Nevada to Maryland: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Nevada does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Maryland'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 without a reciprocal agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman licensed in a state other than Delaware or Virginia must qualify for an original Maryland journeyman license by examination; the Board's FAQ says reciprocal licensing is available only where an agreement exists. The statutory route is 4 years as a licensed apprentice with 6,000 hours of training under a licensed contractor, but Bus. Reg. §9A-302(g) lets the Board credit up to 6 years of HVACR work experience that does not fit that pattern when it provided comparable experience and the shortfall was not the applicant's fault, and up to 3 years of formal HVACR study, so documented out-of-state journeyman experience can be submitted to PSI (the Board's testing vendor, which reviews eligibility) in place of a Maryland apprenticeship. The applicant then passes the open-book PSI journeyman exam with 70% ($150), registers the license with the Department and pays the $25 license fee. Bus. Reg. §9A-305 also allows the Board, by majority vote, to waive the exam for a licensee of any state that waives its exam for Maryland licensees to a similar extent, but the Board has published that waiver only for Delaware and Virginia. There is no separate law or business exam.
The Board's requirements page and Bus. Reg. §9A-302(e) require 4 years as a licensed apprentice with 6,000 hours; the PSI bulletin (updated 9/1/2024) still describes a 3-year/1,875-hour apprentice standard and a Board-approved route for 'at least three years of qualifying experience'. The Board's published materials do not say how PSI and the Board apply §9A-302(g) credit to experience gained under an out-of-state license; ask the Board (410-230-6196) before applying. The HVACR Journeyman exam has 100 questions in 240 minutes; the restricted journeyman exams are 40-50 questions in 90-120 minutes.
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 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Statutory route: held a Maryland apprentice license for at least 4 years and completed at least 6,000 hours of HVACR training under the direction and control of a licensed contractor (Bus. Reg. §9A-302(e)); the Board may credit up to 6 years of comparable work experience and up to 3 years of formal study under §9A-302(g).
What you'll do to get licensed in Maryland
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Maryland HVACR Journeyman examination administered by PSI, 70% to pass, open book (2012 International Mechanical Code, Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, ACCA Manual J, 29 CFR 1926); apply to PSI with experience documentation.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($150). PSI examination fee for the Journeyman exam, valid for one attempt (restricted journeyman specialties $50 each); a failed exam may be retaken after 30 days with a new fee.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman license fee, nonrefundable, effective July 1, 2025 (journeyman restricted $25 per area).
- 4Other. 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 $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 · $150
- Other · if applicable
How Maryland licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Maryland journeyman HVAC technician · “HVACR Journeyman”
Statewide license
Maryland issues a statewide HVACR Journeyman license through the Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors in the Department of Labor, a different board from the State Board of Electricians. Everyone who provides or assists in providing heating, ventilation, air-conditioning or refrigeration services in Maryland must hold a Board license (apprentice, journeyman, journeyman restricted, limited, master restricted or master); the journeyman license authorizes HVACR work under the direction and control of a licensed contractor, and a journeyman restricted license covers a single area (forced air, hydronic, ventilation, air conditioning or refrigeration). A new journeyman must have held a Maryland apprentice license for at least 4 years with at least 6,000 hours of training under a licensed contractor and pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam with 70% ($150 exam fee, $25 license fee); graduates of a Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council program are licensed without the exam. The Board has reciprocal agreements only with Delaware and Virginia, under which a qualifying journeyman is licensed without the Maryland exam. Licenses run to October 1 of odd-numbered years and renew for 2-year terms; Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties also require a county HVACR license.
Why Nevada has nothing to transfer
Nevada journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Nevada has no statewide journeyman or technician license for heating, air-conditioning or refrigeration work. The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses refrigeration and air-conditioning contractors under classification C-21 (NRS/NAC 624), issues licenses only to businesses with a qualifying individual, and its FAQ confirms it does not license individual journeymen, so an out-of-state HVAC journeyman license has nothing to transfer to at the state level and is not needed to work for a licensed C-21 contractor in most of the state. A personal credential exists only under local building codes in the Las Vegas valley: Clark County Code §22.02.250 and the City of Las Vegas Administrative Code §306 both require a mechanical qualified individual or a journeyman HVAC mechanic to be present in a supervisory capacity whenever permitted mechanical work of residential or light-frame construction is under way, and Clark County Code §22.02.260 defines the Journeyman HVAC Mechanic category. The credential is a county photo certificate earned by passing the journeyman HVAC exam accepted by the Building Official, historically ICC exam 459 (80 open-book questions on the Uniform Mechanical Code, 4 hours, $100) followed by a $10 ID card valid three years and renewed for $30 with 15 hours of UMC continuing education. Neither jurisdiction publishes a waiver or equivalency for an out-of-state license; Clark County's only equivalency is for a certificate from its accepted testing agency or another Nevada political subdivision within the county. Reno requires journeyman cards for electrical and plumbing work only, and the rural counties were not surveyed. EPA Section 608 certification applies federally to anyone handling refrigerants.
