Arizona · HVAC technician licensing · verified July 2026
Arizona HVAC technician license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Arizona licenses HVAC at the contractor level through the Registrar of Contractors (ROC): the R-39 (residential), C-39 (commercial), and CR-39 (dual) Air Conditioning and Refrigeration classifications. The qualifying party must have a minimum of four years of practical or management trade experience and pass the AZ Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE) plus a trade exam at 70% or higher. Individual technicians are not state-licensed; they work under a licensed contractor.
Do you need a license to work as an HVAC technician in Arizona?
Arizona licenses HVAC technicians statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
Arizona licenses HVAC at the contractor level only, technicians and installers need no individual state license (federal EPA Section 608 certification still required for refrigerant handling). Exams must be passed at 70%+, and the trade exam (not the SRE) may be waived if the qualifying party served as a qualifying party in the same or comparable classification in Arizona or another state within the preceding 5 years (A.A.C. R4-9-106(E)). A license bond is also required (amount varies by classification and volume). No formal HVAC state-to-state reciprocity agreements are published by ROC (California lists Arizona as reciprocal from its side). Fees per ROC fee page effective 7/1/2014, authorized by A.R.S. 32-1126 and R4-9-130.
What licenses does Arizona issue?
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Including Solar (Residential) | not published | not published | Yes |
| C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (Commercial) | not published | not published | Yes |
| CR-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (Dual) | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) (roc.az.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Arizona require?
AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE) - cannot be waived. Administered by Gmetrix (online). Exam fee $61.
Trade-specific examination for the air conditioning/refrigeration classification (waivable under R4-9-106(E) for qualifying parties licensed in a comparable classification within the preceding 5 years). Administered by PSI. Exam fee $66.
How much does an Arizona HVAC technician license cost?
Arizona sets its fees per license class rather than as one figure for the trade, so no single total would be true of every applicant. The published items are below exactly as the board sets them.
- Application feeset per license class
- Exam fee$127
- Initial license feeset per license class
- Renewal fee (recurring)set per license class
Source: fee schedule (roc.az.gov). Verified July 2026.
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 2 years (license fees shown are for a two-year license)
Continuing education: None required for contractor license renewal (no CE requirement stated by ROC)
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Apprenticeship time counts as practical trade experience toward the four-year requirement of A.R.S. 32-1122(E); up to two years of accredited technical training (which can include apprenticeship-related instruction) may substitute, but the full four years cannot be satisfied by education alone. ROC also maintains an Apprenticeship Certificate Registry.
Which states does Arizona have license reciprocity with?
Arizona appears in 1 published reciprocal licensing agreement for this trade, covering Nevada. Boards write these as agreements between two states rather than as a one-way list, and some publish the list while their counterpart does not, so this counts every agreement naming Arizona from either side. Recognition is never automatic: the board you apply to decides, and most require the original license to have been earned by examination and to be in good standing.
How does Arizona compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | not published | Statewide |
| California | not published | Statewide |
| Nevada | not published | Statewide |
| New Mexico | not published | Statewide |
| Utah | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- License Classifications - Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Applying for a License - Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- License and Renewal Fees - Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- A.R.S. 32-1122 (qualifications for license)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to HVAC technicians overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) before making decisions. Not legal advice.