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North Dakota to Maryland: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 16 sources

North Dakota 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'. How PSI and the Board apply §9A-302(g) credit to experience gained under an out-of-state license was not confirmed from an official page. The journeyman exam's question count and time are not stated in the bulletin; 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman license fee, nonrefundable, effective July 1, 2025 (journeyman restricted $25 per area).
  4. 4Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. The Maryland Board's pages do not list it as a licensing prerequisite, but it applies to every technician who services refrigerant-containing equipment.

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

How Maryland licenses journeyman HVAC technicians

Maryland journeyman HVAC technician · “HVACR Journeyman”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 12 sources

Issued by Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors (Department of Labor)

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.

Moving to MarylandLeaving Maryland

Why North Dakota has nothing to transfer

North Dakota journeyman HVAC technician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 14 sources

North Dakota has no statewide HVAC or mechanical license for individuals. The state licenses electricians and plumbers through their own boards, but for HVAC work the only state credential is the Secretary of State contractor license, a business license required of anyone whose job exceeds $4,000 in value and issued on insurance, workers' compensation and an experience statement without any trade exam. Journeyman HVAC licensing is done by the larger cities under their own ordinances: Fargo (Journeyman Heating, 6,000 hours, exam), Bismarck (Class B Journeyman HVAC Installer, 7,600 hours, exam), Grand Forks (Journeyman Mechanical Installer, exam) and Minot (Journeyman Heating/HVAC Installer, exam). The cities participate in a North Dakota mechanical reciprocity program: an exam passed in a testing member city (Bismarck, Burleigh County, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Mandan or Dickinson) earns a certificate that the other licensing member cities accept in place of their own exam, but a license and fee are still required in each city where the person works. None of the city pages or the reciprocity rules recognize an out-of-state HVAC journeyman license; an arriving journeyman documents experience, passes one participating city's exam, and then licenses in each city. EPA Section 608 certification is a federal requirement for refrigerant work everywhere in the state.

How local licensing works in North Dakota

How local licensing works. North Dakota has no state mechanical board. Cities license HVAC installers under their building ordinances and share a mechanical reciprocity program (administrative rules published by Grand Forks): testing members are Burleigh County, Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Mandan and Dickinson, and licensing members add Jamestown, Valley City, Wahpeton, West Fargo and Williston. A journeyman certificate requires at least three years of practical experience (up to half from schooling) and a passing exam; a Reciprocity Eligibility Certificate is not a license, so each city still issues its own license and charges its own fee. Separately, any contractor whose job exceeds $4,000 needs the Secretary of State contractor license.

Fargo. Journeyman Heating license: at least 6,000 hours of practical experience shown by employer letter (education may cover up to half), then the open-book journeyman mechanical and fuel gas exams on the 2024 IMC and IFGC ($40 per appointment, scheduled individually at 701-241-1561); apply at permits.fargond.gov. The license costs $100 for three years and expires December 31; no insurance is required of journeymen. Fargo's page states that reciprocity exams are valid in all participating North Dakota jurisdictions but a license must be obtained in each jurisdiction employed.

Bismarck. Class B Journeyman HVAC Installer: four years (7,600 hours) as an apprentice under a licensed master or journeyman (or education equivalent to up to 3,800 hours plus 3,800 hours of work), or a journeyman license from a reciprocal jurisdiction; exam on the 2021 IMC and IFGC, $125, 75% to pass, offered monthly with applications due the first business day of the month, 90-day wait after a failure; $35 application fee and $75 annual license fee, expiring December 31, with four hours of continuing education per year. A Reciprocal Mechanical License Application accepts a valid reciprocal license or Certificate of Reciprocity from a reciprocal municipality (Grand Forks, Fargo, Minot).

Grand Forks. Journeyman Mechanical Installer: pass the written mechanical exam (75%) scheduled with the mechanical inspector, $55 per year. The city requires the ND state contractor license, a $5,000 license and permit bond and a certificate of insurance of its licensed mechanical installers; the page does not say whether these apply to journeymen as well as masters.

Minot. Journeyman HVAC Installer (Journeyman Heating): the Heating & Air Conditioning Board examines applicants; a reciprocal license from an approved city substitutes for the Minot test but proof of the passed test is still required; tests are $75 each until passed; the license is $50 initially and $50 per year, and lapses require re-examination.

Out-of-state holders. No city page found offers reciprocity or endorsement for licenses from other states; the reciprocity program is confined to North Dakota jurisdictions. Out-of-state experience counts toward the hour requirements where verified by employer letter (Bismarck's ordinance accepts journeyman experience 'licensed by the City or some other governmental jurisdiction' for master eligibility), but the exam must be passed in a participating city.

