How to get an HVAC license in Texas

Licensing office Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors program · (512) 463-6599 [1]

The license pathway in Texas

1. 1

   Registered ACR technician

   • None
   • $20 application
   • Yearly; $20

   Anyone who helps a licensed ACR contractor with maintenance or repair work must register (or be certified). Technicians must be supervised by a licensed contractor and may not advertise ACR services. [2][6][7][12]

2. 2

   Certified ACR technician (optional)

   • 2 years of experience
   • Or a TDLR-approved certification program of 2,000 hours of combined instruction and practical experience
   • Yes, PSI certified technician exam: 60 scored questions, 112 minutes, 70% to pass, open book ($60)
   • $50 application
   • Yearly; $35

   A voluntary step above registration: 24 months of ACR work under a licensed contractor, or an approved 2,000-hour program, then an exam. A year as a certified technician shortens the contractor experience requirement by 12 months. [8][11][12]

3. 3

   ACR contractor, Class B

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes, PSI Class B exam (Environmental Air or Commercial Refrigeration): 100 scored questions, 170 minutes, 70% to pass, open book ($60)
   • $115 application
   • Yearly; $65; 8 hours CE

   Lets you contract for cooling systems of 25 tons and under and heating systems of 1.5 million BTU/hour and under. You need 48 months of supervised ACR experience in the past 72 months (or 36 months plus 12 months as a certified technician), liability insurance, and a passing exam. [3][6][11][13][14]

4. 4

   ACR contractor, Class A

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes, PSI Class A exam (Environmental Air or Commercial Refrigeration): 120 scored questions, 230 minutes, 70% to pass, open book ($74)
   • $115 application
   • Yearly; $65; 8 hours CE

   Lets you work on any size unit. Same experience rule as Class B, with higher insurance minimums. A Class B holder can upgrade by passing the Class A exam and paying a $25 change fee. [3][6][11][13][14]

Who needs a Texas HVAC license

Contractors who install, repair or maintain air conditioning, refrigeration or heating systems must have a TDLR license, and every ACR company must employ a licensed ACR contractor in each permanent office. State law says a person may not act as an air conditioning and refrigeration technician unless registered or certified, and every technician must be supervised by a licensed contractor. You can register as a technician at 16, but until you turn 18 the law says you must always work under the direct supervision of a licensed contractor or a certified technician.

There are narrow exceptions. A helper who only assists a licensed contractor with the total replacement of a system does not need a technician registration, and students in an approved training program at a school or college are exempt while working as part of that program. TDLR also says mini-split systems are not covered by the exemption for small self-contained units, so contracting work on them needs a license. Since September 1, 2021, Texas cities may not charge TDLR-licensed ACR contractors a registration fee, though they can still collect building permit fees. [1][6][7]

The Texas license ladder

Texas has no "journeyman" HVAC license. The steps are:

• Registered technician: the entry point. $20, no exam, yearly renewal. You work under a licensed contractor.
• Certified technician: optional. Requires 24 months of supervised ACR work or a TDLR-approved 2,000-hour training program, plus a PSI exam. Only people with this designation may call themselves "certified technicians".
• ACR contractor (Class A or B): the license that lets you run jobs and a business. It requires 48 months of supervised experience in the past 72 months, or 36 months in the past 48 months plus 12 months as a certified technician.

Class A covers any size unit. Class B is limited to cooling systems of 25 tons and under and heating systems of 1.5 million BTU/hour and under. Each license carries an endorsement: Environmental Air Conditioning (comfort heating and cooling), Commercial Refrigeration and Process Cooling or Heating, or both. [2][3][6][8][9]

Credit for school, apprenticeship and the military

TDLR lets education stand in for part of the 48-month contractor experience requirement:

• A four-year degree in air conditioning or refrigeration engineering or technology, or mechanical engineering, counts for 24 months.
• A two-year degree, diploma or certification program focused on air conditioning and refrigeration counts for 12 months.
• A one-year (or two-semester) certification program counts for 6 months.
• Every 2,000 hours of on-the-job training in an apprenticeship program equals 12 months of experience.

Military air conditioning and refrigeration experience of at least 24 months, verified with a DD-214 or other documents, may satisfy the whole 48-month requirement. Military experience can also count toward the 24 months for certified technician. [8][10]

The exams

PSI runs the Texas ACR exams. After TDLR approves your application, PSI emails you instructions to schedule. Contractor exams are chosen by class and endorsement: Environmental Air A or B, and Commercial Refrigeration A or B. The certified technician exam is separate.

• Class A: 120 scored questions in 230 minutes, 70% to pass, $74.
• Class B: 100 scored questions in 170 minutes, 70% to pass, $60.
• Certified technician: 60 scored questions in 112 minutes, 70% to pass, $60.

