Georgia Conditioned Air Contractor Exam Prep

About the Georgia Conditioned Air Contractor license

Georgia licenses mechanical (HVAC/R) tradespeople through the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board (State Board of Conditioned Air Contractors). There are two license classes: Class I (Restricted), limited to systems not exceeding 175,000 BTU/hr heating and 60,000 BTU/hr (5 tons) cooling — mostly residential — and Class II (Unrestricted), with no size limit, covering commercial and industrial work. The exam adds system design, load and duct sizing, code administration, and a business-and-law portion. A holder may design and install mechanical systems, pull permits, supervise journeymen and apprentices, and serve as the qualifying licensee for a conditioned air contracting business.

Your exam is built on Georgia's adopted State Minimum Standard Mechanical Code, which is the International Mechanical Code (IMC) with Georgia amendments (paired with the International Fuel Gas Code), plus the state energy code and the federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant rules. Georgia updates its adopted edition periodically (a 2024 IMC edition with Georgia amendments took effect January 1, 2026) — confirm the exact edition in force on your PSI candidate bulletin before you test, since exam tables are keyed to a specific edition.

Know these scope facts cold: the license is held by the individual; most work requires a permit and inspection (rough-in and final); you must work within the classification you hold; and unlicensed or out-of-scope work is a violation that can cost the license and carry penalties. The mechanical code exists to deliver safe combustion and venting, adequate ventilation, and safe refrigeration — the exam keeps returning to those safety purposes.

How Georgia licensing works

• Experience — Class I (4 years): 2 years of residential installation as a lead mechanic, 1 year as a service technician (must include your EPA certification), 1 year of residential supervisory experience, plus a board-approved heat-loss/heat-gain and duct-design course. A technical-school diploma in engineering/engineering technology can credit up to 2 years toward this; a vocational-technical certificate program up to 1 year.
• Experience — Class II (5 years): 2 years of installation as a lead mechanic (at least 1 year commercial), 1 year as a service technician or service supervisor (with EPA certification), 2 years of commercial supervisory experience, plus the same board-approved heat-loss/heat-gain and duct-design course.
• EPA certification: handling refrigerant requires federal EPA Section 608 certification (Type I, II, III, or Universal) — a prerequisite baked into the service-technician year of the experience requirement, not a separate add-on.
• Application: apply online through the state's GOALS portal (paper applications are no longer accepted). You'll need three notarized reference forms from licensed professionals (architect, engineer, inspector, or licensed conditioned air contractor) who can attest to your experience, plus a criminal background check.
• Exam vendor: PSI. Each class appointment is one examination of 3.5 hours. The handbook’s seven-hour day is Class I and Class II, with a break between them, not a separate business-and-law section plus a trade section. Laws and administration are 8 of the 100 scored items inside the same class exam. Confirm the current question count, fee, and time limit on the PSI candidate bulletin, since vendors update these periodically.
• Renewal: Conditioned air contractor licenses renew every two years, expiring November 30 of odd-numbered years (renewal window opens that September). Renewal requires 8 hours of continuing education — 4 hours per year under Rule 121-4-.03, in safety, technological advances, business management, or government regulations, not a mandated split of code hours and business hours — reduced to 4 hours if you've held the license 1-2 years, and waived in your first year or if you're also a licensed Professional Engineer.