Moving to Texas as a master HVAC technician: every state's rule
Texas has reciprocity agreements with 2 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
Texas master HVAC technician · “Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor (Class A or Class B)”
Statewide license
Issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
Texas's highest HVAC credential is the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor license issued to an individual by TDLR, so it is mapped here to the master level. The license comes in Class A (units of any size) and Class B (cooling up to 25 tons and heating up to 1.5 million Btu/h) with Environmental Air Conditioning, Commercial Refrigeration and Process Cooling or Heating endorsements. A new applicant must be 18, document 48 months of practical ACR experience under a licensed contractor in the past 72 months (or 12 months as a certified technician plus 36 months of experience, with substitutions for HVAC/R degrees, engineering licenses and military training), pay a $115 application fee, pass the PSI exam for each class and endorsement ($74 Class A, $60 Class B, 70% to pass) within one year of filing, and file proof of commercial general liability insurance ($300,000 per occurrence/$600,000 aggregate for Class A; $100,000/$200,000 for Class B). The license is valid one year, renews for $65 and requires 8 hours of continuing education a year; a company must employ a licensed contractor at each permanent location. TDLR has reciprocity agreements with Georgia and South Carolina only; licensees from every other state or municipality apply under TDLR's substantial-equivalence review and may be required to take the Texas exam.
States Texas reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 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 | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Delaware | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Florida | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Georgia | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Hawaii | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Idaho | Endorsement | 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 | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Kentucky | Endorsement | 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 | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Michigan | Endorsement | 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 Jersey | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| New Mexico | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| North Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Ohio | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oklahoma | Endorsement | 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 | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Carolina | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 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 |
| Utah | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Vermont | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 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 | Endorsement | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
Getting licensed in Texas from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Texas issues a master HVAC technician license to a first-time applicant.
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor license by examination
TDLR issues the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor license to an individual who is at least 18, documents 48 months of practical air conditioning and refrigeration work under the supervision of a licensed ACR contractor within the past 72 months, and passes the PSI contractor exam for the class and endorsement applied for. No lower Texas license is a prerequisite: the Registered Technician registration has no exam, so it is the documented experience that qualifies you, verified on Experience Verification Forms completed by your supervisors. Class A covers equipment of any size and Class B covers cooling systems up to 25 tons and heating up to 1.5 million Btu/h, each with an Environmental Air Conditioning or a Commercial Refrigeration and Process Cooling or Heating endorsement. The exams are open book and require 70% to pass; after passing you file a certificate of commercial general liability insurance, and everything must be completed within one year of filing the application. The license is held by the individual, and every ACR company must employ a licensed contractor at each permanent location.
Class A exams have 120 scored questions in 230 minutes and Class B exams 100 scored questions in 170 minutes, for both the Environmental Air and Commercial Refrigeration endorsements. Each exam includes five or six questions on Texas law and rules (Occupations Code Chapter 1302 and 16 TAC Chapter 75) alongside the technical content, so there is no separate law or business exam. From September 1, 2026 the exams reference the 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, International Mechanical Code and Uniform Mechanical Code. You may retake a failed exam until the application expires one year after filing. A contractor may hold a Class A and a Class B license with one endorsement each, and a Class B holder can upgrade by passing the Class A exam. A licensee who does not serve the public, or who works as another contractor's employee, may request an insurance waiver but may not contract with the public under it.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every year
- Continuing education
- 8 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Be at least 18 years old.
- You must document at least 48 months of qualifying work experience.Practical air conditioning and refrigeration-related work within the 72 months before the application, under the supervision of a licensed ACR contractor, documented on Experience Verification Forms completed by the supervisor rather than the applicant. Every 2,000 hours of on-the-job training in an apprenticeship program counts as 12 months.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Certified Technician for 12 months plus 36 months of experience
An applicant who has held a TDLR Certified Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician certification for the preceding 12 months needs only 36 months of practical experience under a licensed ACR contractor within the preceding 48 months. The certification must be current when you apply and stay current until the contractor license is issued.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Hold a Texas Certified Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician, held for the 12 months before the application for at least 12 months first.
