How to get an HVAC license in Massachusetts

Journeyman level 6,000 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters, Office of Public Safety and Inspections (OPSI) · (617) 727-3200 [7]

The license pathway in Massachusetts

1. 1

   Refrigeration apprentice

   • $40 application
   • Limited number of renewals (the rule says three, the Bureau's web page says two) unless the Bureau approves more

   Needed before you work on systems of 10 tons or more. You must be 18, registered with the Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) in a registered apprenticeship program, and employed by a Massachusetts refrigeration contractor. A refrigeration technician can supervise your work. [1][3][6]

2. 2

   Journeyman refrigeration technician

   • 6,000 hours on the job
   • 450 hours in a Bureau-approved course (applications on or after November 9, 2026)
   • Yes, written exam given by OPSI; 70% to pass
   • $75 application

   You need a high school diploma or equivalent, EPA Section 608 Universal certification, 6,000 hours as a licensed refrigeration apprentice verified by your employer, and the 450-hour course. Applications dated before November 9, 2026 can still use the older routes: 6,000 work hours and 250 course hours, 4,000 and 500, or 2,000 and 1,000. [2][3][7]

3. 3

   Master refrigeration technician / refrigeration contractor

   • 2,000 hours on the job
   • 100 hours of Bureau-approved education
   • Yes, written exam; 70% to pass

   The business-level license. You need at least 2,000 hours of work as a Massachusetts journeyman refrigeration technician and 100 hours of approved education. A contractor must show the license number on its vehicles, offers, invoices and stationery. [3]

What Massachusetts licenses in HVAC

Massachusetts splits heating and cooling work among several licenses:

• Refrigeration (this page): installing, repairing, replacing or maintaining any refrigerant-containing part of a refrigeration or air conditioning system of 10 tons or more. Licensed by OPSI's Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters.
• Pipefitting: heating system piping for systems rated over 700,000 BTU, licensed by the same Bureau.
• Gas fitting: gas piping past the meter and hooking up gas appliances such as house heating boilers, licensed by the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters. Licensed plumbers may also do gas fitting; see the Massachusetts plumber page.
• Sheet metal: licensed by the Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers (see below).

Government agencies, hospitals, schools, industrial plants and utilities are exempt from the refrigeration and pipefitting licenses for their own employees working only at that facility, but those hours don't count toward the exam unless you are a licensed apprentice working for a licensed contractor. [4][5][6][7][8]

The license ladder

• Refrigeration apprentice. 18 or older, registered with DAS, employed by a Massachusetts refrigeration contractor, $40 license.
• Journeyman refrigeration technician. High school diploma or equivalent, EPA 608 Universal certification, 6,000 hours as a licensed apprentice, a 450-hour approved course, and a written exam.
• Master refrigeration technician / refrigeration contractor. 2,000 hours as a Massachusetts journeyman, 100 hours of approved education and a written exam.

Apprentice licenses can be renewed only a limited number of times unless the Bureau approves more: three renewals under the rule (528 CMR 11.03), two according to the Bureau's apprentice web page. Confirm with OPSI. More on the levels: journeyman vs. master. [1][3]

The November 9, 2026 change

The Bureau adopted a single licensing path on November 8, 2024, effective November 9, 2026. Exam applications dated on or after November 9, 2026 need a 450-hour approved course and 6,000 hours as a licensed apprentice.

Applications dated and received before November 9, 2026 can use any of the older routes:

• 250 course hours and 6,000 work hours;
• 500 course hours and 4,000 work hours; or
• 1,000 course hours and 2,000 work hours.

All of them also require EPA 608 Universal certification. A hardship waiver lets some applicants use the older routes later. Under the Bureau's policy, you may qualify if you got your apprentice license on or before November 8, 2024, meet all the older requirements, and apply for the exam by May 9, 2027. If you met the older requirements but don't fit the policy, you can send a letter explaining your hardship with your application. No waivers will be granted on or after May 10, 2027. [2][3][9]

The exam

Apply online through MyLicenseOne or by mail. OPSI usually emails you 4 to 8 weeks after it gets your application; exams are scheduled first come, first served, and you get a Notice to Appear with the date, time and place. You need 70% on the written exam. Scores are posted on the OPSI exam page about a week later. If you don't pass, you must reapply. [3][7]

Union apprenticeships and schools

Refrigeration apprentices must be in a DAS-registered apprenticeship program. Routes in (see union vs. non-union):

• Union. Pipefitters Local 537 runs a five-year apprenticeship and offers pipefitting, welding and HVAC training. Apprentices work in the field on a graduated wage scale and take evening classes.
• Other employers. Licensed refrigeration contractors can sponsor registered apprenticeships through DAS, with classroom hours at a Bureau-approved school.

More on getting in: how to get an apprenticeship. [1][10][11][12][13]

Sheet metal licenses

Sheet metal workers have their own licenses from the Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers, including licensed apprentices. An unrestricted (J-1) journeyperson license takes 8,000 hours of licensed apprentice training and 750 hours of Board-approved classes over at least five years, within the last ten years. A restricted (J-2) license takes 4,800 hours and 450 class hours over at least three years and is limited to homes of three stories or less and commercial projects of 10,000 square feet or less in buildings of two stories or less. Since February 19, 2011, Massachusetts work experience counts only if you were a licensed apprentice employed by a master sheet metal worker. The license fee is $155, and PSI gives the exam. See the journeyperson application page. [5]

If you're licensed in another state

You can ask the Bureau to treat your out-of-state license, experience and education as substantially equivalent. Unless Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with your state, you must still pass the Massachusetts exam, and no agreements are published. Without special approval, the Bureau gives no credit for work in a state that doesn't require a license, or for licenses from a state that doesn't require formal education. The journeyman application also allows a Bureau vote on an out-of-state technician license plus employer proof of equivalent experience. See license reciprocity. [3][7]

Steps to get licensed in Massachusetts

1. Get hired and registered

   Get a job with a Massachusetts refrigeration contractor that sponsors a registered apprenticeship, and sign an apprentice agreement so DAS issues your apprentice ID card. [1][6]

2. Get your refrigeration apprentice license

   Apply to OPSI ($40) with your diploma, your DAS ID card and a photo; your employing contractor signs off. You must be 18. [1][6]

3. Get EPA 608 Universal certification

   Pass the federal Section 608 exam at the Universal level; see EPA 608 certification. [3][14]

4. Complete the 450-hour course

   Take a Bureau-approved refrigeration course at an approved school. [3][13]

5. Log 6,000 hours as a licensed apprentice

   Your employer verifies your hours with its contractor license number. [3]

6. Apply for and pass the exam

   Apply for the journeyman refrigeration technician license ($75) online through MyLicenseOne. OPSI notifies you by email about 4 to 8 weeks later and then emails a Notice to Appear with your exam date. You need 70% on the written exam; if you fail, you must apply again. [3][7]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  Pipefitters Local 537 (pipefitting, welding and HVAC-refrigeration)

  A five-year United Association apprenticeship with its own training center. Its 2026 applications were taken in person January 5-29, 2026. [10][11]

• School

  Bureau-approved refrigeration schools

  Regional technical high schools, adult programs and private schools approved by OPSI to teach refrigeration courses. Apprentices must make sure the school meets the Bureau's rules. [13]

• State program

  Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS)

  The state office that registers apprenticeship programs and issues apprentice ID cards. Refrigeration apprentices must be registered here before OPSI licenses them. [6][12]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask