Iowa · HVAC licensing · official-source guide
Iowa licenses HVAC, refrigeration, and hydronic work through the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board inside the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. Individuals need an apprentice, journeyperson, or master mechanical license; contracting businesses need a separate contractor license carrying $500,000 liability insurance and a $5,000 bond. State licensing preempts city licensing, though cities still require permits and inspections.
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Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing)State-level license
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-12. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Iowa licenses heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration work at the state level. The licensing authority is the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB), which sits inside the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL). PMSB was created by Iowa Code chapter 105 and covers five overlapping trade disciplines defined in that chapter: plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, and hydronic systems. Under Iowa Code section 105.10, a person may not operate as a contractor, or install or repair mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems, without a license issued by the board. A business performing this work must also keep a licensed master actively in charge of that work at all times, and a sole proprietor performing the work personally must hold the master license outright. This is not a voluntary certification. Working on ducted heating and cooling equipment, refrigeration equipment used for food preservation, or hydronic (boiler and chilled water) comfort systems without the correct PMSB license or master supervision is a violation of state law, separate from any federal refrigerant handling rules that also apply to the same work. DIAL also requires HVAC and mechanical contractors to carry a Contractor Registration under Iowa Code chapter 91C, which is distinct from, and submitted alongside, the PMSB contractor license. The board's licensing pages live under DIAL's site rather than a stand-alone board domain, reflecting a state government reorganization that folded the former plumbing and mechanical licensing functions into DIAL. Anyone researching this trade in Iowa should start at DIAL's Plumbing & Mechanical Systems pages rather than the old Department of Public Health licensing portals, which have been superseded for this board.
PMSB issues several distinct license levels that apply to HVAC, refrigeration, hydronic, and sheet metal work. The apprentice license is entry level and covers all plumbing and mechanical trade disciplines under one license, so an apprentice does not need a separate HVAC-specific apprentice credential. The journeyperson license and the master license are issued by discipline, and Iowa Code section 105.10 treats the mechanical discipline as the umbrella: a master mechanical licensee is not required to also hold a separate HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic license to do that work, and the same rule applies to a journeyperson mechanical license for installation and repair. The contractor license is a business-level credential, separate from the individual journeyperson and master licenses, and is required of any person or entity that performs HVAC, mechanical, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic work on a contractual basis for pay. PMSB also issues narrower specialty licenses, including the Service Technician HVAC Specialty License, a Medical Gas Piping Certification, a Hearth Systems Specialty License, and a Private School or College Routine Maintenance Specialty License, each limited to a defined scope of work rather than full HVAC-refrigeration practice. A Post-Examination Licensure application is the step that actually converts a passed exam into an issued journeyperson or master license; passing the test alone does not produce a license. Iowa Code section 105.2 separately defines HVAC as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, ducted systems, and refrigeration used for food processing or preservation, along with the gas lines tied to that equipment, which is the scope PMSB licenses actually cover for this trade.
An individual employee who designs, installs, or repairs HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems as a principal occupation needs an apprentice, journeyperson, or master license depending on experience, and must work under a licensed master or journeyperson as defined in Iowa Code section 105.2. A helper doing general manual labor while assisting a licensed worker is exempt from licensure, but time worked as a helper does not count as journeyperson experience. A business that contracts directly with customers to perform HVAC or mechanical work needs its own PMSB contractor license, plus a DIAL Contractor Registration under Iowa Code chapter 91C, regardless of whether its field technicians are separately licensed. Every contractor must have an actively employed master of record in each discipline in which it performs chapter 105 work; a contractor cannot legally take on HVAC jobs without one, though the board allows a grace period, and a six month window if an existing master of record leaves, before a new one must be named. A sole proprietor who personally performs the work must be the licensed master. Iowa Code section 105.11 carves out specific exemptions: property owners doing work on their own existing, homestead-eligible principal residence; engineers, architects, and certain other design professionals working exclusively within their own licensed profession; employees of municipal utilities, rural water districts, and similar utilities acting within their employment; and government employees working on government-owned facilities. None of these exemptions cover a business that markets or sells HVAC installation, service, or repair to the public, which is squarely inside the license requirement.
