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 validly licensed 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
3. 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.
