HVAC Technician License in Rhode Island — Requirements, Fees & Exam

How to get licensed as an HVAC technician in Rhode Island: 10,000 hours (Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I (unlimited) - the core HVAC/AC technician license) — verified from official sources.

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Rhode Island Mechanical Board - Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation Unit, Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (official site) and last verified July 25, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must be licensed - Rhode Island licenses the individual AND the business: Two separate prohibitions apply. For individuals: 'No person shall engage to work as a pipefitter, refrigeration/air conditioning, or sprinkler fitter journeyperson or apprentice, or journeyperson sheet metal worker or apprentice, or shall advertise or represent in any form or matter that they are a journeyperson or apprentice, unless that person possesses and carries on their person at all times while so engaged a valid license issued by the department of labor and training qualifying that person as a journeyperson or registered apprentice pursuant to 28-45-13' (28-27-5.1(a)). So an employed HVAC technician is NOT covered by the employer's license - they must personally hold a refrigeration journeyperson license or be a registered apprentice. For masters and employers: no person may engage in the business of the mechanical trades as a master or as an employer, enter into contracts for installation, maintenance, repair or servicing, or advertise that they will install refrigeration/air conditioning or air distribution systems, without a valid DLT license; masters must carry the license at all times and affix the master's license number to any advertisement, contract, bid and applicable permit (28-27-5(a)). And the contracting entity itself needs a master as an officer or principal continuously supervising its work, or its own contractor license (28-27-6). credential_holder is 'individual' because the person doing the work holds a personal state license; the contractor license is an additional business-level credential on top.
Rhode Island splits HVAC across two trades - refrigeration and pipefitting: This is the structural fact that surprises people moving into Rhode Island. The mechanical board is 'responsible for the licensing and regulating of masters, journeypersons, and apprentices in the pipefitting, air conditioning/refrigeration, sprinkler fitting, and sheet metal trades' (28-27-1.0). The COOLING side - installation and service of refrigeration and air conditioning systems - is the refrigeration trade (28-27-4(c), 4.1, 4.3(e)). The HEATING side - boilers, hydronic and warm air heating, steam, gas and oil-fired equipment, controls and thermostats - sits in the PIPEFITTING trade; the rule for a Pipefitter Master Class 2 describes exactly that scope and caps commercial and residential heating installations at 500,000 BTUs, with a Pipefitter Master Class I needed at 500,000 BTUs and above, and boiler-division permits required for commercial heating installations of 200,000 BTUs and residential installations of 400,000 BTUs and above (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.9(G)). A contractor who wants unlimited heating AND cooling and process work is the 'master mechanical contractor,' defined by holding both a Pipefitter Master I and a Refrigeration Master I for at least ten years each (28-27-4.4). Plan the credential around the work actually being sold.
The apprenticeship hour requirements are fixed in statute: Minimum on-the-job learning hours by license type (28-27-18.2(b)): a pipefitter I apprenticeship program at least 10,000 hours; pipefitter II at least 4,000 hours; refrigeration I at least 10,000 hours; refrigeration II at least 4,000 hours; sprinkler fitter/fire protection at least 10,000 hours; sheet metal worker I at least 8,000 hours; sheet metal worker II at least 4,000 hours. 'All registered apprenticeship programs shall include one hundred forty-four (144) hours of related instruction, including, but not limited to, classroom training, provided concurrently with each two thousand (2,000) hours period of on-the-job learning.' A sponsor's decision to grant credit for prior learning also requires the written approval of the state mechanical board (28-27-18.2(a)). These hour figures were set by P.L. 2024, ch. 330 and ch. 331, effective June 25, 2024.
Examination - three sittings a year, 70 to pass, 15-day filing deadline: 'The department shall provide and conduct examinations three (3) times each year' for applicants whose applications are on file, conducted by the Division of Professional Regulation with the aid and cooperation of the board of examiners, at places within the state consistent with the reasonable convenience of the applicant; all test materials are preserved for three months after the test date (28-27-14). Applications must be filed at least 15 days prior to the examination date (28-27-10(b), 28-27-11(b), 28-27-6.2(d)). A failed applicant may take any of the three examinations scheduled during the year, and every retest requires payment of a separate test fee (28-27-16). The DLT Mechanical Trade License application sets the pass mark: 'Individuals who achieve a passing score of 70 or greater will be invoiced for the License Fee.' The application packet also requires a legible copy of government-issued identification, a completed notarized application, the $75.00 non-refundable processing fee by check or money order (credit cards in person only), and a separate notarized statement on company letterhead from a present or past employer detailing all work-related experience; incomplete applications are returned unprocessed.
Out-of-state and reciprocity-style routes: Rhode Island does not publish a general HVAC reciprocity table, but the statute and rule both accommodate out-of-state credentials. For a master license, the application may be accompanied by 'an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence showing the laws of another state specifying that person as a pipefitter or refrigeration/air conditioning or fire protection sprinkler contractor or sprinkler fitter master' in place of the one-year Rhode Island journeyperson requirement (28-27-10(a)(3)). For a journeyperson license, an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence of an out-of-state journeyperson license qualifies the applicant to file (28-27-11(a)(3)(iii)). The rule adds that where the other state has no equivalent class, a notarized resume substitutes: six years' experience with one year as a contractor for a Master Class I, six years with three as a contractor for a Master Class II, and five years as a journeyperson for either journeyperson class (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.12-2.15). In every case the applicant still sits the Rhode Island examination - the DLT application requires 'A valid copy of your out-of-state Mechanical Trade License and an Official License Verification from your respective state for all applicants applying for a comparable Mechanical License exam in RI.'
Sheet metal - when a mechanical master needs a second license: A holder of a valid master license under chapter 28-27 does not need an additional license to perform sheet metal work 'when AC air handling equipment is ten (10) tons or less or when heating equipment does not exceed 250,000 BTUs.' Above those thresholds the master may still bid, quote, solicit bids for and contract the sheet metal work, 'but must subcontract the aforementioned work to a properly licensed sheet metal contractor to perform the work,' and the subcontractor must secure the proper state or municipal permits (28-27-5(b)). The same 10-ton / 250,000 BTU threshold exempts a journeyperson-level licensee from needing a separate sheet metal license (28-27-5.1(b)). Sheet metal work is broadly defined at 28-27-28(c) to include duct work, fans, dampers, louvers, registers, grills, diffusers, mixing boxes, hoods and 'all appurtenances relating to HVAC and exhaust systems and the testing, adjusting, and balancing of all air-handling equipment and duct work.'
Renewal is keyed to your birthday, and lapsing has a hard two-year cliff: 'Every license issued by the division of professional regulation to license holders born in odd years shall expire on the birthday of the individual qualifying for the license in odd years and all licenses issued ... to license holders born in even years shall expire on the birthday of the individual qualifying for the license in even years and all licenses may be renewed on or before their expiration date, upon payment of the appropriate fee' (28-27-17(c)) - a two-year cycle, which is why DLT's own application labels every fee a '2 Year License Fee.' A licensed master, contractor, journeyperson or apprentice who does not renew on or before their birthdate 'shall be required to pay a twelve-dollar-per-month ($12) administrative assessment fee for the first two (2) years of delinquency, plus outstanding license fees. If a license is not renewed within two (2) years of its expiration it shall result in a forfeiture of the license ... In the case of forfeiture, a license may only be reinstated by the person taking a test for a new license' (28-27-17.1). The rule states the same two-year reinstatement window and adds that for military service personnel a license's validity continues for the duration, not to exceed four years (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.3(A)(14)). All fines and penalties must be paid in full before any license issues (2.5).
Permits, and a note on Contractors' Registration Board registration: Nothing in chapter 28-27 stops a city, town or the state from requiring permits for the installation, maintenance, repair and servicing of refrigeration/air conditioning or air distribution systems and collecting fees for them. Where a permit is required, 'a condition of its issuance shall be that the contractor's license number and a copy of the contractor's license first be affixed on the permit which must be signed by the contractor,' and the permit must be obtained before the installation; where an emergency replacement or repair must be performed, the permit application must be submitted the next business day to the office of mechanical inspection (28-27-20). On the separate question of registering with the Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board under chapter 5-65: after listing the subcontractor categories that must register, the statute provides that 'No subcontractor licensed by another in-state agency pursuant to 5-65-2 shall be required to register, provided that said work is performed under the purview of that license' (5-65-3(i)). A city, town or the state may not issue a building permit to anyone required to be registered who lacks a current registration or valid license (5-65-3(c)).
Federal refrigerant certification is separate: EPA Section 608 technician certification under the Clean Air Act and 40 CFR part 82, subpart F is a FEDERAL requirement for anyone who maintains, services, repairs or disposes of appliances that could release refrigerant. It is held by the individual technician, it applies in Rhode Island as everywhere else, and it is neither issued by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training nor a substitute for a Rhode Island refrigeration journeyperson or master license. Holding EPA 608 does not let a person work as a refrigeration technician in Rhode Island.

