Indiana to Michigan: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Indiana does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Michigan'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 or mechanical contractor (all states; Michigan has no reciprocity)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Michigan has no reciprocity agreement with any state and no endorsement route; LARA's Out-of-State License Verification form states that Michigan 'does not reciprocate with any other state for licensing' and that the applicant is 'required to take and pass an examination'. An out-of-state licensee files the standard Application for Mechanical Contractor Examination & Licensing with the $300 fee, selects the classifications wanted, and documents 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in each classification with statements signed under penalty of perjury by each present or former mechanical contractor employer; applicants with out-of-state experience must be approved by LARA before PSI will let them schedule. The applicant then passes each classification exam at PSI within one year of eligibility (HVAC Equipment: 150 questions, open book, 3 hours, $100; other classifications: 55 questions, 60 minutes, $50; 75% to pass, unlimited retakes within the year). There is no separate law or business exam, but every exam includes questions on the Skilled Trades Regulation Act and the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act. The license runs on a 3-year cycle expiring August 31 and the fee is prorated for mid-cycle applicants.
Whether experience documented by an out-of-state employer that is not a Michigan 'contractor of record' is accepted as the 'equivalent experience acceptable to the board' under MCL 339.5807(1)(a) is decided by LARA case by case; the out-of-state form only says such applicants must be approved to sit. Exam fees listed are per classification; an applicant seeking several classifications pays each.
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.3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in each work classification applied for, verified by perjury statements from each employing contractor (MCL 339.5807(1)(a)); a completed 2-year HVAC program is credited up to 1 year or 2,000 hours.
- Good moral character and the general requirements of Article 2 of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (MCL 339.5807(1)).
What you'll do to get licensed in Michigan
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($300). Mechanical contractor application and license fee for the 3-year cycle ($100 per year under MCL 339.5813, prorated for mid-cycle applicants; waived for eligible veterans); additional classifications $300/$200/$100 by cycle year.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. PSI Michigan Mechanical Contractor examination for each classification sought (HVAC Equipment: 150 questions, open book, 3 hours; Refrigeration, Ductwork, Hydronic and specialty exams: 55 questions, 60 minutes, open book; heating and refrigeration/air conditioning service exams: 55 questions, closed book); 75% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). PSI exam fee for the HVAC Equipment (includes ductwork and gas piping) classification; non-refundable, valid one year.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). PSI exam fee for each other classification (hydronic, ductwork, refrigeration, limited/unlimited heating service, limited/unlimited refrigeration and air conditioning service, fire suppression, specialty).
- 5Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. LARA's mechanical pages are silent on it; it is a federal requirement, not a Michigan licensing prerequisite.
Published fees on this path total $450, 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 · $100
- Exam fee · $50
- Other
How Michigan licenses master HVAC technicians
Michigan master HVAC technician · “Mechanical Contractor (classified: HVAC Equipment, Refrigeration, Ductwork, Heating/Refrigeration Service, etc.)”
Statewide license
Michigan's HVAC credential is the Mechanical Contractor license issued by LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes under Article 8 of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407). Although called a contractor license, it is issued to an individual who qualifies by examination, so this file treats it as the master level: a business performs mechanical work by designating a licensed individual as its contractor of record (MCL 339.5809, 339.5815). The license is classified; an HVAC business typically holds HVAC Equipment (which includes ductwork and gas piping), Refrigeration and the heating and refrigeration/air conditioning service classifications. For each classification the applicant documents 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience with statements signed under penalty of perjury by each employing contractor of record (a 2-year HVAC program may be credited up to 1 year or 2,000 hours), is approved by LARA, and passes the PSI exam for that classification (75% to pass; the HVAC Equipment exam is 150 questions, open book, 3 hours, $100; other classification exams are 55 questions, 60 minutes, $50). The license fee is $300 for the 3-year cycle ($100 per year, prorated), licenses expire August 31 every third year, and municipalities may not impose their own licensing (MCL 339.5811). Michigan has no reciprocity with any state and no licensure by endorsement: LARA's out-of-state form states that Michigan 'does not reciprocate with any other state for licensing' and that out-of-state applicants must be approved to sit for the examination, so an out-of-state HVAC or mechanical contractor's experience counts toward eligibility but the Michigan exams must be passed. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is separately required to handle refrigerants.
Why Indiana has nothing to transfer
Indiana master HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Indiana has no statewide master HVAC, mechanical contractor or HVAC contractor license and no state HVAC board; the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's list of regulated professions contains no heating, air conditioning or refrigeration trade, and Indianapolis's exam information states that licensing is at the discretion of each municipality. The master-level credential exists only locally and under varying names: Indianapolis/Marion County licenses Heating and Cooling Contractors (Air Conditioning A, B, D, Refrigeration and High Pressure Steam) whose craft license holder passed the Prov exam, Allen County (Fort Wayne) issues an HVAC Supervisors License (Air Conditioning A or B, Sheet Metal C), Evansville licenses Master Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioner Installers and Master Refrigeration Installers by local examination, South Bend registers HVAC contractors on proof of a passing ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam, and Terre Haute issues a Mechanical license to contractors employing a NATE, HVAC Excellence, RSES, Experior or Indianapolis-certified person. An out-of-state master HVAC or mechanical contractor license carries no state-level recognition in Indiana. Indianapolis is the only jurisdiction with a published reciprocity procedure, and it turns on the exam rather than the state: a license earned on a Prometric/Experior or Prov exam with a 70% score, certified by the issuing agency, can be accepted by the Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners. Elsewhere a master must apply in each city or county where they will pull permits, which in practice means holding an ICC or Prov national exam score or passing the local exam, then meeting that jurisdiction's bond and insurance rules. EPA Section 608 certification is required for refrigerant work in every jurisdiction.
