Do I have to take the District of Columbia master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Maryland?

Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.

What does it cost to get a District of Columbia master HVAC technician license from Maryland?

Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my Maryland work hours count in District of Columbia?

Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.

Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to Maryland?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Maryland, the mechanism is experience credit.

Maryland to District of Columbia: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

Endorsement· Board reviewVerified September 15, 2026· 10 sources

District of Columbia has no reciprocity agreement with Maryland. A Maryland master HVAC technician applies by endorsement.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Out-of-state master or HVAC contractor-level licensee (any state)

The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.

The Board of Industrial Trades publishes no reciprocity for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, so a master-level HVAC licensee from any state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant: passport-style photo, government ID, the $65 application fee, tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic documenting 5 consecutive years of experience on systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower (or smaller systems for the limited license), and a CFC Universal certification, followed by the open-book master exam scheduled with PSI and the $110 license fee. D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for an applicant licensed in good standing in a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits DC licensees in a like manner, and § 47-2853.08(2) lets the Board find another state's standards substantially equivalent and license by reciprocity or endorsement; an applicant may ask the Board to apply those provisions, but the Board's pages describe no such process for this trade. The national-certification substitute in § 47-2853.202(d) is written for the journeyman designation only. No District-law exam is published for master mechanics. A master who will serve as the designated master for a contractor company must post a $5,000 bond.

The Board's fee page refers exam fees to '§ 3500.3' without stating an amount; the PSI fee for the DC master refrigeration exam could not be confirmed from an official page. Whether experience verified by an out-of-state master mechanic satisfies § 47-2853.202(b), and which states the Board has listed as equivalent under § 47-2853.12(d), were not confirmed from an official page.

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 5 years of qualifying work experience.Five consecutive years immediately preceding the application installing, maintaining, repairing and replacing refrigeration and air conditioning systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower (or under 25 hp for the master limited license), verified in writing by a master mechanic (D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(b)-(c)).

What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable), paid online with the DLCP application.
2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic examination (regular or limited) administered by PSI, open book on the 2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning; schedule at psiexams.com after Board pre-approval.
3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee, amount set by 17 DCMR § 3500.3 (not stated on the Board page).
4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($110). Mechanic license fee for a term ending September 30 of the next even-numbered year (renewal $155).
5Other. Tax records and an employment verification letter signed by a master mechanic detailing 5 consecutive years of experience, uploaded with the online application.
6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($5,000) (if applicable). Refrigeration and Air Conditioning bond of $5,000 required only if the master is designated to a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractor company (the company posts a separate $5,000 bond).
7Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. DLCP requires a 'CFC Universal Certification' card with the master application and D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(c) requires proof of chlorofluorocarbon certification for the master mechanic limited license.

Published fees on this path total $175, 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

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 · $5,000 · if applicable

How District of Columbia licenses master HVAC technicians

District of Columbia master HVAC technician · “Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 7 sources

Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)

The District's highest person-held HVAC credential is the Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic license issued by the Board of Industrial Trades (DLCP); a Master Mechanic Limited license covers systems of 25 compressor horsepower and below. A Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractor license is a separate business credential that must name a designated DC-licensed master mechanic, and a master designated to a contractor must post a $5,000 bond (the company posts another $5,000). Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.202(b) a master applicant must show 5 consecutive years immediately before applying installing, maintaining, repairing and replacing refrigeration and air conditioning systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower, verified in writing by a master mechanic (the limited license requires 5 years on smaller systems plus chlorofluorocarbon certification); DLCP also requires tax records and a CFC Universal certification, and the applicant passes the PSI-administered open-book master exam. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $110 mechanic license fee; licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years and renew for $155. The Board publishes no reciprocity for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.

Moving to District of Columbia Leaving District of Columbia

Common questions

Do I have to take the District of Columbia master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Maryland?: Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a District of Columbia master HVAC technician license from Maryland?: Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Maryland work hours count in District of Columbia?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to Maryland?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Maryland, the mechanism is experience credit.