Legal basis

Rhode Island Mechanical Board - Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation Unit, Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training administers HVAC technician licensing in Rhode Island. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

Rhode Island does not issue a credential named ‘HVAC license.’ The cooling half of HVAC is licensed as REFRIGERATION/AIR CONDITIONING: the individual credentials are ‘Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I’ and ‘Class II’ and ‘Refrigeration Master Class I’ and ‘Class II’ (the department’s own paperwork abbreviates them RJ1, RJ2, RM1, RM2), and the statute calls a master-level licensee with a place of business a ‘master refrigeration contractor’ and the technician a ‘journeyperson refrigeration technician.’ The heating half - boilers, hydronic, steam and warm air systems - is licensed under the PIPEFITTER classes (PM1, PM2, PJ1, PJ2), which is why the state also issues a ‘Master Mechanical Contractor’ license to someone who has held both a Pipefitter Master I and a Refrigeration Master I for ten years each. Searches for a ‘Rhode Island HVAC license,’ ‘AC license,’ ‘air conditioning license’ or ‘mechanical license’ map to these credentials, all issued by the Department of Labor and Training, whose Division of Professional Regulation houses the Mechanical Board that examines and regulates these trades - not by a contractors’ board. Two distinctions matter for readers: ‘Class II’ is a genuinely limited license (up to 20-ton comfort cooling systems and up to 3-ton product cooling or 1 horsepower freezing), not merely a junior version of Class I; and ‘contractor master’ and ‘contractor license’ are business-level credentials (28-27-6, 28-27-6.2) that do not by themselves let anyone perform installation, maintenance or repair work. Separately, EPA Section 608 refrigerant-handling certification is a FEDERAL credential held by the individual technician and is neither issued by Rhode Island nor a substitute for a Rhode Island refrigeration license.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I (unlimited) - the core HVAC/AC technician license	A 'journeyperson refrigeration technician' is statutorily defined as 'any person who has completed an appropriate ten thousand (10,000) hour registered apprenticeship program in accordance with chapter 45 of this title, and has passed a refrigeration technician examination and who does work in refrigeration/air conditioning subject to provisions of this chapter' (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-4.1). The rule adds the classroom side and the supervision rule: a minimum of 10,000 hours of on-the-job training with a minimum of 144 hours of trade-related schooling per year, as a properly registered apprentice in a Rhode Island approved apprenticeship program, with the certificate of completion attached to the application; two years of schooling at an accredited institution recognized by the Department of Labor and Training may be deducted from the apprenticeship (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.14). This license is UNLIMITED as to restriction on work but 'Cannot be self-employed' - a journeyperson 'shall only be entitled to work as an employee of the properly licensed master permit holder' (28-27-5.1(c)). Under 28-27-11(a)(3) every examination route runs through the state apprentice registration: the applicant must have 'possessed prior to the filing of the application a certificate of registration in full force and effect from the department of labor and training specifying the person as a registered apprentice pursuant to sec. 28-45-13', AND the application must carry one of three affidavits - the RI apprenticeship-hours route, the college/associate-degree-plus-three-years route, or proof of a license issued under the laws of another state.	A Rhode Island journeyperson refrigeration examination administered by the Division of Professional Regulation with the aid and cooperation of the board (28-27-11, 28-27-14). The department provides and conducts examinations three times each year (28-27-14); an application must be filed at least 15 days prior to the examination date (28-27-11(b)). Passing score is 70 or greater, after which the applicant is invoiced for the license fee (DLT Mechanical Trade License application, rev. July 2025). Any applicant who fails may retake at any of the three examinations scheduled during the year, and 'Every retest shall require payment of a separate test fee' (28-27-16).	Test fee $75.00 and license fee $72.00, with a renewal fee of $72.00 (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-17(a)). The live DLT Mechanical Trade License application charges a $75.00 non-refundable application processing fee and lists $72 as the 2-year license fee (invoiced after a passing score of 70 or greater); on that form the RJ1 (computer code 006) fee line is printed under its 'OUT-OF-STATE LICENSE HOLDERS' heading, while 28-27-17(a) sets the same $72 license fee for all applicants.
Refrigeration Journeyperson Class II (limited)	The limited journeyperson tier. Minimum of 4,000 hours of on-the-job training with a minimum of 288 hours of trade-related schooling, as a properly registered apprentice in a Rhode Island approved apprenticeship program, with the certificate of completion attached; two years of schooling at a recognized accredited institution may be deducted from the apprenticeship (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.15). Cannot be self-employed. SCOPE LIMIT: 'Limited to installations up to 20-ton comfort cooling systems and installations up to 3-ton product cooling or l Horsepower freezing.' The rule also sets the competence expectations (single- and three-phase power wiring and control systems; evacuating fractional horsepower systems; charging, testing, balancing and adjusting small closed systems; familiarity with gases, refrigerants, fluxes, solder and torches) and an apprentice ratio on which the rule conflicts with itself, so both provisions are stated: 2.15(G) permits 'one (1) apprentice per three (3) licensed persons for on-the-job training', while the definitions section 2.3(A)(11) defines 'Class II restrictions on ratios' as 'one (1) apprentice per two (2) properly licensed persons' (with a one-to-one exception for sheet metal Class II). Either way, a registered apprentice must at all times work under the direct supervision of a Refrigeration Master I or II or a Refrigeration Journeyperson I or II. UPGRADE PATH: a Refrigeration Journeyperson II may apply for a Refrigeration Journeyperson I license by re-entering the Journeyperson I apprenticeship program, serving an additional 6,000 hours of on-the-job training plus an additional 432 hours of related training, working under a Refrigeration Master I or Refrigeration Journeyperson I (2.15(H)). The minimum on-the-job learning hours are also fixed in statute: a refrigeration I apprenticeship program is at least 10,000 hours and a refrigeration II program at least 4,000 hours, and every registered apprenticeship must include 144 hours of related instruction concurrently with each 2,000-hour period of on-the-job learning (28-27-18.2(b)).	The Rhode Island Refrigeration Journeyperson Class II examination, on the same three-times-a-year schedule and 15-day filing deadline, passing score 70 or greater (28-27-11, 28-27-14; DLT Mechanical Trade License application).	Test fee $75.00, license fee $60.00, renewal $60.00 (28-27-17(a)); the DLT application (computer code 007, RJ2) lists a $75.00 application processing fee and a $60 two-year license fee.
