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EPA Section 609 certification

The certification U.S. technicians need to service motor vehicle air conditioning for pay. These are the rules in 40 CFR Part 82, Subparts B and G, with the exact words they come from.

Fact-checked against official sources · Last checked

What these pages cover, and what they don't

The real test or credential

Certification comes from an EPA-approved training and certification program: you are trained by the program and pass its test. EPA lists the approved programs.

Our pages

These pages cover the federal rules in 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart B. The approved programs' own training materials and tests are not used here.

Checked against these official pages on November 6, 2026. Practice here does not replace the official training or test.

Key facts from the rule

  • Anyone who repairs or services motor vehicle air conditioners for pay must be trained and certified by an EPA-approved program before doing any service involving the refrigerant.

    “Unless any such person repairing or servicing an MVAC has been properly trained and certified by a technician certification program approved by the Administrator pursuant to § 82.40”
    40 CFR 82.34

  • Being paid includes cash, credit, goods or services. Only work done for free is left out.

    “Service for consideration means being paid to perform service, whether it is in cash, credit, goods, or services. This includes all service except that done for free.”
    40 CFR 82.32

  • Simply topping off a system with refrigerant counts as service involving refrigerant.

    “Service involving refrigerant includes any service in which an MVAC or MVAC-like appliance is charged with refrigerant but no other service involving refrigerant is performed (i.e., a “top-off”).”
    40 CFR 82.32

  • Approved programs give each certified technician proof of certification, such as a wallet card, with a unique number.

    “Each certification program must offer individual proof of certification, such as a certificate, wallet-sized card, or display card, upon successful completion of the test. Each certification program must provide a unique number for each certified technician.”
    40 CFR 82.40

  • Containers of class I or class II refrigerant under 20 pounds may only be sold to certified technicians, or to buyers who certify they are for resale only.

    “in a container which contains less than 20 pounds of such refrigerant to any person unless that person is properly trained and certified under § 82.40 or intended the containers for resale only”
    40 CFR 82.34

  • Shops must keep the required records for at least three years, on site.

    “All records required to be maintained pursuant to this section must be kept for a minimum of three years unless otherwise indicated. Entities which service motor vehicle air conditioners for consideration must keep these records on-site.”
    40 CFR 82.42

  • EPA has not set a renewal cycle in the rule, but reserves the right to require recertification later.

    “The Administrator reserves the right to specify the need for technician recertification at some future date, if necessary.”
    40 CFR 82.40

How to get certified

Choose a program from EPA's list of approved Section 609 training and certification programs, complete its training and pass its test. Under 40 CFR 82.161, technicians who service MVAC-like appliances, such as the air conditioning on agricultural or construction vehicles, may be certified either as Section 608 Type II technicians or under Section 609. See EPA's page on the overlap between Sections 608 and 609.

Sources

Independent. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA or any certifying organization. Found an error? See our contact page.