CR-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration is Arizona’s specialty dual classification — commercial and residential together, without solar. It is built from the commercial C-39 classification and the residential R-39R classification, it is licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors to a business entity through a qualifying party, and its qualifying party must receive a grade of at least 70% on each required examination. The PassProfessor Arizona A/C & Refrigeration Contractor (CR-39) program prepares qualifying parties for the PSI trade examination and the Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam that stand behind this classification.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
What this credential certifies
CR-39 is a contractor classification, and Arizona contractor licensing works differently from the tiered trade licensing many candidates expect. The license belongs to the business entity — a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation — not to the individual who qualifies it, and it is nontransferable. The individual in the structure is the qualifying party: a person with an ownership interest in the licensee or regularly employed by it, actively engaged in the classification, responsible for the licensee’s actions in it, with the necessary experience, knowledge, and skills. On this page, the candidate is the qualifying party; the licensee is the business.
Chapter 10 of Title 32 creates no journeyman, technician, apprentice, or master license class for this work — a verified negative worth stating plainly, because candidates arriving from other states routinely look for an Arizona ladder that does not exist. The structure is the contractor license, held by the entity, qualified by the qualifying party, classified by scope. CR-39 is the dual, no-solar classification inside that structure, defined at AAC R4-9-104 as the combination of C-39 and R-39R, the commercial and residential no-solar classes. The including-solar classifications are a different set, and nothing in this program is built on them.
The companion guide, the Arizona A/C & Refrigeration Contractor (CR-39) Exam Guide at /arizona-ac-refrigeration-contractor-cr-39-exam-guide/, works through the scope, outline, experience gate, waivers, and retake rules in full.
The examinations at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | Arizona A/C & Refrigeration Contractor (CR-39): specialty dual (commercial + residential), no solar — C-39 + R-39R under AAC R4-9-104 |
| Regulator | Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC), under ARS Title 32, Chapter 10 and AAC Title 4, Chapter 9 |
| License holder | The business entity, through a qualifying party; the license is nontransferable |
| Required examinations | The Trade Examination and the Statutes and Rules Examination (SRE), as AAC R4-9-106(A) defines them |
| Trade examination vendor | PSI |
| Trade examination | 80 scored questions; 210 minutes; open book as to the allowed references only |
| Passing standard | A grade of at least 70% on each required examination (AAC R4-9-106(C)) |
| Tested codes | International Mechanical Code, 2018 Edition, and International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 Edition |
| Adopted code layer | No single statewide mechanical-code adoption; local adoption varies by jurisdiction |
| SRE delivery | The AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam, provided and maintained by AZ ROC, delivered online only through GMetrix |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors |
The scope of CR-39
CR-39 allows the scopes of work permitted by the commercial C-39 and the residential R-39R licenses: installing, altering, and repairing refrigeration and evaporative cooling systems; heating systems of wet, dry, or radiant type; ventilation systems, including duct work, air filtering devices, water treatment devices, pneumatic or electrical controls, and control piping; insulation of refrigerant pipes and ductwork; vibration isolation; liquid fuel piping and tanks; water and gas piping from the service connection to the equipment it serves; and testing and balancing of refrigerant, cooling, and heating circuits and air handling systems.
Two limits inside that scope decide real jobs, stated here exactly as sourced. Wet heating systems — steam or hot water boilers and coils, or baseboard convectors — are limited to 30 PSIG operating pressure and 220°F for hot water, and 15 PSIG for steam. Dry systems include gas-fired furnaces and space heaters. The electrical limit is a line candidates must draw without hesitation: a new circuit may be added to the existing service panel or sub-panel, and installation of a new service panel or sub-panel is excluded. The program teaches CR-39 scope as a set of drawn lines rather than a general impression of the work.
Two required examinations, and only two
AAC R4-9-106(A) defines exactly two examinations in this structure: the Trade Examination and the Statutes and Rules Examination. There is no separate third examination for CR-39, and candidates should disregard any material that describes one — statutes and rules content in Arizona lives inside the Statutes and Rules side of the structure, not in an additional sitting.
