West Virginia to Ohio: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

Ohio has no license called 'master HVAC'; its top person-held HVAC credential is the statewide HVAC Contractor license (with a separate Refrigeration Contractor license for refrigeration work) issued by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) to an individual who qualified by examination (R.C. 4740.01(A)), who then assigns it to a contracting company. Other states' reciprocity forms pair this license with their master HVAC or mechanical contractor licenses, so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must be 18, a citizen or legal alien, have five years as a tradesperson in the trade immediately before applying (or be an Ohio registered engineer with three years of construction business experience), pass BCI and FBI background checks, pass both sections of the PSI-administered examination (trade and Business & Law), carry $500,000 of contractor liability insurance in one company name, and pay a $25 application fee and $25 license fee per trade; licenses expire annually and renew with 8 hours of continuing education (24 for three-year renewals). OCILB's published reciprocity list covers HVAC licenses from Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia (refrigeration from Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee), with the Ohio Business and Law exam still required for Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee licensees. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required of anyone handling refrigerants but is not part of the OCILB application.

West Virginia does not issue a master HVAC license. The Division of Labor's HVAC Technician license is a single-tier, full-scope credential (see the journeyman level), so a master HVAC mechanic from another state applies for the same HVAC Technician license, with the exam waived under 42CSR34 section 15 or the RECAP Act, and there is no higher personal credential to transfer to. The state-level credential above the technician is the HVAC contractor license from the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (W. Va. Code 30-42), required of any person who contracts for HVAC work costing $5,000 or more on residential or $25,000 or more on commercial projects; it is issued to the business entity (including a sole proprietorship) and qualified by a full-time employee or member of responsible management who passes the HVAC classification trade exam and the Contractor Licensing Act (Business and Law) exam, which every applicant must pass. The Contractor Licensing Board waives its HVAC trade exam under reciprocity agreements with Alabama (HVAC classification, effective May 1, 2018), Ohio (HVAC classification including the Business and Law exam, effective May 10, 2018) and Tennessee (HVAC classification, effective December 17, 2020), using a verification form completed by the origin board, and it accepts NASCLA scores and may accept other accredited national exam scores; in every case the workers, including the qualifier if they do the work, must also hold Division of Labor technician licenses, and a licensed HVAC contractor pays no technician license fee. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.