Delaware HVAC License Requirements (2026)

Delaware licenses Master HVACR and Master HVACR Restricted professionals statewide through the Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners. A Master HVACR license covers heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, ventilation, process systems, and gas piping; a restricted license is limited to one statutory specialty. Delaware’s Board does not issue a separate state journeyperson HVACR license—the journeyman certificate in one examination route is earned through a federally approved apprenticeship program. The professional license is separate from Delaware business licensing and from locally administered permits and inspections.

Regulatory Body

Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners (DPR) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under 24 Del. C. ch. 18; 24 DE Admin. Code 1800. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. The Board issues statewide Master HVACR and Master HVACR Restricted licenses.

• Official portal: https://dpr.delaware.gov/boards/plumbers/
• Address: Cannon Building, Suite 203, 861 Silver Lake Blvd., Dover, DE 19904
• Phone: (302) 744-4500

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Check the current application for identification and tax-number requirements. State law prohibits the Board’s application from requiring citizenship, place of birth, length of Delaware residency, or personal references.

Good moral character

Applicants must meet the statutory conduct and fitness standards. The Board can consider substantially related convictions and may waive a conviction-based restriction after reviewing the statutory public-safety factors; a felony sexual-offense conviction is not subject to that time limitation.

Background investigation

The published Master HVACR materials require licensing and disciplinary-history information. The statute does not describe a universal fingerprint-based background check for every applicant.

Experience and Education

The experience bar is 2 years of Qualify with a journeyman certificate issued after a federally approved HVACR or restricted-HVACR apprenticeship plus two years of work under a master HVACR (or equivalent out-of-state licensee), or with seven years of supervised work plus the Board-approved Apprenticeship By-Pass examination., and it must be backed by verifiable records — typically payroll, tax, project, or supervisor documentation covering the claimed period.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• Certificate of completion from the federally approved HVACR or restricted-HVACR apprenticeship program, if using the journeyman-certificate route
• Verification of Employment forms from supervisor(s)
• W-2 forms or an employer/officer affidavit with an explanation if a supervisor form is unavailable
• Schedule C for self-employment periods, where applicable
• Current CFC certification card when required for the selected license class

Education substitution

The published statutory routes are the federally approved apprenticeship/journeyman-certificate route or the seven-year supervised-work route followed by the Board-approved Apprenticeship By-Pass examination. Do not assume a general trade-school substitution.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: ProV Exam, after Board approval; ABC Delaware administers the Apprenticeship By-Pass examination when required. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

• Delaware Master HVACR written standardized examination — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin
• Apprenticeship By-Pass examination, if required for the seven-year route — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score 70%

Examination fee: DPR directs approved candidates to ProV for current master-examination fees. The current Board fee schedule does not list a standard Master HVACR examination fee.

Retake policy: State law permits a retake at the next available examination date. After three unsuccessful attempts, Board rules may prescribe conditions for a further retake. A DELPROS application must be submitted within six months after it is started.

Insurance and Bonds

There is no statewide surety bond tied to this credential in the cited record. Bonding can still surface at the project level — permit, license, or public-works bonds — so check before you bid.

General liability

The Board’s current Master HVACR materials do not state a statewide general-liability minimum. Confirm insurance obligations imposed by the business-license, permit, contract, or local authority requirements.

Workers' compensation

Workers’ compensation obligations are separate from the Board’s individual Master HVACR license. Confirm current employer obligations with Delaware’s workers’ compensation authorities before hiring staff.

Additional financial requirements

The Board’s current Master HVACR application materials do not identify a bond or financial-statement requirement for the individual license.

Fee Schedule

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Delaware hvac.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Delaware Master HVACR / Master HVACR Restricted License must be renewed every 2 years. A standalone statewide renewal fee is not published in the cited record. Licenses expire October 31 of even years. A late renewal may be filed for up to one year, but practice is illegal until the license is renewed; the late fee is 50% of the renewal fee.

Continuing education: For subsequent renewals, five hours of continuing education are required unless the licensee has dual licenses. First-renewal hours vary by the date the license was issued during the licensing period.

Reciprocity

Delaware grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

Delaware provides statutory reciprocity. Applicants from jurisdictions that are not substantially similar must document at least seven years of practice after master licensure and meet the other statutory requirements; the Board evaluates jurisdictions not listed in its current guidance.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published HVAC license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

HVAC Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Delaware's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

• Maryland HVAC License Requirements — Maryland Master HVACR Contractor
• New Jersey HVAC License Requirements — New Jersey Master HVACR Contractor License
• Pennsylvania HVAC License Requirements — Pennsylvania HVAC — Local Licensing; No Statewide Trade License

