Moving to Oregon as a master HVAC technician: every state's rule

Oregon has no master HVAC or mechanical contractor license and no HVAC trade exam. Anyone who contracts for heating or air conditioning work must hold a Construction Contractors Board (CCB) license, a business registration issued in residential or commercial endorsements after the firm's Responsible Managing Individual completes 16 hours of pre-license training and passes the PSI business-practices exam ($60, 70% to pass); the business registers with the Secretary of State, posts the surety bond and general liability insurance set for its endorsement, and pays $400 for a two-year license. A contractor that maintains, services, repairs or replaces commercial and industrial fuel- or energy-using heating, refrigeration or air conditioning products also obtains the Building Codes Division's Limited Maintenance Specialty Contractor HVAC/R (LHR) license ($75, three years, no exam), which requires an active CCB license and a full-time signing supervisor who holds an appropriate electrical license such as the LME. Neither the CCB nor the LHR license evaluates or credits an out-of-state master HVAC license, and the CCB publishes no reciprocity; a master HVAC licensee from another state who only wants to work for an employer needs no Oregon license, while one who wants to contract independently completes the CCB process from scratch. EPA Section 608 certification applies to anyone handling refrigerants.