Refrigeration Master Class I (unlimited) - the license that lets you contract	'Master refrigeration contractor' means 'a person having a regular place of business and who, by him or herself or a journeyperson refrigeration technician in his or her employ, performs refrigeration/air conditioning work' (28-27-4(c)). Eligibility: hold a Rhode Island Refrigeration Journeyperson I license for one year, or hold a Rhode Island Refrigeration Master II for one year (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.12(B)); by statute the applicant must hold a Rhode Island journeyperson certificate in full force for a minimum of one year, or produce an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence of an out-of-state master license (28-27-10(a)(3)). Where a state has no Refrigeration Master Class I license, an out-of-state applicant may instead submit a notarized resume showing six years' experience, one of which is as a contractor. Can be self-employed; must have a regular place of business; unlimited as to restriction on work. Operating conditions in the rule: all vehicles and places of business must display the DLT-issued license class and number in lettering at least 3 inches; the licensee must carry the license and affix the license number to any advertisement, contract, bid and applicable permit (2.12(G), (I); 28-27-5(a)); and the licensee must have a working knowledge of Rhode Island workers' compensation, temporary disability, state and federal tax withholding, Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage law, state occupational safety and federal OSHA law, and the ICC State Building Code (Mechanical Code) SBC-4 (510-RICR-00-00-4).	The Rhode Island Refrigeration Master Class I examination (28-27-10). The test application must be accompanied by the test fee, applications must be filed at least 15 days prior to the examination date, and the license issues on passing plus payment of the license fee (28-27-10(a)-(b), 28-27-15). Passing score 70 or greater (DLT Mechanical Trade License application).	Test fee $75.00, license fee $240.00, renewal $240.00 (28-27-17(a)); the DLT application (computer code 002, RM1) lists the $75.00 processing fee and a $240 two-year license fee.
Refrigeration Master Class II (limited)	Eligibility: hold a Rhode Island Refrigeration Journeyperson Class II license for three years (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.13(B)); an out-of-state Master Class II refrigeration license allows the applicant to be tested, and where a state has no such license a notarized resume showing six years' experience, three of which are as a contractor, may accompany the application. Can be self-employed and must have a regular place of business. SCOPE LIMIT: 'Limited to installations up to 20-ton comfort cooling systems and installations up to 3-ton product cooling or up to l Horsepower freezing.' The rule expects a working knowledge of controls and wiring, layout and blueprint reading, and of the Refrigeration Journeyperson Class II scope, plus the same vehicle-lettering, license-number and business-law knowledge conditions as the Class I master.	The Rhode Island Refrigeration Master Class II examination, same filing and scheduling rules, passing score 70 or greater (28-27-10, 28-27-14; DLT Mechanical Trade License application).	Test fee $75.00, license fee $96.00, renewal $96.00 (28-27-17(a)); the DLT application (computer code 003, RM2) lists the $75.00 processing fee and a $96 two-year license fee.
Master Mechanical Contractor - the combined heating-and-cooling credential	The top of the mechanical ladder, and the reason a full-service Rhode Island HVAC business often needs both trades. 'Master mechanical contractor' means 'any person who has worked as a contractor and has been associated in both trades of pipefitting and refrigeration for at least ten (10) years as a Rhode Island Licensed Pipefitter Master I and at least ten (10) years as a Rhode Island Licensed Refrigeration Master I' (28-27-4.4(a)). The rule describes the same credential as unlimited heating, cooling and process work; the applicant must have been associated in both trades for 20 years or more, prove expertise and knowledge by a notarized resume, provide evidence to the Chief Administrator of up-to-date knowledge maintained through periodic schooling and trade seminars, furnish evidence of installed, completed or operating installations if requested, and have passed the examinations for both the Pipefitter Master I and Refrigeration Master I licenses. 'Final awarding of this license is also based upon the past performance of applicant as a heating and refrigeration contractor,' and 'Advancement to this license is by approval of Chief Administrator after evaluation of applicant's resume by the board' (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.6). Can be self-employed.	No separate examination - the DLT Mechanical Trade License application marks this license 'NO TEST,' and the fee table at 28-27-17(a) likewise shows no test fee for it. The trade competency comes from the two underlying master examinations already passed.	SOURCES CONFLICT AND THIS RECORD REPORTS BOTH. R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-4.4(b) states: 'The license fee for a master mechanical contractor is two hundred forty dollars ($240).' The fee table in R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-17(a) lists Master Mechanical Contractor at a LICENSE fee of 480.00 and a RENEWAL fee of 480.00 with no test fee. The live DLT Mechanical Trade License application (rev. July 2025) matches the table, listing Master Mechanical Contractor (code MMA 001) as 'NO TEST' with a $480 two-year license fee. The $480 figure appears in both the statutory fee schedule and the department's current application; 28-27-4.4(b) has not been amended since P.L. 2002, ch. 65, art. 13, while 28-27-17 was last amended in 2024. Confirm the amount with the Professional Regulation Unit before paying.
