Kansas to Rhode Island: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 master or contractor admitted to the Rhode Island Refrigeration Master exam (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master HVAC technician or HVAC/refrigeration contractor licensed in any other state applies to DLT for the Refrigeration Master 1 (code 002) or Master 2 (code 003) examination on the Mechanical Trade application, with a copy of the out-of-state license and an official license verification, a notarized employer statement on company letterhead detailing all work experience, a copy of government ID and the $75 non-refundable fee, filed at least 15 days before the exam date. R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-10(3) accepts, in place of one year as a Rhode Island-licensed journeyperson, 'an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence showing the laws of another state specifying that person as a ... refrigeration/air conditioning ... master', and 260-RICR-30-15-2 § 2.12.C states that an out-of-state Master Class I refrigeration license 'will allow the applicant to be tested for the Refrigeration Master Class I Rhode Island license'; if the origin state has no Master Class I license, a notarized resume showing six years' experience, one as a contractor, accompanies the application (Master Class II: six years, three as a contractor). The master exam is not waived and must be passed with a score of 70 or better; the applicant is then invoiced for the $240 two-year Master I license fee ($96 for Master II). Unlike the electrical trade, an out-of-state master does not have to hold the Rhode Island journeyperson license first.
DLT publishes no separate business or law exam for the master license; the master exam is a single DLT-administered examination. Whether DLT accepts an out-of-state 'HVAC contractor' or 'master HVAC' title as the equivalent of a refrigeration/air-conditioning master under § 28-27-10(3) is decided on the license verification; no list of accepted titles is published. The DLT fee table lists both 'Refrigeration Master 1' and 'Contractor Master Refrigeration' at the same fees; the distinction between the two is not explained on any official page opened. A Master I who wants to contract as a firm also files the Mechanical Corporation application. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Kansas license must be active and in good standing.
- If the origin state has no Refrigeration Master Class I license: a notarized resume showing six years' experience, one of which as a contractor (Master Class II: six years, three as a contractor)
- You must have held your Kansas license for at least 1 year.Rhode Island applicants must have held the Rhode Island Refrigeration Journeyperson I license for one year; § 28-27-10(3) substitutes evidence of out-of-state master or contractor licensure for this requirement.
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable application processing fee for the refrigeration master examination (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-17).
- 2Other. Notarized application, copy of government-issued ID, notarized employer experience statement on company letterhead, copy of the out-of-state license and official license verification; filed at least 15 days before the exam date.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Refrigeration Master Class I (or Class II) examination administered by DLT Professional Regulation; score of 70 or greater required.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($240). Two-year Refrigeration Master 1 license fee, invoiced after a passing score (Master 2: $96); renews every two years on the licensee's birthday for the same amount.
- 5Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire.
Published fees on this path total $315, 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
- Other
How Rhode Island licenses master HVAC technicians
Rhode Island master HVAC technician · “Refrigeration Master Class I (RM1, unlimited)”
Statewide license
Rhode Island's master-level HVAC credential is the Refrigeration Master Class I (RM1), the unlimited refrigeration/air-conditioning master license issued by DLT to an individual after passing the master examination; a Master Class I may be self-employed and, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-4, a master refrigeration contractor performs refrigeration/air conditioning work through a regular place of business personally or through employed journeypersons. The Refrigeration Master Class II (RM2) is the limited version (comfort cooling to 20 tons, product cooling to 3 tons, 1 hp freezing). A Rhode Island applicant must have held a Rhode Island Refrigeration Journeyperson I license for one year (or a Master II for one year; Master II requires three years as a Journeyperson II). Rhode Island has no reciprocity agreements and no exam waiver, but R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-10(3) and DLT regulation § 2.12.C allow an applicant whose out-of-state law designates them a refrigeration/air-conditioning contractor or master to sit the Rhode Island master exam directly on the strength of that license, or, where the origin state has no Master Class I license, on a notarized resume showing six years' experience including one as a contractor. Fees are a $75 application fee and a $240 two-year license fee for Master I ($96 for Master II); the DLT fee table also lists a 'Contractor Master Refrigeration' at $240 and a no-test Master Mechanical Contractor ($480) reserved for those with ten years each as Pipefitter Master I and Refrigeration Master I. Licenses renew every two years on the licensee's birthday.
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 Rhode Island master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Kansas license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island master HVAC technician license from Kansas?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island 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.
