How Do You Get an HVAC License in New Mexico?

Yes.

The Construction Industries Division (CID) of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department requires a journeyman certificate of competence in the appropriate trade classification from every individual performing mechanical work, which includes HVAC and refrigeration.

The only exception is an apprentice working under direct supervision — the rules define that as supervision, inspection and evaluation by a certified journeyman working in the immediate proximity of the apprentice, overseeing all work as it occurs.

CID recognizes both registered apprentices (in State Apprenticeship Council programs) and unregistered ones, and our research found no CID registration for apprentices; on the contractor side the rules cap unregistered apprentices at two per journeyman on commercial or industrial work and three on residential work.

Being employed by a licensed contractor is not itself an exemption: the certificate requirement sits on the individual, and the apprentice exception is the one the rule names.

New Mexico's HVAC worker credentials are JR (Journeyman Refrigeration) and JSM (Journeyman Sheet Metal).

A JR can work under an MM-3, MM-4 or MM-98 contractor license: MM-3 is the heating, ventilation and air conditioning class, MM-4 covers hydronic, steam, chilled water and process piping, boilers and chillers, and MM-98 (Mechanical) combines MM-1 through MM-4 plus the MS-3, MS-6, MS-12 and MS-14 specialty classes.

A JSM can work under an MM-3 or MM-98 license.

Whichever certificate you hold, you may only work when employed by an entity licensed — or holding an annual permit — for that type of work; certificates are individual and non-transferable.

Above the workers sits the business license: the MM-3 contractor class, whose experience requirement is four years.

Both HVAC journeyman classes require two years of experience, and the experience must fall within the 10 years immediately before you apply.

Accredited technical or apprenticeship training counts at half credit — each year of training is applied as one-half year of experience — and can cover at most half of the total requirement.

No one under the age of 18 is issued a certificate of competence.

On money: the CID rule set charges $25 for the mechanical journeyman exam plus $25 per year to renew each classification, and PSI charges its own exam fee on top — $68.88 for the JR exam, and for JSM $68.88 for the written part and $68.88 for the practical, or $137.76 combined.

The PSI bulletin our research read was updated April 13, 2023, so confirm current fees with CID and PSI before you pay.

CID has contracted with PSI to conduct its examination approval process and examination testing for journeyman certificates.

Candidates must be pre-approved and must test within 6 months of eligibility.

A passing score is 75% or higher, and an exam cannot be repeated more than twice in 30 days.

Per the 2023 PSI bulletin, the JR exam is open book, with 50 questions in 120 minutes; the references listed include the 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code and the New Mexico Mechanical Code (NMAC 14.9.2, with the 2015 edition listed in that bulletin — our research notes CID adopted 2021-based codes after that bulletin, so the list may be out of date).

The JSM exam has a written and a practical part.

Confirm the current reference list with CID or PSI before you schedule.

Renewing a JR or JSM certificate takes 16 hours of approved continuing education, and a minimum of 8 of those hours must cover the current CID code enforced for your classification.

The same 16-hour rule applies across the journeyman classifications the rule lists, including plumbing, pipe fitting and sheet metal.

The rule set prices renewal at $25 per year for each classification held.

One gap to plan around: the rules our research read state the per-year fee but not how long a certificate is valid between renewals — the three-year term our research confirmed belongs to military-expedited certificates only.

Ask CID which renewal cycle applies to you before you schedule your CE.

Our research found no general reciprocity agreement for New Mexico journeyman certificates: the rules we read set out no general reciprocity provision, so an out-of-state HVAC license does not automatically carry over — confirm your situation with CID before you count on it.

What the rules do provide is expedited certification for military service members, their spouses and dependents, and veterans who are licensed or certified and in good standing in another jurisdiction.

If you hold a journeyman certificate from another state, expect to meet New Mexico's own experience and exam requirements.

CID links a public lookup, Verify a License, from its Construction Industries page; it lives at rld.nm.gov/about-us/public-information-hub/verify-a-license/.

Search it before you rely on anyone's certificate — yours, a coworker's, or an employer's.

The employer side matters as much as yours: a journeyman may only work when employed by an entity licensed, or holding an annual permit, for the type of work being done.

CID issued an August 2024 memo to mechanical contractors on the transition to A2L refrigerants.

Our research also notes a CID rulemaking hearing in April 2026 that amended the division's journeyman and contractor rules and adopted 2021-based codes — the rule text quoted on this page is the SRCA compiled version as we read it on September 29, 2026, and may not reflect those amendments.

The exam figures come from PSI's 2023 bulletin.

Confirm the current requirements with CID before you apply or schedule an exam.

Yes, for covered refrigerant work.

Under the federal rule 40 CFR 82.161, any person who could reasonably be expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit while maintaining, servicing, repairing or disposing of appliances containing a class I or class II refrigerant or a non-exempt substitute refrigerant must pass an exam from an EPA-approved technician certification program.

Universal certification covers all the appliance types described for Types I, II and III, and EPA 608 certification does not expire.

On the state side, a JR applicant must demonstrate compliance with the EPA recovery requirements before CID issues the certificate.