Do I have to take the Michigan master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Michigan requires the trade exam on this path.

What does it cost to get a Michigan master HVAC technician license from Pennsylvania?

Published fees on this path total $450, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Michigan?

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

Does it work the other way, from Michigan to Pennsylvania?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Michigan to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.

Pennsylvania to Michigan: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 8 sources

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

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

Michigan has no reciprocity agreement with any state and no endorsement route; LARA's Out-of-State License Verification form states that Michigan 'does not reciprocate with any other state for licensing' and that the applicant is 'required to take and pass an examination'. An out-of-state licensee files the standard Application for Mechanical Contractor Examination & Licensing with the $300 fee, selects the classifications wanted, and documents 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in each classification with statements signed under penalty of perjury by each present or former mechanical contractor employer; applicants with out-of-state experience must be approved by LARA before PSI will let them schedule. The applicant then passes each classification exam at PSI within one year of eligibility (HVAC Equipment: 150 questions, open book, 3 hours, $100; other classifications: 55 questions, 60 minutes, $50; 75% to pass, unlimited retakes within the year). There is no separate law or business exam, but every exam includes questions on the Skilled Trades Regulation Act and the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act. The license runs on a 3-year cycle expiring August 31 and the fee is prorated for mid-cycle applicants.

Whether experience documented by an out-of-state employer that is not a Michigan 'contractor of record' is accepted as the 'equivalent experience acceptable to the board' under MCL 339.5807(1)(a) is decided by LARA case by case; the out-of-state form only says such applicants must be approved to sit. Exam fees listed are per classification; an applicant seeking several classifications pays each.

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 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in each work classification applied for, verified by perjury statements from each employing contractor (MCL 339.5807(1)(a)); a completed 2-year HVAC program is credited up to 1 year or 2,000 hours.
Good moral character and the general requirements of Article 2 of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (MCL 339.5807(1)).

What you'll do to get licensed in Michigan

1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($300). Mechanical contractor application and license fee for the 3-year cycle ($100 per year under MCL 339.5813, prorated for mid-cycle applicants; waived for eligible veterans); additional classifications $300/$200/$100 by cycle year.
2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. PSI Michigan Mechanical Contractor examination for each classification sought (HVAC Equipment: 150 questions, open book, 3 hours; Refrigeration, Ductwork, Hydronic and specialty exams: 55 questions, 60 minutes, open book; heating and refrigeration/air conditioning service exams: 55 questions, closed book); 75% to pass.
3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). PSI exam fee for the HVAC Equipment (includes ductwork and gas piping) classification; non-refundable, valid one year.
4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). PSI exam fee for each other classification (hydronic, ductwork, refrigeration, limited/unlimited heating service, limited/unlimited refrigeration and air conditioning service, fire suppression, specialty).
5Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. LARA's mechanical pages are silent on it; it is a federal requirement, not a Michigan licensing prerequisite.

Published fees on this path total $450, 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 · $100
Exam fee · $50
Other

How Michigan licenses master HVAC technicians

Michigan master HVAC technician · “Mechanical Contractor (classified: HVAC Equipment, Refrigeration, Ductwork, Heating/Refrigeration Service, etc.)”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes, Board of Mechanical Rules

Michigan's HVAC credential is the Mechanical Contractor license issued by LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes under Article 8 of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407). Although called a contractor license, it is issued to an individual who qualifies by examination, so this file treats it as the master level: a business performs mechanical work by designating a licensed individual as its contractor of record (MCL 339.5809, 339.5815). The license is classified; an HVAC business typically holds HVAC Equipment (which includes ductwork and gas piping), Refrigeration and the heating and refrigeration/air conditioning service classifications. For each classification the applicant documents 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience with statements signed under penalty of perjury by each employing contractor of record (a 2-year HVAC program may be credited up to 1 year or 2,000 hours), is approved by LARA, and passes the PSI exam for that classification (75% to pass; the HVAC Equipment exam is 150 questions, open book, 3 hours, $100; other classification exams are 55 questions, 60 minutes, $50). The license fee is $300 for the 3-year cycle ($100 per year, prorated), licenses expire August 31 every third year, and municipalities may not impose their own licensing (MCL 339.5811). Michigan has no reciprocity with any state and no licensure by endorsement: LARA's out-of-state form states that Michigan 'does not reciprocate with any other state for licensing' and that out-of-state applicants must be approved to sit for the examination, so an out-of-state HVAC or mechanical contractor's experience counts toward eligibility but the Michigan exams must be passed. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is separately required to handle refrigerants.