- Rhode Island DLT - Mechanical Trade License (Pipefitter, Refrigeration, Sheet Metal and Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitter) Application Instructions and Application for Examination · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulations Unit · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $75 application processing fee; notarized application with a copy of government ID and a separate notarized employer statement on company letterhead listing all work-related experience. Verbatim: 'A valid copy of your out-of-state Mechanical Trade License and an Official License Verification from your respective state for all applicants applying for a comparable Mechanical License exam in RI.' Fee table (application / two-year license): Master Mechanical Contractor MMA no test / $480; Contractor Master Refrigeration CMR $75 / $240; Refrigeration Master 1 RM1 $75 / $240; Refrigeration Master 2 RM2 $75 / $96; Pipefitter Master 1 $75 / $240; O/B Serviceman Journeyperson II PJF Limited $75 / $144; and under the heading 'OUT-OF-STATE LICENSE HOLDERS': Refrigeration Journeyperson I RJ1 (code 006) $75 / $72, Refrigeration Journeyperson II RJ2 (code 007) $75 / $60, Pipefitter Journeyperson I/II and Sheet Metal Journeyperson I/II. Footnote: 'Individuals who achieve a passing score of 70 or greater will be invoiced for the License Fee.' Rhode Island-indentured apprentices instead attach the DLT Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Professional Regulation licenses, tests, registers and disciplines over 30,000 people in 67 trade occupations, administering exams itself for electricians, hoisting engineers, pipefitters, refrigeration technicians, fire protection sprinkler fitters, sheet metal workers, plumbers and telecommunication installers. The mechanical trades (pipefitting, refrigeration, sheet metal, sprinkler fitting) fall under the Board of Examiners of Mechanical; contact is the Chief Investigator of Mechanical, (401) 462-8535.
- 260-RICR-30-15-2 - Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians, Sprinklerfitters, Sheet Metal Workers and Oil Heat Contractors (DLT regulation, effective January 4, 2022) · 260-RICR-30-15-2 §§ 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15 · Rhode Island Department of State (Code of Rhode Island Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§2.12 Refrigeration Master Class I (unlimited, may be self-employed): must have held a Rhode Island Refrigeration Journeyperson I license for one year or a Refrigeration Master II license for one year; §2.12.C verbatim: 'An out of State Master Class I Refrigeration license will allow the applicant to be tested for the Refrigeration Master Class I Rhode Island license. A copy of the license shall be attached to the application. In the event a State does not have a Refrigeration Master Class I license available, a notarized resume showing six (6) years' experience, one of which is as a contractor, shall accompany the application.' §2.13 Refrigeration Master Class II (limited to 20-ton comfort cooling, 3-ton product cooling or 1 hp freezing): three years as a Rhode Island Journeyperson Class II; §2.13.C: an out-of-state Master Class II license allows testing, or a notarized resume showing six years' experience, three as a contractor. §2.14 Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I (unlimited, cannot be self-employed): minimum 10,000 hours OJT and 144 hours of trade-related schooling per year, with up to two years of accredited schooling deductible; §2.14.C: 'An out of State Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I license will allow the applicant to be tested for the Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I Rhode Island license. A copy of the license shall be attached to the application.' §2.15 Journeyperson Class II (limited): 4,000 hours OJT and 288 hours of schooling; §2.15.C: out-of-state Class II license allows testing, or a notarized resume showing five years' experience as a refrigeration journeyperson. The regulation contains no passing score, continuing-education or EPA certification provisions.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-10 - Master or contractor license; test fee, license fee and qualifications · R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-10 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026No master or contractor test application is accepted unless (1) it is accompanied by the § 28-27-17 test fee, (2) the license fee is paid on passing, and (3) verbatim, 'The applicant possesses a certificate of license in full force and effect from the department of labor and training specifying that person as a journeyperson licensed as such for a minimum of one year or the application is accompanied by an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence showing the laws of another state specifying that person as a pipefitter or refrigeration/air conditioning or fire protection sprinkler contractor or sprinkler fitter master.' Applications must be filed at least 15 days before the examination date.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-14 - Examinations · R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-14 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026The department conducts examinations of applicants three times each year, administered by the division of professional regulation with the board's assistance, at places within the state convenient to applicants; test materials are preserved for three months.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-17 - Test fees, license fees, expiration and renewal · R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Fee table (test / license / renewal): Contractor Master $75 / $240 / $240; Refrigeration Master I $75 / $240 / $240; Refrigeration Master II $75 / $96 / $96; Refrigeration Journeyperson I $75 / $72 / $72; Refrigeration Journeyperson II $75 / $60 / $60; Pipefitter Master I $75 / $240; Pipefitter Journeyperson I $75 / $72. Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years (odd birth years in odd years, even in even) and renew on payment of the fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-4 - Master contractors defined · R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-4 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026'Master refrigeration contractor' means a person having a regular place of business who, personally or through a journeyperson refrigeration technician in his or her employ, performs refrigeration/air conditioning work. Also defines master pipefitting, sheet metal and fire protection sprinkler contractors. Rhode Island has no license titled 'master HVAC'.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-4.4 - Master mechanical contractor · R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-27-4.4 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026A master mechanical contractor is a contractor with at least ten years as a Rhode Island Licensed Pipefitter Master I and ten years as a Rhode Island Licensed Refrigeration Master I; the statute sets the fee at $240 (the DLT application lists $480 for two years, no test).
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.