LicensebyState

Kansas to Wisconsin: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 9 sources

Kansas does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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 contractor or master (all states; no Wisconsin reciprocity)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

Wisconsin has no reciprocity or endorsement path for HVAC credentials from any state; an applicant licensed elsewhere applies for the HVAC Qualifier certification exactly as a new candidate. Out-of-state experience counts: Form 3122 accepts at least 1,000 hours per year for four years of experience supervising or performing the design, installation, servicing or maintenance of HVAC systems wherever it was earned, documented on the Form 3122T experience table with witness signatures, or four years of HVAC-related education, or a combination. The applicant applies in the LicensE portal, pays the $15 application fee and exam fee, is made eligible to test, and must pass the open-book DSPS HVAC Qualifier exam (70% passing score, 4-hour seat time, $95 at Pearson VUE) before paying the $60 certification fee. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for the qualifier. A business that will contract for HVAC work must also hold the HVAC Contractor registration ($15 application plus $160 registration fee), which requires no exam.

SPS 305 Table 305.02 lists a $25 examination fee, while DSPS's Pearson VUE schedule lists $95 payable to Pearson VUE for the 4-hour HVAC Qualifier exam; DSPS's trades exam page says exams at Pearson centers carry a marginally higher fee than DSPS-administered sittings. Both figures are recorded. DSPS lists a 4-year renewal cycle for the qualifier; SPS 305 Table 305.07 still shows 2 years.

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 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 1,000 hours per year for at least 4 years of experience in supervising or performing the design, installation, servicing or maintenance of HVAC systems or equipment; four years of HVAC-related schooling, or a combination of experience and education, is accepted instead (SPS 305.71(3)).

What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($15). HVAC Qualifier application fee (SPS 305 Table 305.02), paid in LicensE.
  2. 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($25). HVAC Qualifier examination fee under SPS 305 Table 305.02 (DSPS-administered sitting).
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($95). Total candidate fee payable to Pearson VUE for the 4-hour computer-based HVAC Qualifier exam (DSPS 2024 trade exam fee schedule).
  4. 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin HVAC Qualifier examination (open book, 70% to pass, 4 hours; references limited to SPS 320-325/341/345, SMACNA, ASHRAE Fundamentals, NFPA 54, IBC, IECC, IMC, IFGC and IEBC with Wisconsin amendments).
  5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($60). HVAC Qualifier certification fee after passing the exam (SPS 305 Table 305.02); renewal $100 every 4 years.
  6. 6Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. SPS 305.70 notes the federal requirement; it is not a DSPS prerequisite for the qualifier exam.
  7. 7Business license. Obtain a business license ($175) (if applicable). HVAC Contractor registration for the business that contracts for HVAC work ($15 application fee plus $160 registration fee; renewal $40 every 4 years); no exam.

Published fees on this path total $195, 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.

  • Exam fee · $25
  • Exam fee · $95
  • Trade exam
  • Other

Business registration

If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.

  • Business license · $175 · if applicable

How Wisconsin licenses master HVAC technicians

Wisconsin master HVAC technician · “HVAC Qualifier”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 7 sources

Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), Division of Industry Services

Wisconsin's highest person-held HVAC credential is the HVAC Qualifier certification issued by DSPS under Wis. Stat. 101.178(3) and SPS 305.71, which this file treats as the master level. It is issued to an individual who documents at least 1,000 hours per year for four years of experience supervising or performing the design, installation, servicing or maintenance of HVAC systems (or four years of HVAC-related schooling, or a combination) and passes the open-book DSPS exam (70% to pass, 4 hours, $95 at Pearson VUE); the credential is renewed every four years for $100 with no continuing education. Certification is voluntary: the mandatory credential is the business-level HVAC Contractor registration, but a business that employs a qualifier is a 'certified HVAC business' that no city or village may require to obtain a local certification, license or other approval. DSPS publishes no reciprocity agreements and no licensure-by-endorsement route for HVAC qualifiers; the experience requirement is not restricted to Wisconsin, so out-of-state work counts toward eligibility, but every applicant takes the Wisconsin exam. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is separately required to handle refrigerants.

Moving to WisconsinLeaving Wisconsin

Why Kansas has nothing to transfer

Kansas master HVAC technician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 12 sources

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.

