Wyoming to Idaho: master HVAC technician license reciprocity
Wyoming does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Universal licensure for out-of-state HVAC contractors (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
With no reciprocity agreements, every out-of-state HVAC contractor or master is treated the same. Idaho Code 67-9409 obliges the HVAC board to license a person who holds a current, valid and unrestricted license in another state and demonstrates competency, on the standard application, fees and background checks, but lets the board require all or part of its examination; the board's rules require every contractor applicant to pass the board-designated exam and post a $2,000 bond, and DOPL publishes no HVAC-specific endorsement procedure. The realistic path is therefore the standard contractor application ($35), the PSI contractor exam ($75), the $2,000 compliance bond and the $225 license fee, with the out-of-state license and experience submitted as supporting evidence of competency.
Idaho's contractor exam covers business and law material (the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual is the allowed reference), so it is recorded as the trade exam rather than a separate law exam. Idaho Code 54-5013 sets a 24-month certificate term while DOPL's fee table shows a 3-year term for journeyman and contractor licenses; the fee table is the current practice. Whether the board waives any part of the exam under 67-9409 was not confirmed from an official page.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
What you must already have
- Your Wyoming license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). HVAC Contractor application processing fee (non-refundable).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho HVAC Contractor examination administered by PSI (board-designated exam, IDAPA 24.39.70.100.03).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee.
- 4Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($2,000). HVAC contractor compliance bond of $2,000 (or an acceptable corporate industry group bond), effective for the certificate period.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($225). Contractor license fee (3-year term; renewal $150, reinstatement $225).
- 6Other. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I/II/III/Universal) to handle refrigerants; federal, does not expire. Not listed on DOPL's HVAC pages.
Published fees on this path total $335, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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 · $75
- Other
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 · $2,000
How Idaho licenses master HVAC technicians
Idaho master HVAC technician · “HVAC Contractor”
Statewide license
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). 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.
Why Wyoming has nothing to transfer
Wyoming master HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
Wyoming issues no master HVAC, mechanical or refrigeration license and no HVAC contractor license; the State Fire Marshal's electrical program is the only state trade licensing, and its LM-H Limited Technician license covers only HVAC electrical wiring. The master-level credential exists only in city ordinances: Cheyenne's Master or Qualified Supervisor license for HVAC and refrigeration (8,000 apprentice hours plus 6,000 journeyman hours and an ICC/NICET/NASCLA exam), Casper's Mechanical Master (apprenticeship or four years plus five years as a journeyman or master, ICC G29-N), Laramie's master mechanical, refrigeration or gas service certificate of qualification (three, two and two further years respectively, city exam), and Gillette's Master HVAC Mechanical license (five years of approved experience plus the ICC exam). In each of these cities a contractor doing HVAC work must employ or be a master (Cheyenne 'qualified supervisor or master', Gillette and Casper 'Master of Record'), and the contractor license itself is a separate business license with fees ($200-$300 initial in Cheyenne and Casper, $150 in Gillette) and insurance. Rock Springs registers contractors for $125 with proof of insurance and tests no one. No city publishes reciprocity with other states' master HVAC or HVAC contractor licenses; Casper and Gillette reciprocate only with other Wyoming jurisdictions, Cheyenne's Board has discretion but no partner list, and Laramie may waive its exam for a certificate from any governmental agency whose exam is judged at least equal. A master arriving from another state should expect to present or take the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (G29-N) and apply separately in each city.
How local licensing works in Wyoming
How local licensing works. There is no state HVAC board; each city's ordinance defines its own master-level license and the contractor license it qualifies. The reciprocity statute the cities cite reaches only other Wyoming jurisdictions.
Cheyenne. A Master or Qualified Supervisor license (12.1.8) requires 4 years/8,000 hours documented as an apprentice (or certified equivalent training) plus 3 years/6,000 hours as a journeyman, all third-party verified, and passing results on a current ICC, NICET or NASCLA exam from the Board's list. Fees are $50 application plus $50 initial and $25 renewal. Every HVAC (C1) or Refrigeration (C1) contractor must employ a master or qualified supervisor full time, who may represent only one contractor and is responsible for all its work; the C1 tested contractor license costs $50 + $200 ($75 renewal) and requires workers' compensation and liability insurance. Refrigeration licenses require EPA Type II, III or Universal certification. Reciprocity is at the Board's discretion (3.3.2/3.5.2) with no published state list.
Casper. Mechanical Master ($75 new, $37.50 renewal) requires a federally recognized apprenticeship or four years in a Casper-licensed mechanical shop plus five years as a journeyman or master, and proof of passing ICC G29-N or equivalent; a Mechanical Contractor license ($300/$150) covers heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and sheet metal and requires $250,000/$500,000 liability insurance. Reciprocal licenses are limited to other Wyoming jurisdictions.
Laramie. Master certificates of qualification in mechanical (3 years after journeyman), refrigeration (2) and gas service (2) are issued after the building official's exam ($5 per attempt), or without exam on presentation of a certificate from another governmental agency whose exam the board of examiners finds at least equal. All work under a Mechanical, Refrigeration or Gas Service Contractor license must be performed by or under the supervision of the corresponding master certificate holder.
