Louisiana to Georgia: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Georgia'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.
Licensure by examination with credit for out-of-state experience (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A licensee from any other state applies for licensure by examination in GOALS, the same as a first-time applicant, because the Board's FAQ says reciprocity 'is not offered at this time' and the Board's reciprocity form directs licensees who cannot reciprocate to 'submit an examination application'. The applicant documents the Rule 121-3-.04 experience on the experience record, listing each employer's licensee name and license number: for Class II, five years including two years of installation as a lead mechanic (at least one commercial), one year as a service technician or service supervisor and two years of commercial supervisory experience; for Class I, four years including two years of residential installation as a lead mechanic, one year as a service technician and one year of residential supervisory experience. The application ($110) also requires a copy of the EPA Section 608 card showing Type II or higher, certificates for a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course (Manuals J&D or AIR1060) and, for Class II, Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1-3, three notarized reference forms from a licensed conditioned air contractor, professional engineer, registered architect or inspector, a certified background check from local law enforcement, a Secure and Verifiable Document and the citizenship affidavit. Once the Board approves the application it issues an Exam Approval Letter (valid one year); the candidate registers and pays PSI, must score at least 70, and after two failures must complete a Board-approved review course before re-testing. Out-of-state licenses obtained by grandfathering, endorsement or conversion give no advantage beyond the experience credit.
Georgia gives a single PSI conditioned air examination for the class applied for; the Board's pages describe no separate law exam, and the PSI exam fee is not published on them. The $110 fee comes from the online how-to guide (the retired 2022 paper form listed $40). The Board's rule does not say whether the qualifying experience must have been under a Georgia licensee; the experience record asks for each employer's license number, so experience under an out-of-state licensed contractor is expected to count but this was not confirmed in writing. The GOALS fee schedule could not be opened, so any license issuance fee after passing was not confirmed. The 30-day timeline reflects the Board's stated 20-business-day processing.
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
- Class II: 5 years of experience under Rule 121-3-.04 (2 years installation as lead mechanic with 1 commercial year, 1 year service technician/supervisor, 2 years commercial supervisory); Class I: 4 years (2 years residential installation as lead mechanic, 1 year service technician, 1 year residential supervisory)
What you'll do to get licensed in Georgia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($110). Conditioned Air Contractor Class 1 (Restricted) or Class 2 (Non-Restricted) licensure-by-examination application fee, paid in GOALS.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Georgia Conditioned Air Contractor Class I or Class II examination administered by PSI after Board approval; minimum score 70.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee paid directly to PSI at registration (amount not published on the Board's pages).
- 4Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification, Type II or higher (copy of the EPA card); federal, does not expire.
- 5Other. Certificate of a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course (Manuals J&D or AIR1060); Class II applicants also Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1, 2 and 3.
- 6Other. Three notarized Reference Forms mailed directly to the Board by a licensed conditioned air contractor, professional engineer, registered architect or inspector.
- 7Background check. Complete a background check. Background check obtained from local law enforcement (or a private agency) submitted with the application.
- 8Other. Experience record listing each employer's licensee name, license number, dates and duties; Secure and Verifiable Document and citizenship affidavit.
Published fees on this path total $110, 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
- Other
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Other
How Georgia licenses master HVAC technicians
Georgia master HVAC technician · “Conditioned Air Contractor Class II (Non-Restricted)”
Statewide license
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.
Why Louisiana has nothing to transfer
Louisiana master HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Louisiana does not issue a statewide master HVAC or master mechanic license. The state-level credential for HVAC work is the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) commercial license in the Mechanical classification (major classification 6, or subclassification 6.1 Heat, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Duct Work and Refrigeration), mandatory for any mechanical project of $10,000 or more; it is a contractor license issued to the business (or a sole proprietor) and qualified by a natural person, the qualifying party, who passed the trade exam through PSI, so it is treated here as a business license rather than a person-held master credential. Master mechanic licenses exist only at the local level: New Orleans issues a Class 'A' Master Mechanical Contractor License ($110 per year) to an applicant who passed the ICC G29 Master Mechanical exam directly or through LSLBC state testing, carries $500,000 of general liability insurance, and is the only Class 'A' holder for the company; Jefferson Parish issues a $200 parish trade contractor license built on the state license. For the state contractor license the LSLBC waives the trade exam for any applicant who passed a comparable classification exam in any other state without waivers, exemptions or grandfathering, with no partner-state list since October 23, 2024, but the Business and Law course/exam, the financial statement and the other licensing requirements are never waived. No parish or city page reviewed publishes reciprocity for out-of-state master licenses. Federal EPA Section 608 certification applies to anyone who handles refrigerants.
