Tennessee to Massachusetts: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 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 Massachusetts journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Massachusetts requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman HVAC technician license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts 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
- 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.