Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors

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News and Updates

Change In Minimum Age For ACR Registered Technicians

August 31, 2023

HB 1859 (88^th Regular Legislative Session, 2023) amended Section 1302.5035 of the Occupations Code to lower the minimum age of a registered technician from 18 years of age to 16 years of age. As of September 1, 2023, a person 16 years of age or older may apply to become a registered air conditioning and refrigeration technician.

Importantly, HB 1859 also amended Section 1302.503 of the Occupations Code to specify that a person younger than 18 years of age who is acting (or offering to act) as a technician must at all times work under the direct supervision of a licensed ACR contractor or certified technician. This requires a registered technician under the age of 18 to be personally supervised at all times by a licensed ACR contractor or certified technician.

Commission Adopts Rules

August 28, 2023

The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation adopted amendments to an existing rule at 16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 75, §75.100, regarding the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors program. The adopted rule is necessary to remove outdated language related to the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC). Texas Occupations Code §1305.101(a) requires the Commission to adopt, every three years, the revised NEC as the electrical code for the state.

The adoption justification was published in the August 25, 2023, issue of the Texas Register (48 TexReg 4654) and is available online. The updated rule chapter will be available on the Secretary of State website upon its effective date of September 1, 2023.

On The Level - July 2023 Edition

July 7, 2023

Articles in the July 2023 edition of TDLR On The Level include:

Legislative Update
Texas Accessibility Academy Update
2023 NEC Is Almost Here
Legislation Creates Mold Advisory Board

Take Care When Purchasing Electrical Code Books

February 09, 2023

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has discovered that some 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) books purchased from an online source do not appear to be legitimate.

The NEC is the industry standard for commercial, residential and industrial electrical safety in the United States and internationally.

TDLR is aware that an unknown number of copies purchased through online retailers are missing important pieces of information, which means that relying on these fraudulent books as a reference could result in unsafe installation, servicing or maintenance of electrical equipment or could result in incorrect answers on examinations covering the information in the code book.

TDLR has notified the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which publishes the NEC, about this issue.

Meanwhile, TDLR urges that Texans who need to purchase the 2023 NEC do so through the NFPA to ensure that they are buying an authorized version of the code.

TDLR's ACR Program Stands Ready To Provide Guidance in Disaster Recovery

June 22, 2021

When natural disasters strike Texas, the TDLR Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Program stands ready to provide air conditioning and refrigeration contractors with guidance to help them complete recovery efforts safely.

Commission Votes to Delay Effective Date of 2020 NEC Requirement

May 20, 2021

On Tuesday, May 18, the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation held an emergency meeting in response to an imminent threat to public health and safety. It has been found that compliance with Section 210.8(F) of the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) can interfere with the proper functioning of certain types of air conditioning and heating systems. With summer heat approaching in Texas, failed or malfunctioning air-conditioning systems can pose a danger to public health and safety.

To help alleviate this threat, the Commission voted to amend rules in the Electricians and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors programs to delay the effective date of Section 210.8(F) of the 2020 NEC until January 1, 2023.

“There’s a large and growing concern from air conditioning and refrigeration stakeholders, supported by anecdotal and empirical evidence, that adding GFCI protection to air conditioning and heat pump equipment that uses DC Inverter technology can cause repeated tripping of the circuit protection, making the systems effectively inoperable,” said William Weatherly, TDLR Program Chief and Chief Inspector for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. “To protect public health and safety, agency staff took quick action to have this issue reviewed by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation.”

Specifically, the rules amended were 16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 73, §73.100 in the Electricians program rules, and 16 TAC, Chapter 75, §75.100 in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors rules.

The amendments are effective May 20, 2021and expire in 120 days, unless renewed by the Commission. TDLR has begun working on non-emergency rulemaking to implement this change on a permanent basis.

What does Section 210.8(F) of the 2020 NEC do?

Section 210.8(F) of the 2020 NEC requires that certain outdoor outlets for dwellings supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts to ground or less, 50 amperes or less, have ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection. The emergency rules adopted by the Commission would remove this requirement until January 1, 2023.

Why is this change being made?

There have been widespread reports of certain types of air conditioning units connected to a GFCI device not being compatible with the GFCI protection, which causes the GFCI device to trip. This incompatibility poses a substantial risk to the health and safety of all Texans who rely on air conditioning, especially during the summer months.

What does this change mean for electricians and air conditioning and refrigeration contractors?

Beginning May 20, 2021, neither electrical contractors nor air conditioning and refrigeration contractors will be required to comply with the requirement of Section 210.8(F) of GFCI protection for certain outdoor outlets until January 1, 2023.

A code-compliant installation, with emphasis on a proper bonding of the equipment to the equipment grounding conductor and to the electrical grounding system, will ensure electrical safety for fault conditions, even when terminated to a normal overcurrent protection device.

COVID-19: Continuing Education Waived

March 24, 2020

TDLR continuing education requirements are waived for all individual licenses expiring in March, April, and May 2020. Licensees still need to submit their renewal applications, pay the required fees, and TDLR will check their criminal histories, but they will not need to complete any TDLR-required continuing education this licensing cycle. (§51.405, Occupations Code)

Note: TDLR is not authorized to waive continuing education requirements imposed by a certifying or credentialing entity other than TDLR. If a certifying entity requires continuing education to maintain certification, and certification is required for Texas licensure, then that continuing education must be completed. If the certifying entity waives continuing education or allows it to be completed on a delayed basis due to COVID-19, then you may follow the certifying entity’s policy.

Please check the TDLR COVID-19 webpagefor the most up-to-date information.

Advisory Board Meetings

October 4, 2023

The next Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held via videoconference and will be viewable on TDLR's YouTube channel. Sharing of pre-recorded audio or video is not allowed during the public comment period. The agenda and staff reports are available online.

November 2, 2022

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors Advisory Board met November 2, 2022 via videoconference. The meeting was archived and is available on TDLR’s YouTube channel. The agenda and staff reports are available online.