HVAC License Certification in Arkansas
To obtain a license you must first complete Arkansas’ HVAC education and training requirments. If you want to work in the state I recommended you do some research on the licensing and certification requirements before you choose your school.
In the State of Arkansas, the HVACR Licensing Board issues licenses and registrations to all personnel associated with heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR). Prior to undertaking any commercial or residential HVACR projects, a contractor must obtain a license in the appropriate category. Though a freshly qualified technician isn’t required to have a license to perform tasks on HVACR equipment and systems, he or she may have to be registered under Ark. Code 17-33-303(d)(3) and work under an HVACR licensed contractor.
HVACR License Classification
There are six different classes of HVACR licenses in the State of Arkansas. The scope of work covered by each of these is as follows:
Class A – This category allows the license holder to perform HVACR work without limitation to BTUH (British Thermal Unit per hour of heat) or horsepower capacities.
Class B – A Class B license allows a person to perform HVACR work on air conditioning systems that develop a total of not more than 15 tons of cooling capacity per unit (or 1 million BTUH heating input per unit) and refrigeration systems of 15 horsepower or less per unit.
Class C – This category entitles a licensee who is in the business of servicing and repairing HVACR equipment for the public to service, repair or replace components of HVACR equipment and perform HVACR work on air conditioning systems that develop a total of not more than 15 tons cooling capacity per unit (or 1 million BTUH heating input per unit) and refrigeration systems of 15 horsepower or less per unit. A Class C license holder cannot install any original HVACR equipment or replace any existing HVACR equipment.
Class D – This category relates to performing “sheet metal” work associated with ductwork for HVACR systems without regard to or limitation of horsepower of the system to which the duct connects. The licensee in this category is prohibited from the sale, installation and service of HVACR equipment and systems.
Class E – A Class E license allows the licensee to perform “Refrigeration” work as defined in Ark. Code 17-33-101 without regard to or limitation of horsepower. The licensee in this category is prohibited from the sale, installation and service of heating and air conditioning equipment used for the treatment of air for human comfort requirements.
Class L – This category entitles the license holder to a “Lifetime” license to perform HVACR service and maintenance work on air conditioning systems that develop a total of not more than 15 tons cooling capacity per unit (or 1 million BTUH heating input per unit) and refrigeration systems of 15 horsepower or less per unit only. A Lifetime license holder shall not install any original equipment or replace any existing HVACR equipment.
Each of the above Classes of licenses is valid for 1 year from the original date of issuance. A person who designs HVACR systems as a service to a license holder and does not charge for that service is not required to obtain an HVACR license.
Licensing and Application requirements
To apply for a license in Class A, B, C, D or E, a person must be at least 18 years of age. The applicant is required to pass a Board approved examination and must also provide satisfactory evidence of having at least 2 years of experience as an HVACR contractor or an employee of an HVACR contractor. The Board may at its discretion substitute the experience requirement with any HVACR-related educational training that the applicant received. The educational training must however be approved by the Board. Copies of the applicant’s educational transcripts must be made available to the Board for consideration. For a Class “L” Lifetime license, an applicant must be at least 65 years of age and be eligible for a Class A, B, C, D or E license prior to application.
HVACR Examinations
Licensing examinations are conducted by the International Code Council (ICC) on behalf of the Arkansas HVACR Licensing Board. An applicant must obtain approval from the Board prior to appearing in the examination applicable to the class of license being sought. Once an approval has been obtained, the applicant can schedule either a Computer-based Test (CBT) or a Paper-and-Pencil (P&P) test at any of the ICC authorized testing centers. Both the CBT and the P&P are open-book exams that contain multiple-choice questions. Depending on the class of license being applied for, each examination covers different subject areas and also differs in the number of multiple-choice questions and the test duration.
Licensing, Registration and Examination fees
The licensing fee for a Class A contractor is $200 per year. Class B, D, and E contractors have to pay $150 per year for a license, and Class C contractors are charged $100 per year. There is no license fee for Class L “Lifetime” license holders. The fee for an HVAC registrant is $25 per year. The examination fee for each class of license is presently $55 for a P&P test, and $100 for a CBT test.
The State of Arkansas has reciprocal agreements with the States of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. The Board may therefore waive any licensing requirement for an applicant who is in good standing with those jurisdictions, and who provides a proof of examination that is deemed sufficient in content by the Board and equal to an Arkansas exam.
