South Dakota to Texas: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
South Dakota 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 South Dakota has nothing to transfer
South Dakota journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
South Dakota has no statewide HVAC license at any level. The Department of Labor & Regulation's list of occupational licensing agencies includes Plumbing and Electrical Commissions but no mechanical, HVAC or refrigeration board, and the only state program touching heating equipment is the State Fire Marshal's boiler inspection program, which certifies boilers rather than the people who install them. Journeyman-level licensing exists only where a city ordinance creates it. Rapid City issues a Mechanical Installer (MI) license to individuals with four years of verifiable experience who pass the city exam and work under a licensed mechanical contractor; Sioux Falls issues no journeyman or technician license for mechanical work, so HVAC technicians there work as employees of a city-licensed Mechanical or Refrigeration Contractor without a personal license. Neither city publishes a reciprocity or endorsement path for out-of-state journeyman licenses: Sioux Falls states that it does not reciprocate any license, and Rapid City's code allows recognition of other agencies' licenses only for Class A and B general building contractors. An out-of-state HVAC journeyman therefore needs no state credential to work in South Dakota, must check each city where work will be done, and should expect to take Rapid City's installer exam if working there. EPA Section 608 certification remains a federal requirement for anyone handling refrigerants.
How local licensing works in South Dakota
How local licensing works. South Dakota has no state HVAC or mechanical licensing statute, so each city decides whether to license mechanical work under its building code ordinances. Outside the cities that do, no license is required beyond a building permit and federal EPA Section 608 certification for refrigerant work. Boilers are inspected and certificated by the State Fire Marshal's Office (Department of Public Safety), which does not license installers.
Sioux Falls. Chapter 150 of the city code licenses Mechanical Contractors, Refrigeration Contractors, Fireplace Contractors and Master Mechanics; there is no journeyman, installer or apprentice license for mechanical work (the city's journeyman and apprentice licenses are only for electrical and plumbing). Technicians work as employees of a licensed contractor whose master mechanic supervises the work. The city's FAQ states it does not reciprocate any licenses.
Rapid City. Chapter 15.26 of the municipal code creates the Mechanical Installer (MI) license for any person who installs, lays out, alters or repairs mechanical or HVAC systems, requiring four years of verifiable experience (an 18-24 month mechanical program counts as one year, a 9-12 month program as half a year) and approval by the Building Official; installers work under the direction of a licensed Mechanical Contractor, and Mechanical Apprentices (MA) work under the immediate supervision of an installer. Licenses are issued under chapter 15.04, which requires the city's examination, runs trade licenses for three years, and requires six hours of continuing education per license period for Mechanical Code licenses; exam and license fees are set by council resolution and could not be confirmed from a published page. Nothing in the code recognizes an out-of-state installer or journeyman license.
Out-of-state holders. No South Dakota city page found publishes a reciprocity or endorsement path for an out-of-state HVAC journeyman license. In Sioux Falls there is nothing to transfer to; in Rapid City the installer applicant documents experience on the work record portion of the application and takes the city exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Texas journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in South Dakota?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman HVAC technician license from South Dakota?
- Published fees on this path total $20, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Dakota 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 South Dakota?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to South Dakota, 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.