Minnesota to Georgia: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Minnesota 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 Minnesota has nothing to transfer
Minnesota master HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Minnesota issues no master HVAC, master refrigeration or HVAC contractor license. The only statewide requirement is the $25,000 mechanical contractor bond that a business files with the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) under Minn. Stat. 326B.197 ($100 filing fee, valid two years) before contracting for gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work; DLI states that there is no state license for mechanical contractors or their employees and that cities may require licensure or a competency card. The master-level credential therefore exists only at the city level: Minneapolis issues Master Warm Air Ventilation and Master Refrigeration Certificates of Competency (four years of experience and education plus an ICC exam) and requires a master card holder behind each HVAC Class A or Refrigeration Systems Installer contractor license; Saint Paul issues Master Warm Air, Ventilation and Refrigeration competency cards and requires one for each Warm Air/Ventilation business trade license; Rochester licenses individual HVAC Master Installers after a city certificate of competency; Bloomington licenses mechanical contractors on a Minneapolis or Saint Paul card or its own test. An out-of-state master HVAC or mechanical contractor license has no state-level recognition and none of these cities publish a path that accepts it; Minneapolis and Saint Paul recognize each other's master cards. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is separately required of anyone handling refrigerants.
How local licensing works in Minnesota
How local licensing works. Minnesota has no state mechanical or HVAC license and no state HVAC board. Under Minn. Stat. 326B.197 a business contracting for gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work files a $25,000 bond with DLI ($100 biennial filing fee); the bond is 'in lieu of all other bonds to any political subdivision' but does not replace city licenses, and DLI tells contractors they 'must comply with local licensing requirements'. Whether an individual must hold a master-level card depends on the city.
Minneapolis. Contractor licenses (HVAC Class A for installing, repairing or cleaning HVAC systems, HVAC Class B for cleaning only, Refrigeration Systems Installer, Gas Fitter) are issued by Business Licenses and Consumer Services and require the State of Minnesota $25,000 bond; the responsible person holds a Master Certificate of Competency under Minneapolis Code Chapter 278. Master Warm Air Ventilation and Master Refrigeration cards require four years (1,600 hours per year) of on-the-job experience and four years (576 hours) of trade-related education, eligibility approval by the Building Official (no fee), the ICC exam at Pearson VUE (80 questions, 75% to pass, $115; the refrigeration master exam is open book with a 3-hour limit) and a $30 card fee per trade. A Saint Paul card is accepted by reciprocity for $30 per trade. The city's contractor license fee is published on a fee page that could not be opened during verification.
Saint Paul. A Warm Air or Ventilation Business Trade License ($188 per year, expiring December 1) requires a current Saint Paul Master Warm Air and/or Ventilation Certificate of Competency or a current Minneapolis master card, the $25,000 DLI mechanical bond, a $500,000 certificate of insurance naming the city and workers' compensation proof; Refrigeration, Gas Burner, Oil Burner and Steam Fitting licenses follow the same pattern. Master competency exams for Warm Air/Ventilation are given in January and July; reciprocal master cards are issued on a current Minneapolis card for $24 per trade.
Rochester. An HVAC Contractor license ($125 per year) requires a full-time licensed HVAC Master Installer; the Master Installer license ($60 per year) is issued to the individual after a City of Rochester certificate of competency ($25 per area of competency).
Bloomington. Mechanical contractor licenses (HVAC, gas installer, hot water/steam, oil burner, refrigeration) require a Minneapolis or Saint Paul Certificate of Competency or passing Bloomington's $35 open-book mechanical test on the 2020 Minnesota Mechanical and Fuel Gas Code, plus the DLI bond and a Minnesota tax ID.
Duluth. No city mechanical license; permits are issued to DLI-bonded mechanical contractors.
Out-of-state holders. No Minnesota city reviewed here publishes reciprocity or endorsement for another state's master HVAC or mechanical contractor license. A master arriving from another state can contract statewide by filing the DLI bond, and in Minneapolis, Saint Paul or Rochester must additionally document four years of experience and education and pass that city's master exam (a Minneapolis card then reciprocates to Saint Paul and is accepted in Bloomington).
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Georgia master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Minnesota?
- Yes. Georgia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Georgia master HVAC technician license from Minnesota?
- Published fees on this path total $110, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Minnesota 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 Minnesota?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Georgia to Minnesota, 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.