Utah to Idaho: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

Idaho has no master HVAC title; its highest credential is the HVAC Contractor certificate of competency, which is issued as a card in the name of the individual who passes the board's contractor examination and is therefore mapped here to the master level (an HVAC business must hold or employ a certificate holder, and Specialty Contractor and Limited Heating Specialty Contractor certificates cover gas piping, hearth appliances and oil furnaces). An individual applicant must already hold an active Idaho HVAC Journeyman license, or a business applying as an entity must employ at least one Idaho-licensed HVAC journeyman. The applicant pays a $35 application fee, passes the PSI-administered HVAC contractor exam ($75, using the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual as a reference), provides a $2,000 compliance bond, and pays the $225 license fee; the certificate renews for $150 every three years. Idaho's HVAC board states that it has no reciprocal licensing agreement. A contractor licensed in another state may apply under Idaho's universal licensure statute (Idaho Code 67-9409), which requires the board to license a person with a current, unrestricted out-of-state license who demonstrates competency, but allows it to require the Idaho exam; since DOPL publishes no separate procedure for HVAC, applicants should expect to take the contractor exam. EPA Section 608 certification is required nationwide to handle refrigerants.

Utah has no master HVAC license. The state credential for HVAC work is the H100 HVAC Contractor classification (formerly S350) issued by DOPL to a business entity or sole proprietorship, not to the technician personally, so a master HVAC licensee from another state who only wants to work for an employer needs no Utah license at all. To contract independently the applicant's business applies for an H100 license with a qualifier who passes the H100 written trade exam and the Utah Business and Law exam (both through Prov), holds a Certified Natural Gas Technician certificate from the Rocky Mountain Gas Association or an equivalent, and documents 4,000 hours of HVAC employment in the past 5 years with W-2, K-1 or tax returns (an active Utah plumber license is an accepted alternative); the qualifier must also complete a 25-hour pre-licensure course and the 5-hour Business and Law course. The business registers with the Division of Corporations, carries general liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate (the March 2026 application form still reads $3 million aggregate) and workers' compensation, and pays $50 per qualifier plus $175 per classification and a $1 surcharge. Utah has no HVAC reciprocity agreements, but DOPL grants licensure by endorsement to a contractor licensed for at least one year in good standing in a jurisdiction DOPL has determined equivalent, with at least 50% common ownership, and an endorsed applicant needs no additional courses or examinations; licenses from other jurisdictions can still be used to document part of the experience and exam requirements.