New Hampshire to Massachusetts: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
New Hampshire does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Massachusetts'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.
Refrigeration Technician by examination with out-of-state license and experience credit (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An HVAC or refrigeration technician licensed in any other state applies to OPSI for the Refrigeration Technician examination through the MyLicenseOne portal, submitting a copy of the out-of-state refrigeration technician, master technician or equivalent license together with employer documentation showing work experience and certifications equivalent to the Massachusetts prerequisites (6,000 hours plus 250 schooling hours, or the other combinations allowed until November 9, 2026). The form lets the applicant certify that all experience was obtained outside Massachusetts in place of holding a Massachusetts apprentice license, and 528 CMR 11.07(1) lets the applicant petition the Bureau in writing to accept the out-of-state license, including the experience and education obtained for it, as substantially equivalent; approval requires a majority vote of the Bureau, which may grant the request in whole or in part or deny it, and gives no credit for work done in a jurisdiction that does not license the trade. Every applicant also submits a high-school diploma or GED, a copy of a Universal EPA Section 608 certification, a 2x2 photo and the $75 non-refundable fee. Because the Bureau has no reciprocity agreement with any state, the Massachusetts exam is never waived; applicants are told of their eligibility about four to eight weeks after receipt, test first come first served, and must score 70% or better. The license renews for $50.
528 CMR 11.07(1) conditions licensure without examination on a reciprocity agreement with the origin jurisdiction; no such agreement is published on any Bureau page or in 528 CMR, so every state is treated the same. The Refrigeration Technician how-to page and application list only the $75 application fee; no separate exam fee or initial license fee is published (M.G.L. c. 146, § 85 leaves fee amounts to the commissioner of administration). The ten-ton threshold means technicians working only on smaller residential and light-commercial systems need no Massachusetts license at all, but EPA Section 608 still applies.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your New Hampshire license must be active and in good standing.
- You must document at least 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.6,000 work hours plus 250 hours of schooling (or 4,000 plus 500, or 2,000 plus 1,000) for applications filed before November 9, 2026; a 450-hour approved course plus 6,000 hours afterwards. Out-of-state hours are documented by the employer and accepted only if the Bureau finds them substantially equivalent (528 CMR 11.07).
- High-school diploma or equivalency certificate
- Approval by a majority vote of the Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters that the out-of-state credentials are substantially equivalent
What you'll do to get licensed in Massachusetts
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable Refrigeration Technician application fee (Valor Act reductions for active military, spouses and veterans).
- 2Other. Copy of the out-of-state license, employer documentation of work hours and certifications, copy of the high-school diploma or GED, and a 2x2 passport-style photo, filed through MyLicenseOne.
- 3Other. EPA Section 608 Universal technician certification to handle refrigerants (copy required with the application under 528 CMR 11.03; federal, does not expire).
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Refrigeration Technician examination administered by OPSI; 70% or better required; a failing candidate must reapply.
Published fees on this path total $75, 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
- Trade exam
How Massachusetts licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Massachusetts journeyman HVAC technician · “Refrigeration Technician (Journeyman Refrigeration Technician)”
Statewide license
Massachusetts has no general HVAC license. The state credential that functions as the journeyman-level HVAC license is the Refrigeration Technician license (called 'journeyman refrigeration technician' in M.G.L. c. 146, § 81), issued by the Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters within the Office of Public Safety and Inspections (OPSI); it is required of anyone who performs refrigeration work on systems of ten tons or more in the aggregate, which covers commercial air conditioning and refrigeration. Heating-side work is licensed separately as pipefitting (OPSI) and oil burner service (Department of Fire Services), and residential systems under ten tons require no state refrigeration license beyond federal EPA Section 608 certification. A new technician needs a high-school diploma, an EPA Section 608 Universal certification, and either 6,000 hours as a licensed Massachusetts refrigeration apprentice plus 250 hours of approved schooling (rising to a 450-hour course plus 6,000 hours for applications filed on or after November 9, 2026), then must pass the OPSI-administered exam at 70%. The application fee is $75 and the license renews for $50. Under 528 CMR 11.07 a technician licensed in another state may petition the Bureau to treat that license, with its experience and education, as substantially equivalent, but every applicant must pass the Massachusetts exam unless a reciprocity agreement exists, and the Bureau publishes none.
Why New Hampshire has nothing to transfer
New Hampshire journeyman HVAC technician
No individual license at this level
New Hampshire does not license journeyman HVAC, air conditioning or refrigeration technicians at the state level, and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) has no board for the trade; its Mechanical Licensing Board, despite the name, regulates only fuel gas fitters (installation, service, piping, domestic appliance and hearth technicians, plus trainees), plumbers and mechanical business entities, and offers a voluntary $50 Oil Heating Technician certification under RSA 153:16-b. The plumbing statute expressly exempts plumbing done in connection with the installation of heating, cooling, air conditioning and domestic water heating systems (RSA 153:36, VII), so an HVAC technician needs no plumber license either. No New Hampshire city or town was found to license HVAC technicians; local building departments issue mechanical permits but do not require a personal HVAC credential. What an out-of-state technician does need is a Fuel Gas Fitter license before connecting or servicing natural gas or propane furnaces, boilers or piping: the categories cost $198 for two years ($176 for domestic appliance), require 40 to 140 classroom hours, 1,000 to 2,000 on-the-job hours and a 70% score on the Prov exam, and an out-of-state gas or plumbing license only makes the holder eligible to sit that exam (Saf-Mec 302.14); OPLC's endorsement rule Plc 313.34 covers the gas fitter categories in principle but the qualifying-jurisdiction lists are still 'TBD'. An out-of-state journeyman HVAC license itself has no New Hampshire equivalent to transfer to. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required to handle refrigerants.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Massachusetts journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in New Hampshire?
- Yes. Massachusetts requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman HVAC technician license from New Hampshire?
- Published fees on this path total $75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New Hampshire work hours count in Massachusetts?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Massachusetts's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, 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
- 528 CMR 11.00 - Prerequisites for Examinations for Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters (Mass. Register #1534, 11/08/2024) · 528 CMR 11.03, 11.07 · Massachusetts Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Mass.gov - Apply for an Oil Burner Technician or Apprentice Certificate (Department of Fire Services) · 527 CMR 1.00 · Massachusetts Department of Fire Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- MGL Chapter 146, Section 81 - Definitions (pipefitters, refrigeration technicians, sprinkler fitters) · M.G.L. c. 146, § 81 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- MGL Chapter 146, Section 84 - Licenses required · M.G.L. c. 146, § 84 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- MGL Chapter 146, Section 85 - Applications for licenses; fees; expiration · M.G.L. c. 146, § 85 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- MGL Chapter 146, Section 86 - Classification and limitation of refrigeration licenses · M.G.L. c. 146, § 86 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Mass.gov - Apply for a Journeyman Pipefitter License · Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Mass.gov - Apply for a Refrigeration Technician License · Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Mass.gov - Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians, and Sprinkler Fitters · Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections, Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Mass.gov - Apply for or Renew a Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technician or Sprinkler Fitters License · Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Massachusetts OPSI - Refrigeration Technician Application (form) · Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Mass.gov - Renew your Pipefitter, Refrigeration Technician, or Sprinkler Fitter License · Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.