Contractor license for the business entity, and the Contractor Master license	Rhode Island licenses the FIRM as well as the person. No corporation, firm, association or partnership may engage in business, advertise, apply for and take out permits, bid for work or represent itself as a mechanical, pipefitter, refrigeration/air conditioning, fire protection sprinkler or sheet metal contractor unless either a licensed master of the applicable trade 'is continuously engaged in the supervision of that entity's installation, maintenance, and repair work and the licensed master is an officer of the corporation, a partner in the partnership, or a similarly authorized principal,' or the entity itself holds a contractor license issued by DLT (28-27-6(a)). The entity's contractor license must state that the holder either has a master's license in the mechanical trades and is continuously engaged in supervising the entity's work as an officer or principal, or continuously employs such a master. The contractor license lets the entity do business, advertise, bid and take out permits, but 'shall not, however, in and of itself, permit a principal, officer, employee, or agent of the entity holding the license to individually engage in installation, maintenance, or repair work ... unless the principal, officer, employee, or agent is individually licensed to do so' (28-27-6(b)). A licensed master or contractor master may represent only ONE such entity at a time (28-27-6(d)), and if that master ceases to be an officer or continuously employed, the entity must notify DLT in writing within 14 days of the cessation and name the replacement within 45 days (28-27-6(e)). A mechanical-trades entity also cannot incorporate, form, qualify to do business or register with the Secretary of State until that office has written confirmation from DLT that all requisite licenses have issued and are in good standing (28-27-6(f)). Separately, 28-27-6.2 creates a 'contractor master' class - a pipefitter, refrigeration-air conditioning, sheet metal or fire protection sprinkler contractor master - which cannot itself authorize the holder to do installation, maintenance or repair work and may be used only in conjunction with an entity contractor license; the rule's route to it is a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or Business Administration (or a board-approved equivalent) plus at least 4 years of relevant experience in the discipline applied for, two employer affidavits, two character references, the entity's EIN, and copies of the entity's current workers' compensation and general liability policies (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.7).	For the contractor master license, the applicant must possess the skill, expertise, education, experience and training DLT requires by regulation, and the application must be accompanied by a test fee equal to the fee for a Pipefitter Master I; on passing the contractor master examination, the license fee likewise equals the Pipefitter Master I fee (28-27-6.2(b)-(c)). Applications must be filed at least 15 days before the examination date. The entity contractor license carries no separate trade examination: the application fee and license fee 'shall be equal to the fee for a mechanical contractor, pipefitter, refrigeration-air conditioning, sheet metal, fire protection sprinkler systems master, or sheet metal contractor license as described in 28-27-17' (28-27-6(b)).	Pipefitter Master I is the reference rate: test $75.00, license $240.00, renewal $240.00 (28-27-17(a)) - so a contractor master pays $75 test and $240 license. The DLT Mechanical Trade License application confirms $75 processing plus $240 for Contractor Master (code 20.) and for each trade-specific variant it lists: Contractor Master Pipefitter (20.1), Contractor Master Refrigeration (20.2), Contractor Master Sheet Metal (20.5) and Contractor Master Sprinkler (20.4).
Refrigeration/air conditioning apprentice (registered apprenticeship - the entry point)	'Refrigeration/air conditioning apprentice' means 'any person at least eighteen (18) years of age who is learning and working at the business of refrigeration/air conditioning under the direct supervision of a refrigeration/air conditioning master or journeyperson as a registered apprentice in an appropriate apprenticeship program registered in accordance with chapter 45 of this title' (28-27-4.3(e)). Any person who has agreed to work under the supervision of a licensed refrigeration/air conditioning master under a DLT-registered apprenticeship program is issued a certificate of apprenticeship under 28-45-13 (28-27-18(a)). The rule adds that an apprentice must be sponsored (employed) by a licensed Master Contractor, be under the direct supervision of a licensed Master or Journeyperson, and complete a minimum 4,000-hour (2-year) to 10,000-hour (5-year) on-the-job training program with a minimum of 144 hours of trade-related schooling per year (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.3(A)(5)). No person may work as a refrigeration/air conditioning apprentice, or represent themselves as one, without a valid license or registration issued by DLT (28-27-5.1(a)).	No entry examination. The apprenticeship is the qualifying credential for the journeyperson examination: 'To be eligible applicants for mechanical licensing exams, apprentices shall complete an applicable registered apprenticeship program in Rhode Island. Apprentices shall provide transcripts of completed related instruction and work record books from employer(s), or other reasonably satisfactory evidence, to document completion of a registered apprenticeship program appropriate to the license being applied for' (28-27-18.1). Credit for prior learning granted by an apprenticeship sponsor also requires the written approval of the state mechanical board; registered apprentices may receive credit for 144 hours of classroom training gained in a career and technical education program authorized by the board of education, or a maximum of 288 hours gained over two academic years, on successful completion of a course of study at a fully accredited trade school approved by the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner and the DLT apprenticeship council (28-27-18.2(a)). Rhode Island indentured apprentices apply for a journeyperson examination using DLT's Apprentice Completion & Application for Examination form together with the Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship issued by the DLT Apprenticeship Office.	No separate license fee is listed for the refrigeration/air conditioning apprentice in the fee schedule at 28-27-17(a) or on the DLT Mechanical Trade License application; the apprentice is registered through the DLT Apprenticeship Office under 28-45-13 rather than fee-licensed through the mechanical fee table.

