Moving to California as a journeyman HVAC technician: every state's rule

California does not issue a journeyman, technician or mechanic license for heating, ventilation, air-conditioning or refrigeration work. The only state HVAC credentials are contractor classifications issued by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) to a business: C-20 Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning Contractor and C-38 Refrigeration Contractor (systems below 50°F). Under Business and Professions Code §7053 the Contractors State License Law does not apply to a person who does the regulated work as an employee for wages, so HVAC technicians employed by a C-20 or C-38 contractor work without any personal state license; California's personal certification program for electricians (Labor Code §108) has no HVAC counterpart, and no city or county HVAC mechanic license was found in the largest jurisdictions (Los Angeles issues mechanical permits to licensed contractors and lists no HVAC technician license). An out-of-state journeyman or HVAC technician license therefore has nothing to transfer to in California and is neither required nor recognized for employment. The federal EPA Section 608 technician certification still applies to anyone who services equipment containing refrigerants. A technician who wants to contract independently must obtain a C-20 or C-38 license, described at the master level.