Texas HVAC (ACR) Exam Prep

About the Texas HVAC license

Texas licenses air-conditioning and refrigeration (ACR) tradespeople through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The credential that lets you contract for and supervise HVAC/R work is the ACR Contractor License, issued in two classes: Class A (no size limit — any size cooling or heating equipment) and Class B (cooling systems 25 tons and under and heating systems 1.5 million BTU/hr and under). The license also carries an endorsement for the type of work — Environmental Air Conditioning (comfort heating and cooling) and/or Commercial Refrigeration and Process Cooling/Heating — and you test in the endorsement(s) you seek. Below the contractor is the registered technician — a person who installs and services equipment under a licensed contractor's supervision but does not hold a contractor license. You earn the contractor license by meeting the experience requirement, carrying the required insurance, and passing the trade exam.

Your exam is built on the adopted mechanical code — either the International Mechanical Code (IMC) (with the International Fuel Gas Code) or the Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) (with the Uniform/NFPA fuel-gas rules) — plus the energy code and the federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant rules. The two model codes agree on the physics but differ in some tables and methods, so always work from the one Texas adopted, and check the edition on the bulletin.

Know these scope facts cold: the license is held by the individual; a Class B holder may not exceed the 25-ton / 1.5-million-BTU limits — that work requires Class A; most work requires a permit and inspection (rough-in and final); you must work within the class 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 Texas licensing works

• Experience (contractor): 48 months of practical ACR experience in the past 72 months under a licensed ACR contractor — or 36 months in the past 48 months plus 12 months holding a technician certification. A relevant degree, diploma, engineering license, or qualifying military training can reduce the requirement; check current rules on the bulletin.
• Registered technician: a separate, lower registration for those working under a contractor — generally two years of supervised ACR work and a department-approved certification program (about 2,000 hours of combined instruction and practical experience).
• Insurance: an ACR contractor must carry commercial general liability insurance for the life of the license, with minimum limits that depend on the class: Class A requires at least $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate, while Class B requires at least $100,000 per occurrence and $200,000 aggregate. Check the current limits and the required certificate-of-insurance form with TDLR.
• EPA certification: handling refrigerant requires federal EPA Section 608 certification (Type I, II, III, or Universal) — separate from the state license but often expected.
• Application: submit the application, fees, proof of experience, and certificate of insurance before you are approved to sit; complete all steps (including the exam) within one year of filing.
• Exam vendor: PSI. The passing score is 70 percent. The Class A exam runs roughly 120 questions in 230 minutes and the Class B exam roughly 100 questions in 170 minutes — check the current figures on the bulletin. The exam includes Texas ACR laws and rules alongside the trade topics.
• Renewal: licenses renew on a fixed cycle and usually require continuing education, including code-update hours.