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Choose the appropriate scope. A Master HVACR license is unrestricted. A Master HVACR Restricted license covers one statutory specialty; applicants seeking more than one restricted specialty should apply for Master HVACR.
2. Select the correct examination eligibility route. Use the federally approved apprenticeship/journeyman-certificate route plus two years of supervised work, or the seven-year supervised-work route that requires the Apprenticeship By-Pass examination.
3. Collect third-party experience records. Arrange certificates, supervisor Verification of Employment forms, license verifications, and permitted substitute tax or affidavit records. Submit a CFC card if the selected class requires one.
4. Complete the Apprenticeship By-Pass examination if required. For the seven-year route, Board approval is required before taking the By-Pass exam through a Delaware vocational-technical school; the posted passing score is at least 70%.
5. Apply through DELPROS for examination approval. Submit the application, fee, and required evidence. The Board reviews complete applications and sends approved candidates their ProV examination information.
6. Pass the Delaware Master HVACR examination. Take the Board-designated written standardized examination with ProV after Board approval.
7. Secure business and project approvals. If conducting business, confirm the Delaware Division of Revenue business-license obligation and locally administered permits, inspections, and code requirements.
8. Renew and complete continuing education. Licenses renew biennially. Subsequent renewals generally require five hours of continuing education, subject to the Board’s dual-license and first-renewal rules.

Application Checklist

Have each of the following squared away before the packet goes to DPR:

• Correct Master HVACR or Master HVACR Restricted scope selection
• Federally approved apprenticeship certificate plus two years of supervised work, or seven years of supervised work
• Supervisor Verification of Employment forms and permitted substitute evidence
• State/jurisdiction license verification from every jurisdiction ever licensed in
• Current CFC certification card when required for the selected class
• Apprenticeship By-Pass exam pass at 70% or higher, if using the seven-year route
• DELPROS application and $173 nonrefundable processing fee
• Board approval and passing Master HVACR examination result from ProV
• Division of Revenue business-license and local permit review, if applicable

Progress is saved in this browser, so you can return to this checklist while your application is in flight.

Common Filing Mistakes

The errors below are the ones that most frequently cost Delaware HVAC applicants time, drawn from the cited board guidance.

Treating a restricted license as an unrestricted license

Each Master HVACR Restricted credential is limited to one statutory specialty. More than one restricted specialty calls for the unrestricted Master HVACR application.

Using the wrong eligibility route

The route with a federally approved apprenticeship/journeyman certificate requires two years of supervised work; the non-certificate route requires seven years and the Apprenticeship By-Pass exam.

Overlooking CFC documentation

Delaware requires appropriate CFC certification for Master HVACR work, and DPR specifically requires a CFC card with the Master HVACR, restricted refrigeration, and restricted air-conditioning applications.

Trying to schedule before Board approval

DPR requires the Board to approve the master-exam application before it sends the candidate information required for ProV scheduling.

Ignoring third-party verifications

DPR requires jurisdictional license verifications and experience evidence. Supervisor forms, permitted W-2/affidavit substitutes, and Schedule C records have specific use cases.

Missing business or local approvals

The statewide professional license does not replace the Division of Revenue business-license obligation or locally administered permit, inspection, and code requirements.

Study and Reference Materials

These materials are drawn from the regulator's own citations and the references applicants commonly use to prepare. CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

• Delaware Master HVACR and Master HVACR Restricted licensure requirements — Delaware DPR. Use the current DPR scope, evidence, CFC, reciprocity, and DELPROS instructions.
• 24 Del. C. §§ 1820–1825 — Delaware Code Online. Statutory HVACR scope, qualifications, examination, reciprocity, and renewal framework.
• ProV Master HVACR exam information — ProV Exam. Confirm the current examination handbook, fees, references, and scheduling terms after Board approval.

Other Delaware Trade Licenses

For a different Delaware credential, see these companion guides published by CLR:

• Delaware General Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Electrician License Requirements
• Delaware Plumber License Requirements
• Delaware Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Painting Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Carpentry Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Solar Installer License Requirements
• Delaware Low-Voltage Technician License Requirements
• Delaware Fire Sprinkler Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Home Inspector License Requirements
• Delaware Pool Contractor License Requirements
• Delaware Handyman License Requirements
• Delaware Pest Control License Requirements
• Delaware Septic Contractor License Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

What HVACR licenses does Delaware issue?

The Board issues a Master HVACR license and Master HVACR Restricted licenses. The unrestricted Master license covers the statutory HVACR scope; each restricted license is limited to one specialty.

Does Delaware issue a state Journeyperson HVACR license?

No. Delaware’s Board does not issue a separate state journeyperson HVACR license. The journeyman certificate used in one master-licensure route comes from a federally approved apprenticeship program.

How do I qualify for Delaware Master HVACR licensure by examination?

You need either a federally approved HVACR or restricted-HVACR apprenticeship program’s journeyman certificate plus two years of supervised work, or seven years of supervised work plus the Board-approved Apprenticeship By-Pass examination. Both routes then require the Board-designated master examination.

Who administers the Delaware Master HVACR examination?

After Board approval, DPR uses ProV Exam for the required plumbing/HVACR licensure examinations. ABC Delaware administers the Apprenticeship By-Pass exam when the Board requires it.

Does Delaware have Master HVACR reciprocity?

Yes. DPR identifies Connecticut and Maryland as substantially similar for Master HVACR. Other jurisdictions are evaluated under Delaware’s reciprocity law; a non-substantially-similar jurisdiction requires seven years of practice after licensure.

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