Tennessee to Oklahoma: journeyman HVAC technician license reciprocity
Tennessee does not issue a statewide journeyman HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oklahoma'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 HVAC journeyman (all states; no published reciprocity partners)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
CIB publishes no mechanical reciprocity partner list, so every out-of-state HVAC or refrigeration journeyman uses the same route. Under OAC 158:50-9-4.1 a journeyman from a state without a reciprocal agreement (or from a jurisdiction with only local licensing) may request exam equivalency; if the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam as substantially similar, the Oklahoma journeyman exam is waived on a certified letter from the home jurisdiction showing a current license in good standing, the license category, an exam score of 70% or higher and no pending discipline. CIB does not publish which jurisdictions' exams are approved. Otherwise the applicant files the Application for Mechanical Examination with notarized experience affidavits and a copy of the out-of-state license, documents three years of verifiable experience in the category (out-of-state experience counts if lawfully obtained), pays $75, and must pass the HVAC/R journeyman exam through PSI. A current out-of-state license in the same classification may also expedite processing under OAC 158:50-9-1(b)(1)(I). Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required separately to handle refrigerants.
The rules mention that the Board 'may enter into a reciprocity agreement with another state' with substantially equivalent requirements (OAC 158:50-9-6(d)), but no signed mechanical agreement, partner state or reciprocity form appears on any CIB page, unlike the electrical and plumbing programs; some third-party sites claim HVAC reciprocity with Texas, Arkansas, Kansas or New Mexico, but no CIB page lists such an agreement (Kansas and New Mexico do not issue a statewide HVAC journeyman license). The CIB mechanical pages do not mention EPA certification; the federal requirement applies regardless.
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.Three years of verifiable experience in the mechanical category applied for, at 2,000 hours per year, while employed by a licensed mechanical contractor or lawfully obtained elsewhere (OAC 158:50-9-1); approved education substitutes for up to two years.
- Your Tennessee license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Tennessee that the destination considers comparable.
What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application fee, non-refundable (OAC 158:50-9-2(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial journeyman license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $75.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oklahoma HVACR Journeyman exam (Unlimited or Limited) administered by PSI, open book on the 2018 IMC and IFGC with Oklahoma revisions, 70% to pass; waived only if the Board has approved the home jurisdiction's exam for equivalency.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($92). PSI fee per examination portion, non-refundable, charged again for each retake.
- 5Other. 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 $167, 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 · $92
- Other · if applicable
How Oklahoma licenses journeyman HVAC technicians
Oklahoma journeyman HVAC technician · “Mechanical Journeyman (HVAC/R Unlimited or Limited)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Mechanical Division
Oklahoma issues statewide mechanical journeyman licenses through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) under the Mechanical Licensing Act. The HVAC/R Unlimited category has no size limit; HVAC/R Limited covers cooling up to 25 tons and heating up to 500,000 Btu/h per appliance; both include refrigeration, sheet metal, natural gas and related process piping, and stand-alone Refrigeration, Sheet Metal, Natural Gas Piping and Process Piping journeyman categories also exist. A new applicant needs three years (6,000 hours) of verifiable experience in the category while employed by a licensed mechanical contractor, with approved trade-school hours substituting for up to two years, pays $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license) and passes the PSI exam with 70% ($92 per portion). CIB's rules allow written reciprocity agreements and a case-by-case exam equivalency for licensees of jurisdictions whose exam the Board has approved, but CIB publishes no list of mechanical reciprocity partners or approved jurisdictions. Journeymen must work under a licensed mechanical contractor, renew annually in their birth month, and complete six hours of continuing education every 36 months.
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 Oklahoma journeyman HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma journeyman HVAC technician license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $167, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee work hours count in Oklahoma?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma 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
- Oklahoma CIB - Mechanical Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Mechanical Application Information and Application for Mechanical Examination · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Mechanical Forms · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Mechanical Journeyman · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Oklahoma Mechanical Licensing Act, 59 O.S. §§ 1850.1 et seq. · 59 O.S. §§ 1850.6, 1850.7, 1850.8, 1850.8A · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 50 - Mechanical Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 10/1/2020) · OAC 158:50-5-2, 158:50-5-3, 158:50-9-1, 158:50-9-2, 158:50-9-4.1, 158:50-9-6, 158:50-9-7 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.