Louisiana to Iowa: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Iowa'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 (all states): Iowa exam required, licensure by verification for Iowa residents
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Iowa has no reciprocity agreement for HVAC-refrigeration or mechanical licenses with any state, so every out-of-state journeyman follows the same path. An applicant who has established Iowa residency may apply for licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 and 481 IAC 430.4: the origin state sends a verification form directly to the board confirming the license is in good standing and was earned by meeting that state's experience requirements and exam, and the applicant provides proof of residency and a criminal history statement, but the board also requires proof of passing the applicable Iowa licensing examination and may issue a temporary license while the applicant takes it. A non-resident applies through the normal exam route: the $35 exam approval application, the Kirkwood-administered journeyperson HVAC/refrigeration exam ($119 per attempt, 75% to pass, approval valid one year), then the post-examination licensure application and a prorated three-year license fee ($180 for a full term). Exam eligibility requires either the U.S. DOL apprenticeship certificate of completion or a master-level license in the same discipline from another jurisdiction; DIAL's pages do not say that an out-of-state journeyman license alone substitutes for the DOL certificate. An Iowa resident arriving from a jurisdiction that did not license HVAC work may instead substitute three years of full-time experience in the last four years under 481 IAC 430.5. EPA Section 608 certification is federal and applies regardless of the Iowa license.
The exam fee is the amount Kirkwood Community College currently charges for every Iowa plumbing and mechanical exam; DIAL's own pages still show older figures. DIAL's published materials do not say whether an out-of-state journeyman license without a DOL apprenticeship certificate satisfies the apprenticeship requirement for a non-resident; ask the board at 866-280-1521. 481 IAC 430.4 makes the verification route residency-dependent. DIAL says to allow up to two weeks for an exam approval application to be processed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Louisiana license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.No revocation, voluntary surrender under investigation, unresolved discipline or pending complaint in any jurisdiction (272C.12(1)(e)-(g); 481 IAC 430.4(3)).
- Your Louisiana license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Licensure by verification requires established Iowa residency or a military spouse's permanent change of station to Iowa (272C.12(1)(b); 481 IAC 430.4(2)(d))
- Exam eligibility for non-residents: four years as a U.S. DOL-registered apprentice (certificate of completion) or a master-level license in the same discipline from another jurisdiction (Iowa Code 105.18(2)(b); DIAL journey page)
What you'll do to get licensed in Iowa
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Examination approval application fee, per discipline (481 IAC 428.1(4)).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Iowa Journeyperson HVAC/Refrigeration examination administered through Kirkwood Community College; 75% to pass; also required of licensure-by-verification applicants under 481 IAC 430.4(2)(e).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($119). Kirkwood Community College examination fee, per attempt, non-refundable.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($180). Journey license fee for a full three-year term (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029), prorated one-sixth per six-month period for later issuance; same amount for a license by verification.
- 5Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25) (if applicable). Paper application fee if not filed through the online portal.
- 6Other. 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 $334, 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 · $119
- Other · if applicable
How Iowa licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Iowa journeyman HVAC technician · “Journeyperson HVAC-Refrigeration”
Statewide license
Issued by Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL)
Iowa issues statewide person-held HVAC licenses through the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB), now housed in the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL); Iowa Code chapter 105 preempts all city and county HVAC licensing. The journey-level credential is the Journeyperson HVAC-Refrigeration license, which covers HVAC and refrigeration work; a broader Journeyperson Mechanical license also covers sheet metal and hydronic work and is issued to anyone who passes both the HVAC-refrigeration and hydronic journeyperson exams. A new applicant needs four years as an apprentice in a U.S. Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship and must pass the Iowa journeyperson exam (75% to pass) administered through Kirkwood Community College. Iowa has no HVAC reciprocity agreement with any state; its only reciprocity agreement is with South Dakota for plumbers. An out-of-state journeyman who moves to Iowa can use licensure by verification, but the board still requires the Iowa discipline exam; a non-resident with only a journeyman license must document the DOL apprenticeship and pass the exam, while a non-resident holding a master-level HVAC license from another jurisdiction may sit the journeyperson exam without the apprenticeship. A limited no-exam Service Technician HVAC Specialty license exists for NATE-certified or trained technicians who only service appliances from the shutoff valve onward. Licenses run on a three-year cycle ending June 30, 2029, and renewal requires eight hours of continuing education per term.