Moving to North DakotaLeaving North Dakota

Common questions

Do I have to take the Maryland journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in North Dakota?
Yes. Maryland requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Maryland journeyman HVAC technician license from North Dakota?
Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my North Dakota 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 North Dakota?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to North Dakota, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-101 - Definitions (HVACR licenses) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-101 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Defines the journeyman license (HVACR services under the direction and control of a licensed contractor), journeyman restricted, master, master restricted, limited and apprentice licenses; 'licensed contractor' means a master, master restricted or limited licensee, not a journeyman or apprentice.
  3. Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-301 - License required · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-301 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026An individual shall be licensed by the Board before providing or assisting in providing heating, ventilation, air-conditioning or refrigeration services in the State.
  4. Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-302 - Qualifications of applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-302 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(b) master: regularly and principally employed providing HVACR services under a journeyman, journeyman restricted, limited or master restricted license for at least 3 years under the direction and control of a master contractor, 1,875 hours in the year before application, and pass the Board exam. (e) journeyman: held an apprentice license at least 4 years and completed at least 6,000 hours of training under a licensed contractor, and pass the exam. (g) the Board may credit up to 3 years of formal study, may credit up to 6 years of HVACR work experience that fails to meet those requirements if it provided comparable experience and the failure was not the applicant's fault, and shall credit up to 3 years for teaching HVACR courses.
  5. 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, 2026On a majority vote of its authorized membership the Board may waive the examination for an individual licensed in another state as a journeyman, journeyman restricted, master, master restricted or limited HVACR contractor, if the applicant pays the application fee, meets the qualifications otherwise required, holds an active license in good standing, holds an equivalent license, and became licensed after meeting requirements at least equivalent to Maryland's including the years of work experience under §9A-302(b), (c) and (d); and only if the other state waives its exam for Maryland licensees to a similar extent.
  6. Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-306 - Licenses without examination (apprenticeship graduates) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-306(e) · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(e) the Board shall issue a journeyman license without examination to an individual who completed an HVACR apprenticeship program approved by the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council (journeyman restricted for a single-area program); (g) all other journeyman applicants since January 1, 1995 must be examined.
  7. Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-309 - Term and renewal of licenses · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-309 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Licenses expire on the first October 1 in an odd-numbered year after issuance and renew for 2-year terms; contractor licensees must submit proof of insurance at renewal; inactive status is available.
  8. Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for an Original License (license categories) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Describes each category: master (all areas), master restricted (one or more areas), limited contractor (maintain and repair only), journeyman (HVACR services under the direction and control of a licensed contractor), journeyman restricted, and apprentice (no prerequisites). Offers an 'Original Journey and Journey Restricted WITHOUT Exam' application for graduates of a Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council program with a Department of Labor certificate of completion, and separate post-exam applications for journey and master/master restricted/limited licenses.
  9. 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 15, 2026States that the Board licenses and regulates individuals who provide commercial and residential HVACR services under Business Regulation Article 9A and COMAR 09.15, adopts codes, investigates complaints and may impose civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation.
  10. Maryland HVACR Board - County Licenses and Permits · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties also require a county HVACR license in addition to the Maryland HVACR license; other counties and cities may require local plumbing, gasfitting and electrical permits and may enforce their own mechanical codes.
  11. Maryland HVACR Board - Taking the Exams · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Before applying for a Journeyman, Restricted Journeyman, Master or Restricted Master license you must pass the PSI examination; PSI provides all testing for the Board at centers in Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham and Salisbury; applicants apply to PSI with proof of eligibility and should read the Candidate Information Bulletin. Links the reciprocal license page and the journeyman-without-examination route.
  12. Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Frequently Asked Questions · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 15, 2026FAQ 6: every contractor who provides HVACR services in Maryland must hold a Board license regardless of any other state's license, even without a Maryland office. FAQ 9: HVACR licensees of other states may apply through reciprocity without sitting for the Maryland exam only where the other state and the Board have an agreement; 'The Board currently has reciprocal agreements with Delaware and Virginia.' Also: exam applications are processed by PSI, the exam fee must accompany the application, a failed exam may be retaken after 30 days (60 days for later attempts) with a new fee, and passing candidates register the license with the Department.
  13. 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 15, 2026Nonrefundable fees as of July 1, 2025: Master $94.50; Master Restricted $31.50 for each area licensed (capped at three areas); Limited $94.50; Journeyman $25.00; Journeyman Restricted $25.00 for each area; Apprentice $12.00; Inspector $56.00; Letter of Good Standing $25; Inactive license $31.50. The page lists no separate application, reciprocity or renewal fee.
  14. Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Requirements (master, master restricted, limited, journeyman) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Master: licensed as a journeyman and regularly and principally employed providing all areas of HVACR services for at least 3 years under a HVACR master, 1,875 hours in the year before applying, 70% on the master exam, currently holds a journeyman or higher license; insurance if contracting. Master restricted and limited (2 years, 1,000 hours) listed likewise. Journeyman: licensed as an apprentice for at least 4 years with at least 6,000 hours of training under a licensed HVACR contractor, 70% on the journeyman exam, currently holds an apprentice license.
  15. Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for a Reciprocal License · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Reciprocal licensing is permitted only where the other state and the Maryland HVACR Board have entered into a reciprocal agreement and the individual meets the qualifications of Maryland's HVACR law, holds an active license in good standing in the other state, holds a license equivalent to the Maryland license, and became licensed there after meeting requirements at least equivalent to Maryland's, including the years of work experience. 'The Board currently has reciprocal agreements with Delaware and Virginia.' Links the reciprocity application for masters, master restricted, journey and journey restricted licensees of Delaware or Virginia.
  16. Maryland State Board of HVACR Contractors - Qualification Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 9/1/2024) · Maryland Department of Labor / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 15, 2026Exam fees: Master Contractor $150, Limited Contractor $150, Journeyman $150, each Master Restricted or Journeyman Restricted specialty $50; fees valid for one attempt and 90 days. Master HVACR Contractor exam: 100 questions, 70% to pass, 240 minutes; restricted exams 40-50 questions, 90-120 minutes; all open book (2012 International Mechanical Code, Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, ACCA Manual J, 29 CFR 1926, ACCA Ductulator). Repeats the $300,000/$100,000 insurance requirement. Its journeyman eligibility text (apprentice license 3 years with 1,875 hours, or an approved apprenticeship, or 3 years of qualifying experience on Board approval) predates the current statutory 4-year/6,000-hour standard on the Board's requirements page.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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