Kansas to Idaho: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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.
Universal licensure for out-of-state HVAC contractors (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
With no reciprocity agreements, every out-of-state HVAC contractor or master is treated the same. Idaho Code 67-9409 obliges the HVAC board to license a person who holds a current, valid and unrestricted license in another state and demonstrates competency, on the standard application, fees and background checks, but lets the board require all or part of its examination; the board's rules require every contractor applicant to pass the board-designated exam and post a $2,000 bond, and DOPL publishes no HVAC-specific endorsement procedure. The realistic path is therefore the standard contractor application ($35), the PSI contractor exam ($75), the $2,000 compliance bond and the $225 license fee, with the out-of-state license and experience submitted as supporting evidence of competency.
Idaho's contractor exam covers business and law material (the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual is the allowed reference), so it is recorded as the trade exam rather than a separate law exam. Idaho Code 54-5013 sets a 24-month certificate term while DOPL's fee table shows a 3-year term for journeyman and contractor licenses; the fee table is the current practice. Whether the board waives any part of the exam under 67-9409 was not confirmed from an official page.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
What you must already have
- Your Kansas license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). HVAC Contractor application processing fee (non-refundable).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho HVAC Contractor examination administered by PSI (board-designated exam, IDAPA 24.39.70.100.03).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee.
- 4Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($2,000). HVAC contractor compliance bond of $2,000 (or an acceptable corporate industry group bond), effective for the certificate period.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($225). Contractor license fee (3-year term; renewal $150, reinstatement $225).
- 6Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. Not listed on DOPL's HVAC pages.
Published fees on this path total $335, 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 · $75
- Other
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $2,000
How Idaho licenses master HVAC technicians
Idaho master HVAC technician · “HVAC Contractor”
Statewide license
Idaho has no master HVAC title; its highest credential is the HVAC Contractor certificate of competency, which is issued as a card in the name of the individual who passes the board's contractor examination and is therefore mapped here to the master level (an HVAC business must hold or employ a certificate holder, and Specialty Contractor and Limited Heating Specialty Contractor certificates cover gas piping, hearth appliances and oil furnaces). The applicant pays a $35 application fee, passes the PSI-administered HVAC contractor exam ($75, using the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual as a reference), provides a $2,000 compliance bond, and pays the $225 license fee; the certificate renews for $150 every three years. Idaho's HVAC board states that it has no reciprocal licensing agreement. A contractor licensed in another state may apply under Idaho's universal licensure statute (Idaho Code 67-9409), which requires the board to license a person with a current, unrestricted out-of-state license who demonstrates competency, but allows it to require the Idaho exam; since DOPL publishes no separate procedure for HVAC, applicants should expect to take the contractor exam. EPA Section 608 certification is required nationwide to handle refrigerants.
Why Kansas has nothing to transfer
Kansas master HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Kansas does not issue a master HVAC license; the master credential exists only at the county and city level under the framework in K.S.A. 12-1540 to 12-1544. State law requires a master heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanic certificate to rest on a journeyman certificate held for at least two years or four years of field experience, plus a 75% score on an ICC, IAPMO or Prometric standard master mechanical exam, and makes a certificate earned on those exams valid proof of competency in every Kansas jurisdiction that licenses HVAC mechanics without additional examination. Sedgwick County/Wichita (MABCD) issues master mechanical certificates ($35) on ICC K9L/556 or the IAPMO master exam; Topeka licenses mechanical masters on the Standard Unlimited Air Conditioning Master exam; Lawrence certifies master mechanicals with four years of field experience or two as a journeyman ($20); Kansas City, Kansas requires mechanical masters to hold a master's license from Building Inspections; and Johnson County uses the ICC Standard Master Mechanical exam (556/KGL) to qualify the individual behind a Class DM mechanical contractor license ($100 application plus $225 license fee). None of these jurisdictions has a reciprocity agreement with another state (MABCD states it does not reciprocate with state testing), so an out-of-state master HVAC license transfers nothing except, in practice, a qualifying ICC, IAPMO or Prometric exam score that the applicant may already hold. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.
How local licensing works in Kansas
How local licensing works. K.S.A. 12-1540 defines a master heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanic as a person qualified to plan, lay out and supervise the installation and repair of mechanical HVAC systems, and K.S.A. 12-1542 lets a county or city issue a master certificate of competency only to someone who has held a journeyman certificate for two years or has four years of field experience and scores 75% on the ICC, IAPMO or Prometric standard master exam (K.S.A. 12-1541). That certificate is valid proof of competency for licensure in any other licensing county or city without retesting; a license based on an alternative local exam is good only in the issuing jurisdiction (K.S.A. 12-1543). Each jurisdiction charges its own fee and requires 12 hours of continuing education biennially or 6 annually. Contracting is licensed separately by each jurisdiction and generally requires a master-level qualifying individual.
Sedgwick County and Wichita (MABCD). Mechanical master certificate ($35): must hold a mechanical journeyman certificate plus two years of field experience as a journeyman, or have four years of field experience, and score 75% on ICC K9L/556 Master Mechanical or the IAPMO master exam. MABCD 'does not reciprocate with state testing'. Contractors are licensed separately by MABCD.