Iowa's apprentice license is the entry point into the plumbing and mechanical trades and covers HVAC, refrigeration, hydronic, sheet metal, and plumbing work under a single license rather than requiring a separate credential per discipline. To qualify, an applicant must be at least 18 years old and a high school graduate or hold a GED equivalent. Applicants must disclose any criminal convictions related to the profession, with a full written explanation, and the board reviews felony convictions to determine eligibility. An apprentice must certify that they are working under the supervision of a licensed journeyperson or master in the applicable discipline, and cannot knowingly perform work for a contractor that is not licensed. Enrollment in a registered apprenticeship program is mandatory: the applicant must be enrolled in a program registered with the United States Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship, and must supply that program's sponsorship details, including the apprentice identification number, apprenticeship start date, sponsor program number, and sponsor name and address, all of which come from the DOL indenture agreement. The Department of Labor also sets a supervision ratio of one apprentice to one journeyperson for a registered apprenticeship program to operate, unless a collective bargaining agreement sets a different ratio. Apprentice experience counts toward the four years of practical experience needed to sit the journeyperson exam, and beginning January 1, 2010, that experience must come from a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program rather than informal on the job time. Application and licensing fees for the apprentice license are listed on PMSB's fee schedule and are billed per the standard three year licensing cycle.
A journeyperson is defined in Iowa Code section 105.2 as someone who works under the direction of a licensed master to design, install, and repair plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems as their principal occupation. To qualify for a journeyperson HVAC-refrigeration or mechanical license, an applicant must be at least 18, disclose any criminal convictions for board review, and satisfy one of two paths: complete at least four years of practical experience as an apprentice and pass Iowa's journeyperson exam for that trade discipline, or hold an active master level license in the same discipline from another jurisdiction. Since January 1, 2010, the four years of practical experience must come from a United States Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program rather than informal work history. An apprentice may apply to sit the journeyperson exam up to six months before finishing the required 48 months of apprentice credit, including any advanced standing credit the board has approved. The process starts with a $35 Exam Approval Application per trade discipline; once approved, the applicant schedules a test through Kirkwood Community College, PMSB's approved testing provider, at one of 15 sites statewide, and pays Kirkwood's own exam fee separately, listed on the journeyperson page as currently $99 per attempt. Exam eligibility, once granted, is valid for one year and allows unlimited retakes within that window, each requiring a new Kirkwood fee. After passing, the applicant must still file a separate Post-Examination Licensure application and pay the prorated license fee before a journeyperson license is actually issued; the exam itself does not create a license. A journeyperson must work under a master licensed in the same discipline and cannot supervise apprentices outside that discipline.
Iowa Code section 105.2 defines a master as someone qualified to plan or superintend the design, installation, or repair of plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems and who is familiar with the governing laws and rules. To qualify for a master HVAC-refrigeration or mechanical license, an applicant must be at least 18, disclose criminal history for board review, and either already hold a journeyperson license with two years of journeyperson experience in that discipline or hold a master license in the same discipline from another jurisdiction, before passing PMSB's master level exam for that trade. The exam path again runs through Kirkwood Community College after a $35 Exam Approval Application, with the master page listing Kirkwood's own current exam fee as $95 per attempt, followed by a Post-Examination Licensure filing to actually receive the license. A master who supervises journeypersons or apprentices may only do so in the discipline the master is licensed in, and cannot knowingly supervise unlicensed workers or perform chapter 105 work for an unlicensed contractor. The 'master of record' concept is central to contractor licensing: it means the master responsible for a contractor's plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic work in a given discipline. A master can be master of record for only one contractor per discipline at a time, absent prior board approval, though a master licensed in multiple disciplines may serve different contractors in each of those separate disciplines. If a master of record's relationship with a contractor ends, the contractor gets up to six months to name a replacement without losing its ability to keep working, provided the board is notified of the departure within 30 days.