How local licensing works in Nevada
How local licensing works. NRS Chapter 624 licenses only contractors. A C-21 Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning license (NAC 624.380, with subclassifications C-21a Refrigeration through C-21g Industrial Piping) is issued to a business and qualified by an individual with four years of journeyman-or-higher experience; the NSCB's own FAQ says it does not license individual journeymen. Whether a working HVAC mechanic needs a personal card is decided by each county's or city's building administrative code, and only the southern Nevada jurisdictions were found to require one.
Clark County (unincorporated Las Vegas valley, Laughlin and other unincorporated areas). Clark County Code §22.02.245 issues mechanical permits only to contractors holding an active Nevada C-21 license. §22.02.250(B) requires the contractor to employ at least one mechanical qualified individual and, as amended in 2010 by Ordinance 3899, to have a mechanical qualified individual or a journeyman HVAC mechanic present during work hours in a supervisory capacity on every job site where permitted mechanical work of residential or light-frame construction is being performed. §22.02.255 defines a journeyman as someone who has passed the appropriate journeyman examination accepted by the Building Official and makes certificates renewable; §22.02.260(A)(9) lists 'Journeyman HVAC Mechanic - all aspects of mechanical work; mechanical work of residential and light frame construction' and requires certificates to be kept current with the county's accepted third-party testing agency. The only equivalency in the code (§22.02.255(C)) is for a current certificate from an accepted independent testing agency or from a Nevada political subdivision inside Clark County; there is no provision for other states' licenses, and unlike plumbing no experience prerequisite is stated for the HVAC exam. Under the county's ICC bulletin (June 30, 2014) the exam is ICC 459 Nevada (Clark County) Journeyman HVAC Mechanic: 80 multiple-choice questions, open book, 4 hours, $100, scheduled through Pearson VUE; the ID card costs $10, is valid three years, and is renewed for $30 with 1.5 CEUs (15 hours) on the current Uniform Mechanical Code and local amendments from approved providers (CSN, IAPMO, ICC, SMWIA, NATE, OSHA, RSES, SMACNA); a card expired more than one year requires re-examination.
City of Las Vegas. The City of Las Vegas Administrative Code (2019 edition) §306 carries the same rule: at least one mechanical qualified individual on staff, and a mechanical qualified individual or journeyman HVAC mechanic on site in a supervisory capacity for permitted residential or light-frame mechanical work, with certifications issued or approved by the city. The county's pages do not say who now proctors the journeyman HVAC mechanic exam and issues the card; applicants should confirm with the Clark County Department of Building and Fire Prevention before scheduling.
Out-of-state holders. No jurisdiction publishes a reciprocity or endorsement path for an out-of-state HVAC journeyman or technician license. The practical route is to pass the Clark County journeyman HVAC exam once and obtain the county card, which is honored in the City of Las Vegas; EPA Section 608 certification is required separately under federal law.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Maryland journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- Yes. Maryland requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maryland journeyman HVAC technician license from Nevada?
- Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Nevada work hours count in Maryland?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maryland's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maryland to Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to Nevada, 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
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-101 - Definitions (HVACR licenses) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-101 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-301 - License required · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-301 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-302 - Qualifications of applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-302 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-305 - Waiver of examination for out-of-state licensees (reciprocity) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-305 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-306 - Licenses without examination (apprenticeship graduates) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-306(e) · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-309 - Term and renewal of licenses · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-309 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for an Original License (license categories) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (HVACR) - Home · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. Title 9A; COMAR 09.15 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - County Licenses and Permits · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Taking the Exams · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Frequently Asked Questions · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Fees (COMAR fee schedule effective July 1, 2025) · COMAR 09.15.01.03 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Requirements (master, master restricted, limited, journeyman) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for a Reciprocal License · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Maryland State Board of HVACR Contractors - Qualification Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 9/1/2024) · Maryland Department of Labor / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.