Maryland to Virginia: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Virginia has a reciprocity agreement with Maryland: a Maryland journeyman HVAC technician can get a Virginia license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Examination reciprocity agreement with Maryland (journeyman HVACR)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board for Contractors has an approved examination reciprocity agreement covering the Maryland HVACR Board's Journeyman HVACR license and the Virginia Journeyman HVAC tradesman license; it is the Board's only HVAC-specific agreement. A Maryland journeyman applies on the Tradesman Exam & License Application selecting 'Reciprocity' (transaction 1021, $171.75) for the Journeyman HVA designation, lists the Maryland license in question 10, and attaches a Certification/Letter of Good Standing from the Maryland board showing the license number, initial date, expiration, that it was obtained by examination, and any closed disciplinary actions. The Virginia trade exam is waived; there is no separate Virginia law exam for tradesmen. Maryland journeymen who have held their license three years may alternatively use Universal License Recognition. Continuing education (three hours on the International Mechanical Code per renewal cycle) applies once licensed.
The agreement list does not print the agreement's date or its detailed terms; DPOR says to contact the Board for details of each agreement. Because it is an examination agreement, the Maryland license is expected to have been obtained by passing Maryland's exam.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Maryland license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your Maryland license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Virginia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($171.75). Tradesman Exam & License Application fee, Reciprocity method (transaction 1021), including the $7.25-per-year technology fee; non-refundable.
- 2Other. Certification of Licensure/Letter of Good Standing from the Maryland HVACR Board.
- 3Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Three hours of board-approved International Mechanical Code continuing education each two-year renewal cycle.
- 4Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire.
Published fees on this path total $171.75, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
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
How Virginia licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Virginia journeyman HVAC technician · “Journeyman Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVA) Tradesman”
Statewide license
Issued by Virginia Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program (DPOR)
Virginia issues a statewide Journeyman HVAC tradesman license to individuals (never to companies) through the Board for Contractors' Tradesmen Program at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). A first-time applicant qualifies for the PSI journeyman exam ($100) with a combination of practical experience and vocational training (four years plus 240 hours down to seven years plus 40 hours), a related degree plus experience, eight years of verified experience, or completion of a registered apprenticeship, which exempts the applicant from the exam; the application fee on the 2026 form is $171.75, which includes the $7.25-per-year technology fee added on top of the $150 fee in 18VAC50-30-90. A journeyman or master HVAC license from any other state is itself an accepted qualification to sit the Virginia exam without documenting hours, and a licensee who has held that out-of-state license for at least three years may instead apply through Universal License Recognition (ULR) and receive the license without the Virginia trade exam. The Board's only HVAC-specific agreement is an examination reciprocity agreement with the Maryland HVACR Board covering journeyman and master licenses. HVAC licensees complete three hours of International Mechanical Code continuing education each two-year renewal cycle, and anyone contracting for work over $1,000 also needs a Class A, B or C contractor license. EPA Section 608 certification is required federally to handle refrigerants; DPOR does not list it as a licensing prerequisite.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Virginia journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Maryland?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Maryland.
- What does it cost to get a Virginia journeyman HVAC technician license from Maryland?
- Published fees on this path total $171.75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Maryland work hours count in Virginia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Virginia's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
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.
- 18VAC50-30-39 - Evidence of ability and proficiency (tradesman qualifications) · 18VAC50-30-39 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Effective April 1, 2025 (replacing repealed 18VAC50-30-40). Journeyman pathways: engineering bachelor's plus one year, associate degree plus two years, 240 hours vocational training plus four years, 160 plus five, 80 plus six, 40 plus seven, or eight years of experience. Master pathways: three years holding a valid residential HVAC tradesman license, one year as a licensed journeyman in the trade, or nine years of practical experience. The regulation does not itself address out-of-state licenses; those are handled through the application form's out-of-state qualification option, reciprocity and ULR.
- 18VAC50-30-50 - Exemptions from examination · 18VAC50-30-50 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Exam exemptions cover pre-July 1, 1995 DHCD tradesman cards, pre-July 1, 1978 locality cards, and completion of an apprenticeship program approved by the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (journeyman exam). Out-of-state licenses are not among the listed exemptions.
- Va. Code 54.1-103 - Additional training of regulated persons; reciprocity; endorsement · Va. Code 54.1-103(B)-(C) · Virginia General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Subsection B lets regulatory boards enter agreements with other jurisdictions to recognize their licenses; subsection C authorizes regulations recognizing other states' licenses as full or partial fulfillment of Virginia qualifications. Statutory basis for the Maryland HVAC examination reciprocity agreement and the out-of-state qualification route.
- Virginia Board for Contractors - Reciprocal Licensing/Examination Agreements with Other Jurisdictions · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Agreement Document · verified September 15, 2026Board-approved list. The only HVAC entry is: 'Maryland HVAC Board Journeyman and Master HVA Tradesman License and Virginia Journeyman and Master HVA License Examination Reciprocity.' All other entries concern electrical tradesmen (AL, DC, KY, MD, WV, NC, OH) or WSSC plumbers and gas fitters. Anyone applying under an agreement must meet all of its terms and submit a complete application with verification of licensure from the out-of-state board.
- Form A501-2710EXLIC - Tradesman Exam & License Application (v8, 07/01/2026) · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Form · verified September 15, 2026Designations include Journeyman and Master Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVA). Methods of licensure: Examination (1005), Reciprocity (1021) and Apprenticeship Program (1022) at $171.75 each, Card Exchange (1023) at $131.75; the fees include the $7.25-per-year Technology Fee added by 2026 House Bill 30. Question 10 lets an applicant list a current tradesman license from another jurisdiction 'to qualify you for the tradesman examination' or for reciprocity, with a Certification/Letter of Good Standing. Journeyman qualification options include 'Individuals currently certified or licensed as a journeyman or master by governing body located outside the Commonwealth of Virginia'; master options are one year as a licensed journeyman, three years as a Virginia residential HVAC or plumber tradesman, nine years of practical experience, or a current out-of-state journeyman or master license. Anyone performing work over $1,000 must also hold a Virginia contractor license.
- Board for Contractors - Tradesman Licensing Information and Application Instructions · Va. Code 54.1-1128 to 54.1-1131 · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Other · verified September 15, 2026States that tradesman licenses are issued to individuals, not companies. Explains that an out-of-state license can be reviewed 'for experience or eligibility to sit for the exam or reciprocity' when a Certification/Letter of Good Standing showing the license number, initial date, expiration, means of licensure and closed disciplinary actions is provided.
- DPOR Board for Contractors - Tradesmen Program · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program page for journeyman and master tradesman licenses in electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas fitting. Exams are administered by PSI: $100 for a journeyman tradesman exam, $125 for a master tradesman exam. HVAC journeyman and master licensees complete three hours of board-approved continuing education on the International Mechanical Code each two-year renewal cycle. Links the Tradesman Exam & License Application (A501-2710EXLIC), the Residential Tradesman application (A501-2709EXLIC, launched April 1, 2025), the Universal License Recognition application (A501-2710ULR) and the reciprocal agreements list.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.