Tennessee to Maryland: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Tennessee 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'. The Board's published materials do not say how PSI and the Board apply §9A-302(g) credit to experience gained under an out-of-state license; ask the Board (410-230-6196) before applying. The HVACR Journeyman exam has 100 questions in 240 minutes; 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman license fee, nonrefundable, effective July 1, 2025 (journeyman restricted $25 per area).
- 4Other. Hold EPA Section 608 technician certification to handle refrigerant; federal law requires it, but it is not a condition of this state license (if applicable).
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 · if applicable
How Maryland licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Maryland journeyman HVAC technician · “HVACR Journeyman”
Statewide license
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.
Why Tennessee has nothing to transfer
Tennessee journeyman HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by Local code enforcement offices (Chattanooga, Memphis/Shelby County, Nashville, Knoxville and other exempt jurisdictions); no state journeyman HVAC license
Tennessee has no statewide journeyman or technician HVAC license. The Board for Licensing Contractors licenses HVAC work only at the business level, through the contractor license with the CMC (full mechanical) or CMC-C (HVAC/refrigeration) classification required for projects of $25,000 or more, and it has no limited HVAC license comparable to its Limited Licensed Electrician or Plumber programs. The Department of Commerce and Insurance says that most HVAC projects under $25,000 are regulated locally and that local governments listed as exempt jurisdictions with the State Fire Marshal issue their own mechanical HVAC licenses or journeyman licenses; where the Fire Marshal's inspectors handle permits, an LLE license or a CMC-C contractor license is required for HVAC permits. Journeyman-level cards therefore exist only in cities that run their own mechanical boards: Chattanooga licenses Journeyman Mechanics ($75 per two years, three years or 6,000 hours of experience, exam through its Board of Mechanical Examiners), while Nashville and Memphis/Shelby County license mechanical contractors and let employees work under them without a personal card. An out-of-state journeyman HVAC license has no state-level recognition in Tennessee; the state's trade-exam-waiver agreements cover only contractor licenses. EPA Section 608 certification is required federally to handle refrigerants wherever the technician works.
How local licensing works in Tennessee
How local licensing works. The Board for Licensing Contractors regulates HVAC only through the CMC/CMC-C contractor license (projects of $25,000 and up). Anything below that threshold is regulated by the city or county, and roughly two dozen 'exempt jurisdictions' run their own mechanical inspection programs and licenses. Each jurisdiction's card is valid only there, and none of the pages below publishes a reciprocity or exam-waiver rule for out-of-state journeyman licenses.
Nashville (Davidson County). The Board of Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Examiners and Appeals issues Master Mechanical, HVAC&R, and Gas and Appliance certificates to individuals; there is no Nashville journeyman mechanical card. Technicians work as employees of a firm registered with a Metro certificate holder or a state CMC/CMC-C licensee ($40,000 permit bond, $300,000 liability insurance, Davidson County business license).
Memphis and Shelby County. The joint Office of Construction Code Enforcement licenses First-Class (4 years' experience, unlimited) and Third-Class (2 years, equipment up to 15 tons or 15 hp) Mechanical Contractors after a written exam, with a $150 registration, $110 annual renewal and a $25,000 permit bond, and registers state CMC licensees for $150. The mechanical code creates no journeyman mechanic license; employees work under a licensed mechanical contractor who must supervise them and furnish their names on request.
Knoxville. Permits are pulled under a State Contractor Registration (CMC/CMC-C), a Homeowner Registration, or an Unlicensed / State Limited License registration; the city's page does not describe a journeyman HVAC card, and its own mechanical license application is not posted online, so anyone planning to work in Knoxville should call Plans Review & Inspections at 865-215-4311.
Chattanooga. The Board of Mechanical Examiners licenses Journeyman Mechanics: three or more years (2,000 hours per year) as a registered journeyman or HVAC/sheet-metal helper, or a previously held unrevoked journeyman or HVAC mechanic license from Chattanooga or any other governmental agency, or other experience acceptable to the Board; $75 per two-year cycle; application through the OpenGov portal, after which the clerks send testing information. Holding a card from another jurisdiction makes an applicant eligible to sit the Chattanooga exam but does not waive it.
Out-of-state holders. No Tennessee jurisdiction found publishes reciprocity for journeyman HVAC licenses. In Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville a journeyman simply works as an employee of a licensed or registered mechanical contractor; in Chattanooga the out-of-state card supports eligibility for the local exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Maryland journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Maryland requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maryland journeyman HVAC technician license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to Tennessee, 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
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-101 - Definitions (HVACR licenses) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-101 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-301 - License required · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-301 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-302 - Qualifications of applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-302 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 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, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-306 - Licenses without examination (apprenticeship graduates) · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-306(e) · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Regulation §9A-309 - Term and renewal of licenses · Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §9A-309 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for an Original License (license categories) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- 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 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - County Licenses and Permits · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Taking the Exams · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Frequently Asked Questions · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- 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 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Licensing Requirements (master, master restricted, limited, journeyman) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland HVACR Board - Apply for a Reciprocal License · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Maryland State Board of HVACR Contractors - Qualification Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 9/1/2024) · Maryland Department of Labor / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.