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What licence should an air conditioning installer hold?

The short answer

An ARCtick refrigerant handling licence from the Australian Refrigeration Council, which is national, plus an electrical licence for the electrical connection. Handling refrigerant without one is an offence.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 4 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Air conditioning is one of the few trades where the main credential is national rather than state-based, which makes it one of the easiest for a homeowner to verify. Anyone who installs, services, decommissions or otherwise handles refrigerant in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment must hold a refrigerant handling licence issued by the Australian Refrigeration Council, known as ARCtick.

Handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without that licence is an offence under the federal ozone and synthetic greenhouse gas regulations. This is not a trade-body membership or a quality badge. It is a legal requirement with a public register behind it.

What to check

  1. Ask for the ARCtick licence number and confirm it on the ARC register.
  2. Check the licence class covers the work. Licence types differ, and a restricted licence does not cover everything.
  3. Confirm who is doing the electrical connection and that they hold a current electrical licence in your state. The two are separate credentials and not always the same person.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Refrigerant Handling Licence · Australian Refrigeration CouncilChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. ARC Industry Site · Australian Refrigeration CouncilChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Electricians · NSW GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. Energy Safe Victoria · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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