South Carolina to District of Columbia: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is District of Columbia'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 HVAC technician (any state)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Board of Industrial Trades publishes no reciprocity for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, so a journeyman-level HVAC licensee from any state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant. The application needs a passport-style photo, government ID, the $65 application fee, tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic showing at least 3 years of experience, and a CFC Universal certification; the applicant then schedules the open-book journeyman exam with PSI (2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) and pays the $110 license fee for a term ending September 30 of the next even-numbered year. Two statutory routes can waive the exam: D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(d) requires the Board to accept a certificate from a national certifying organization (a registered trade organization, non-union sponsor or labor union) that the applicant completed its apprenticeship, passed its exam and is designated a journeyman, and § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for a licensee in good standing of a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits DC licensees in a like manner, with § 47-2853.08 leaving the substantial-equivalence finding to the Board case by case. No District-law exam applies; § 47-2853.12(c)(4) exempts journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics from one.
PSI's District of Columbia candidate bulletin lists the journeyman refrigeration exam fee as $52 per attempt. Whether experience letters signed by an out-of-state master are accepted, and which states or national certifying organizations the Board has listed under § 47-2853.12(d), are not stated in the Board's published materials. The 3-year experience figure comes from DLCP's application instructions; the statute itself sets no journeyman experience term.
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 3 years of qualifying work experience.Three years of refrigeration and air conditioning experience, documented with tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic (DLCP application instructions).
What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable), paid online with the DLCP application.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic examination administered by PSI (schedule at psiexams.com after Board pre-approval), open book on the 2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning; waived for graduates of a registered apprenticeship program or holders of a national certifying organization's journeyman certificate under § 47-2853.202(d).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($52). Per attempt, paid to PSI when scheduling, as listed in PSI's District of Columbia candidate bulletin.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($110). Mechanic license fee for a term ending September 30 of the next even-numbered year (renewal $155).
- 5Other. Tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic detailing the applicant's experience and length of employment, uploaded with the online application.
- 6Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. DLCP's refrigeration application instructions list a 'CFC Universal Certification' among the journeyman exam documents.
Published fees on this path total $227, 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 · $52
- Other
How District of Columbia licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician · “Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic”
Statewide license
Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
The District of Columbia licenses HVAC technicians as Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), the same board that licenses electricians and plumbers. Three person-held credentials exist: apprentice (registered without exam), Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, and Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic (regular, or limited to systems of 25 compressor horsepower and below). 17 DCMR § 303.7 requires a journeyman license for anyone doing the mechanical work of installing, maintaining, repairing or replacing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. DLCP's application instructions require 3 years of experience verified by a master, tax records, a CFC (EPA 608) Universal certification, and a PSI-administered open-book journeyman exam; a graduate of a registered apprenticeship program (classroom work plus 8,000 hours over 4 years under a master) may waive the journeyman exam, which mirrors the national-certification substitute in D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(d). Fees are a $65 application fee and a $110 mechanic license fee; all refrigeration licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years. The Board publishes reciprocity for electricians and plumbers from Maryland and Virginia but none for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.
Compare: getting a District of Columbia license from scratch
Why South Carolina has nothing to transfer
South Carolina journeyman HVAC technician · “Journeyman HVAC trade certification card (CAGC SC Trades Certification, formerly MASC) - not a state license”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by Local building departments, using the CAGC SC Trades Certification (formerly MASC) journeyman card
South Carolina has no state journeyman HVAC license. The LLR Contractor's Licensing Board licenses mechanical contractors (entities qualified by an individual qualifying party) for air-conditioning, heating and refrigeration work over $10,000, and the Residential Builders Commission licenses Residential HVAC Installers and Repairers for residential work over $500; neither chapter of the contractor law creates a journeyman or technician credential, so an HVAC technician who is not a contractor works under one of those licensees with no state license. The journeyman-level credential that does exist is the trade certification card of the SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program, run since 1965 by the Municipal Association of South Carolina (the association of the state's cities) and, since January 1, 2026, by the Carolinas AGC Foundation; the program's own page says the card is not a license and must not be represented as one. No reciprocity or out-of-state acceptance is published for the journeyman card, so an arriving technician should expect to apply to CAGC ($35 application, PROV exam) if a local jurisdiction or employer requires a card. EPA Section 608 certification is federal and required of everyone handling refrigerants regardless of any South Carolina card.
How local licensing works in South Carolina
How local licensing works. State law licenses contractors, not technicians: S.C. Code § 40-11-30 requires a Contractor's Licensing Board license (Mechanical Contractor with the Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration or Packaged Equipment classification) for mechanical contracting work whose total cost exceeds $10,000, and Chapter 59 requires a Residential Builders Commission license for residential heating and air-conditioning work over $500. Employees of those licensees need no state credential. The Contractor's Licensing Board home page lists no journeyman license, and the Residential Builders Commission licenses the Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer, not a journeyman.
The trades certification card. The SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program was created in 1965 by the Municipal Association of South Carolina to give municipalities a common examination and certification for the mechanical trades. MASC handed the program to the Carolinas AGC Foundation on January 1, 2026; cards issued by MASC remain valid until the expiration printed on them, and CAGC now issues verification letters. CAGC charges a $35 application fee ($35 to re-test), uses PROV as its exam provider, and states that the card 'should not be confused with' the LLR mechanical contractor or residential specialty licenses and that a holder will not represent the card as evidence of a license. The master-level HVAC card, the HARV (Master Mechanical) certification issued by exam by MASC between September 7, 2013 and December 2025 or by CAGC after January 1, 2026, is accepted by LLR as a technical-exam waiver for the Mechanical Contractor Air Conditioning and Heating classifications and for the Residential HVAC Installer and Repairer license, which is the card's main statewide use. Technicians should ask the local building department where they will work.
Out-of-state holders. Neither CAGC nor MASC publishes reciprocity for journeyman licenses from other states, and LLR's waiver agreements apply only to contractor-level exams. An out-of-state journeyman or HVAC technician can work for a licensed South Carolina contractor without any state credential and, if a card is required locally, applies to CAGC.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a District of Columbia journeyman HVAC technician license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $227, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d), (l) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.201 - Scope of practice for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics · D.C. Code § 47-2853.201 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.202 - Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.202 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 17 DCMR Chapter 3 - Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Licensing (§§ 303, 304, 306, 307, 309, 310) · 17 DCMR §§ 303.6-303.8, 304, 306, 307, 309, 310, 312 · DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances (DCMR) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades landing page (apply, items needed, examination, reciprocity) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DC DLCP - Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning License (Limited and Regular) Application Instructions - Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Washington D.C. Contractor/Trades Examinations · PSI Services LLC for the District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 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
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.