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Rhode Island’s mechanical-trades exemptions live in several places, and reading only the section headed ‘Persons and acts exempt’ misses most of them. (1) THE STATED EXEMPTION, R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-29(a): ‘The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to persons classified as maintenance personnel regularly in the employ of a public utility company doing utility company work, hospitals, schools, city, town or state employees regularly employed as maintenance personnel on the premises of the employer, and to any person employed in a plant maintenance department.’ The section then bounds itself, and the boundary is what decides most disputes: ‘(b) “Maintenance” is confined to the specific premise and means preserving or repairing anything that exists and can be maintained by persons regularly employed within a specific building or complex. Normally, city or town permits are not required for this work, nor is a state pipefitters/refrigeration or sheet metal workers license. (c) “Service work” means work performed by state licensed qualified tradespersons or pipefitters/refrigeration mechanics or sheet metal workers. (d) “Installation or new construction” means the modification, altering, or installation of any piping/refrigeration or air distribution systems or their components (i.e., boilers, pumps, compressors, circulators, fans, and coils). This work requires state licensed pipefitter/refrigeration workers or sheet metal workers and city and town or state mechanical permits. If boiler installation is over two hundred thousand (200,000) BTU’s on commercial work, a state boiler permit from occupational safety is required.’ So an in-house maintenance employee may preserve or repair what already exists on their own employer’s premises, but modifying or installing systems or components is licensed work even for them; the rule reinforces this - ‘Maintenance does not cover the replacement of piping or equipment, which is normally covered under R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-28’ (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.3(A)(17)). (2) THE OWNER-OCCUPANT EXEMPTION, 28-27-6.1: ‘An owner of a single-family domestic dwelling who intends to occupy the premises himself or herself may, after approval by local municipal and/or state authorities and upon receipt of a permit, install pipefitting, refrigeration, sheet metal, or fire protection sprinkler systems work in Rhode Island without being licensed by the division of professional regulation. The work must conform to the best installation practices of the trade and all applicable portions of the B.O.A.C.A. code and procedures adopted by the division of professional regulation.’ The permission is conditioned on owner-occupancy, prior approval, a permit, and code-conforming work - it is not a general homeowner exemption. (3) THE DOMESTIC PLUG-IN UNIT CARVE-OUT inside the licensing section itself, 28-27-28(a)(2): ‘Heating piping system does not mean or include, and nothing in the regulation shall be held or construed to have any application to, the installation or servicing as detailed of factory manufactured domestic plug-in units or other package assemblies not requiring special wiring over and above the normal #5 AWG wire used in domestic two hundred twenty (220) volt household duplex receptacles for sixteen (16) AMP branch circuits with two (2) or three (3) outlets, field hook up or checking by qualified licensed pipefitters/refrigeration technicians. “Servicing” as defined for these units means the seasonal filter changes or general cleaning, and shall be made obvious to the consumer by clearly printing on the work order or bills that the consumer is not paying for state licensed masters or journeypersons doing mechanical service work. Commercial applications of domestic units shall be regulated pursuant to 28-27-1.’ Three limits sit at the end of that clause and reverse the answer if the quote is cut short: the unit must not need wiring beyond a normal domestic 220-volt receptacle circuit, ‘servicing’ means only seasonal filter changes or general cleaning and must be disclosed in writing on the work order or bill, and commercial applications of domestic units are regulated. (4) THE TESTING-AND-BALANCING EXEMPTION, 28-27-28(c), at the end of the sheet metal definition: ‘Holders of the NEBB (National Environmental Balancing Bureau), AABC (Associated Air Balancing Council) or a TABB (Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau) certificate are exempt for the purposes of testing and balancing HVAC systems’ - exempt for those purposes only. (5) SCOPE LIMITS ON WHAT THE BOARD REACHES, 28-27-1.0: the board’s remit over heating, cooling, air distribution, fire protection and venting systems ‘shall exclude those systems that are self-contained home appliances and all piping systems specified under the plumbing law.’ (6) NO SECOND LICENSE FOR SMALL SHEET METAL WORK, 28-27-5(b) and 28-27-5.1(b): a holder of a valid master or journeyperson-level license under this chapter is not required to obtain an additional license to perform sheet metal work ‘when AC air handling equipment is ten (10) tons or less or when heating equipment does not exceed 250,000 BTUs’ - and above those thresholds the master may bid and contract the work but must subcontract it to a properly licensed sheet metal contractor, who must secure the state or municipal permits. (7) FIRE-PROTECTION SCOPE BOUNDARY, 28-27-28(b): the fire protection licensing requirement applies to that work ‘when, and only when, carried out within a building or structure, or within five feet (5’) of the outer wall of a building or structure,’ and it excludes ‘any engineering design work connected with the layout of fire protection sprinkler systems.’ (8) OUTSIDE THIS CHAPTER, 5-65-3(i): ‘No subcontractor licensed by another in-state agency pursuant to 5-65-2 shall be required to register’ with the Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board, ‘provided that said work is performed under the purview of that license.’

