How to get an HVAC license in Arizona

Licensing office Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) · (602) 542-1525 [6]

The license pathway in Arizona

1. 1

   HVAC apprentice, helper or technician (no state license)

   • No state exam; EPA Section 608 certification (federal) to work on refrigerant equipment

   Arizona has no state HVAC apprentice, technician or journeyman license. If you work for a contractor and your wages are your only pay, the licensing law doesn't apply to you. Federal rules still require Section 608 certification for refrigerant work. [1][4][5]

2. 2

   Comfort heating, ventilating and evaporative cooling contractor (C-58 or CR-58)

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam (online through Gmetrix) and a trade exam (PSI); 70% to pass
   • C-58 $580; CR-58 $850 (includes recovery fund). Exams: $61 SRE, $66 PSI trade
   • Every 2 years: C-58 $480, CR-58 $650

   A narrower contractor license for comfort heating, ventilating and evaporative cooling. The ROC's requirements chart lists two years of experience. [1][2][6][7]

3. 3

   Air conditioning and refrigeration contractor qualifying party (C-39, R-39R or CR-39)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam (online through Gmetrix, open book) and an air conditioning and refrigeration trade exam (PSI); 70% to pass
   • Application plus license: C-39 $580, R-39R $720, CR-39 $850 (includes recovery fund). Exams: $61 SRE, $66 PSI trade
   • Every 2 years: C-39 $480, R-39R $540, CR-39 $650

   The full HVAC contractor license. The qualifying party needs four years of experience, the two exams, a background check, a bond and a business to hold the license. [1][2][3][6][7]

Who needs a license in Arizona

In Arizona, HVAC licensing is about contracting, not about the individual technician. The Registrar of Contractors licenses businesses that contract for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration work. Arizona does not issue a state HVAC technician or journeyman license.

The contractor law lists people who don't need a license. One is any person who does the work "as an employee with wages as the person's sole compensation." So if you work for wages for an HVAC contractor, you don't need your own ROC license. Your employer does.

The main HVAC classifications are:

• C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (commercial): refrigeration and evaporative cooling systems; "wet," "dry" and radiant heating systems within set pressure limits; and ventilation systems, including ductwork, air filtering, controls and insulation of refrigerant pipes and ducts.
• R-39R Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (residential): the residential air conditioning and refrigeration license, listed by the ROC alongside narrower residential subclasses such as warm air heating and evaporative cooling.
• CR-39 (dual): the work of both C-39 and R-39R.
• C-58 / CR-58 Comfort Heating, Ventilating, Evaporative Cooling: a narrower class with a two-year experience requirement.

The residential R-39 class, which includes solar, allows adding a new circuit to an existing panel if needed, but not installing a new service panel or sub-panel. Versions that include solar are C-79, R-39 and CR-79. [1][2][4]

EPA 608: the federal certification

Arizona's licensing is only half the picture. EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release ozone-depleting refrigerants to be certified. That applies whether or not you hold a state license. Read our EPA 608 certification guide for the certification types and how to test. [5]

The qualifying party

Every license names a qualifying party: a person regularly employed by the licensed business who is actively doing the type of work the license covers. That's the person whose experience and exam scores qualify the company.

Before a license is issued, the qualifying party must have:

• The experience the ROC's requirements chart lists: four years for C-39, R-39R and CR-39, and two years for C-58 and CR-58. The chart says the experience must be hands-on and/or managerial. By law at least two years must fall within the last ten.
• Passing scores on the required exams, taken no more than two years before applying.

Technical training at an accredited college or university, or in a manufacturer's accredited program, can replace part of the experience, but no more than two of the four years. [2][3][6]

The exams

The qualifying party must pass each required exam with at least 70%.

• Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE): an online, open-book training course and exam offered only through Gmetrix. It costs $61.
• Trade exam: taken online or at a test center through PSI for $66.

[2][6][7]

Fees, bond and renewal

ROC licenses last two years. Fees for a new license (application plus license fee):

• Commercial specialty (C-39, C-58): $100 + $480 = $580.
• Residential specialty (R-39R): $80 + $270 + $370 recovery fund assessment = $720.
• Dual specialty (CR-39, CR-58): $100 + $380 + $370 recovery fund assessment = $850.