Moving to Michigan Leaving Michigan

Why Pennsylvania has nothing to transfer

Pennsylvania master HVAC technician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 18 sources

Pennsylvania issues no statewide master HVAC, mechanical or HVAC contractor license; none of the Department of State's licensing boards covers the trade, and the Attorney General's Home Improvement Contractor registration (required of businesses doing residential remodeling work, including HVAC replacement in existing homes) is a no-exam consumer-protection registration rather than a license. The master-level credential exists only in cities that have chosen to license the trade, under names that vary: Pittsburgh's Mechanical/HVAC Trade License (issued to an individual with four years of experience who has passed an ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam; $120 in 2025, eight CE hours a year), Reading's Master Mechanical Heating Contractor license (two years as a licensed journeyman plus the ICC F29-N Master Mechanical exam; $90), Erie's master Mechanical and HVAC Installer licenses, and Scranton's Master Mechanical Contractor license. Philadelphia and Altoona require only a general contractor license (business-level, insurance and no exam) to pull mechanical permits, and Allentown and Harrisburg publish no HVAC license at all. There is no state-level recognition of an out-of-state master HVAC license, but Pittsburgh accepts any passed ICC master mechanical exam from any code year and, on the License Officer's review, equivalent exams from other states, and Reading issues a reciprocal master license ($190) to holders of an equivalent license from a first-, second- or third-class city or from a state with a state license and equal standards. A master from another state should expect to document experience, present an ICC master mechanical exam score, and apply separately in each city where they will pull permits.

How local licensing works in Pennsylvania

How local licensing works. With no state HVAC board, each Pennsylvania city that licenses the trade does so under its own ordinance. The credential that travels best between them is the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical examination, which Pittsburgh and Reading both use and which Reading's reciprocity practice implicitly relies on.

Philadelphia. No HVAC or mechanical trade license. Mechanical permits must be performed by a business holding the general Contractor License: $126 a year (including a $20 application fee), general liability of $500,000 per occurrence, $300,000 auto liability, workers' compensation, a Commercial Activity License and tax ID, tax compliance, and an OSHA 30 course for supervisors; there is no exam or experience requirement and no out-of-state provision. Ductwork on the job must be done by licensed sheet metal technicians or apprentices employed by the contractor. Businesses working only on existing one- or two-family homes may register as home improvement contractors instead.

Pittsburgh. The Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections issues the Mechanical/HVAC Trade License to individuals ('Trade Licenses are issued to individuals, not to companies'), required to install, erect, enlarge, repair, alter, remove, convert or replace any mechanical system in the city (Pittsburgh Code 741). New applicants provide proof of passing the City-proctored Master Mechanical exam or an ICC Standard Master Mechanical exam for any code year, and a resume or employer statement showing four or more years of practical experience (notarized statement if self-employed). PLI's rules state that 'equivalent certification testing programs from states other than Pennsylvania shall be accepted as proof of compliance of the testing requirements upon review and determination of equivalence by the License Officer'. The 2025 fee is $120 (initial and renewal); licenses expire 365 days after issue and renewal requires eight hours of continuing education in the prior twelve months. Insurance ($1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate general liability plus workers' compensation) is not needed at application but must be on file before any permit is issued. Applications go through OneStopPGH.

Reading. The Master Mechanical Heating Contractor license ($90 a year) requires a valid mechanical journeyman license, at least two years employed as a mechanical journeyman by a registered mechanical contractor, and a passing ICC F29-N Master Mechanical exam (or its successor). A reciprocal master license ($190, including a one-time reciprocation fee and the annual fee) may be issued to the holder of an equivalent license from a first-, second- or third-class U.S. city issued by an equivalent board of examiners with standards equal to Reading's; the applicant attaches the other jurisdiction's current requirements. As of 7/7/2023 Reading lists reciprocity with Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Scranton, Lancaster and Pittsburgh and with 'most, if not all, surrounding states with a state license'.

Erie. Master licenses are required for Mechanical and HVAC Installers, with a separate Refrigeration license, and 'Only Master License holders are able to obtain a permit'; applications are reviewed by the Trades Licensing Board, which also handles temporary licenses. The ordinance defines the Master Mechanical Contractor as one who contracts to install, erect, alter, extend, maintain or repair heating and ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, process piping and sheet metal work. Fees, insurance and any reciprocity provisions could not be opened.

Scranton. Issues a Master Mechanical Contractor license through a combined master electrical/mechanical/plumbing/general contractor application; the application's terms could not be opened. Reading treats Scranton as a reciprocal city.

Altoona. HVAC contractors need a city business license, and for commercial work a City of Altoona Contractor's License with liability and workers' compensation insurance; residential work requires only the state Home Improvement Contractor registration.

Allentown and Harrisburg. Neither publishes an HVAC or mechanical license (Allentown licenses electricians, plumbers and sheet metal workers; Harrisburg licenses electricians, plumbers and low-voltage installers).

Out-of-state holders. Pittsburgh's acceptance of any ICC master mechanical exam (and, on review, equivalent out-of-state exams) and Reading's reciprocal license are the only published accommodations; neither waives the experience documentation or local fees. Everywhere else the out-of-state license is irrelevant and the contractor obtains the local business-level license.