Johnson County. Does not license individuals. The master-level credential is the qualifying individual of a Class DM (HVAC, mechanical and refrigeration) contractor license, who must present a verifiable ICC Standard Master Mechanical (556/KGL) score of 75% or higher; the contractor pays $100 application plus $225 per license type ($225 annual renewal, $75 late) and carries general liability and workers' compensation insurance.
Kansas City, Kansas (Unified Government). Trade masters, including mechanical, must carry a master's license from Building Inspections, obtained through Prometric master testing; experience rules and fees for mechanical are not published on the page.
Topeka. Mechanical masters must meet the K.S.A. 12-1542 requirements and show a 75% score on the Standard Unlimited Air Conditioning Master exam from Block, NIA-Block, Experior, Thomson-Prometric or Prometric, with a notarized time-in-trade form and a $50 trade board review fee; six hours of continuing education a year (three in the trade), licenses expire December 14. TMC 5.63.080 lets the city register holders of trade licenses from other jurisdictions with equivalent requirements. A master must be the designated master for a licensed contractor to pull permits.
Lawrence. Master Mechanical license ($20) after certification: four years of practical field experience or two years as a journeyman (an engineering degree substitutes for 2.5 years and a vocational-technical program for one year), $50 exam application fee, 75% passing score, six hours of continuing education a year; a master may become a mechanical contractor under Chapter V, Article 15.
Out-of-state holders. No Kansas jurisdiction publishes reciprocity for another state's master HVAC license. The practical route is to present or earn a passing ICC, IAPMO or Prometric master mechanical score (Standard Master Mechanical 556/KGL is accepted by Johnson County and MABCD), document the required experience, and apply in each jurisdiction, then obtain the local contractor license if the master will pull permits.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Idaho master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho master HVAC technician license from Kansas?
- Published fees on this path total $335, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Kansas, 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.
- Idaho Code 54-5007 - Requirements for Certificates of Competency · Idaho Code § 54-5007 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026The HVAC board prescribes rules for examination, qualification and certification of contractors, journeymen, apprentices and the specialty classes; HVAC contractors and specialty contractors must provide a $2,000 bond or an acceptable corporate industry group bond.
- Idaho Code 54-5009 - Classification of Competency (HVAC apprentice, journeyman, contractor, specialty contractor) · Idaho Code § 54-5009 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Four classifications: apprentice (works only under a journeyman or contractor), journeyman (works in the employ and under direction of an HVAC contractor and has completed all trade-required classes), HVAC contractor (any business, partnership, company, firm or association installing, maintaining or repairing HVAC appliances or gas-fired equipment) and HVAC specialty contractor (gas piping, gas appliances, decorative gas-fired appliances).
- Idaho Code 54-5011 - Issuance of Certificate of Competency · Idaho Code § 54-5011 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026A certificate of competency in the form of a card bearing the holder's name, classification examined for and certificate number is issued to an applicant upon successful completion of the examination; this is why the contractor certificate is treated here as a person-held, exam-qualified credential.
- Idaho Code 67-9409 - Universal Licensure · Idaho Code § 67-9409 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Every Idaho licensing authority must establish a procedure to license a person who holds a current, valid and unrestricted license in another state and demonstrates competency by methods the board determines; the applicant files the standard application, supporting materials and background checks, pays the same fees, and may be required to take all or part of the Idaho exam (no jurisprudence exam may be added); the board may compare scopes of practice and issue a limited license pending additional training. Enacted 2020, amended 2023.
- Idaho DOPL - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Board (program home and fees) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026License types: Apprentice, Journeyman, Contractor, Specialty Apprentice, Specialty Journeyman, Specialty Contractor and Limited Heating Specialty variants. Fees: application $35; Journeyman and Specialty Journeyman $150 license / $75 renewal / $150 reinstatement, 3-year term; Contractor and Specialty Contractor $225 / $150 / $225, 3-year term; Apprentice $10 (1 year); Specialty Apprentice $20 (2 years). Adopted codes include the 2018 IFGC and 2018 IMC. No reciprocity content.
- Idaho DOPL - HVAC Board FAQs · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Faq · verified September 15, 2026'Q: Does Idaho have a Reciprocal Licensing agreement? A: No.' Also states that hours worked without a required license do not count toward the required on-the-job time, and that unlicensed HVAC work is subject to civil penalties.
- Idaho DOPL - HVAC Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exams are administered by PSI for a $75 fee; candidates bring their own reference materials (the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual in a binder for the contractor exam); after passing, apply for licensure through the eDOPL portal. Links the board-approved apprentice program list.
- IDAPA 24.39.70 - Rules Governing Installation of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems · IDAPA 24.39.70.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section 100.02 journeyman: pass the board exam and either 8,000 hours of apprentice work experience plus 576 hours of board-approved instruction, or 16,000 hours of HVAC experience; may sit for the exam after either the 576 hours or the 16,000 hours. Section 100.03 contractor: pass the board-designated examination and provide a $2,000 compliance bond effective for the certificate period. Section 100.04 specialty journeyman (hearth appliances, non-duct-connected oil furnaces and their gas piping and venting): 2,000 hours of specialty experience plus the board exam or 60 hours of fuel gas education. No reciprocity or endorsement provisions. The redirect from adminrules.idaho.gov to files.dfm.idaho.gov was followed.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.