Refrigeration Technicians/Contractor Licensing

No person shall work in Refrigeration unless he or she is licensed pursuant to M.G.L. c. 146, § 85. Licenses shall be carried on the person at all times the licensee is engaged in refrigeration work and shall be furnished for inspection by the licensee upon request by the Commissioner, the Chief, or a District Engineering Inspector. Every applicant shall file with the Division, an application on a form provided by the Division, accompanied by the appropriate fee. All completed and approved applications for examination shall be filed with the Division 30 days before the day of examination. (1) Refrigeration Apprentice License. Each applicant for a Refrigeration Apprentice license must meet the requirements contained in M.G.L. c. 146, §§ 81 to 88. Furthermore, he or she must be registered with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, DAS and enrolled in an apprentice program registered with the DAS. A copy of his or her Annual Apprentice ID card issued by the DAS must be submitted to the Division along with the application and appropriate fee. Each applicant will be limited to three renewals of his or her apprentice license unless otherwise approved by the Bureau upon showing a documented hardship and verification that the applicant is enrolled in an educational program to enable completion of his/her apprenticeship. (2) Journeyman Refrigeration Technician's License. Every applicant for a Journeyman Refrigeration Technician's license must be a high school graduate or possess a state equivalency certificate. Furthermore, each applicant: (a) For Applicants whose application for examination is dated and received by the Division prior to November 9,2026: 1. shall have successfully completed 250 hours of study in a refrigeration technician course, approved by the Bureau, before being eligible to take the examination. Furthermore, the applicant shall have obtained an EPA Section 608 Universal certification and completed 6,000 actual work hours as a Refrigeration Apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor employer; or 2. shall have successfully completed not less than 500 hours of study in a refrigeration technician course, approved by the Bureau, before being eligible to take the examination. Furthermore, the applicant shall have obtained an EPA Section 608 Universal certification and completed 4,000 actual work hours as a Refrigeration Apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor employer; or 3. shall have successfully completed not less than 1,000 hours of study in a refrigeration technician course, approved by the Bureau, before being eligible to take the examination. Furthermore, the applicant shall have obtained an EPA Section 608 Universal certification and completed 2,000 actual work hours as a Refrigeration Apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor employer; (b) For Applicants whose application for examination is dated on or after November 9, 2026: Shall have successfully completed a formal 450 hour course of study in a refrigeration education course approved by the Bureau. Furthermore, he or she shall have obtained an EPA Section 608 Universal certification and have completed refrigeration work experience totaling a minimum of 6,000 clock hours as a validlylicensed Refrigeration Apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor employer. Exception: the Bureau may, in its discretion, accept applications meeting requirements effective prior to November 9, 2026 for individuals who suffered from a relevant, documented hardship. However, no such waivers shall be granted on or after May 10, 2027. (c) For the purpose of computing the requirement for a student or graduate of a refrigeration technician course at a state, municipal or private school approved by the Bureau, the school shall verify the transcript of the actual attendance and the grades of the applicant on a Verification of Refrigeration Course Hours form. Verification of work experience from an employer shall include the following information: 1. Name, address, and telephone number of the employer at which the applicant has worked; 2. The employer's Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor license number; and The total number of hours of refrigeration work experience the applicant has received. (d) No experience requirements required by 528 CMR 11.03 shall be allowed for individuals while working for those entities exempted from 528 CMR 11.00 under M.G.L. c. 146, § 88, unless such experience is part of an apprenticeship program registered with the Division of Apprentice Standards. (e) Candidates for examination must pass a written examination and must correctly answer 70% or more of the examination questions to qualify for a license. (3) Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor's License. Applicants for a Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor's license shall have at least 2,000 hours of work experience as a Massachusetts Journeyman Refrigeration Technician and shall have completed 100 hours of Bureau approved education before being eligible for examination. Candidates for examination must pass a written examination and must correctly answer 70% or more of the examination questions to qualify for a license. A Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor who has a regular place of business by himself or herself, with other Master Refrigeration Technicians/Refrigeration Contractors, or with journeyman or Refrigeration Apprentices in his or her employ, must prominently display his or her Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor's license number on all commercial vehicles, offers, invoices, installation drawings, and on all stationery used in their business. The lettering of the license number required to be displayed on all commercial vehicles used in the Master Refrigeration Technician/Refrigeration Contractor's business shall be visible, legible and prominently displayed on vans, trucks, and doors of stake body trucks. For the purpose of computing the requirement for a student or graduate of a refrigeration technician course at a state, municipal or private school approved by the Bureau, the school shall verify the transcript of the actual attendance and the grades of the applicant on a Verification of Refrigeration Course Hours form.