Indiana to Texas: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Indiana 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
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.
Why Indiana has nothing to transfer
Indiana journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
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.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Texas journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Indiana?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman HVAC technician license from Indiana?
- Published fees on this path total $20, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Indiana 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 Indiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Indiana, 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.