Gillette. Master HVAC Mechanical license: five years of approved experience and ICC exam results, $50 annually; Master Refrigeration Technician additionally needs ESCO/EPA 608 certification. A Class D HVAC Mechanical Contractor ($150 new, $50 renewal, $5,000 bond) must name a full-time Master of Record able to reach any job site within 48 hours. Reciprocity (5-III-1(d), since July 1, 2024) is for other Wyoming local-government licenses only.
Rock Springs. Contractor registration only ($125 plus insurance certificate); no master license or exam.
Out-of-state holders. None of these cities names any other state as a reciprocity partner. The ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (G29-N) is accepted by Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie and Gillette, so an out-of-state master who holds an ICC certificate can apply directly with verified experience; one licensed on a state-specific exam should plan on taking the ICC exam, except in Laramie where the board of examiners may accept an equal exam from another agency.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Idaho master HVAC technician exam if I'm licensed in Wyoming?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho master HVAC technician license from Wyoming?
- Published fees on this path total $335, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Wyoming work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Wyoming?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Wyoming, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements · 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F (Clean Air Act §608) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Other · verified September 15, 2026Federal requirement in every state: technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified (Type I small appliances, Type II high-pressure, Type III low-pressure, Universal). Apprentices under direct supervision are exempt. Certification does not expire; the core exam must be proctored for Universal certification. State HVAC boards commonly require it before licensure, but it is not itself a state license.
- Idaho Code 54-5007 - Requirements for Certificates of Competency · Idaho Code § 54-5007 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026The HVAC board prescribes rules for examination, qualification and certification of contractors, journeymen, apprentices and the specialty classes; HVAC contractors and specialty contractors must provide a $2,000 bond or an acceptable corporate industry group bond.
- Idaho Code 54-5009 - Classification of Competency (HVAC apprentice, journeyman, contractor, specialty contractor) · Idaho Code § 54-5009 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Four classifications: apprentice (works only under a journeyman or contractor), journeyman (works in the employ and under direction of an HVAC contractor and has completed all trade-required classes), HVAC contractor (any business, partnership, company, firm or association installing, maintaining or repairing HVAC appliances or gas-fired equipment) and HVAC specialty contractor (gas piping, gas appliances, decorative gas-fired appliances).
- Idaho Code 54-5011 - Issuance of Certificate of Competency · Idaho Code § 54-5011 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026A certificate of competency in the form of a card bearing the holder's name, classification examined for and certificate number is issued to an applicant upon successful completion of the examination; this is why the contractor certificate is treated here as a person-held, exam-qualified credential.
- Idaho Code 67-9409 - Universal Licensure · Idaho Code § 67-9409 · Idaho State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Every Idaho licensing authority must establish a procedure to license a person who holds a current, valid and unrestricted license in another state and demonstrates competency by methods the board determines; the applicant files the standard application, supporting materials and background checks, pays the same fees, and may be required to take all or part of the Idaho exam (no jurisprudence exam may be added); the board may compare scopes of practice and issue a limited license pending additional training. Enacted 2020, amended 2023.
- Idaho DOPL - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Board (program home and fees) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026License types: Apprentice, Journeyman, Contractor, Specialty Apprentice, Specialty Journeyman, Specialty Contractor and Limited Heating Specialty variants. Fees: application $35; Journeyman and Specialty Journeyman $150 license / $75 renewal / $150 reinstatement, 3-year term; Contractor and Specialty Contractor $225 / $150 / $225, 3-year term; Apprentice $10 (1 year); Specialty Apprentice $20 (2 years). Adopted codes include the 2018 IFGC and 2018 IMC. No reciprocity content.
- Idaho DOPL - HVAC Board FAQs · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Faq · verified September 15, 2026'Q: Does Idaho have a Reciprocal Licensing agreement? A: No.' Also states that hours worked without a required license do not count toward the required on-the-job time, and that unlicensed HVAC work is subject to civil penalties.
- Idaho DOPL - HVAC Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exams are administered by PSI for a $75 fee; candidates bring their own reference materials (the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual in a binder for the contractor exam); after passing, apply for licensure through the eDOPL portal. Links the board-approved apprentice program list.
- IDAPA 24.39.70 - Rules Governing Installation of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems · IDAPA 24.39.70.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section 100.02 journeyman: pass the board exam and either 8,000 hours of apprentice work experience plus 576 hours of board-approved instruction, or 16,000 hours of HVAC experience; may sit for the exam after either the 576 hours or the 16,000 hours. Section 100.03 contractor: pass the board-designated examination and provide a $2,000 compliance bond effective for the certificate period. Section 100.04 specialty journeyman (hearth appliances, non-duct-connected oil furnaces and their gas piping and venting): 2,000 hours of specialty experience plus the board exam or 60 hours of fuel gas education. No reciprocity or endorsement provisions. The redirect from adminrules.idaho.gov to files.dfm.idaho.gov was followed.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.