Moving to KansasLeaving Kansas

Common questions

Do I have to take the Wisconsin master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Wisconsin master HVAC technician license from Kansas?
Published fees on this path total $195, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Kansas work hours count in Wisconsin?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to Kansas?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. DSPS Form 3122 - HVAC Qualifier Certification Application Information (Rev. 1/8/2024) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.71 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 15, 2026Eligibility for the exam: (a) at least 1,000 hours per year for at least 4 years of experience supervising or performing the design, installation, servicing or maintenance of HVAC systems or equipment, documented on Form 3122T with witness signatures; (b) at least 4 years of attendance in a school of mechanical engineering or an accredited college, technical, vocational or apprenticeship HVAC program; or (c) any combination of four years. Applicants apply and pay in LicensE, are made eligible to test after review, and pay another exam fee after a failure. The form has no category for licensure by reciprocity or endorsement and does not restrict experience to Wisconsin. Read with pdftotext after download.
  3. Wisconsin DSPS - HVAC Contractor (registration program page) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.70 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026'No person, entity or business may engage or offer to engage in installing or servicing heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment unless the person, entity or business holds a registration issued by the Department as a registered HVAC Contractor' (Form 3121). Exemptions: servicing equipment in property the applicant owns, work in an owner-occupied dwelling, and the electrical or plumbing work associated with HVAC. The registration has no exam or experience requirement and no reciprocity provision.
  4. Wisconsin DSPS - HVAC Qualifier Exam Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026'The exam is open book, and the passing score is 70%.' Allowed references are limited to nine items: SPS 320-325, 341 and 345 with printed notes in one binder, the 2020 SMACNA duct manual, 2013 ASHRAE Fundamentals, 2021 NFPA 54 (gas piping), the 2021 IBC, IECC, IMC, IFGC and IEBC with Wisconsin amendments. HVAC code changes took effect October 1, 2025. No exam waiver for out-of-state credentials is mentioned.
  5. Wisconsin DSPS - HVAC Qualifier (program page) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.71; Wis. Stat. 101.178(3)(c) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026States that 'an individual may obtain ... an HVAC Qualifier certification from the Department relative to the business of installing or servicing heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment' and that a business using a qualifier is a certified HVAC business that 'may not be required to obtain a local certification, license, or other approval'. Applications go through the LicensE portal (Form 3122). Exams taken on or after May 16, 2018 include the current Commercial Building Code. The page says nothing about reciprocity or out-of-state credentials.
  6. DSPS - Trades Renewal Dates and Fees · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026HVAC Qualifier: 4-year credential renewing from date of issuance, renewal fee $100, no CE, reinstatement $200. HVAC Contractor: 4-year registration from date of issuance, renewal $40, reinstatement $200. (SPS 305 Table 305.07 still lists a 2-year term for these credentials; DSPS's current schedule is used here.) Read with pdftotext after download.
  7. DSPS - Pearson VUE Computer-Based Trade Exam Fee Schedule (2024) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026HVAC Qualifier exam: 4 hours seat time, total candidate fee payable to Pearson VUE $95.00. Read with pdftotext after download.
  8. Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Register August 2025) · SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.70; SPS 305.71 · Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Table 305.02: HVAC Contractor registration $15 application fee and $160 registration fee; HVAC Qualifier certification $15 application fee, $25 examination fee, $60 certification fee. SPS 305.70: HVAC contractor registration is mandatory for any person, entity or business installing or servicing HVAC equipment and is applied for by the owner, partner or chief executive; a note reminds that federal Section 608 technician certification is required for refrigerant work. SPS 305.71: an individual may obtain an HVAC qualifier certification by meeting the 4-year experience/education standard, passing the exam under SPS 305.09 and paying the certification fee; a business that uses a qualifier is a 'certified HVAC business' that cannot be required to obtain local approval. The chapter contains no reciprocity or credential-by-endorsement provision for HVAC. Read with pdftotext after download.
  9. Wis. Stat. 101.178 - Heating, ventilating and air conditioning contractors (registration and certification) · Wis. Stat. 101.178(2), (3) · Wisconsin State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Sub. (2): 'No person may engage in the business of installing or servicing heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment unless the person registers with the department.' Sub. (3) directs DSPS to establish a voluntary certification program whose applicants must pass a department examination, and bars political subdivisions from requiring their own certification or approval of state-certified HVAC businesses except for local requirements that predate November 1, 1993 (with grandfathering of existing contractors). No reciprocity provision.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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