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Does anybody know for certain if in the State of Georgia, an HVAC ("conditioned air") license is required in order for a homeowner to install their own HVAC system?

Niall C.
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Mark
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    You could probably install your own HVAC system without a license, but charging it would almost certainly require one. I am fairly certain that charging any system with refrigerant requires a license so that you know how to prevent that refrigerant from being released into the air. – BillDOe Sep 20 '15 at 21:51
  • [Can a homeowner without a Section 608 EPA license legally connect his own gauges to his own air conditioner if the unit uses 410a refrigerant?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/72817/can-a-homeowner-without-a-section-608-epa-license-legally-connect-his-own-gauges) You have to "certify to EPA [with a letter in the mail] that [you] have acquired refrigerant recovery and/or recycling equipment and are complying with the requirements of the rule" – Mazura Jul 02 '19 at 04:00

3 Answers3

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The type of unit called a "package unit", where the condenser and air-handler are combined into a single outdoor unit comes from the factory already charged.

That solves the refrigerant side of the equation. Don't actually know if that is sufficient in Georgia or not.

Some un-named individual who lives in my house in NC installed one of these and, so far at least, has gotten away with it.

Jeff Pritchard
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Refrigerants are controlled by the EPA, so a license is required for charging the system in any state. However, the installation is not regulated.

N8sBug
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  • There's also a bit of electrical work involved, which may or may not be homeowner friendly. – Tester101 Sep 21 '15 at 10:56
  • The low and medium voltage electrical is not trivial, by any means, but there isn't a law requiring a license by the homeowner to do it himself/herself. – N8sBug Sep 22 '15 at 00:40
  • There aren't rules against it where *you* live, or there aren't rules against it *anywhere*? – Tester101 Sep 22 '15 at 01:59
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    GA requires a permit to do the work but a licence is not required if you are the homeowner. I have yet to run into a state that does, state websites are pretty clear about it. – N8sBug Sep 23 '15 at 09:16
  • This. You need a license to *buy* REPLACEMENT refrigerant. Once you own some, which new condensers come charged with and which [do not require a license to purchase](https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/72831/23295), and you use it for devices *in your own home*, then you just have to follow the rules. – Mazura Jul 02 '19 at 04:17
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You should contact your local building department. They'll be able to definitively answer your question.

Though I'd be surprised if a homeowner had all the tools and knowledge, required to install an air conditioning system themselves.

Tester101
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