In Texas, air conditioning and refrigeration contracting is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in two classes and two endorsements. This program is the Class A license carrying the environmental air conditioning endorsement — the combination with no size limit, authorising comfort-air work on units of any size. Its examination, delivered by PSI, carries 120 scored items in 230 minutes, open book, and the rule states its standard in one sentence: “A passing grade is 70%.” The PassProfessor program for this credential prepares candidates for that single, combined sitting — Texas folds its laws and rules into the examination itself rather than setting a separate business paper.
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Comfort air, at any scale
Texas defines environmental air conditioning as treating air to control temperature, humidity, cleanliness, ventilation, and circulation to meet human comfort requirements. That definition is the endorsement’s boundary: the work is air for people — in buildings of every size — as distinct from refrigeration for product, process, and storage, which Texas licenses under a separate endorsement carried by separate PassProfessor programs. A contractor license must be endorsed with environmental air conditioning, with commercial refrigeration and process cooling or heating, or with both; a holder of both carries the combined endorsement code.
The Class A half is simpler to state and larger in consequence: a Class A license allows work on any size unit — no size limit. Performing or offering work outside the license’s classification or endorsement is a violation, so the Class A environmental combination is the broadest comfort-air authority Texas issues. The endorsement fixes the kind of work; the class fixes the size of work. This program sits at the top of both axes for comfort air, and the companion guide at /texas-acr-contractor-environmental-air-class-a-exam-guide/ works through the classification system, the eligibility routes, and the three code layers Texas candidates must keep apart.
The examination at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | Texas ACR Contractor — Environmental Air Class A |
| Regulator | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1302 and 16 TAC Chapter 75 |
| Scope | Environmental air conditioning endorsement; Class A — any size unit, no size limit |
| Examination vendor | PSI Services LLC — scheduling only after TDLR approves eligibility (Candidate Information Bulletin © 2026, updated July 9, 2026) |
| Examination | 120 scored items + 5 non-scored items / 230 minutes + 10 minutes / open book, computer-based |
| Passing standard | “A passing grade is 70%” — 16 TAC § 75.21(b), stated verbatim |
| Tested codes | Effective September 1, 2026: the 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, the 2024 International Mechanical Code, and the 2024 Uniform Mechanical Code |
| PSI examination fee | $74 |
| TDLR application fee | $115 (contractor application layer) |
| Renewal | $65 per 1-year term; 8 hours of continuing education including 1 hour of Texas law and rules |
| Language | English and Spanish at no additional cost |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation |
One sitting, with the law inside it
Texas sets no separate Business and Law examination for ACR contractors. Instead, Texas Laws and Rules is a scored subject area inside this examination — on the Environmental Air Class A outline it carries 6 questions, referenced to the Texas ACR License Law (Occupations Code Chapter 1302), the Texas ACR License Rules (16 TAC Chapter 75), and OSHA 29 CFR Part 1904. That cell is the one outline weight this page prints, because it is the one the Texas fact record verifies for this examination. A candidate who treats it as an afterthought misunderstands the design: the same sitting tests comfort-air competence and command of the licensing scheme.
The mechanics deserve their split form, because Texas publishes them split. The examination carries 120 scored items plus 5 non-scored items; the non-scored items are not scored, and extra time is allotted for them. The time follows the same split: 230 minutes for the scored examination, plus 10 minutes for the non-scored items. The two counts and the two times are never merged into single totals on this page, because the bulletin does not merge them. The examination is open book, but only references on the PSI Examination Reference Material List may enter the room, and candidates bring their own: material may be highlighted, underlined, or noted before the session and tabbed with permanent index tabs only; no writing or marking during the session, no temporary or homemade tabs, no loose or adhered paper. The technical references include Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 22nd edition, 2025; the ADI Duct Size Calculator; and, for the environmental examinations, ACCA Manual D (2014), Manual J (8th edition, version 2.50, 2016), and Manual S (2014) — the load-calculation and duct-design apparatus that comfort-air work at unlimited scale demands.
