Colorado to Georgia: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

Georgia has no 'master HVAC' license; its highest person-held HVAC credential is the statewide Conditioned Air Contractor license issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Conditioned Air Contractors to an individual who documents experience and passes the PSI-administered exam with a score of at least 70. It comes in two classes: Class I (Restricted) covers systems up to 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling, and Class II (Non-Restricted) is unrestricted, so Class II is the master-level equivalent used here. A Class II applicant needs five years of experience under Rule 121-3-.04 (two years of installation as a lead mechanic with at least one commercial year, one year as a service technician or supervisor, two years of commercial supervisory experience), EPA Section 608 certification of Type II or higher, a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course (Manuals J&D) plus Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1-3, three notarized references from licensed professionals, and a local law-enforcement background check; the exam application fee is $110 through the GOALS portal, and the PSI exam fee is paid to the vendor. The licensee then serves as the qualifying licensee for a registered conditioned air company. The Board's FAQ states that 'Reciprocity with other states is not offered at this time' and its online guide has no reciprocity application type; the Board's 2022 paper reciprocity form, which is no longer accepted, named Louisiana as the sole reciprocal state and recorded that South Carolina and Texas reciprocity stopped on April 15, 2022 pending renegotiation. An out-of-state HVAC contractor therefore applies by examination, with experience earned elsewhere documented on the experience record. Licenses renew by November 30 of odd-numbered years with 4 hours of continuing education per year; applications are generally processed within 20 business days.

Colorado issues no state master HVAC, mechanical or contractor license; the state licenses only electricians and plumbers, and mechanical licensing is left entirely to cities, counties and regional building departments. The master-level credential is therefore a local supervisor certificate or mechanical contractor license. Denver issues person-held Heating and Ventilating Class A and Class B and Refrigeration Class A and Class B supervisor certificates (6 to 8 years of experience plus the ICC F29 Master Mechanical or F32 Residential Mechanical exam, $60 for three years) and then licenses the mechanical contractor that employs the certificate holder ($250 for three years). The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department licenses Mechanical Contractors in classes H-A commercial, H-B residential and H-C specialty classes on the ICC W29 Master Mechanical, W32 Residential Mechanical or N33 Master Gas Pipe Fitter exams ($100 per license plus a $50 application fee). Neither jurisdiction recognizes out-of-state licenses: Denver does not reciprocate certificates from other counties or states and PPRBD accepts no out-of-state exams, so an arriving master HVAC contractor documents experience locally and passes the ICC exam required by each jurisdiction where they will pull permits.