Nevada to Texas: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Nevada 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 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 city's code does not describe its own exam; in practice the Clark County card is used.
City of Henderson and City of North Las Vegas. Their building administrative codes could not be opened for this record (the city and Municode pages returned access errors), so whether they require a journeyman HVAC mechanic on site is unverified.
City of Reno (Washoe County). Reno's journeyman card program covers electrical and plumbing work only; no HVAC or mechanical card is required.
Current administration of the HVAC card. ICC's September 1, 2019 notice moved Clark County's electrical exams to the ICC national electrician exams and the ID card program to Electrical Safety Professionals (ESP), which administers only electrical cards; the notice is silent on the HVAC exam and ICC's current contractor/trades pages no longer list a Clark County program. Who now proctors the journeyman HVAC mechanic exam and issues the card could not be confirmed from an official page; 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 Texas journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman HVAC technician license from Nevada?
- Published fees on this path total $20, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Nevada 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 Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas 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, 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.