PMSB accepts exam applications for Master and Journeyperson Plumbing, Master and Journeyperson Hydronics, Master and Journeyperson HVAC-Refrigeration, Master and Journeyperson Mechanical, and Journeyperson Sheet Metal. Before sitting any exam, an applicant files a state of Iowa Examination Candidate Application and pays a $35.00 fee for each trade discipline exam requested; this fee can be paid online or with a paper application. Journeyperson candidates qualify either through 36 months in a United States Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program or, for those relying on the older rule, at least four years of experience predating January 1, 2010, which must be documented with a notarized Affidavit of Employment attached to or mailed with the application; without that affidavit the application will not be processed. Master candidates qualify either by holding a journeyperson license with two years of journeyperson experience in that discipline, or by already holding a master license in that discipline in another jurisdiction. Once the board verifies eligibility, it issues an Exam Approval Letter with instructions for scheduling through Kirkwood Community College, PMSB's approved examination provider, which administers tests at 15 sites across Iowa and charges its own separate exam fee, paid directly to Kirkwood by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. Exam eligibility lasts one year, during which a candidate may retest as many times as needed, paying Kirkwood's fee each attempt; after a year, the candidate must reapply and pay the board's $35 fee again. Kirkwood's own site lists allowed testing resources, such as code books and calculators, and the process for requesting disability testing accommodations. Passing the exam does not itself issue a license; the candidate must still file a Post-Examination Licensure application with the board.
Sourcesdial.iowa.gov
Iowa Code section 105.2 defines a contractor as a person or entity paid a predetermined amount under contract to provide plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems services. Any business fitting that description must hold a PMSB contractor license in addition to registering as a contractor with DIAL under Iowa Code chapter 91C; the two applications are combined into one PMSB form. To qualify, an applicant must be at least 18, disclose criminal convictions with a full explanation, file the application and fees, provide a valid unemployment insurance number even with no employees, and show evidence of a permanent place of business. Substantively, the applicant must carry public liability insurance from a carrier licensed in Iowa with a minimum coverage amount of $500,000, with the policy naming the board's Bureau of Environmental Health & Contractor address and requiring 10 days written notice to the board before cancellation. The applicant must also provide a surety bond of at least $5,000 from an Iowa-licensed surety, also requiring 10 days notice before cancellation, running to the contractor's Iowa customers rather than to the state or the board itself; PMSB has rejected bond language that names the wrong beneficiary. Every contractor must identify a licensed master of record, either the owner personally or an employed master, for each discipline it works in, and cannot use a master who is simultaneously master of record for another contractor in that discipline without board approval. Out-of-state contractors face an additional bonding requirement under chapter 91C for the separate DIAL registration. An additional $25 fee applies to any paper, rather than online, contractor application.
Iowa created a narrower license tier specifically for HVAC service work: the Service Technician HVAC Specialty License. It functions as a sublicense under an HVAC-refrigeration or mechanical license, and lets a holder work from the appliance shutoff valve to the appliance itself, including disconnecting and reconnecting an existing appliance to gas piping and installing a shutoff valve no more than three feet from the appliance, without needing the full journeyperson or master HVAC-refrigeration license that broader installation and repair work requires. To qualify, an applicant must be at least 18 and have no felony conviction related to the profession, subject to board review, and must submit proof of a qualifying credential rather than sit a separate PMSB trade exam: either certification from North American Technician Excellence, Inc. (NATE), a Service Technician Associate degree, or equivalent training the board has pre-approved. PMSB publishes a specific list of approved training providers and credential pathways, including two year HVAC or HVAC-refrigeration associate degree programs at Iowa community colleges such as Kirkwood, Hawkeye, Des Moines Area, Iowa Central, Iowa Western, Iowa Lakes, Scott, North Iowa Area, and Eastern Iowa community colleges, along with NATE's Certified HVAC Professional pathway and its traditional core plus specialty exam pathway, RSES certified member credentials, and named employer training programs such as Black Hills Energy's HVAC technician program. Other training providers can be considered case by case with board approval. Fees for this specialty license follow the specialty license line on PMSB's fee schedule rather than the higher journeyperson or master fee tiers, and the license is subject to the same three year renewal cycle and continuing education rules as other PMSB credentials.
