EPA Certification Card 2026: What It Shows, How to Replace It

What does an EPA certification card show?

Every program has to issue a standard wallet-sized card with at least:

The program’s name and the date EPA approved it
Your name
Your type of certification: Type I, Type II, Type III or Universal
A number unique to you, which can’t be your Social Security number
A line saying you passed the exam on handling refrigerants that EPA’s National Recycling and Emissions Reduction Program requires

When your results and card arrive

Programs must tell you your result within 30 days of the test and send your card within 30 days too. For a mail-in Type I test, the 30 days start when the program receives your test. Mainstream Engineering’s online Universal exam shows the result straight away and lets you print a temporary card; the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) says its card and certificate usually arrive within 3 weeks of the test.

If nothing comes, ask the place where you tested which program’s test you took, then contact that program. EPA doesn’t give tests, results or cards, so it can’t look into it for you.

Do you have to carry your card?

No. You must keep a copy of your certificate at your place of business, and keep it until three years after you stop working as a technician. EPA doesn’t require you to carry the card on jobs, but customers may ask, and EPA suggests keeping a photo of it on your phone.

Refrigerant sellers accept a copy of your card or the certificate from your program as proof. If you think someone is using your card to buy refrigerant, tell your supplier and you can report it to EPA.

EPA certification card replacement, step by step

If the program that certified you is still operating, ask it for a replacement. It must keep records of the cards it issues.
If it has closed and you have proof you passed, or you or an employer have a copy of the card, send that proof to a program that replaces cards. It issues a new card and keeps the record.
If it has closed and you have no proof, check EPA’s list of closed programs and contact EPA.
If none of that works, neither EPA nor a program can replace the card, and you retake the test.

EPA’s lost card page, last updated March 19, 2026, names ESCO Institute and Ferris State University as the programs that replace cards. EPA’s list of closed programs shows Ferris State stopped Section 608 testing on May 22, 2026, so check with Ferris before you send it anything. Cards from closed programs, such as the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) or the Refrigeration Environmental Protection Association (REPA), stay valid if they were issued while the program was approved.

If you don’t remember who certified you

EPA suggests looking for anything with the program’s name on it:

A certificate, plaque, receipt, canceled check, credit card record, study materials, test scores, resume or job application
Your state environmental or licensing office, if it asked you to register your certification
A present or past refrigerant supplier or employer, which may have a copy of your card
Anyone who took the test with you, or the place where you tested

What a replacement card costs

ACCA charges a $25 service fee for a lost or worn-out card, and only for people who tested with ACCA or the Pennsylvania College of Technology. It first checks your record from your full name, your address when certified, the date and your number if you have it. ACCA sends people certified before May 2001 to Ferris State University, which EPA lists as having stopped Section 608 testing on May 22, 2026. Other programs set their own fees, so ask yours.

EPA 608 certification lookup →How to get EPA 608 certification →

Sources: EPA · eCFR · Mainstream Engineering and 4 more. Checked October 2026.