How local licensing works in Louisiana
State contractor license (not a master license). Under La. R.S. 37:2150.1(16) a mechanical contractor is anyone contracting for air conditioning, refrigeration, heating, plumbing, ventilation, boiler or piping work of $10,000 or more, and the LSLBC issues the commercial license to that person or business with a Mechanical classification (or the 6.1 Heat, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Duct Work and Refrigeration subclassification) qualified by a designated qualifying party. Applicants file the online application with a financial statement (required of all applicants), Secretary of State registration for any business entity including out-of-state companies, the online Business and Law course/exam, and the PSI trade exam for the classification (PSI has administered all LSLBC trade exams since August 5, 2025); statutory fee caps are $50 per examination, $100 license and $100 renewal, plus a surcharge of up to $400 that the board may assess on a contractor not domiciled in Louisiana. Reciprocity for the state license: R.S. 37:2153(F)(5) directs the board to waive the trade portion of the exam for an applicant licensed in a comparable classification in another state on written certification that the applicant passed that classification's exam and is in good standing, and the Executive Director's October 23, 2024 letter extends this to any state: a classification exam passed in any other state 'with no waivers, exemptions, or grandfathering in effect' is accepted for the equivalent Louisiana classification, and all previous state-to-state agreements were declared null and void. The applicant has the origin board complete the Reciprocity Request form (license status, disciplinary history, and the name, exam developer, date and score of each person who passed the trade exam) and uploads it with the application; the exam/administrative fee is still charged, and the business law requirement 'shall not be waived'. Once licensed, R.S. 37:2156.1(I) exempts the contractor and its employees from any parish or city examination or certification.
New Orleans. The Class 'A' Master Mechanical Contractor License covers air conditioning and refrigeration (and, separately, gasfitters): the applicant submits a passing ICC Official Results Report for exam G29 Master Mechanical, obtained from ICC directly or through state testing with the LSLBC, plus certificates of general liability insurance of at least $500,000 and workers' compensation naming the City as certificate holder, a photo and ID; the license costs $110 per year active or $25 inactive, with a $10 per month delinquent fee, renews from 90 days before the holder's birthday, and only one Class 'A' holder is allowed per company. The city page states no experience requirement and no reciprocity.
Jefferson Parish. A parish trade contractor license ($200 new) is issued to a license holder/qualifying party for mechanical work and lists the state license, occupational license, sales tax registration, liability insurance and workers' compensation on its checklist; air conditioning and heating equipment may be installed or replaced only under a filing by a parish-licensed mechanical contractor.
Shreveport. Requires city contractor registration for anyone performing HVAC work and the state license for work over $10,000; master testing is referred to the ICC or the LSLBC.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette. No official page describing a master mechanic license was located for East Baton Rouge Parish or Lafayette Consolidated Government.
Out-of-state holders. A master HVAC contractor from another state who wants to contract in Louisiana applies for the LSLBC commercial license with the Mechanical classification and, if the origin license was earned by a trade exam, requests the trade-exam waiver by reciprocity; the Business and Law course and financial statement are still required. City licenses such as New Orleans Class 'A' can then be obtained on the ICC G29 exam or LSLBC testing.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Georgia master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Georgia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Georgia master HVAC technician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $110, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Georgia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Georgia'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 Georgia to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Georgia to Louisiana, 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.
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-2 - Applications and Examinations (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.03 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Chapter index lists Rule 121-2-.03 'Statewide License by Reciprocity' (formerly 121-2-.05): 'A person may be issued a Conditioned Air Contractor, Electrical Contractor, Low Voltage Contractor, Master Plumber, Journeyman Plumber, or Utility Manager license by submitting a completed application, fee, and evidence that they hold a current out-of-state license' from a board with which the Division has a formal written agreement. The list of reciprocity-eligible licenses contains no journeyman conditioned air credential. The full rule text page returned an access error on this verification date.
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-3 - Licensing (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.04 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Rule 121-3-.04 (Statewide Conditioned Air Contractor License): 'Class I Conditioned Air Contractor licenses are restricted to conditioned air contracting involving conditioned air systems or equipment not exceeding 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling'; 'Class II licenses are unrestricted' and applicants must document installations exceeding those sizes. Class I needs four years: 'two (2) years of residential installation experience as a lead mechanic, one year as a service technician, evidence of having an E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) certification, one year of residential supervisory experience, and a completion of a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course.' Class II needs five years: 'two (2) years of installation as a lead mechanic with at least one of the years being commercial only, one year as a service technician or service supervisor evidence of having an E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) certification, two years of commercial supervisory experience and a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course.' Both require 'a minimum score of seventy (70) on the appropriate examination' and three references. The chapter creates journeyman licenses only for plumbers (Rule 121-3-.02); there is no journeyman conditioned air classification.