Moving to Pennsylvania Leaving Pennsylvania

Common questions

Do I have to take the Michigan master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?: Yes. Michigan requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Michigan master HVAC technician license from Pennsylvania?: Published fees on this path total $450, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Michigan?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Michigan's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Michigan to Pennsylvania?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Michigan to Pennsylvania, 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.
City of Detroit BSEED - Mechanical Inspection Team (contractor registration) · City of Detroit · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026'Applicant must have a current and valid State of Michigan issued Mechanical License/Mechanical Contractors License before he/she can apply for Renewal/Registration with the City of Detroit.' Detroit registers state-licensed mechanical contractors for permitting (notarized application, same-day in person) and issues no license of its own and no worker-level credential.
Michigan LARA - Application for Mechanical Contractor Examination & Licensing · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026Application/license fee $300 (non-refundable; waived for eligible veterans); adding a classification costs $300, $200 or $100 depending on the year of the 3-year cycle; the exam fee is paid separately to PSI. Requires 'a minimum of 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in the work classification', documented by statements signed under penalty of perjury from each contractor employer describing the work (BTU ratings, venting and duct systems, fuels, refrigerants); a completed 2-year HVAC program may be credited up to 1 year or 2,000 hours. The applicant is an individual ('legal name must match government issued identification'). The form has no out-of-state or reciprocity section. Read through the r.jina.ai text proxy because michigan.gov returned 403.
Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Mechanical Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information · Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 8 · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the mechanical contractor work classifications (hydronic heating and cooling and process piping; HVAC equipment; ductwork; refrigeration; limited and unlimited heating service; limited and unlimited refrigeration and air conditioning service; fire suppression; specialty licenses for solar heating and cooling, solid fuel and vented decorative gas appliances, LP distribution piping, fuel gas piping, fuel gas piping and venting). 'Must have a minimum of 3 years experience in each of the work classifications applied for' and 'take and pass an examination for each work classification desired'; exams are given by PSI at centers across Michigan and all exam fees are paid to PSI. The page contains no journeyman or registration credential and no reciprocity statement. michigan.gov returned 403 to the fetcher; the page was read through the r.jina.ai text proxy.
Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Out-of-State License Verification form · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026Generic Bureau of Construction Codes form used for all skilled trades: 'The State of Michigan does not reciprocate with any other state for licensing. Therefore, you are required to take and pass an examination to receive a license in the State of Michigan.' and 'All applicants with out-of-state experience must be approved to sit for examination.' Read through the r.jina.ai text proxy because michigan.gov returned 403.
Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - PSI Examinations · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Mechanical contractor candidates must be approved by LARA before testing: 'Once your application has been reviewed and you've been approved to test, your information is sent to PSI', who contacts the candidate within 10 business days to pay and schedule. Links the Mechanical Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI bulletin 5423). Read through the r.jina.ai text proxy because michigan.gov returned 403.
Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 8 - Mechanical Contractors (MCL 339.5801-339.5819) · MCL 339.5807, 339.5809, 339.5811, 339.5813, 339.5815 · Michigan Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026339.5807(1): exam eligibility requires good moral character and 3 years or 6,000 hours of experience in the classification, shown by perjury statements from each contractor-of-record employer; military experience counts; a 2-year HVAC program is credited up to 1 year/2,000 hours. 339.5807(2): the ten classifications. 339.5809: no one may perform regulated mechanical work unless the person (if an individual) or an employee holds a mechanical contractor's license; a business designates a licensed individual as contractor of record. 339.5811: 'A municipality shall not establish or maintain local licensing requirements for the work classifications.' 339.5813: each classification exam fee is $100 or less; the license fee is $100 per year, licenses expire August 31 every third year and are prorated; lapsed licensees who renew within 3 years are not re-examined. 339.5815: 90 days to replace a departed contractor of record. Nothing in Article 8 provides for reciprocity or licensure by endorsement. Read with pdftotext after download.
PSI - Michigan Mechanical Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for Michigan LARA · Other · verified September 15, 2026Exam fees: HVAC Equipment (includes ductwork and gas piping) $100; every other classification (hydronic, ductwork, refrigeration, limited/unlimited heating service, limited/unlimited refrigeration and air conditioning service, fire suppression, specialty) $50; fees are non-refundable and valid one year. HVAC Equipment exam: 150 questions, open book, 3 hours, 75% to pass; the other classification exams are 55 questions in 60 minutes (service classifications closed book), 75% to pass. All exams include questions on 2016 PA 407 and 1972 PA 230. Candidates must be approved by LARA first and must pass within one year of eligibility (unlimited retakes in that year). Read with pdftotext after download.

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

Report an error on this page