Three code layers — never one “Texas edition”
Texas candidates meet the same codes in three distinct layers, and conflating them is the most expensive reading error available in this credential.
The tested layer. The PSI bulletin states it in a banner, quoted here as published: “Effective September 1, 2026, the examinations will be referenced to the 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, the 2024 International Mechanical Code, and the 2024 Uniform Mechanical Code.” A candidate is examined on the 2024 editions of those three codes. That is the layer preparation must key to.
The applicable-code layer. Separately, rule § 75.110 sets the codes applicable to work. That layer carried the 2021 editions through August 31, 2026, and was amended to adopt the 2024 editions effective September 1, 2026. Before that date the examination’s 2024 references ran ahead of this layer; from that date the two align at 2024 — by amendment, on a stated date, not by assumption.
The municipal layer. Separately again, the practice standard in a municipality is the code that municipality has adopted by ordinance. Where no code has been adopted, the rules supply residential and commercial defaults. A contractor working across Texas jurisdictions works under the municipal layer day to day, sits the examination under the tested layer, and answers to the applicable-code layer in between. This page keeps all three apart, and preparation should too.
Who may sit: the eligibility gate
The contractor gate is statutory and identical in structure across the Texas ACR classes. An applicant must be at least 18 years old, and must meet one experience route: the standard route — at least 48 months of practical ACR-related experience under the supervision of a licensed ACR contractor in the preceding 72 months — or the alternate route — a technician certification held for the preceding 12 months, plus at least 36 months of practical experience under a licensed contractor in the preceding 48 months. Equivalent out-of-state experience or licensure may receive credit as the executive director determines.
Education converts into experience at stated rates: a 4-year degree or diploma in air conditioning, refrigeration, or mechanical engineering or technology counts as 24 months; a 2-year associate degree, diploma, or certification program primarily focused on ACR work counts as 12 months — the institution holding the required Texas higher education authority or an approved equivalent — and every 2,000 hours of apprenticeship on-the-job training counts as 12 months. Verified military ACR training and experience, and specified governmental-entity ACR experience, also qualify. Experience is documented on an Experience Verification Form completed by the supervising person — never by the applicant — and TDLR runs a criminal history background check on all applicants.
The completion mechanics have a clock: file the approved-form application, satisfy the eligibility requirements as of the filing date, pass the examination, submit the required fees, and submit proof of insurance after passing — with all requirements completed within 1 year of the application filing date. Scheduling follows eligibility: candidates may schedule with PSI only after TDLR approves eligibility and the eligibility notice reaches them. The license runs a 1-year term and is not transferable; endorsements of different classes take separate license numbers with concurrent expirations on a single document, one endorsement per license, under the same business affiliation and addresses.
Dollars by layer, insurance at Class A levels
Texas publishes its dollars at three layers, and this page prints them at those layers. At the TDLR application layer, the contractor application fee is $115. At the examination layer, PSI charges $74 for this examination; cancelling or rescheduling without forfeiting that fee requires notice 2 days before the scheduled date, and late arrival, a missed sitting, a late cancellation, or lack of proper identification forfeits it. At the renewal layer, the on-time renewal fee is $65 for the 1-year term. Late renewal is priced by the published multipliers: expired 90 days or less, the renewal fee times 1.5; expired more than 90 days but less than 18 months, times 2; expired at least 18 months but less than 3 years, times 2 and only with executive director approval. A person may not engage in ACR contracting on an expired license at any point in that schedule.
Class A insurance minimums — printed here, in the Class A package, at Class A levels only — require commercial general liability maintained at all times during the license period of $300,000 per occurrence (combined property damage and bodily injury), $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations. Proof of insurance is submitted after passing the examination. A licensee who does not contract with the public may request a written insurance waiver, and then may not perform or offer ACR contracting with the general public.
Renewal carries an education duty: 8 hours of department-approved continuing education, including 1 hour of Texas law and rules — within the current term for a timely renewal, or within the 1-year period before the renewal date for a late one; no credit twice for the same course; the certificate retained for 1 year. Begin renewal 30 to 60 days before expiration, as TDLR advises.
