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TDLR values the contributions of the men and women who served in our armed forces. The Texas legislature and TDLR have established a number of provisions for licensees who are on active duty and for spouses of active duty personnel.
1. Additional Time to Complete Continuing Education
If you were a member of the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, and you were ordered to active duty on or after September 1, 2004, you have additional time equal to the total number of years or parts of years that the you served on active duty. When you apply to renew your license you must provide documentation of the date your active duty began and the date it ended.
2. Additional Time, Without Penalty, to Renew a License That Expired While on Active Duty
If you did not renew your license in a timely manner, you are exempt from paying a late renewal fee if you furnish the Department with military documentation indicating you were on active duty during the time that your license expired. This documentation would show the date your active duty began and the date it ended.
You can find more information in TDLR's Procedural Rules, Chapter 60.83 (e).
3. Expedited Licensing for Spouses of Persons Serving on Active Duty
Licenses can be issued faster to spouses of persons serving on active duty because education and/or examination requirements may be waived. The requirements are:
You must be the spouse of a person serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; AND
You must either;
- Hold a current and substantially equivalent license in another state; or
- Within the last five years, you held the license in Texas that expired while you lived in another state for at least six months.
You can read more about this at http://www.license.state.tx.us/militaryspouseFAQ.htm .
4. Beginning November 1, 2012, Military Experience May Count Toward Practical Experience Requirements
As of November 1, military experience, on-the-job training in an apprenticeship program, industrial work experience, or government experience may apply to the practical experience requirement of an air conditioning and refrigeration contractor's license.
Every 2,000 hours (per year maximum) of on-the-job training in an apprenticeship program will be equivalent to 12 months of practical experience;
Verified military service in which you were trained in or performed air conditioning and refrigeration-related work as part of your military occupational specialty will count towards the 48 month requirement.