- Conditioned Air Contractors - Application by Exam (Initial License or Reinstatement Lapsed 3+ Years), Revised 03/2022 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.04 (cited on the form under its former number 121-2-.03); O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8(h)-(j) · Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Conditioned Air Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026The live URL returned a 404 on this date; the text was extracted from the Internet Archive capture of 4 March 2024 (web.archive.org/web/20240304215704/). Experience record lists each employer's 'licensee name, license number, dates of employment'; three notarized reference forms from an architect, engineer, inspector or licensed conditioned air contractor; a certificate of a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course (Class 2 also Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1, 2, 3); 'submit a copy of your EPA card showing Type II or higher certification'; background check; Secure and Verifiable Document. Fee on the 2022 paper form: 'Initial License by Exam - $40.00 ($30.00 app fee + $10.00 processing fee)'; reinstatement $160. Testing vendor PSI/AMP, which collects the exam fee at registration. 'Use a different application if you wish to apply for licensure by reciprocity.' Paper forms are no longer accepted; the online guide lists $110.
- Conditioned Air Contractors - Application for Licensure by Reciprocity (Class 2 Non-Restricted), Revised 03/22 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.03 (cited on the form under its former number 121-2-.05); O.C.G.A. § 43-14-8(h)-(j) · Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Conditioned Air Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Text extracted from the PDF (downloaded with a browser user agent). 'Reciprocity (Board Rule 121-2-.05) - The Board approves the Unrestricted Conditioned Air Contractor Examinations given by Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.' 'Effective April 15, 2022, Georgia will no longer accept Reciprocity Applications from South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (Commercial Only) or Texas Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors Advisory Board until the review and updating of the Reciprocity Agreements is completed.' '*Georgia currently reciprocates with Louisiana. Other state reciprocal agreements are under review for revision.' Requires a Letter of Verification with state seal from the board that administered the exam showing a current license and a passed exam (copies of licenses, wall certificates or scores do not suffice); licenses obtained by 'grandfathering', 'endorsement', or 'conversion' cannot be reciprocated and must apply by exam. Class 2 Non-Restricted only. Three notarized reference forms from licensed persons, a background check, 'a copy of their EPA card showing Type II or higher certification', the citizenship affidavit, and $40 ($30 application + $10 processing). Every conditioned air company 'must have a qualifying licensee regularly connected with the business'. Experience record: Class I 'at least four (4) years of installation experience', Class II 'at least five (5) years of experience installing systems exceeding 175,000 BTU of heating and 5 tons of cooling'. This is a paper form; the Board no longer accepts paper applications and the GOALS guide lists no reciprocity application type.
- Georgia State Board of Conditioned Air Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Conditioned Air Contractors) · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Board home page, opened with a browser user agent because the site's bot protection blocks plain fetches. 'The State Construction Industry Licensing Board consists of five divisions, including The Division of Conditioned Air Contractors.' 'We are no longer accepting paper applications'; all applications go through the GOALS portal. The page's services are licensing, reinstatement, renewal, forms, complaints and rules; it offers no journeyman, technician or installer license, only the contractor license.
- Board of Conditioned Air FAQ · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Faq · verified September 15, 2026Opened with a browser user agent. 'Does Georgia have reciprocity with other states? Reciprocity with other states is not offered at this time.' Required with the application: Secure & Verifiable Document, 'EPA Certification (Type II or higher)', background check from local law enforcement, three reference forms 'from either a licensed conditioned air contractor, professional engineer, registered architect, or inspector', proof of the Manuals J&D (or AIR1060) course, and for non-restricted applicants Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1, 2 & 3. Exam through PSI after a Board Exam Approval Letter (valid one year); after two failures a Board-approved review course is required. Renewal September-November of odd years; 4 continuing education hours each year (8 per renewal). License verification $35. A letter 'H' on an out-of-state license designates boiler work, which in Georgia is licensed by another agency.
- How to Guide: Conditioned Air Contractor · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Opened with a browser user agent (bot protection blocks plain fetches). Application types: Restricted License (Class 1), Non-Restricted License (Class 2), Business Registration, Reinstatement, Reinstatement after 3 Years, Renewal; there is no reciprocity application type. 'Class 1 restricted = systems not exceeding 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling.' Both exam applications: 'Completed, signed, and notarized application with $110 fee', background check from local law enforcement, three references, EPA Certification, Manuals J&D Certification (Class 2 also Manuals N&Q Certification), verification of education, qualifying license if applicable, Secure & Verifiable Document and citizenship affidavit; 'You will need Board approval to sit for the exam.' Reinstatement $310 (exam required if lapsed 3+ years). 'Applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt'; 'License renewal is conducted online and must be completed by November 30 of odd-numbered years' with a late period December 1-31. The fee-schedule link goes to the GOALS portal.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.