Kentucky trade license reciprocity

Kentucky's journeyman-level credential is the statewide Electrician license issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS Chapter 227A; Kentucky does not use the word 'journeyman' in the license title, though the exam is called the Journeyman Electrician exam. A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course, two years of a four-year apprenticeship, an associate degree in electrical technology, or two years of teaching each substitute for 4,000 hours), must pass the open-book Journeyman Electrician exam (80 questions, 3 hours, $80) offered through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70%, and pays a $100 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. Licenses run two years and renew with continuing education. DHBC's published reciprocity list covers only West Virginia and Virginia at this level; electricians from every other state document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.

Kentucky issues a statewide Master Electrician license to individuals through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS 227A.060(2). A separate Electrical Contractor license (Form EL-2, $400 biennial, Business and Law exam, $1,000,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation compliance) is the business credential and must always have a licensed master electrician associated with it. A new master applicant needs 16,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course or two years of teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours; an associate degree in electrical technology for 6,000), must pass the open-book Master Electrician exam (100 questions, 4 hours, $80) through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70%, and pays a $200 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. DHBC's published reciprocity list names Ohio (electrical contractor licensees receive both the Kentucky master and contractor licenses), West Virginia and Virginia (master electricians); applicants from all other states document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.

Kentucky issues a statewide Journeyman HVAC Mechanic license through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS 198B.650 to 198B.689; a journeyman performs HVAC work under the supervision, direction and responsibility of a licensed Master HVAC Contractor and supervises registered apprentices on site. A new applicant must be 18, a citizen or authorized resident alien, have two years of HVAC experience (at least 1,500 hours per year) either under a master HVAC contractor or as verifiable HVAC work in Kentucky or any other jurisdiction, pass the open-book Journeyman HVAC exam with at least 70% (offered through Prov for $80, or by the department for $50 on Form HVAC-4), and file Form HVAC 2 with a $50 twelve-month fee prorated by birth month ($29.17 to $75) and a passport photo. Licenses renew annually at $50 with continuing education. KRS 198B.666 and 815 KAR 8:010 Section 3 provide for licensure by reciprocity where an agreement exists with the licensing state, and the application form has a reciprocity checkbox, but DHBC's HVAC pages publish no list of partner states; every other out-of-state journeyman documents their hours and takes the Kentucky exam. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required for refrigerant work but is not part of the DHBC application.

Kentucky's highest person-held HVAC credential is the statewide Master HVAC Contractor license issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) to an individual who qualified by examination; the master supervises and is primarily responsible for all HVAC work of the company he or she represents (a company may carry the required insurance in its name), and only a master or journeyman may purchase the statewide HVAC permits required since 2011. A new applicant must be 18, a citizen or authorized resident alien, and have two years as a licensed journeyman under a master HVAC contractor, two years as a master HVAC contractor 'or equivalent' in Kentucky or any other jurisdiction, or two years as a licensed mechanical engineer; pass the open-book Master HVAC exam, which covers codes and practices plus the law and regulation of the HVAC business, with at least 70% (Prov $80, or the department's exam for $150 on Form HVAC-4); carry general liability insurance of $500,000 and property damage insurance of $300,000 (KRS 198B.668) naming DHBC as certificate holder; and file Form HVAC 1 with a $250 twelve-month fee prorated by birth month ($145.83 to $375). Licenses renew annually at $250 with continuing education and current insurance. KRS 198B.666 authorizes licensure by reciprocity for states with substantially equal requirements that reciprocate, and Form HVAC 1 has a reciprocity checkbox requiring a letter of good standing; DHBC publishes no HVAC partner list, but Ohio's OCILB documents an active Kentucky-Ohio HVAC and refrigeration agreement. Federal EPA Section 608 certification is required for refrigerant work but is not verified by DHBC.