Licensing Reciprocity

Texas currently has reciprocal licensing agreements with South Carolina and Georgia.

If you hold a license from another state, please see the Out of State Applicants page.

NOTE: You must have held an out of state license for at least one year in order to reciprocate.

Georgia Licensees

Texas has a reciprocal licensing agreement with Georgia for individuals who hold a current Georgia Class II Conditioned Air unrestricted license. Holding this license in good standing will qualify you for a Texas Class A, Environmental Air Conditioning License. No other Georgia licenses are accepted through reciprocity.

South Carolina Licensees

Texas recognizes the following licensing equivalencies from South Carolina:

A South Carolina heating license does not qualify in Texas.

Applying for a Texas License

If you are currently licensed in South Carolina and you want to be licensed in Texas, you will need to obtain a letter of good standing from your current licensing agency. The letter must also indicate that you have taken and passed a licensing exam in that state.

Once you have the letter of good standing, you will need to submit a completed Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Application (PDF) along with the non-refundable application fee of $115. Licenses are valid for a period of 1 year from the date of issue.

Include with your application materials a copy of your current license and proof of insurance.

The license class and endorsements that you choose will determine what type of work you can perform, the licensing exam that you will take (if applicable), and insurance coverage that you must maintain.

License Classes

The Class A license allows you to work on any size unit.

The Class B license allows you to work on cooling systems of 25 tons and under, and heating systems of 1.5 million BTUs/hour and under.

Endorsements

License numbers have the following form:

Title / Class / Number / Endorsement code

An example would be:

TACL / A / 000000 / C

Endorsement codes are as follows:

• E: Environmental Air Conditioning
• R: Commercial Refrigeration & Process Cooling and Heating
• C: Combined Endorsements

Environmental Air Conditioning means treating air to control temperature, humidity, cleanliness, ventilation, and circulation to meet human comfort requirements.

Commercial Refrigeration/Process Heating and Cooling is limited to coolers, freezers, ice machines, and equipment that provides temperature and humidity controls to satisfy the intended use of a specific space, or process equipment.

Multiple License Classes

If you apply for both a Class A and Class B license, you will receive a single document with two license numbers. Each license may only have one endorsement. Both licenses must have the same business affiliation and addresses.

Insurance Requirement

You must maintain commercial general liability insurance at all times while your license is active in Texas. Insurance must be obtained from an insurance provider authorized to sell liability insurance in Texas

Texas Minimum Insurance Coverage Requirements

Multiple License Classes

If you have both Class A and Class B licenses, a single policy may be used to satisfy the insurance requirements of both, as long as the coverage meets the minimum requirements of a Class A license.

Applicants with Criminal Convictions

If you have ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation) or pleaded guilty or no contest (resulting in a deferred adjudication) to any in-state, out-of-state or federal criminal offense, you must provide a completed Criminal History Questionnaire (PDF) along with your application materials.

The department will conduct a criminal history background check on all persons who apply for a license. Criminal convictions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Licenses may be denied based on the nature of the conviction and how long prior to the application the conviction occurred. Depending on your criminal history, a review can take from one to six weeks to complete.

Individuals may request TDLR review their criminal background before actually applying for a license. TDLR uses the same process for this pre-application evaluation as the process described below. See the Criminal History Evaluation Letter page for more information.

Please see the Guidelines for License Applicants with Criminal Convictions, which describe the process that TDLR uses to determine whether a criminal conviction renders an applicant an unsuitable candidate for the license, or whether a conviction warrants revocation or suspension of a license previously granted.