LOCAL RULES: WAC 173-443

Washington HVAC service report requirements

Your Washington HVAC service report has 4 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • Leaks on 50 lb or larger systems repaired within 14 days, with a verification test
  • No topping off a known leak except to keep the system running until the repair
  • The technician's EPA Section 608 certification
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Washington runs its own refrigerant management program on top of the federal EPA rules. For any refrigeration or air conditioning system holding 50 pounds or more of a high global warming potential refrigerant, it sets a 14-day leak repair clock, scheduled leak inspections and five years of records. Here is each rule with a link to the Washington Administrative Code, and what a Washington service report should capture.

Last reviewed October 13, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

HVAC service reportWASHINGTON / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 94 words

Customer: Linda Okafor
412 Birchwood Dr
Date: 10/06/2026, in 1:15pm out 2:40pm
Tech: Marco Diaz
Cert: EPA 608 universal
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
79%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 14 items into 7 sections and flagged 1 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonHeating

    Furnace flue joint at the draft hood loose, re-secured

  • Worth watchingAirflow, controls and electrical

    Filter very dirty

4 Washington rules on your checklist, including leaks on 50 lb or larger systems repaired within 14 days, with a verification test.

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for parts
  • RecommendedNotes for refrigerant record

Filled in for you

Customer nameLinda Okafor
Service address412 Birchwood Dr
Service dateOct 6, 2026
TechnicianMarco Diaz
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What Washington requires

  • On a system with a full charge of 50 pounds or more of a refrigerant with a global warming potential of 150 or more, a certified technician repairs any detected leak within 14 calendar days of detection (up to 45 days when no technician or parts are available or an industrial shutdown is needed, with written records; up to 120 days for certain industrial process systems). A verification test follows every leak repair, and if the system was evacuated, a follow-up verification test within 14 days of reaching normal operating conditionsWAC 173-443-165 (1) to (6)
  • Anyone installing, servicing, repairing or disposing of such a system holds an EPA section 608 certificate, uses EPA-certified recovery or recycling equipment, evacuates as federal rules require, adds only a regulated refrigerant acceptable under EPA's SNAP program for that equipment, and does not add refrigerant to equipment known to be leaking unless needed to keep it running while preparing for or doing the repairWAC 173-443-205
  • Year-round systems get full leak inspections with a calibrated leak detector or bubble test, unless a working automatic leak detection system is installed: monthly at 1,500 pounds or more, at least every three months at 200 to 1,499 pounds (from January 1, 2026), and at least yearly at 50 to 199 pounds (from January 1, 2028); also at each verification test, each time 5 pounds or 1 percent of the charge (whichever is greater) is added, and whenever oil residue shows a leak. Seasonal systems are inspected within 30 days of each start-up and every three months while runningWAC 173-443-145
  • The leak rate is calculated at every leak inspection and every time refrigerant is added, using the 12-month rolling average; a system above its threshold (16 percent for retail food refrigeration or cold storage, 24 percent for industrial process refrigeration, 8 percent for air conditioning) is reported to Ecology within 30 daysWAC 173-443-155
  • The facility keeps, for at least five years and at the facility, records of leak inspections and leak rate calculations, system service and leak repairs, any reason a repair took longer than 14 days, refrigerant purchases, shipments for reclamation or destruction, and how the full charge was determinedWAC 173-443-195
  • Washington's refrigerant management program applies to owners and operators of facilities with a refrigeration or air conditioning system holding 50 pounds or more of a refrigerant with a global warming potential of 150 or more, to anyone who installs, repairs, maintains, services or disposes of such equipment, and to refrigerant wholesalers, distributors and reclaimersWAC 173-443-105

Leaks and repairs

A certified technician repairs a detected leak within 14 calendar days, or up to 45 days when no technician or parts are available or the repair needs an industrial shutdown, documented in writing. Every repair ends with a verification test, plus a follow-up test within 14 days if the system was evacuated. Technicians may not keep topping off a system known to be leaking, except to keep it running until the repair.

The service report is the record that proves the clock: the date the leak was found, what was repaired, how much refrigerant went in or came out, and the verification result.

Inspections, leak rates and records

Systems of 1,500 pounds or more are inspected monthly, 200 to 1,499 pounds at least quarterly since January 2026, and 50 to 199 pounds yearly from January 2028, unless automatic leak detection is installed, with extra inspections whenever 5 pounds or 1 percent of the charge is added. The leak rate is recalculated every time and reported to Ecology above 16 percent for retail food and cold storage, 24 percent for industrial process systems and 8 percent for air conditioning. Facilities keep five years of inspection, service, repair and refrigerant records on site.

Common mistakes

  • No date recorded for when the leak was first found.
  • Topping off a leaking system on every visit instead of repairing it.
  • Skipping the verification test after the repair.
  • Not inspecting after adding 5 pounds or more of refrigerant.
  • Service records thrown out before five years.

Sources

Last reviewed October 13, 2026. Next review due January 13, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.