The exams are open book: you bring your own copies of the listed references. These include Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1302 and the TDLR rules (16 TAC Chapter 75). PSI's bulletin says that from September 1, 2026, the exams reference the 2024 International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code and Uniform Mechanical Code, although the reference list later in the same bulletin still prints the 2021 editions, so confirm with PSI which edition to bring. If you fail, you can retake until your application expires, one year after you filed it. Read the PSI candidate bulletin before you book. [3][4][11]

Fees, insurance and renewal

• Technician registration: $20 to apply, $20 a year to renew.
• Certified technician: $50 to apply, $35 a year to renew, plus the $60 PSI exam.
• Contractor license: $115 to apply, $65 a year to renew, plus the PSI exam fee. Adding an endorsement or upgrading from Class B to Class A costs a $25 change fee (plus the $74 exam for the upgrade).

Contractors must keep commercial general liability insurance: at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 products and completed operations for Class A; $100,000, $200,000 and $100,000 for Class B.

All licenses last one year. Contractors must complete 8 hours of TDLR-approved continuing education (CE) each year, including 1 hour on Texas law and rules. If a license expires, renewing within 90 days costs 1.5 times the normal fee, and later renewals cost double. [2][3][8][11][12][13][14]

EPA Section 608 certification

Texas licensing does not replace the federal rules. EPA regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants to be certified. Only certified technicians (or employers of certified technicians) may buy most refrigerants. Most people take the test during school or early in their first job. Read our EPA 608 certification guide for the four certification types and how to test. [5][15]

If you're licensed in another state

Texas has reciprocal agreements only with Georgia and South Carolina, and you must have held that license for at least one year. A Georgia Class II Conditioned Air unrestricted license qualifies for a Texas Class A Environmental Air Conditioning license. Several South Carolina licenses map to Texas classes, but a South Carolina heating-only license does not qualify.

From other states, you apply as an out-of-state applicant with your current license and a list of the requirements you met to get it. TDLR decides case by case, and you may have to meet some or all Texas requirements, including the exam. TDLR accepts experience earned where licensing rules are substantially equivalent to Texas's. See license reciprocity for how this works across states. [7][9][16]

Apprenticeships and training in Texas

You can earn experience through a union apprenticeship (UA pipe trades locals or SMART sheet metal training centers), an open-shop program such as ABC Central Texas's 4-year HVAC apprenticeship, or a community college HVAC program. Apprenticeship hours count toward the contractor license: every 2,000 hours of on-the-job training equals 12 months of experience. The Texas Workforce Commission supports registered apprenticeship programs across the state. Compare the routes in union vs. non-union. [10][17][18][19][20][21]

Steps to get licensed in Texas

1. Register as an ACR technician

   Apply online through TDLR's technician registration page and pay $20. There is no exam; renew every year. [2]

2. Get EPA Section 608 certification

   Pass an EPA-approved Section 608 test so you can legally service refrigerant equipment and buy refrigerant. See our EPA 608 guide. [5][15]

3. Build supervised experience

   Work under a licensed ACR contractor. Optionally, after 24 months (or a 2,000-hour approved program), apply to become a certified technician and pass the PSI exam. [6][8]

4. Apply for a contractor license

   After 48 months of experience (or 36 months plus a year as a certified technician), send the contractor application, experience verification forms signed by your supervisors, and the $115 fee. Pick Class A or B and your endorsements. [3][6]

5. Pass the PSI exam and file proof of insurance

   Once TDLR approves you, PSI emails scheduling instructions. After you pass, send a certificate of general liability insurance. Finish everything within one year of applying. [3][4]

6. Renew every year

   Contractors renew yearly for $65 after 8 hours of approved continuing education; technicians renew yearly for $20 (registered) or $35 (certified). [12][13][14]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  United Association (UA) pipe trades apprenticeships

  UA locals run registered apprenticeships that include an HVACR track; they typically last five years and combine paid work with classroom training. Find the nearest Texas local with the UA's locator. [17]

• Union

  SMART sheet metal apprenticeships (International Training Institute)

  Four- or five-year sheet metal apprenticeships with paid on-the-job training and classes; career paths include service and refrigeration technician and commercial HVAC. [18][19]

• Open shop

  ABC Central Texas registered apprenticeship

  The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Central Texas chapter lists an HVAC apprenticeship that takes 4 years, with paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction. [20]

• State program

  Texas Workforce Commission Office of Apprenticeship

  TWC supports registered apprenticeship programs in Texas, including state funding for their classroom instruction. Local Workforce Solutions offices can point you to programs. [21]

• School

  Houston Community College: Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

  An example of a community college program: hands-on training in installing, maintaining and repairing heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems. [22]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask