana Leaving Indiana

Common questions

Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Indiana?: Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician license from Indiana?: Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Indiana work hours count in District of Columbia?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to Indiana?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Indiana, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Each board may determine whether another jurisdiction's licensure standards, or a national certifying organization's certification, are substantially equivalent and authorize licensure by reciprocity or endorsement for an applicant licensed and in good standing in a state whose requirements were substantially equivalent at the time of licensure and which admits District licensees in a like manner.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(b) a board 'shall waive the requirements for passage of an examination or other proof of fitness' for a person licensed in good standing in a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits District licensees in a like manner, or who holds an acceptable national certification. (c)(4) an applicant for licensure as a journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic under § 47-2853.202 is exempt from any District-law examination. (d)-(d-1) each board must keep a list of states and national certifying organizations whose standards qualify, and the Board of Industrial Trades must update its list of national certifying organizations annually.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.201 - Scope of practice for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics · D.C. Code § 47-2853.201 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic is a person who designs, installs, maintains or alters mechanical systems for refrigeration or air conditioning of any public or private building or vehicle.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.202 - Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.202 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(a) apprentices are registered without examination and work only under the direct personal supervision of a licensed master mechanic. (b) master mechanic: employed installing, maintaining, repairing and replacing refrigeration and air conditioning systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower for at least 5 consecutive years immediately preceding the application, verified in writing by a master mechanic. (c) master mechanic limited: 5 consecutive years on systems under 25 compressor horsepower plus proof of chlorofluorocarbon certification. (d) the Board shall accept, in lieu of examination, experience or other tests of skill, a certificate from a national certifying organization (a nationally recognized trade organization, non-union sponsor or labor union registered with the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training, U.S. DOL or the DC Apprenticeship Council) that the applicant completed its apprenticeship, passed its exam, is designated a journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic and has not been disciplined.
17 DCMR Chapter 3 - Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Licensing (§§ 303, 304, 306, 307, 309, 310) · 17 DCMR §§ 303.6-303.7, 304, 306, 307, 309 · DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances (DCMR) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section texts downloaded from the chapter listing (Word files). § 303.6: no person may engage in the mechanical work of installing, maintaining, repairing or replacing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment without first obtaining a Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic's license, issued on the basis of a qualifying examination and test of skill; § 303.5: a person, firm or corporation in the business must hold a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractor, Master Mechanic or Master Mechanic Limited license. § 306 (master): 5 years on systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower immediately preceding the application plus an examination; § 307 (master limited): 5 years on systems of 25 hp or less plus an examination. § 309.3 still lists 1955-era exam and license fees ($35 contractor, $15 master, $10 master limited) that DLCP's current fee table supersedes. These rules derive from Commissioners' Order No. 55-2029 and predate the 1999 licensing statute.
DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (fees, renewal dates, board members) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy. Fee table for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics: application $65; license Mechanic $110 (up to 2 years), Contractor $120; renewal Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; late renewal $50; examination/re-examination 'See §3500.3'; reinstated or inactive Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; duplicate license $30; verification of records $30. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning licenses expire September 30 in even-numbered years. Board members include two Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics.
DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades landing page (apply, items needed, examination, reciprocity) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy because dlcp.dc.gov returns 403 to direct fetches. Lists the items needed for a Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning application (certificate of completion, 'CFC Certification (Master ONLY)', employment verification letter, passport photo, government ID, card for fees), the online application portal (govservices.dcra.dc.gov/oplanewlicense), PSI exam scheduling (psiexams.com, 855-557-0616), the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning bond form for trade contractors, and a Reciprocity section that names only Maryland and Virginia electricians (and, via a linked bulletin, Maryland plumbers); no refrigeration or air conditioning reciprocity is published.
DC DLCP - Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning License (Limited and Regular) Application Instructions - Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 15, 2026Published at dlcp.dc.gov/node/1634416 (Dec. 13, 2022). Licenses are offered for refrigeration and air-conditioning; limited licenses cover work at 25 compressor horsepower and below; all expire September 30 of even-numbered years. Table: Apprentice - no experience, employment verification or school enrollment; Journeyman by exam - 3 years' experience, tax records, employment verification letter, CFC Universal Certification; Journeyman by waiver - certificate of completion or official transcripts of an apprenticeship; Master by exam - 5 years' experience, tax records, CFC Universal Certification, employment verification letter. Employment letters must be signed by a master. A graduate of an approved apprenticeship (classroom work plus 8,000+ hours/4 years OJT under a master) may waive the journeyman exam only. The exam is open book on the 2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (2004).
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.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

Report an error on this page