Why Louisiana has nothing to transfer
Louisiana journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman or technician license for heating, air conditioning or refrigeration work. The only state HVAC credential is the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) commercial contractor license in the Mechanical classification (or its Heat, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Duct Work and Refrigeration subclassification), required for any mechanical project of $10,000 or more and issued to the contracting business or sole proprietor on the strength of a qualifying party who passed the trade exam; the LSLBC's FAQ and Types of Licenses pages list no journeyman, master or technician license. Journeyman mechanic licensing exists only where a city or parish ordinance creates it: New Orleans issues a Class 'B' Journeyman Mechanical Contractor License ($55 per year) to applicants who pass the ICC G31 National Journeyman Mechanical exam and work under a Class 'A' air conditioning and refrigeration contractor, Jefferson Parish requires air conditioning and heating equipment to be installed or replaced by a parish-licensed mechanical contractor, and Shreveport registers contractors and refers journeyman and master testing to the ICC or the LSLBC. Under La. R.S. 37:2156.1(I), however, employees of a statewide-licensed mechanical contractor cannot be required to pass any local examination or certification as a condition of working for that contractor, so a local journeyman card matters mainly to technicians working for contractors below the state threshold or outside the state system. None of these jurisdictions publish reciprocity for out-of-state journeyman licenses; the portable credential in practice is the ICC journeyman mechanical exam. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required of anyone who handles refrigerants.
How local licensing works in Louisiana
How local licensing works. The Contractors Licensing Law (La. R.S. 37:2150.1 et seq.) regulates contractors: a mechanical contractor is anyone who contracts for air conditioning, refrigeration, heating, plumbing, ventilation, boiler or piping work valued at $10,000 or more, and the LSLBC licenses the business through a designated qualifying party. Individual mechanics and technicians are licensed, where at all, by parish or city ordinance, and R.S. 37:2156.1(I) preempts local examination or certification of the employees of a statewide-licensed mechanical contractor when they work for that contractor.
New Orleans. The Department of Safety and Permits issues a Class 'B' Journeyman Mechanical Contractor License covering mechanics (air conditioning and refrigeration) and gasfitters. A mechanic applicant must be 18 or older and submit a passing ICC Official Results Report for exam G31 National Journeyman Mechanical (unofficial stamped reports are not accepted), a driver's license or state ID, a passport-style photo taken within the last 3 to 6 months, the mechanical license application and a signed Journeyman Acknowledgement. The license costs $55 per year, expires on the holder's birthday (delinquent fee $5 per month; a license delinquent more than two years requires retesting with ICC), and the journeyman must be employed by and work under the supervision of a Class 'A' Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor. The city page states no experience-hour requirement and no reciprocity for other jurisdictions' licenses; an out-of-state journeyman who has already passed the ICC G31 exam can apply on that score.
Jefferson Parish. The Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement requires that installation or replacement of air conditioning and heating equipment, including any condenser, be filed by a Jefferson Parish licensed mechanical contractor; the parish issues a $200 trade contractor license to a license holder/qualifying party whose checklist includes the state license. No separate journeyman mechanic card or reciprocity rule was found on the parish site.
Shreveport. The city requires every HVAC contractor performing work in the city to hold a city contractor's registration and the state license for work over $10,000, and refers HVAC journeyman and master testing to the International Code Council or the LSLBC.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette. No official page describing a journeyman mechanic license or exam was located for the City of Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish or Lafayette Consolidated Government; their permit pages cover permitting and inspection only. Applicants should contact the local building official.
Out-of-state holders. No parish or city page reviewed publishes reciprocity or endorsement for journeyman HVAC licenses from other states. The LSLBC's reciprocity (trade-exam waiver for anyone who passed another state's exam) applies only to its contractor license.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Iowa journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Iowa requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Iowa journeyman HVAC technician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $334, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Iowa?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Iowa's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Iowa to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Iowa to Louisiana, 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
- Iowa Code Chapter 105 - Plumbers, Mechanical Professionals, and Contractors (2026) · Iowa Code 105.2, 105.17, 105.18, 105.19, 105.20, 105.21 · Iowa Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Iowa Code 272C.12 - Licensure of persons licensed in other jurisdictions (2026) · Iowa Code 272C.12 · Iowa Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- DIAL - Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Examination · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DIAL - Plumbing & Mechanical Systems License Period & Fees · 481 IAC ch. 428 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DIAL - Journey Level License (plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, hydronic) · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DIAL - Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Licensure (program home) · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DIAL - Post-Examination Licensure · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DIAL - Service Technician HVAC Specialty License · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 428 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Licensure Fees · 481 IAC 428.1 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 429 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Application, Licensure, and Examination · 481 IAC 429.2, 429.6 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 430 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Alternative Licensure Pathways · 481 IAC 430.3, 430.4, 430.5 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Kirkwood Community College - State Disciplines (Iowa plumbing and mechanical examinations) · Kirkwood Community College, the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board's contracted exam provider · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board - Application for License by Reciprocity (Reciprocity App 03/2020) · Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Form · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.