Mississippi to Arkansas: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

Arkansas's highest HVAC credential is the HVACR license issued in four classes by the HVACR Licensing Board: Class A (unlimited), Class B (systems up to 25 tons cooling, 1,000,000 BTUH heating or 15 hp refrigeration), Class D (sheet metal ductwork) and Class E (refrigeration); Act 746 of 2025 repealed Class C and moved active Class C licenses to Class B. It is treated here as the master level because Ark. Code §17-33-303(a) issues it to the individual who designs, installs or services HVACR systems, and that person becomes the 'designated license holder' responsible for the work and for registering employees. A new applicant with no licensing background must be 18, show two years of experience as an HVACR contractor or employee (Board-approved education may substitute) through notarized employer affidavits, and pass the open-book class exam administered by Prov ($100, 70% to pass); the annual license fee is $200 for Class A and $150 for B, D and E, with $250,000 liability insurance and eight hours of continuing education per International Mechanical Code cycle. The Board states it has no reciprocal agreements with any other state, but its rules direct it to approve, without examination, apprenticeship, education or training, any applicant holding a license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose HVACR licensing laws are 'substantially similar', meaning one that has adopted a national model mechanical code and uses a comprehensive exam created and proctored by a national examination agency. Under §17-33-104 a state licensee needs no city or county license.

Mississippi does not issue a personal master HVAC license. The state-level HVAC credential is the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) contractor license: commercial 'Heat, Ventilation, A/C - HVAC' under the Mechanical classification (required on commercial jobs over $50,000; application and renewal $400, $300,000/$600,000 liability insurance, CPA-reviewed financial statement) or Residential HVAC (required for residential work over $10,000 in remodeling or $50,000 new construction; application $50, renewal $100). The license is issued to the business through a Certificate of Responsibility with a named qualifying party who passes the open-book PSI HVAC (or Residential HVAC) trade exam and the mandatory Mississippi Law and Business Management exam, so a master HVAC mechanic who only wants to work for an employer has nothing to transfer to at the state level; the personal master credential exists only in cities such as Southaven (Master Mechanical, $100, which itself requires an active MSBOC license, a $10,000 bond and liability insurance) and Gulfport (Mechanical/HVAC contractor license issued to the qualifying party, $100). MSBOC waives its HVAC trade exam, for $50 per exam, for qualifying parties who have held a license for at least one year with the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, the Alabama General Contractors Board, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (HVAC or Refrigeration), the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Residential HVAC) or the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, provided the license was obtained by that board's exam and there has been no disciplinary action in the period stated in each agreement; the Business and Law exam is never waived. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.