Fees

Two charges apply: a test/processing fee paid with the application and a license fee that covers the two-year term. From the statutory fee schedule at R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-17(a) (TEST / LICENSE / RENEWAL): Master Mechanical Contractor - / 480.00 / 480.00; Contractor Master 75.00 / 240.00 / 240.00; Pipefitter Master I 75.00 / 240.00 / 240.00; Pipefitter Master II 75.00 / 96.00 / 96.00; Refrigeration Master I 75.00 / 240.00 / 240.00; Refrigeration Master II 75.00 / 96.00 / 96.00; Pipefitter Journeyperson I 75.00 / 72.00 / 72.00; Pipefitter Journeyperson II 75.00 / 60.00 / 60.00; Refrigeration Journeyperson I 75.00 / 72.00 / 72.00; Refrigeration Journeyperson II 75.00 / 60.00 / 60.00; Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitters Master I 75.00 / 240.00 / 240.00; Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitters Journeyperson I 75.00 / 72.00 / 72.00; Sheet Metal Contractor 75.00 / 240.00 / 240.00; Sheet Metal Worker Journeyperson 75.00 / 72.00 / 72.00. The live DLT Mechanical Trade License application (rev. July 2025) charges ‘A Non-Refundable Application Processing Fee of $75.00 in the form of a check or money order made payable to the R.I. Department of Labor & Training (Credit cards accepted - in person only)’ and lists the same license amounts as two-year license fees, invoiced only after a passing score of 70 or greater; it also prices several limited licenses the statute’s table does not itemize, including the Gas Serviceman (Natural Gas) PJF and Gas Serviceman (Propane Gas) Journeyperson II PJF and O/B Serviceman Journeyperson II PJF at $75 / $144, and Fire Suppression LTD, Decorative Heating Appliances LTD, Welding LTD, Gas Station LTD and Synthetic Exhaust Ducting LTD at $75 / $60. ONE CONFLICT, REPORTED NOT RESOLVED: R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-4.4(b) says ‘The license fee for a master mechanical contractor is two hundred forty dollars ($240),’ while the fee table at 28-27-17(a) and the department’s current application both put the Master Mechanical Contractor at $480. The P.J.F. limited journeyperson II oil burnerperson’s license is set separately at a $72.00 license fee and a $72.00 renewal fee (28-27-5.2(d)). LATE RENEWAL: a licensee who does not renew by their birthdate pays a $12-per-month administrative assessment for the first two years of delinquency plus outstanding license fees, and a license not renewed within two years of expiration is forfeited and can only be regained by testing for a new license (28-27-17.1). All fines and penalties must be paid in full before any license issues (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.5).

