This explainer covers two questions about a Section 608 card: does the certification run out, and what happens if the card goes missing? It answers both from the technician certification rule, 40 CFR 82.161, and EPA's own Section 608 pages. Nothing here describes a rule change.
Does Section 608 certification expire?
No. EPA's Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements page states: "Section 608 Technician Certification credentials do not expire."
40 CFR 82.161 sets no renewal date or continuing-education cycle. It does keep two doors open:
- Future recertification. Under 40 CFR 82.161(a)(5), EPA "reserves the right to specify a requirement for technician recertification at some future date," and would do so by a notice in the Federal Register. This is a reserved right, not a current requirement.
- Revocation or suspension. Under 40 CFR 82.161(a)(3), EPA may require technicians to show at their place of business that they can recover or recycle refrigerant properly, and failing to do so "may result in revocation or suspension of the certificate." The same paragraph adds: "Failure to abide by any of the provisions of this subpart may also result in revocation or suspension of the certificate." If a certificate is revoked, "the technician would need to recertify before maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of any appliances."
So a certificate does not run out with time, but under the rule it can be revoked or suspended.
What records do you have to keep?
40 CFR 82.161(a)(4) sets two record rules for certified technicians:
- They "must keep a copy of their certificate at their place of business."
- They "must maintain a copy of their certificate until three years after no longer operating as a technician."
Carrying the card is a different matter. EPA's Q&A for certified technicians says: "EPA does not require you to carry your certification card with you when servicing appliances." The same answer suggests keeping a picture of your certification on your phone in case a customer asks.
Who replaces a lost card?
Not EPA. EPA's lost-card page states: "EPA does not issue certification cards and cannot replace a lost certification card." Under 40 CFR 82.161(b)(4) and (b)(5), the approved certification programs issue the identification cards and keep the records.
EPA's lost-card page sets out the steps in this order:
- Your certifying organization is still in business. Contact it for a replacement card. EPA notes: "The organization is required to maintain records of cards it issues." The Q&A adds that "The company’s name is on the certification card."
- It is not, but you have proof. If you have documentation from your original testing organization showing you passed, or you or a current or former employer have a copy of your lost card, send a copy to one of the organizations EPA lists as willing to replace cards. EPA says that organization "will issue you a new card and maintain a record of your certification."
- No such proof, and your organization has gone out of business. EPA's page points you to its list of closed certifying organizations and, if yours is on it, says to contact EPA.
- None of the above. EPA states that "neither EPA nor a certified testing organization will be able to issue a replacement card. You will need to retake the Section 608 certification test."
What if you do not remember who certified you?
EPA's Q&A lists places to look for the organization's name: a certificate, plaque, receipt, cancelled check, credit card record, study materials, test scores, resume or job application. It also suggests asking a present or former refrigerant supplier or employer whether they kept a copy of your card, checking with state environmental or licensing authorities if they require you to register your certification, and asking the place where you took the test which company's test it used.
One more lead in the rule: since January 1, 2018, non-federal certification programs "must publish online a list of all technicians they have certified on or after January 1, 2017" (40 CFR 82.161(b)(6)). Technicians may opt out of those lists, so not every name appears. EPA's Q&A also notes that it "does not maintain a database of all certified technicians."
What the official sources do not settle
- Which organizations replace cards. EPA's two pages do not match. The lost-card page names ESCO Institute and Ferris State University. The Q&A names "ESCO Institute, Ferris State University, and Refrigeration Environmental Protection Association (REPA)."
- Fees and turnaround. Neither 40 CFR 82.161 nor these EPA pages say what a replacement card costs or how long it takes.
- Working while you wait. The sources we checked do not say anything specific about doing refrigerant work between losing a card and receiving a replacement. They state only that certification does not expire, that a copy of the certificate must be kept at your place of business, and that EPA does not require you to carry the card.
Studying for the exam
If you are preparing for the exam rather than replacing a card, our EPA 608 Core study guide covers the Core topics with links to the regulation, and the Core practice test lets you check yourself with our own questions.