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United States · Certification test

EPA 609 certification online for motor vehicle air conditioning

Section 609 of the Clean Air Act covers motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC). Anyone who services or repairs it for payment or barter must be trained and certified by a Section 609 program the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved, whatever refrigerant the vehicle uses. It’s a separate credential from Section 608, with a different test, and you can get EPA 609 certification online from programs such as the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Mainstream Engineering and SkillCat.

  • LifetimeHow long ASE’s 609 certificate lasts
  • 24 of 30Correct answers to pass ASE’s test
  • Training plus a testWhat every approved 609 program gives
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who needs Section 609 certification

Anyone servicing an MVAC system for consideration, meaning any kind of payment, including barter. Off-road vehicles with MVAC-like systems, such as farm and construction equipment, can be serviced with Section 609 or Section 608 Type II certification, and EPA recommends 609. Buses that use the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) CFC-12 are MVACs, but buses that use R-22 are high-pressure equipment under Type II.

You don’t need certification to dispose of a vehicle air conditioner, but the last person in the disposal chain must make sure the refrigerant is removed. The Section 608 ban on venting refrigerant applies to vehicles too.

EPA Type 2 certification →

How much is EPA 609 certification online?

ItemFee
ASE: online quiz$23
ASE: paper quiz by mail$27
Mainstream Engineering: open-book test, first attempt$21.95
Mainstream Engineering: each extra attempt$6.95
SkillCat: app with a proctored exam$10 a month

Prices are from each program’s site in October 2026. Mainstream’s price, from its software page, includes one wallet-sized card, and its open-book exams are bought and taken through an account on its site. SkillCat’s membership starts with a 3-day free trial.

ASE’s Section 609 test

  • It’s a 30-question quiz on a training booklet, and you need at least 24 right. Only the latest booklet can be used.
  • Online, you see straight away whether you passed and can print a 60-day temporary credential. Mailed quizzes take several weeks to grade.
  • The certificate is for life, and it counts as EPA certification only, not as ASE technical certification.
  • Topics include refrigerants and their health and environmental effects, EPA rules for technicians, and alternative refrigerants such as R-1234yf, R-744 and R-152a.
  • ASE says it doesn’t meet Section 608 requirements, and some states and cities may want other credentials.

What a 609 card lets you buy

Section 609 technicians, and employers who show written proof they employ one, can buy refrigerant that’s acceptable for vehicle air conditioning. The other sales rules:

  • Refrigerant meant for stationary equipment can’t be sold to them in any container size.
  • The hydrochlorofluorocarbon HCFC-22 (R-22) can’t be sold to them at all.
  • CFC-12 in containers under 20 pounds may be sold only to Section 609 technicians.
  • Small cans of 2 pounds or less of a substitute such as R-134a, with a self-sealing valve, can still be sold to anyone for their own car.

Approved Section 609 programs

EPA’s list of programs open to the public, last updated June 25, 2026:

  • AM General Corporation
  • ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence)
  • Boyd CAT (formerly Whayne Supply Company)
  • ComplyAuto
  • ComplyNet
  • ESCO Institute
  • Ferris State University
  • The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association
  • KPA
  • Mainstream Engineering Corporation
  • Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association
  • Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy
  • Mobile Air Climate Systems Association (MACS)
  • National Fluid Power Institute (NFPI)
  • New York State Association of Service Stations and Repair Shops
  • SkillCat
  • Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)
  • Tier One EHS
  • The Training Center
  • Trade Masters Online
  • Union Pacific
  • Universal Technical Institute
  • Wyoming Technical Institute

Retailers must keep accepting cards from programs that have closed. MACS keeps the records of the International Mobile Air Conditioning Association (IMACA), and the New York State Association of Service Stations and Repair Shops keeps those of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ old program, so ask them for a lookup or a replacement.

EPA 608 certification lookup →

Rules for shops that service vehicle air conditioning

Technicians must use refrigerant handling equipment certified by EPA or an approved testing organization, and recycle or reclaim refrigerant before it goes back into any vehicle. A new shop certifies once to its EPA Regional Office that it has approved equipment and trained, certified staff. Shops keep records on site for 3 years of each technician’s certification and of where they send recovered refrigerant.

EPA 608 certification cost →
Sources: EPA · eCFR · ASE and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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