Renewal every two years costs $480 (commercial), $540 (residential) or $650 (dual). Exam fees are extra.

You also need a license bond. For residential specialty contractors it's $4,250 under $375,000 a year, or $7,500 at $375,000 or more. For commercial specialty contractors it runs from $2,500 for $150,000 or less of annual work to $50,000 for over $10 million. Dual license bonds combine the two amounts. [7][8]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Arizona

With no state technician license, an apprenticeship in Arizona is about training and pay, not a state credential. Your years in a program can build toward the experience a qualifying party needs. See union vs. non-union.

• Arizona Pipe Trades (UA Local 469): a five-year, state-registered HVAC-R service tech apprenticeship. You must be 18 with a diploma or GED, a clean driving record and a background check.
• Arizona Sheet Metal JATC (SMART Local 359): a five-year program with training that includes HVAC fabrication and installation, air balancing and refrigeration service. Apply in person in Phoenix; apprentices are chosen on combined math and reading test scores and interviews.
• Other registered programs: the Arizona Apprenticeship Office's program list shows registered heating and air conditioning programs by sponsor and city, including contractor-association, school and employer programs. DES says to contact the program directly.

More on getting in: how to get an apprenticeship. [9][10][11][12]

If you're licensed in another state

No reciprocity. The ROC says "Arizona does not have direct reciprocity with any state."

Out-of-state waiver. The ROC can waive the trade exam and the experience requirement if the qualifying party held a comparable license in another state within the past five years and earned it by passing a trade exam. Submit the Out of State Waiver Request Form with your application. The Statutes and Rules Exam can't be waived unless the qualifying party was the qualifying party on an Arizona license within the past five years (the FAQ on the same ROC page says simply that it can't be waived, because it covers Arizona law).

Universal recognition (A.R.S. 32-4302). Arizona's universal licensing law says a person who moves to Arizona is to be granted a license in the same discipline and practice level if they have been licensed in another state for at least one year and in good standing, met that state's education and experience requirements, passed its exam if one was required, have no revocations, discipline, pending complaints or disqualifying criminal history, and pay the fees. An agency that gives a test on Arizona law may still require it. Ask the ROC which route fits you. More: license reciprocity. [6][13]

Steps to get licensed in Arizona

1. Get hired and build experience

   Work for wages for a licensed HVAC contractor, as a helper or through a registered apprenticeship. As an employee you don't need a ROC license. [4][12]

2. Get EPA 608 certified

   Pass an EPA-approved Section 608 test before you work on equipment that could release refrigerant. See our EPA 608 guide. [5]

3. Build the experience for your class

   The qualifying party needs four years of practical or management experience for C-39, R-39R or CR-39 (two years for C-58 or CR-58), with at least two years in the last ten. Accredited technical training can replace up to two of the four years. [2][3]

4. Pass the Statutes and Rules Exam and the trade exam

   Take the online, open-book Statutes and Rules course and exam through Gmetrix ($61) and the trade exam online or at a test center through PSI ($66). You need at least 70% on each. [6][7]

5. Set up the business, bond and background checks

   Form the business (LLCs and corporations register with the Arizona Corporation Commission), get a license bond, and get a background check for everyone named on the application. [6][8]

6. Apply to the ROC

   Submit the license application through the ROC online portal or by mail with exam results, bond and fees. [6][7]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train HVAC technicians in or for Arizona, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  Arizona Pipe Trades Apprenticeship: HVAC-R service tech (UA Local 469)

  A five-year, state-registered HVAC-R service tech apprenticeship. You must be 18, have a diploma or GED, a clean driving record and pass a background check; join the waitlist and you're invited to an HVAC-R exam when applications open. [9][14]

• Union

  Arizona Sheet Metal JATC (SMART Local 359)

  A five-year sheet metal apprenticeship covering HVAC fabrication and installation, air balancing and refrigeration service. Apply in person in Phoenix; selection is based on math and reading test scores and an interview. [10]

• State program

  Arizona registered apprenticeship program list (DES)

  The Arizona Apprenticeship Office's list of registered programs by occupation, including heating and air conditioning mechanic and installer programs run by unions, contractor associations, schools and employers. Contact the program directly to apply. [11][12]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask