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Mechanical Journeyman


Step 1: Work as an Apprentice

Before becoming a Journeyman you must first train as an apprentice. Please see the requirements and registration for mechanical apprentices.

Step 2: Take the Journeyman Exam

Once your application is approved and you are eligible for examination, you will be provided the contact information of the third-party testing vendor who you will contact to set the date, time, and location of the examination.

Step 3: Work as a Journeyman

Work for an active, licensed Mechanical Contractor, obtaining the required number of hours in the type of experience required (residential, commercial, industrial) for the category sought. Please see the requirements and specific categories below:

Journeyman License Categories and Requirements

An HVAC/R limited license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair:

(A) any cooling product, system, or equipment including the process piping, that has a cooling capacity of no
 more than twenty-five (25) tons; and/or
(B) all heating equipment including the process piping that have a heat input of no more than 500,000 Btu/h per appliance; and/or
(C) sheet metal, natural gas piping and refrigeration

An HVAC/R unlimited license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair:

(A) any cooling product, system, or equipment, including the process piping, and/or
(B) heating equipment, including the process piping, and/or
(C) sheet metal, natural gas piping and refrigeration

A limited residential journeyman license entitles the licensee to install complete new systems in new construction for detached one or two family dwellings and multiple single family dwellings (townhouses) not more than three stories in height with a separate means of egress. Installations shall include 5-ton or less cooling systems and 150,000 Btu/h or less heating systems and related accessories such as humidifiers, filtering systems, kitchen vent hoods, exhaust fans and clothes dryer vent exhausts for such dwellings. Such installations shall not include any fuel gas piping, welding, soldering, brazing or final connection of refrigerant lines or final connection of any electrical wiring permitted to be installed in accordance with Oklahoma statutes.

A refrigeration license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair refrigeration products, systems, or equipment, including the process piping.

A natural gas piping license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all natural gas piping (from the point of delivery to the connections with the appliances).

A process piping license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all process piping.

A sheet metal license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all ferrous and nonferrous duct and exhaust systems.

Ground Source Piping Journeyman must work under a Mechanical Contractor licensed in HVAC/R or Process Piping. This category entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all piping outside a structure for a ground source (earth or water) loop pipe.  Proof of certification in the proper installation of ground source piping by an organization approved by the Committee is required. No exam required.

Petroleum Refinery Process Piping Journeyman must have three (3) years of verifiable experience under a Mechanical Contractor licensed in this category that entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all petroleum refinery process piping and shall be under the direction and supervision of a licensed Unlimited Mechanical Contractor or a licensed Process Piping Mechanical Contractor. A National Center for Construction Education and Research (“NCCER”) Industrial Pipefitter Certification will be accepted in lieu of the exam. 

Medical Gas Journeyman must work under the direction and supervision of a licensed Unlimited Mechanical Contractor or a licensed Process Piping Mechanical Contractor. This category entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair medical gas or medical-surgical vacuum systems, or equipment, including the piping. A copy of a current ASSE 6010 Certification must accompany the application. No exam required.

Journeyman License Requirements

Applicants for a journeyman license must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and have

(A) three (3) years of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade in the category for which the applicant is applying, or

(B) an associate's degree or vocational diploma certifying completion of an educational program consisting of 1,000 hours or more from a school, approved by the Committee, (a list of approved schools can be found under testing information on the CIB website) which exhibits knowledge of the trade in the category of license applied for and one (1) year of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade, or

(C) a vocational diploma certifying completion of an educational program consisting of 500 or more hours from a school, approved by the Committee, which exhibits knowledge of the trade in the category of license applied for and two (2) years of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade, or

(D) a vocational diploma certifying completion of an educational program consisting of a minimum of three hundred and seventy five (375) or more hours from a school, approved by the Committee, which exhibits knowledge of the trade and in the category of license applied for, and two and one-fourth (2 1/4) years of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade, or

(E) a vocational diploma certifying completion of an educational program consisting of a minimum of three hundred and thirty four (334) or more hours from a school, approved by the Committee, which exhibits knowledge of the trade and in the category of license applied for, and two and one-third (2 1/3) years of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade, or

(F) a vocational diploma certifying completion of an educational program consisting of a minimum of two hundred and fifty (250) or more hours from a school, approved by the Committee, which exhibits knowledge of the trade and in the category of license applied for, and two and one-half (2 1/2) years of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade, or

(G) equivalent, verifiable experience in the mechanical trade while serving in the U.S. military, or

(H) experience sufficient to obtain the special certification required for the mechanical category sought by the tendered application, such as Ground Source Piping and Medical Gas, or

(I) a verifiable out-of-state license in the mechanical classification for which the applicant is applying. The license must:

(i) be current,
(ii) be in good standing, and
(iii) meet qualifications listed in (A) through (E) above.

For complete information on licensing requirements see the Rules and Laws for Mechanical Regulations.

158:50-9-1 (b) Experience. All persons applying for a license must provide proof of experience in the mechanical trade.  Applicants for mechanical license examinations who are not licensed and wish to include experience gained in Oklahoma must maintain an apprentice registration on file with the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board for all experience obtained in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Construction Industries Board will not consider experience obtained in or outside of Oklahoma as verifiable experience for periods in which an apprentice is unregistered, except for experience lawfully obtained according to any applicable federal or state laws, and must be comprised of mechanical work as defined under the Act and in this Chapter.  

"Verifiable experience" means mechanical experience obtained while employed by a licensed Mechanical contractor, or by other means approved by the Committee of Mechanical Examiners including equivalent experience earned while serving in the U.S. Military, for which one year of verifiable experience equals two thousand (2,000) hours.  

*See statutes and rules for complete requirements.

ALERNATIVE LICENSES

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Last Modified on Apr 04, 2024
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