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Department of Labor seeks 4-year window to retake HVAC exam after license lapse
Summary
Department of Labor officials told the Economic Matters Committee HB 92 would extend the allowable time to retake the HVAC licensing exam from 90 days to four years after licensure lapse, aligning HVAC renewals with other mechanical trades and reducing administrative burdens on technicians and employers.
John Dove, commissioner of Occupational and Professional Licensing at the Maryland Department of Labor, testified in support of House Bill 92, which would change the current time limit required to retake the HVAC licensing examination after an expired license from 90 days to four years.
Dove said the four-year limit was chosen because the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning industry generally follows a three-year code cycle and it can take an additional year for that cycle to be adopted and used in Maryland; therefore a technician who lapsed within four years would have operated under the same code cycle. He said the change would align HVAC rules with other mechanical trades (for example electricians and plumbers) that typically allow two to four years before reexamination is required.
Dove described current administrative burdens: applicants with lapsed licenses must reapply to the testing vendor (PSI) and wait for board review, then schedule exams at limited testing sites and finally return to the board for licensing — a multi-step process that can leave technicians facing delays or working with expired credentials. He said the bill would reduce friction for technicians and employers and asked the committee for a favorable report. Executive staff from the mechanical licensing unit were available to answer detailed questions but the committee had none at the hearing.
No formal action or vote was recorded during the hearing.
