New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the State Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contracting License Law on December 20, 2007. The law was supposed to be effective “immediately,” but in truth it was not applicable to the trades until administrative regulations could be written and put into operation by the newly created State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors. After six years, that day is here, almost.
The website of the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Contractors reports that the operative date of the administrative regulations has now been extended to March 1, 2014. The Board will not be able to accept applications for a master HVACR contractor license or otherwise regulate the practice of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration contractors until that operative date.
The HVACR statute includes a provision that authorizes the Board to issue a Master HVACR license based on experience without examination for six months after the effective date of the law. N.J.S.A. 45:16A-26. A person entitled to a Master HVACR license under the provisions of that section still has to comply with the remaining provisions of the statute. Amplifying on the statute, the new administrative regulations allow for an initial six-month “grandfathering” period, during which individuals currently practicing as HVACR contractors may submit an application for licensure without meeting education or examination requirements.
Due to the change of the operative date, the Board will be accepting applications for current practitioners (“grandfathering” applications) during the six month period from March 1, 2014 until September 1, 2014. Until the present September 1, 2014 deadline, a licensed master plumber or any other person may apply for a license as a master HVACR contractor without satisfying the education requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.2 or the written examination requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:32A-2.3 if the person has, for at least two years prior to the date the application is submitted to the Board, engaged in the practice of installing, servicing, maintaining, planning the installation, laying out the installation, and supervising the installation and/or servicing of HVACR systems. NJAC 13:32A-2.6.
The proofs required on a “grandfathering” application are many and detailed, so it seems important not to wait until the last minute to read and understand the new rules and get started on your application if you intend to grandfather in.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This article was current as of year end 2013 based on the latest information available, but its content may go out of date quickly and without warning. It’s a good idea to periodically check the website of the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Contractors for updates and changes.
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HVAC