All PMSB licenses, including HVAC-refrigeration and mechanical licenses, run on a three year cycle set by Iowa Code chapter 481 section 128; the current period runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, and every license in that period expires June 30 regardless of when it was issued, though it stays valid for work through August 31. On time renewal fees for the full three year term are $50 for an apprentice, inactive, or specialty license (including the Service Technician HVAC specialty), $180 for a journeyperson license, $240 for a master license, $230 for an inactive master or active journeyperson combination, $75 for a Medical Gas System Installer certification, $250 for a contractor license, and $150 for the paired DIAL contractor registration, so a new contractor pays $400 combined. New applicants pay a prorated fee that steps down every six months through the three year cycle rather than the full on time fee. Renewal for the next period opens May 1 of the final year; a 30 day grace period after June 30 covers any reason, including finishing continuing education late, with no penalty. After that, a late application submitted after August 1 carries a $60 fee per license and remains eligible to work, while one submitted after September 1 carries a $100 fee per license and is no longer eligible to work until renewed. Once a license has lapsed more than one year, the licensee owes the full renewal fee as reinstatement instead of a late fee, and must show current continuing education or retake the exam. Anyone renewing two or more of a Journeyperson, Master, or Contractor license belonging to the same person, none lapsed over a year, gets a 30% discount on those license fees, though it excludes the $25 paper fee, the $150 contractor registration fee, and late fees. Other fees include $35 per Exam Approval Application, $20 for written license verification, $25 for a paper application, and $25 for a returned check. Fees are non-refundable.
Iowa Code section 105.20 and Iowa Code chapter 272C, along with board rules in Iowa Administrative Code 481 chapter 432, require PMSB licensees to complete continuing education to renew. The baseline requirement for a single Journeyperson, Master, or Specialty license is 8 CEU hours over the three year licensing period. For an HVAC-Refrigeration Journeyperson or Master license specifically, that breaks down as 2 hours of mechanical code, 4 hours of HVAC-refrigeration discipline content, and 2 hours of safety training approved by Iowa Occupational Health and Safety. The Service Technician HVAC specialty license carries the same 8 hour total, split as 2 hours mechanical code, 4 hours HVAC-refrigeration discipline, and 2 hours safety. A licensee holding two or more mechanical discipline licenses, such as both a journeyperson HVAC-refrigeration and a journeyperson hydronics license, owes 14 combined hours instead of stacking 8 hours per license: 2 hours mechanical code, 8 hours discipline content covering any combination of the licensed mechanical disciplines, and 4 hours safety. A licensee holding a plumbing license alongside one or more mechanical licenses owes 16 combined hours: 2 hours plumbing code, 2 hours mechanical code, 8 hours discipline content, and 4 hours safety. At least half of the required CEU hours must be completed in person, with up to half allowed online, and only courses and instructors the board has pre-approved count toward the requirement; a course taken from an unapproved provider does not satisfy the rule even if it covers relevant material. PMSB verifies CEU compliance as part of the renewal process, and failing to document the required hours can trigger the same late fee and reinstatement rules that apply to a lapsed license.
Iowa's reciprocity arrangements for the plumbing and mechanical trades are narrow, and importantly do not currently extend to HVAC-refrigeration, hydronics, sheet metal, or mechanical licenses. In May 2016, PMSB approved its first, and so far only, reciprocity agreement, with the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission, and that agreement is limited to the journeyperson and master plumbing license, not the HVAC or mechanical disciplines. Under it, a person who earned a South Dakota plumbing license by written examination can obtain the equivalent Iowa plumbing license without retesting, by submitting an application with a copy of the South Dakota license and a certificate of good standing from the South Dakota Plumbing Commission, and by having a non-Iowa resident address at the time of application; someone grandfathered into an Iowa or South Dakota license without an exam does not qualify. An Iowa license holder can seek the reverse reciprocity into South Dakota on the same written-exam basis, and can request written verification of an Iowa license for that purpose for a $20 fee. Because no such agreement exists for HVAC-refrigeration, mechanical, hydronic, or sheet metal disciplines, a technician or contractor licensed in another state in those trades cannot bypass Iowa's own exam. What Iowa's general licensure rules do allow, separate from reciprocity, is using an out of state master license in the same discipline to become eligible to sit Iowa's own journeyperson or master exam without first accumulating Iowa apprentice or journeyperson experience; the applicant still has to pass the Iowa exam and complete Post-Examination Licensure, and pay Iowa's application and license fees, rather than transferring the license outright.