How local licensing works in Indiana
How local licensing works. Indiana regulates plumbers at the state level but has never created a state HVAC or mechanical contractor license. Each city or county building department decides whether and how to license HVAC contractors and master-level installers, and there is no statewide portability rule. Prov (Indianapolis) and ICC/Prometric (South Bend, Terre Haute) national exams are the most portable credentials inside the state.
Indianapolis / Marion County. The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services licenses Heating and Cooling Contractors in five types: Air Conditioning A (unrestricted), Air Conditioning B (25 tons cooling / 500,000 BTU heating, boilers to 15 psig steam), Air Conditioning D (5 tons / 300,000 BTU), Refrigeration, and High Pressure Steam. A craft license holder submits an exam packet ten business days before the monthly Board of Heating and Cooling Examiners meeting: application, resume, employer letters verifying five years of HVACR experience (education may substitute in part), three industry reference letters, EPA certification card, driver's license; after a board interview the applicant sits the Prov exam and needs 70%. The business then files a $5,000 surety bond (obligee the Consolidated City of Indianapolis, expiring 12/31/2027), a $500,000/$100,000 (or $500,000 combined) liability certificate naming the City-County as additional insured, and workers' compensation proof. 2026 fees: new license holder $377 (Jan-Jun) or $283 (Jul-Dec), new business license $247 or $185 (none for sole proprietors), renewals $247 each; licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years. Reciprocity: the board may accept a comparable license from any municipality or government agency if the issuing agency certifies directly to the Department that the license is current and unsuspended, the license was issued on a standardized Prometric (formerly Thomson Prometric / Experior / Block) or Prov exam passed with at least 70%, and the vendor verifies the exam is equivalent to the Indianapolis exam; the applicant still documents five years of experience, three references and EPA certification, appears before the board, and then licenses with bond, insurance and fees.
Fort Wayne / Allen County. The Building Department's HVAC Supervisors License (Air Conditioning A without BTU limit, Air Conditioning B up to 500,000 BTU heating and 25 tons cooling, or Sheet Metal C) requires four years and 7,000 hours as a journeyman in the same line of work (or eight years and 14,000 hours of documented OJT plus 30 days as a licensed journeyman) and a passing examination administered by the Building Commissioner or an approved testing facility; hydronic and low-temperature refrigeration work is reserved to Non-Sanitary Piping licensees. The supervisor qualifies an HVAC Contractors Business Registration ($90; supervisor license $25). Section H grants reciprocity subject to the trade's guidelines and minimum qualifications, and allows the Building Commissioner to grant reciprocity at his discretion to applicants who present the necessary credentials.
Evansville. The Building Commission licenses Master Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioner Installers (forced-air heating, air conditioning up to five tons with field piping or fifteen tons packaged, ventilation, ductwork and sheet metal; boilers and steam or hot-water systems require the Master Steam Fitter license) and Master Refrigeration Installers. Applicants prove four years of experience with three notarized letters on letterhead (EMC 5.70.060), are approved to test by the Board of Examiners of HVAC, Steam Fitters, and Refrigeration Installers, sit the exam through Ivy Tech and must score 75% on each part of the master mechanical, sheet metal, ventilation or refrigeration exam, then receive a provisional license on paying the $300 fee and providing insurance and the $25,000 surety bond required by EMC 5.70.070; renewal is $125 ($225 for two years) with board-set continuing education. The ordinance notes the master HVAC license does not permit air conditioning work without EPA certification.
South Bend. The Building Department registers HVAC contractors (including refrigeration and hood installers) after review of an application showing at least 21 years of age, journeyman and contractor experience (education may substitute for part of four years), and a passing score of at least 70% on the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (F29-N) via Pearson Vue or Prometric or a comparable nationally recognized exam approved by the Board; a $5,000 surety bond naming the City of South Bend/St. Joseph County, workers' compensation proof, a $50 application review fee and $125 annual registration are required.
Terre Haute. The Engineering Department's Mechanical license is issued to a contractor that employs at least one full-time employee certified by NATE, HVAC Excellence, RSES, Experior Assessment, the City of Indianapolis HVAC Air Conditioning Class A, or an equivalent, with a $10,000 bond ($25,000 for right-of-way work), $500,000 general liability ($1,000,000 for right-of-way work) and workers' compensation or a WCE-1 exemption; $350 original registration, $175 annual renewal.