Exam

Rhode Island mechanical-trade licenses are examination licenses, administered by the Division of Professional Regulation of the Department of Labor and Training with the aid and cooperation of the board of examiners. The department provides and conducts examinations THREE TIMES EACH YEAR for applicants whose applications are on file, at places within the state consistent with the reasonable convenience of the applicant, and all test materials are preserved for three months after the test date (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-14). An application must be filed with the department at least 15 days prior to the examination date (28-27-10(b) for master applicants, 28-27-11(b) for journeyperson applicants, 28-27-6.2(d) for contractor master applicants). The passing mark is published on the department’s own application: ‘Individuals who achieve a passing score of 70 or greater will be invoiced for the License Fee’ (DLT Mechanical Trade License application, rev. July 2025) - so the license fee is billed after the exam is passed, while the $75.00 non-refundable processing fee is paid up front with the application. An applicant who fails may take any of the three examinations scheduled during the year, and ‘Every retest shall require payment of a separate test fee’ (28-27-16). Eligibility to sit is the gate that matters most: a journeyperson applicant must already hold a certificate of registration as a registered apprentice under 28-45-13 and document completion of the registered apprenticeship with transcripts of related instruction and employer work record books (28-27-11(a)(3), 28-27-18.1), or carry one of the other 28-27-11(a)(3) affidavits (the college/associate-degree-plus-three-years route, or an out-of-state journeyperson license) - each of which still requires the RI registered-apprentice certificate precondition; a master applicant must hold a Rhode Island journeyperson license in full force for at least one year, or show an out-of-state master license (28-27-10(a)(3)). The Master Mechanical Contractor is the exception - the department’s application marks it ‘NO TEST’ and the fee schedule lists no test fee, because the applicant has already passed both the Pipefitter Master I and Refrigeration Master I examinations. The application packet also requires government-issued photo identification, a notarized application, and a separate notarized statement on company letterhead from a present or past employer detailing all work-related experience; incomplete applications are returned to the applicant unprocessed. Rhode Island indentured apprentices use DLT’s Apprentice Completion & Application for Examination form and must include the Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship issued by the DLT Apprenticeship Office.

Renewal & continuing education

A two-year cycle keyed to the licensee’s birthday and the parity of their birth year: licenses held by people born in ODD years expire on the licensee’s birthday in odd years, and licenses held by people born in EVEN years expire on the licensee’s birthday in even years; any license may be renewed on or before its expiration date on payment of the appropriate fee, and any credit due in an initial changeover year is determined by the chief administrator of the division (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27-17(c)). The department’s own Mechanical Trade License application labels each amount a ‘2 Year License Fee,’ confirming the two-year term. Missing the date is expensive and eventually fatal to the license: a licensed master, contractor, journeyperson or apprentice who does not renew on or before their birthdate must pay a $12-per-month administrative assessment fee for the first two years of delinquency plus the outstanding license fees, and ‘If a license is not renewed within two (2) years of its expiration it shall result in a forfeiture of the license, notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter. In the case of forfeiture, a license may only be reinstated by the person taking a test for a new license’ (28-27-17.1). The rule restates the two-year reinstatement window and adds a military exception: for military service personnel who are licensees, validity continues for the duration of service, not to exceed four years (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.3(A)(14)); the statute separately addresses certificates expiring while the licensee is in federal service (28-27-17.2). All fines and penalties must be paid in full before any license issues (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.5). Licensees must notify the department of a change of address (28-27-13). None for the mechanical trades. Neither R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 28-27 (Mechanical Trades) nor the mechanical trades regulation, 260-RICR-30-15-2 (Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians, Sprinklerfitters, Sheet Metal Workers and Oil Heat Contractors), imposes a continuing education requirement on a refrigeration or pipefitter journeyperson, master, contractor master or master mechanical contractor: renewal turns on paying the fee on or before the birthday deadline (28-27-17(c)) and clearing any fines (260-RICR-30-15-2, 2.5). What the rule does require of masters and contractors is standing knowledge rather than credit hours - a working knowledge of Rhode Island workers’ compensation and temporary disability law, state and federal tax withholding, the federal Davis-Bacon Act and state prevailing wage law, state occupational safety and federal OSHA law, and the International Code Council State Building Code (Mechanical Code) SBC-4 (510-RICR-00-00-4) - and for the Master Mechanical Contractor specifically, evidence to the Chief Administrator ’that an up to date knowledge of the trades is maintained, by periodic schooling of a general nature and trade seminars or installations demanding applicant’s expertise’ (2.6(A)(2)). DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH THE PLUMBING REQUIREMENT: Rhode Island has a mandatory continuing education requirement for licensed master and journeyperson PLUMBERS under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-20-23(f), which the State Board of Examiners for Plumbing has set at a 7-hour training program for each two-year license cycle, to be enforced beginning January 2027, with an exemption where the licensee’s years as a licensed master or journeyperson plumber plus their age total 80 (5-20-23(g)). That requirement is addressed to plumbers, not to the mechanical trades.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Rhode Island Mechanical Board - Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation Unit, Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Does Rhode Island require an HVAC license?