Sitting day, results, and retakes
Arrive 30 minutes early with one valid government-issued photo identification matching the TDLR eligibility record. Only non-programmable, silent, battery-operated calculators without paper-tape printing or an alphabet keyboard are allowed. The score appears on screen immediately, an official score report is printed at the site, and a candidate who does not pass receives a diagnostic report by subject area. All ACR examinations are available in English and Spanish at no additional cost. A candidate who does not pass may schedule a retake with PSI within 24 to 48 hours, and may retake without limit through the eligibility period — until the application expires, 1 year from submission; after expiration, a fresh application is required.
Practice rules frame the edges of the work itself. “Cooling capacity” means nominal tonnage of compression equipment based on a 40°F suction temperature and a 105°F condensing temperature. Licensees may connect an appliance to the electrical line or disconnect provided, replace or reconnect systems or components of the same or lesser amperage, and install or service control wiring of 50 volts or less. Fuel-gas piping by a licensee is limited to the portion between the appliance and the existing piping system, connected at an existing shut-off valve — existing piping, stops, and valves are not to be altered. System testing may be performed without a contractor license; system balancing requires one, and a mini-split is not within the portable, self-contained exemption. Federal EPA Section 608 technician certification is a separate federal credential and a separate PassProfessor program; no source retrieved makes it a condition of this Texas license.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The Environmental Air Class A examination as published. Our catalog now includes preparation built on the verified structure of this sitting: the comfort-air scope at unlimited scale, the Manual J, Manual D, and Manual S load and duct apparatus the environmental examinations reference, and the Texas Laws and Rules block at its published weight of 6 — keyed to the 2024 mechanical, fuel gas, and uniform mechanical code editions the examination references from September 1, 2026. Every item is written from scratch against primary sources.
The layers, kept apart. The program teaches the tested layer, the applicable-code layer, and the municipal layer as the separate things they are, and the TDLR, PSI, renewal, and insurance dollars at their own layers — because the examination’s laws-and-rules block rewards exactly that discipline.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and this program is not a TDLR course. Completing it confers no license and no eligibility; TDLR alone licenses and approves eligibility, and examinations are scheduled through PSI. The companion guide at /texas-acr-contractor-environmental-air-class-a-exam-guide/ carries the fuller account of the route.
Tell me when enrollment opens. This program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when it is ready — and only about this program.
Frequently asked questions
What does Class A authorise that Class B does not?
Scale. A Class A license allows environmental air conditioning work on any size unit, with no size limit. The endorsement fixes the kind of work; the class fixes the size.
How is the examination structured?
120 scored items plus 5 non-scored items, in 230 minutes plus 10 minutes, open book and computer-based through PSI, scheduled only after TDLR approves eligibility. The scored and non-scored counts are published separately and are stated that way here.
What score passes?
The rule states it verbatim: “A passing grade is 70%” (§ 75.21(b)).
Is there a separate Texas Business and Law examination?
No. Texas Laws and Rules is a scored subject area inside this examination, carrying 6 questions on the Class A environmental outline.
Which code editions are tested?
Effective September 1, 2026, the examinations are referenced to the 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, the 2024 International Mechanical Code, and the 2024 Uniform Mechanical Code. The § 75.110 applicable-code layer and the municipal layer are separate layers, addressed in the guide.
What experience must I show?
At least 48 months of practical ACR-related experience under a licensed ACR contractor in the preceding 72 months, or a technician certification held for the preceding 12 months plus 36 months of such experience in the preceding 48 months — with education and apprenticeship converting at the published rates, and all requirements completed within 1 year of filing.
What does it cost, layer by layer?
TDLR’s contractor application fee is $115. PSI charges $74 for this examination. On-time renewal is $65 per 1-year term, with late renewal priced at the published multipliers.
What insurance must a Class A licensee carry?
Commercial general liability of $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations, maintained at all times during the license period. Proof is submitted after passing the examination.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with TDLR or PSI?
No. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider. TDLR alone licenses and approves eligibility, and PSI delivers the examinations.
When does enrollment open for the PassProfessor program?
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.