Out-of-state holders. Only Indianapolis publishes a reciprocity procedure, and it accepts a license from any jurisdiction (municipal or state) that was earned on an equivalent Prometric/Experior or Prov exam, subject to board approval. Allen County has a discretionary reciprocity clause; South Bend and Terre Haute accept national exam scores and industry certifications regardless of where they were earned; Evansville requires its own examination. Expect to license separately in each jurisdiction and to meet each one's bond and insurance rules.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Michigan master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Indiana?
- Yes. Michigan requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Michigan master HVAC technician license from Indiana?
- Published fees on this path total $450, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Indiana work hours count in Michigan?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Michigan's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Michigan to Indiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Michigan to Indiana, 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, 2026Federal requirement in every state: technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified (Type I small appliances, Type II high-pressure, Type III low-pressure, Universal). Apprentices under direct supervision are exempt. Certification does not expire; the core exam must be proctored for Universal certification. State HVAC boards commonly require it before licensure, but it is not itself a state license.
- City of Detroit BSEED - Mechanical Inspection Team (contractor registration) · City of Detroit · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026'Applicant must have a current and valid State of Michigan issued Mechanical License/Mechanical Contractors License before he/she can apply for Renewal/Registration with the City of Detroit.' Detroit registers state-licensed mechanical contractors for permitting (notarized application, same-day in person) and issues no license of its own and no worker-level credential.
- Michigan LARA - Application for Mechanical Contractor Examination & Licensing · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026Application/license fee $300 (non-refundable; waived for eligible veterans); adding a classification costs $300, $200 or $100 depending on the year of the 3-year cycle; the exam fee is paid separately to PSI. Requires 'a minimum of 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in the work classification', documented by statements signed under penalty of perjury from each contractor employer describing the work (BTU ratings, venting and duct systems, fuels, refrigerants); a completed 2-year HVAC program may be credited up to 1 year or 2,000 hours. The applicant is an individual ('legal name must match government issued identification'). The form has no out-of-state or reciprocity section. Read through the r.jina.ai text proxy because michigan.gov returned 403.
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Mechanical Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information · Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 8 · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the mechanical contractor work classifications (hydronic heating and cooling and process piping; HVAC equipment; ductwork; refrigeration; limited and unlimited heating service; limited and unlimited refrigeration and air conditioning service; fire suppression; specialty licenses for solar heating and cooling, solid fuel and vented decorative gas appliances, LP distribution piping, fuel gas piping, fuel gas piping and venting). 'Must have a minimum of 3 years experience in each of the work classifications applied for' and 'take and pass an examination for each work classification desired'; exams are given by PSI at centers across Michigan and all exam fees are paid to PSI. The page contains no journeyman or registration credential and no reciprocity statement. michigan.gov returned 403 to the fetcher; the page was read through the r.jina.ai text proxy.
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Out-of-State License Verification form · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026Generic Bureau of Construction Codes form used for all skilled trades: 'The State of Michigan does not reciprocate with any other state for licensing. Therefore, you are required to take and pass an examination to receive a license in the State of Michigan.' and 'All applicants with out-of-state experience must be approved to sit for examination.' Read through the r.jina.ai text proxy because michigan.gov returned 403.
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - PSI Examinations · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Mechanical contractor candidates must be approved by LARA before testing: 'Once your application has been reviewed and you've been approved to test, your information is sent to PSI', who contacts the candidate within 10 business days to pay and schedule. Links the Mechanical Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI bulletin 5423). Read through the r.jina.ai text proxy because michigan.gov returned 403.
- Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 8 - Mechanical Contractors (MCL 339.5801-339.5819) · MCL 339.5807, 339.5809, 339.5811, 339.5813, 339.5815 · Michigan Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026339.5807(1): exam eligibility requires good moral character and 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in the classification, shown by perjury statements from each contractor-of-record employer; military experience counts; a 2-year HVAC program is credited up to 1 year/2,000 hours. 339.5807(2): the ten classifications. 339.5809: no one may perform regulated mechanical work unless the person (if an individual) or an employee holds a mechanical contractor's license; a business designates a licensed individual as contractor of record. 339.5811: 'A municipality shall not establish or maintain local licensing requirements for the work classifications.' 339.5813: each classification exam fee is $100 or less; the license fee is $100 per year, licenses expire August 31 every third year and are prorated; lapsed licensees who renew within 3 years are not re-examined. 339.5815: 90 days to replace a departed contractor of record. Nothing in Article 8 provides for reciprocity or licensure by endorsement. Read with pdftotext after download.
- PSI - Michigan Mechanical Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for Michigan LARA · Other · verified September 15, 2026Exam fees: HVAC Equipment (includes ductwork and gas piping) $100; every other classification (hydronic, ductwork, refrigeration, limited/unlimited heating service, limited/unlimited refrigeration and air conditioning service, fire suppression, specialty) $50; fees are non-refundable and valid one year. HVAC Equipment exam: 150 questions, open book, 3 hours, 75% to pass; the other classification exams are 55 questions in 60 minutes (service classifications closed book), 75% to pass. All exams include questions on 2016 PA 407 and 1972 PA 230. Candidates must be approved by LARA first and must pass within one year of eligibility (unlimited retakes in that year). Read with pdftotext after download.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.