Operating as a contractor, or installing or repairing mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems without the license Iowa Code section 105.10 requires, exposes a person to several distinct enforcement tools under chapter 105. Section 105.26 allows a court to restrain unlicensed practice by injunction. Section 105.27 lets the board impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per offense on anyone violating the chapter, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense unless the violations share the same underlying facts; the board must give written notice and an opportunity for a hearing before issuing the penalty, and if the person does not pay within 30 days the attorney general can sue to collect the penalty plus attorney fees and costs. Section 105.29 makes every PMSB licensee and board member obligated to report anyone they know or reasonably believe is practicing without a required license, and treats opening an office, advertising, or using a sign, card, vehicle, or professional designation implying licensed status as prima facie evidence that a person is practicing without a license. Separately, section 105.25 makes it a simple misdemeanor to fraudulently claim to be a licensed contractor or licensed plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic professional, and a simple misdemeanor to fraudulently list or falsely display a license number in advertising. These penalties apply on top of, not instead of, any local building or mechanical permit violations a city may pursue, and on top of any civil liability a customer could pursue for defective or unpermitted work performed by an unlicensed person or business.
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov
Iowa Code section 105.14 requires a contractor license holder to keep the current license certificate publicly displayed at the primary place where the person practices. Section 105.25 governs advertising directly: only a person duly licensed under chapter 105 may advertise that they are licensed as a contractor, or as a plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic professional, by the state of Iowa, and every written advertisement distributed in Iowa by a person in the business of designing, installing, or repairing plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems must include that person's contractor license number where applicable. Fraudulently claiming licensed status, or fraudulently listing or falsely displaying a license number in advertising, cards, signs, or circulars, is a simple misdemeanor under the same section. Section 105.15 requires the department to keep a registry of every licensee's name, location, license number, and issuance date, open to public inspection, though a licensee's home address and home phone number stay confidential. In practice, DIAL's own contractor license page directs the public to search or verify a plumbing and mechanical license online through the state's public licensing search portal, which lets a customer confirm a contractor's license number, status, and master of record before signing a contract. A homeowner comparing bids can also ask directly for the contractor's license number, since state law already obligates the contractor to list it in written advertising, and can cross check that number against the PMSB registry rather than relying on the contractor's own paperwork alone.
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov 1dial.iowa.gov 2dphregprograms.iowa.gov 3
Iowa Code section 105.17 preempts local licensing of these trades outright: as of July 1, 2009, any city or county plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, hydronic, or contractor licensing requirement became null and void, and since July 1, 2008 a city or county cannot prohibit a PMSB-licensed person from performing the work their state license covers, or enforce a local licensing rule against them. That preemption does not, however, stop a city or county from charging permit and inspection fees for work actually performed, and Iowa's largest metros still run their own mechanical permitting on top of the state license. Cedar Rapids' Building and Trades division states directly that a mechanical permit can only be issued to a person holding a valid State of Iowa contractor's license, or to a homeowner with a homestead exemption doing work on their own home, and routes mechanical code questions to a dedicated mechanical permitting line. Des Moines runs mechanical and other trade permitting through its Permit and Development Center at the T.M. Franklin Cownie City Administration Building, which issues building and trade permits and inspects work for code compliance. Davenport's Development & Neighborhood Services office issues building permits and lists contractor licensing information alongside its permit applications. None of these three cities can require an HVAC contractor to hold a separate city license or pass a city exam; what they can, and do, require is a permit application, a permit fee, and a passed inspection tied to the actual installation or repair, verified against the contractor's state PMSB license and DIAL registration rather than a city credential.