Yes, and it licenses the individual technician, not just the company. Rhode Island regulates HVAC through the Mechanical Trades chapter, R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27, administered by the Mechanical Board within the Department of Labor and Training’s Division of Professional Regulation. No person may work as a refrigeration/air conditioning journeyperson or apprentice, or advertise as one, without a valid DLT license carried on their person (28-27-5.1(a)), and no person may run a mechanical-trades business as a master or employer, contract for the work, or advertise that they will install refrigeration/air conditioning or air distribution systems without a master license (28-27-5(a)). The contracting entity separately needs a licensed master as a continuously supervising officer or principal, or its own contractor license (28-27-6). Working for a licensed company does not cover an unlicensed technician.

What HVAC licenses does Rhode Island issue?

On the cooling side: Refrigeration Journeyperson Class I (unlimited) and Class II (limited), and Refrigeration Master Class I (unlimited) and Class II (limited), plus the registered refrigeration/air conditioning apprenticeship that feeds them. Class II is capped at installations up to 20-ton comfort cooling systems and up to 3-ton product cooling or 1 horsepower freezing; Class I is unlimited. Only masters can be self-employed - a journeyperson works as an employee of the licensed master permit holder. Above the trade licenses sit the entity contractor license and the contractor master license (28-27-6, 28-27-6.2), and at the top the Master Mechanical Contractor, which requires ten years as a Rhode Island Pipefitter Master I and ten years as a Rhode Island Refrigeration Master I. The heating side of HVAC - boilers, hydronic and warm air systems - belongs to the PIPEFITTER licenses, which is why the Master Mechanical Contractor exists.

How much does a Rhode Island refrigeration/HVAC license cost?

Every mechanical application carries a $75.00 non-refundable processing fee (which is also the statutory test fee), and the license fee covers the two-year term and is invoiced after a passing score of 70 or greater. From the statutory fee table at 28-27-17(a), matched by the department’s current application: Refrigeration Journeyperson II $60; Refrigeration Journeyperson I $72; Refrigeration Master II $96; Refrigeration Master I $240; Contractor Master (including the refrigeration variant) $240. Renewal is the same amount as the license fee. The Master Mechanical Contractor is the one figure with conflicting official sources: 28-27-4.4(b) states a $240 license fee, while the fee table at 28-27-17(a) and the department’s July 2025 application both show $480 with no test - confirm with the Professional Regulation Unit before paying. Renewing late costs $12 per month for the first two years of delinquency plus the outstanding fees.

What experience and exams does Rhode Island require for a refrigeration journeyperson?

A journeyperson refrigeration technician must have completed an appropriate 10,000-hour registered apprenticeship under R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 28-45 and passed the refrigeration technician examination (28-27-4.1); the Class II limited journeyperson route is a 4,000-hour registered apprenticeship with 288 hours of trade-related schooling. Every registered apprenticeship must include 144 hours of related instruction concurrently with each 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning (28-27-18.2(b)), and two years of schooling at a recognized accredited institution may be deducted from the apprenticeship. Alternative statutory routes are two academic years of a refrigeration/air conditioning course (or an associate degree) plus three years as a registered apprentice employed by a licensed master, or an out-of-state journeyperson license. Examinations are given three times a year, applications must be filed at least 15 days ahead, and 70 or greater passes. A Class II journeyperson can move up to Class I by re-entering the Class I apprenticeship for an additional 6,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 432 hours of related training.

Does Rhode Island require continuing education to renew a mechanical license?

No. Neither the Mechanical Trades chapter (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-27) nor the mechanical trades regulation (260-RICR-30-15-2) imposes continuing education on refrigeration or pipefitter journeypersons, masters, contractor masters or master mechanical contractors - renewal turns on paying the fee by the birthday deadline and clearing any fines. Rhode Island’s mandatory continuing education requirement (a 7-hour program per two-year cycle under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-20-23(f), to be enforced beginning January 2027) applies to licensed master and journeyperson PLUMBERS, not to the mechanical trades. Note that renewal timing is unusual here: your license expires on your birthday, in odd years if you were born in an odd year and in even years if you were born in an even year, and a license not renewed within two years of expiration is forfeited and can only be regained by testing for a new license.

Do I need a Contractors' Registration Board registration too, and what about permits?

For work performed under a DLT mechanical license, no separate Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board registration is required: after listing the subcontractor trades that must register, R.I. Gen. Laws 5-65-3(i) provides that ‘No subcontractor licensed by another in-state agency pursuant to 5-65-2 shall be required to register, provided that said work is performed under the purview of that license.’ Permits are a different matter and do apply: cities, towns and the state may require permits for the installation, maintenance, repair and servicing of refrigeration/air conditioning and air distribution systems and collect fees, the contractor’s license number and a copy of the license must be affixed to the permit and signed by the contractor, and the permit must be obtained before the installation - with emergency replacements or repairs requiring the permit application to be submitted the next business day to the office of mechanical inspection (28-27-20). Separately, EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is a federal credential and is not a Rhode Island license.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Rhode Island.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 25, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.