Moving to New Jersey as a master HVAC technician: every state's rule
New Jersey has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
New Jersey master HVAC technician · “Master HVACR Contractor”
Statewide license
New Jersey's only HVAC license is the statewide, person-held Master HVACR Contractor license created by the State Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contracting License Act (P.L. 2007, c.211, N.J.S.A. 45:16A) and administered by the Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors; this file treats it as the master level because it is issued to an individual who qualifies by experience and examination, and every HVACR business must have a licensed master as its bona fide representative. Applicants must be at least 21 and show five years in the HVACR contracting business (a four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship plus one year as a journeyperson), a bachelor's degree in HVACR plus one year, or a related bachelor's degree plus three years, then pass a two-part written exam (HVACR practice and New Jersey law) with 70 in each part. Before the license is issued the applicant files a $3,000 surety bond and $500,000 of general liability insurance and buys the Board's pressure seal; licenses renew every two years with five continuing education credits. N.J.S.A. 45:16A-21 and N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.5 let the Board license without examination applicants from states whose standards are equal or comparable and that reciprocate, but the Board has published a list of 26 states whose licensees 'will be denied' reciprocity and its June 2019 determination table shows every reviewed state in the 'denied' column and none granted. In practice an out-of-state HVAC contractor qualifies for the New Jersey exam on the strength of documented experience.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Colorado | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Florida | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Georgia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Hawaii | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Louisiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maine | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Minnesota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Montana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Hampshire | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Carolina | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| North Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Ohio | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oregon | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Carolina | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Utah | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Vermont | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Washington | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| West Virginia | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
Getting licensed in New Jersey from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how New Jersey issues a master HVAC technician license to a first-time applicant.
Master HVACR Contractor by examination
New Jersey licenses no HVAC journeymen or apprentices, so there is no lower state license to hold first: anyone who meets the experience and education rules may apply to the Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors to sit the master HVACR exam. The usual route is five years in the HVACR contracting business, made up of a four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship followed by at least one year as an HVACR journeyperson, and you must be at least 21. After the Board approves your application you take two open-book PSI exams on the same day, HVACR trade and business and law, and need 70% on each. Before the license is issued you file a $3,000 surety bond, general liability insurance of $500,000 if you will offer HVACR work to the public, and the license and pressure seal fees. The license is held by you personally; a business may do HVACR contracting only with a licensed master as its bona fide representative.
Each exam has 50 questions and a 130-minute limit. The trade exam covers electrical knowledge, motors and controls; refrigeration, hydronic, steam and process piping; heating and cooling principles; refrigerants and refrigeration; fuel and LP gas; combustion air, chimneys and vents; ducts and ventilation; and load calculations, with the 2021 International Mechanical Code, the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code and ACCA Manual J allowed in the room. The business and law exam allows the NASCLA Contractors' Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, the Uniform Enforcement Act and the Construction Lien Law. First-time candidates must take both exams the same day; after a failure you must wait six months before retesting, with no limit on attempts. Every qualifying route must include education in refrigerant management and propane (LP-gas) service. The Board issues a pressure seal with the license, and only the master may use it; it is impressed on every HVACR permit application. Technicians who handle refrigerants also need federal EPA Section 608 certification. The no-exam grandfather route closed on September 1, 2014.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education
- 5 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Complete a registered apprenticeship (4 years): Four or more years in a U.S. Department of Labor-approved HVACR apprenticeship or other approved training program, such as a steamfitter, pipefitter or sheet metal apprenticeship.The program must include education in refrigerant management and in propane service.
- You must document at least 1 year of qualifying work experience.With the apprenticeship, this makes up five years in the HVACR contracting business before you apply.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
HVACR school program plus two apprenticeship years
Completing an HVACR program at an accredited technical school, trade school, county college or community college counts for two of the four required apprenticeship years. You still need at least one year as an HVACR journeyperson.
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Completion of an HVACR program at a regionally accredited technical school, trade school, county college or community college
- Complete a registered apprenticeship (2 years): Two or more years in a U.S. Department of Labor-approved HVACR apprenticeship or other approved training program.
- You must document at least 1 year of qualifying work experience.
Bachelor's degree in HVACR plus one year
A bachelor's degree in HVACR from a regionally accredited college or university, including education in refrigerant management and propane service, plus one year of practical work installing, servicing or maintaining HVACR systems.
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Bachelor's degree in HVACR from a regionally accredited college or university
- You must document at least 1 year of qualifying work experience.
Bachelor's degree in a related field plus three years
A bachelor's degree in a field related to HVACR from a regionally accredited college or university, including education in refrigerant management and propane service, plus three years of practical work installing, servicing and maintaining HVACR systems.
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Bachelor's degree in a field related to HVACR from a regionally accredited college or university
- You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable application fee, filed with the online application for the master HVACR examination.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. PSI HVACR trade exam: 50 questions, 130 minutes, open book with approved references; 70% (35 correct) to pass.
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. PSI business and law exam for HVACR: 50 questions, 130 minutes, open book; covers licensing, estimating and bidding, contract and project management, risk management, safety, labor, tax and lien law; 70% (35 correct) to pass.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($84). HVACR trade exam fee, paid to PSI when scheduling; non-refundable and valid for one year.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($47). Business and law exam fee, paid to PSI when scheduling; non-refundable and valid for one year.
- 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($160). Initial license fee if issued in the first year of the two-year license period; $80 if issued in the second year.
- 7Other. Initial pressure seal fee; the seal is issued with the license and stays the Board's property ($25).
- 8Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($3,000). Surety bond of $3,000 in favor of the State of New Jersey, renewed annually; a $3,000 bond already on file with the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers also satisfies this.
- 9Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($500,000). Certificate of general liability insurance of $500,000 per occurrence for property damage and bodily injury, from an insurer licensed in New Jersey, required if you will offer HVACR contracting to the public or act as a business's bona fide representative; it may be carried by you or the company.
- 10Other. Federal Tax Identification number for the HVACR business, if you will engage in HVACR contracting or act as a business's bona fide representative.
- 11Other. Proof of age, a passport-size photograph taken within the last six months, and proof of the apprenticeship, schooling, degree and journeyperson experience claimed.
Published fees on this path total $391, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years with 5 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $160 renewal fee.
Five credits of continuing education from a Board-approved sponsor each two-year period. You are exempt at your first renewal.
The $3,000 bond must also be kept in force. The late renewal fee is $50.
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
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $84
- Exam fee · $47
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 · $3,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $500,000
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors - Applications and Forms · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors - Continuing Education · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-1.2 - Definitions · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-1.2 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.1 - Eligibility for examinations · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.1 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.2 - Education requirements · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.2 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.3 - Examinations · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.3 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.4 - Licensure and pressure seal · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.4 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-4.1 - Continuing education requirements · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-4.1 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-5.9 - Designations for licensees; prohibitions on unlicensed persons · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-5.9 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32A-6.1 - Fee schedule · N.J.A.C. 13:32A-6.1 · New Jersey Administrative Code (via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- P.L. 2007, c.211 - State Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contracting License Act · N.J.S.A. 45:16A-1 et seq. (sections 2, 13, 15, 17, 21, 23, 24) · New Jersey Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors - Master HVACR Contractor Licensure Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 23, 2026