- You must document at least 36 months of qualifying work experience.Within the 48 months before the application, under the supervision of a licensed ACR contractor.
Education substituted for part of the experience
Education in the field replaces part of the 48 months, however long ago it was earned: a four-year degree in air conditioning or refrigeration engineering or technology or in mechanical engineering counts as 24 months; a two-year associate degree, diploma or certification program focused on air conditioning and refrigeration work counts as 12 months; and a one-year certification program, or at least two semesters, counts as 6 months. The rest must be practical experience. Attach the diploma, transcript or completion certificate. Other related degrees and degrees earned outside the United States are evaluated case by case.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Four-year degree in air conditioning or refrigeration engineering or technology, or in mechanical engineering (counts as 24 months)
- You must document at least 24 months of qualifying work experience.The remaining practical air conditioning and refrigeration experience.
Military air conditioning and refrigeration experience
Military service can satisfy the entire 48-month requirement if air conditioning and refrigeration work was part of your military occupational specialty, through training received or duties performed. The service must total at least 24 months and be verified with a DD-214 or other orders or documents showing the type and amount of work.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- At least 24 months of military service with air conditioning and refrigeration work as part of the military occupational specialty, verified with a DD-214 or other supporting documents
Utility, industrial, government or engineering employment
Air conditioning and refrigeration work done outside a licensed contractor also counts toward the 48 months: work while regularly employed by a regulated electric or gas utility; process cooling or heating work for an industrial operation such as a chemical plant, refinery or natural gas plant; work while employed by a governmental entity; or contracting work by a Texas-licensed engineer for the business that employs them, not for the public.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- You must document at least 48 months of qualifying work experience.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($115). Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Application (Form ACR002) fee, non-refundable (16 TAC §75.80); TDLR must approve the application before you can schedule the exam.
- 2Background check. Complete a background check. TDLR runs a criminal history background check on every applicant. If you have been convicted of, or placed on deferred adjudication for, any offense other than a minor traffic violation, attach a Criminal History Questionnaire for each offense; convictions are reviewed case by case. Prior discipline on any occupational license requires a Disciplinary Action Questionnaire..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. PSI contractor exam for each class and endorsement applied for (Environmental Air or Commercial Refrigeration, Class A or Class B): open book, 70% to pass, with a small Texas law and rules section.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($74). PSI exam fee for each Class A exam, paid directly to PSI; each Class B exam costs $60.
- 5Insurance. Carry the required insurance. After passing the exam, file a certificate of commercial general liability insurance naming the license holder and business, from an insurer authorized in Texas: Class A $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 products/completed operations; Class B $100,000 / $200,000 / $100,000. Coverage must be maintained while the license is active..
Published fees on this path total $189, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year with 8 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $65 renewal fee.
Eight hours of TDLR-approved continuing education each year, including one hour of Texas law and rules, completed during the license term being renewed. Only courses from approved providers count, and a course taken twice counts once.
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 · $74
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- TDLR Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation / PSI Services · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- 16 TAC §75.20 - Contractor Licensing Requirements: Application and Experience Requirements · 16 TAC §75.20 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 16 TAC §75.21 - Contractor Licensing Requirements: Examinations · 16 TAC §75.21 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 16 TAC §75.22 - Contractor Licensing Requirements: General · 16 TAC §75.22 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 16 TAC §75.25 - Continuing Education · 16 TAC §75.25 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 16 TAC §75.80 - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration: Fees · 16 TAC §75.80 · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mirrored by Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Continuing Education Requirements for Licensees · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Apply for a New Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Certified Technician · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Application (TDLR Form ACR002) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Apply for a New Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Renew an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors Exam Information · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Exemptions to Contractor Experience Requirement · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- TDLR - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors program · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026