Learn About EPA Technician Certification

Under authorization from Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a mandatory program that requires all technicians to be certified before performing maintenance, service, repair, or disposal of an appliance that contains refrigerant chemicals.

The agency has developed four types of certifications:

  • Type I — for servicing small appliances
  • Type II — for servicing high and very high pressure appliances
  • Type III — for servicing low pressure appliances
  • Universal — for servicing all appliances

To be certified, candidates must take a closed-book exam under the supervision of a chief examiner who has been registered.

Candidate Resources

To obtain EPA Technician Certification, technicians must pass a closed-book proctored test that contains 25 questions about EPA regulations, and 25 questions on recycling procedures in the area in which they work. They may choose to test in only one area, or they may choose to test in more than one area, or they may choose to take the universal test which consists of 100 questions: 25 general and 75 sector-specific (25 from each sector of Type I, Type II and Type III). To pass, candidates must answer 70 percent of the questions correctly.

To take the online EPA Technician Certification Exam online, a chief examiner must be present. The chief examiner serves as a witness during the test to assure the integrity of the closed-book examination. The chief examiner must complete an application.

After taking the online EPA Technician Certification Exam online, you can check your test score using your candidate ID and Pin numbers.

After passing the EPA Certification Test, certified technicians receive a certification card. These cards do not expire and you do not need to be re-certified if you have your card.

Chief Examiners Resources

The EPA Technician Certification Exam is executed in testing locations or online by chief examiners. Chief examiners must be registered prior to proctoring a test.

To administer an online test and access scores online, chief examiners must have a password supplied by AHRI.