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

Wisconsin does not license HVAC technicians, journeymen or refrigeration mechanics as individuals. Under Wis. Stat. 101.178 and SPS 305.70 the business that installs or services heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment must hold a DSPS HVAC Contractor registration ($15 application fee plus $160 registration fee, renewed every four years for $40), which has no exam, no experience requirement and is issued to the business owner, partner or chief executive; employees who do the work need no state credential. The only person-held state HVAC credential is the voluntary HVAC Qualifier certification (treated as the master level in this file), which requires four years of experience or education and an exam. Because there is nothing to transfer to, an out-of-state journeyman HVAC license is neither required nor recognized for employment in Wisconsin, and the statute bars cities from imposing their own certification on state-certified HVAC businesses except for local requirements that predate November 1993. Technicians who handle refrigerants must hold federal EPA Section 608 certification, which SPS 305.70 notes but which is not a state license. Wisconsin separately licenses journeyman electricians and plumbers for the electrical and plumbing portions of HVAC installations; those licenses are not covered here.