The Trade Examination is administered by PSI, with which AZ ROC has contracted to conduct its trade examination program. One examination serves the R-39R, C-39, and CR-39 classifications together. It presents 80 scored questions in 210 minutes, preceded by a 15-minute introductory tutorial that does not count as examination time. Separately, the PSI bulletin states that 5 to 10 experimental questions may additionally be administered; they will not be scored, but they will count against examination time — scored and experimental counts are never merged in this program. The examination is open book only as to the allowed references: 29 CFR Part 1926, the International Fuel Gas Code 2018 Edition, and the International Mechanical Code 2018 Edition. The textbooks used to prepare the questions are not allowed in the center. Candidates bring their own references, prepared beforehand — highlighting, underlining, annotation, and permanent tabs are preparation-stage acts — and a silent, nonprinting, non-programmable calculator is allowed. Scores display on screen at the end, a report is emailed, and a fail report includes diagnostics by examination type.
The Statutes and Rules Examination is reached through the AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam, known as the SRE: a computer-based, open-book training course and exam provided and maintained by AZ ROC and delivered online only through GMetrix. It is required for new license applicants who were not previously listed as the qualifying party on another Arizona contractor’s license within the last five years. PSI does not administer, schedule, or collect for the SRE, which costs $61, paid directly to GMetrix.
The passing standard, in the rule’s form
AAC R4-9-106(C) states the standard this way: on each required examination, the qualifying party must receive a grade of at least 70%. The program states the standard only in that form, because the form carries the substance — the standard applies examination by examination, so a strong trade result does not carry a weak statutes and rules result, or the reverse. The SRE is likewise completed and passed at 70%.
What the trade examination covers
The 80 scored questions divide as follows: Refrigeration 12; Air Conditioning 12; Warm Air Heating 12; Controls and Motors 8; Boilers 4; Ventilation 4; Evaporative Coolers 4; Fuel Piping Systems 5; Water Piping Systems 5; Steam, Hot, Chilled, and Condensing Water 5; Testing, Balancing, and Inspections 5; and Sizing and Estimating 4. The three 12-question areas set the centre of gravity — the outline weights heating, cooling, and refrigeration equally at its top. For code questions, the examination is based only on the listed code edition — the 2018 editions named above; except for code books, answers may be based on later editions of the preparation texts.
Tested 2018, adopted locally
The tested layer for CR-39 is the International Mechanical Code 2018 Edition and the International Fuel Gas Code 2018 Edition. The adopted layer is different in kind: Arizona has no single statewide mechanical-code adoption in the sources behind this program, and local adoption varies widely by jurisdiction. The locally applicable code matters in the field — compliance with it is a discipline standard under ARS § 32-1154(A)(2)(b) — but it is not the examination reference. Candidates prepare for the sitting in IMC 2018 and IFGC 2018, and learn their local adopted code for the work itself; confusing those two tasks is the Arizona version of the tested-versus-adopted error.
The qualifying party gate
The qualifying party must have a minimum of four years’ practical or management trade experience, at least two of which must have been within the last ten years, dealing specifically with the type of construction sought. Technical training in an accredited college or university, or a manufacturer’s accredited training program, may substitute for a portion of that experience, capped at two years of the four. By statute, qualification must be shown by written examination taken not more than two years before application, and results are submitted to the Registrar within two years from the date of passing. Around that centre sit the application mechanics: every person listed must be 18 or older; corporation and LLC applicants must be registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission and in good standing; a background check is required for every person named and expires 90 days from completion; and government-issued photo ID is required for every individual named.
Waivers exist, and their shape matters. Arizona has no direct reciprocity with any state. The Registrar shall waive the trade examination where the qualifying party is or previously was a qualifying party in Arizona in the same classification within the preceding five years. For out-of-state candidates, the Registrar may waive it only where the qualifying party held a comparable license in another state within the past five years, obtained by a trade examination. The SRE cannot be waived unless the qualifying party has been a qualifying party on an Arizona license within the past five years.