Sources

D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Each board may determine whether another jurisdiction's licensure standards, or a national certifying organization's certification, are substantially equivalent and authorize licensure by reciprocity or endorsement for an applicant licensed and in good standing in a state whose requirements were substantially equivalent at the time of licensure and which admits District licensees in a like manner.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(b) a board 'shall waive the requirements for passage of an examination or other proof of fitness' for a person licensed in good standing in a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits District licensees in a like manner, or who holds an acceptable national certification. (c)(4) an applicant for licensure as a journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic under § 47-2853.202 is exempt from any District-law examination. (d)-(d-1) each board must keep a list of states and national certifying organizations whose standards qualify, and the Board of Industrial Trades must update its list of national certifying organizations annually.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.201 - Scope of practice for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics · D.C. Code § 47-2853.201 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic is a person who designs, installs, maintains or alters mechanical systems for refrigeration or air conditioning of any public or private building or vehicle.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.202 - Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.202 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(a) apprentices are registered without examination and work only under the direct personal supervision of a licensed master mechanic. (b) master mechanic: employed installing, maintaining, repairing and replacing refrigeration and air conditioning systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower for at least 5 consecutive years immediately preceding the application, verified in writing by a master mechanic. (c) master mechanic limited: 5 consecutive years on systems under 25 compressor horsepower plus proof of chlorofluorocarbon certification. (d) the Board shall accept, in lieu of examination, experience or other tests of skill, a certificate from a national certifying organization (a nationally recognized trade organization, non-union sponsor or labor union registered with the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training, U.S. DOL or the DC Apprenticeship Council) that the applicant completed its apprenticeship, passed its exam, is designated a journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic and has not been disciplined.
17 DCMR Chapter 3 - Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Licensing (§§ 303, 304, 306, 307, 309, 310) · 17 DCMR §§ 303.6-303.7, 304, 306, 307, 309 · DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances (DCMR) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section texts downloaded from the chapter listing (Word files). § 303.6: no person may engage in the mechanical work of installing, maintaining, repairing or replacing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment without first obtaining a Journeyman Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic's license, issued on the basis of a qualifying examination and test of skill; § 303.5: a person, firm or corporation in the business must hold a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractor, Master Mechanic or Master Mechanic Limited license. § 306 (master): 5 years on systems larger than 25 compressor horsepower immediately preceding the application plus an examination; § 307 (master limited): 5 years on systems of 25 hp or less plus an examination. § 309.3 still lists 1955-era exam and license fees ($35 contractor, $15 master, $10 master limited) that DLCP's current fee table supersedes. These rules derive from Commissioners' Order No. 55-2029 and predate the 1999 licensing statute.
DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (fees, renewal dates, board members) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy. Fee table for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics: application $65; license Mechanic $110 (up to 2 years), Contractor $120; renewal Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; late renewal $50; examination/re-examination 'See §3500.3'; reinstated or inactive Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; duplicate license $30; verification of records $30. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning licenses expire September 30 in even-numbered years. Board members include two Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics.
DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades landing page (apply, items needed, examination, reciprocity) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy because dlcp.dc.gov returns 403 to direct fetches. Lists the items needed for a Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning application (certificate of completion, 'CFC Certification (Master ONLY)', employment verification letter, passport photo, government ID, card for fees), the online application portal (govservices.dcra.dc.gov/oplanewlicense), PSI exam scheduling (psiexams.com, 855-557-0616), the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning bond form for trade contractors, and a Reciprocity section that names only Maryland and Virginia electricians (and, via a linked bulletin, Maryland plumbers); no refrigeration or air conditioning reciprocity is published.
DC DLCP - Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning License (Limited and Regular) Application Instructions - Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 15, 2026Published at dlcp.dc.gov/node/1634416 (Dec. 13, 2022). Licenses are offered for refrigeration and air-conditioning; limited licenses cover work at 25 compressor horsepower and below; all expire September 30 of even-numbered years. Table: Apprentice - no experience, employment verification or school enrollment; Journeyman by exam - 3 years' experience, tax records, employment verification letter, CFC Universal Certification; Journeyman by waiver - certificate of completion or official transcripts of an apprenticeship; Master by exam - 5 years' experience, tax records, CFC Universal Certification, employment verification letter. Employment letters must be signed by a master. A graduate of an approved apprenticeship (classroom work plus 8,000+ hours/4 years OJT under a master) may waive the journeyman exam only. The exam is open book on the 2012 International Mechanical Code and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (2004).
DLCP bulletin - Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic License Renewal Notice (July 27, 2026) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Board of Industrial Trades · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Renewal applications are due by the September 30, 2026 expiration through the DLCP online portal (Access DC account). If a master Refrigeration/Air Conditioning Mechanic is designated to a Refrigeration/Air Conditioning Contractor company, the Board requires a $5,000 bond for the master and a $5,000 bond for the contracting company (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Bond Form).
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.

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

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