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov 1cedar-rapids.org 2dsm.city 3davenportiowa.com 4
Iowa's PMSB license covers the state law side of HVAC and refrigeration work, but a separate federal requirement applies on top of it whenever the work involves refrigerant. Under Section 608 of the federal Clean Air Act, implemented at 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, and administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, any technician who maintains, services, repairs, or disposes of equipment that could release refrigerant into the atmosphere must hold EPA Section 608 Technician Certification, regardless of which state issued their trade license. EPA defines a covered technician as anyone who attaches or detaches hoses or gauges to measure appliance pressure, who adds or removes refrigerant, or who otherwise breaches the sealed system of a small appliance or motor vehicle air conditioning like unit, other than through disposal. EPA has created four certification types: Type I for servicing small appliances, Type II for servicing or disposing of high or very high pressure appliances other than small appliances or vehicle air conditioners, Type III for low pressure appliances, and Universal certification covering all equipment types, each earned by passing a test administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization. The core portion of the test must be taken as a proctored exam, not an open book exam, to qualify for Universal certification. Once earned, Section 608 certification does not expire, unlike Iowa's three year PMSB renewal cycle, so a technician does not retest for EPA purposes on the same schedule as their state license. Apprentices are exempt from the federal certification requirement only while closely and continually supervised by an already certified technician. An Iowa HVAC-refrigeration contractor should confirm that every technician handling refrigerant holds the EPA certification type matching the equipment they service, in addition to whatever PMSB license or specialty license covers their state-law scope of work.
These are common details other guides publish about Iowa, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes. The Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB), part of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, licenses HVAC, refrigeration, hydronic, and sheet metal work under Iowa Code chapter 105. Individuals need an apprentice, journeyperson, or master license, and businesses need a separate PMSB contractor license plus a DIAL contractor registration.
An employee needs an apprentice, journeyperson, or master license in the mechanical or HVAC-refrigeration discipline, or the narrower Service Technician HVAC Specialty License for shutoff-valve-to-appliance work. A master mechanical license covers HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, and hydronic work without needing separate licenses in each.
A PMSB contractor license, combined with a DIAL Contractor Registration under Iowa Code chapter 91C. The business must also carry $500,000 in public liability insurance, a $5,000 surety bond, and keep an actively employed master of record in each discipline it works in.
Complete four years of practical experience, generally through a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program, then pass PMSB's journeyperson HVAC-refrigeration exam through Kirkwood Community College after a $35 Exam Approval Application, and file a Post-Examination Licensure application to receive the license.
Hold a journeyperson HVAC-refrigeration license with two years of journeyperson experience, or a master license in that discipline from another jurisdiction, then pass PMSB's master exam through Kirkwood Community College and file a Post-Examination Licensure application.
It is a sublicense under an HVAC-refrigeration or mechanical license, limited to work from the appliance shutoff valve to the appliance, including reconnecting gas piping. It requires NATE certification, a Service Technician Associate degree, or other board-approved training instead of a full trade exam.
On time three year renewal fees are $50 for an apprentice or specialty license, $180 for journeyperson, $240 for master, and $250 for a contractor license plus $150 for DIAL contractor registration. New applications are prorated. A 30% discount applies to combined Journeyperson, Master, and Contractor renewals.
Licenses run on a three year cycle, currently July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. Renewing an HVAC-Refrigeration Journeyperson or Master license requires 8 CEU hours per term, split between mechanical code, HVAC-refrigeration discipline content, and safety, from board-approved courses.
No. Iowa's only reciprocity agreement, with South Dakota, covers plumbing licenses only. An out of state HVAC-refrigeration, mechanical, hydronic, or sheet metal license does not transfer; the holder can use it to qualify to sit Iowa's exam but must still pass it.
The board can seek a court injunction and impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per offense, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Fraudulently claiming to be licensed or falsely displaying a license number is also a simple misdemeanor under Iowa Code section 105.25.
A contractor must publicly display its current license certificate at its primary place of business, and every written advertisement must list the contractor's license number. Only a duly licensed person may advertise as a licensed contractor, and falsely displaying a license number is a simple misdemeanor.
Yes, whenever refrigerant is involved. Federal EPA Section 608 certification, required under 40 CFR Part 82 Subpart F, applies on top of the state PMSB license for anyone servicing, repairing, or disposing of equipment that could release refrigerant, regardless of state license type.
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