Fees, stated in their layers — and only where verified
The PSI examination fee for one examination is $66; for two examinations it is $116. For CR-39 the operative trade figure is the one-examination $66, paid directly to PSI; the fee applies on a first attempt or a repeat, registration fees are not refundable or transferable, and the fee is valid for one year. The SRE costs $61, paid directly to GMetrix. Those are the examination-layer figures this program prints. License-layer amounts are handled with the Registrar, and a surety bond is required before an original license and must remain in full force — the license is suspended by operation of law on bond cancellation unless a replacement is on file. The license itself is biennial, a two-year license.
On two adjacent subjects this program reports a search result rather than a rule. No ROC continuing-education requirement was found in ARS Chapter 10, AAC Title 4 Chapter 9, the PSI bulletin, or the ROC licensing pages behind this program. And no general-liability insurance dollar minimum appears in the statute or rules as pulled; the insurance content there is the workers’ compensation compliance attestation. Both are stated exactly in that found-or-not-found form.
Retakes follow AAC R4-9-106(D): waiting 30 calendar days from the first failure, 30 calendar days from the second, and 90 days from any other failure; PSI states the same regime as three attempts allowed and a 90-day wait between schedules for a fourth and subsequent attempt. A new appointment cannot be made the same day as an examination, and cancelling without forfeiting the fee requires notice two days before the scheduled date — voicemail and email are not acceptable cancellation. Examinations must be administered at least once a week under AAC R4-9-106(B).
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The program is built to the CR-39 outline as published, weighted as the outline weights it, and keyed to IMC 2018 and IFGC 2018 for code questions. It covers the classification’s construction from C-39 and R-39R, the scope lines — pressures, temperatures, and the electrical boundary — the qualifying party structure and its experience gate, the two-examination requirement with the SRE in its correct place, and the waiver and retake regimes. Every item is written from scratch against primary sources.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, PSI, or GMetrix. Completing this program confers no license; the Registrar alone licenses.
Tell me when enrollment opens. This program is in the works as our catalog expands through the Arizona contractor classifications, and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is CR-39?
CR-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration: the specialty dual classification, commercial and residential together, without solar. Under AAC R4-9-104 it combines C-39, the commercial no-solar class, and R-39R, the residential no-solar class.
Who holds the license — the person or the business?
The business entity. The license is issued to a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation, is nontransferable, and is held through a qualifying party responsible for the licensee’s actions in the classification.
Does Arizona have a master or journeyman HVAC licence?
No. Chapter 10 of Title 32 creates no journeyman, technician, apprentice, or master license class for this work. The credential is the contractor license held by the business entity through a qualifying party.
Which examinations are required?
Exactly two, as AAC R4-9-106(A) defines them: the Trade Examination, administered by PSI, and the Statutes and Rules Examination, taken through the AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam delivered online by GMetrix.
What score passes?
A grade of at least 70% on each required examination, under AAC R4-9-106(C). The standard applies to each examination separately.
How is the trade examination built?
80 scored questions in 210 minutes, plus a 15-minute tutorial beforehand that does not count as examination time. Five to 10 experimental questions may additionally be administered; they are not scored but do count against examination time.
Which books may be taken into the trade examination?
Only the allowed references: 29 CFR Part 1926, the International Fuel Gas Code 2018 Edition, and the International Mechanical Code 2018 Edition. The textbooks used to prepare the questions are not allowed in the center.
What does the trade examination cost, and what does the SRE cost?
The PSI fee for one examination is $66 (two examinations, $116), paid directly to PSI. The SRE costs $61, paid directly to GMetrix; PSI does not administer or collect for the SRE.
What experience must the qualifying party have?
Four years’ practical or management trade experience in the type of construction sought, at least two of those years within the last ten years. Accredited training may substitute for a portion, capped at two years of the four.
Which code editions are tested, and which has Arizona adopted?
The examination tests IMC 2018 and IFGC 2018. Arizona has no single statewide mechanical-code adoption in the sources behind this program; local adoption varies by jurisdiction. After a failed attempt, waiting periods apply under AAC R4-9-106(D): 30 calendar days from the first failure, 30 from the second, and 90 days from any other failure.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with the Registrar of Contractors?
No. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider. The Registrar alone licenses Arizona contractors.
When does enrollment open?
The program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address on this page and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program.