A
- Administrative order
- A decision by the Commission or TDLR's Executive Director that imposes a sanction, an administrative penalty or both for breaking a program's laws or rules. Orders from roughly the last three fiscal years are searchable online. Searching orders.
- Apprentice electrician
- The entry-level electrician license in Texas. It needs no experience and no exam, and the holder works under the supervision of a master electrician, journeyman electrician or residential wireman. How to get one.
- An organization, usually an insurer or an inspection company working for insurers, registered with TDLR so that its commissioned inspectors can perform certificate inspections on the boilers it covers. Who inspects boilers.
B
- Boiler Data Search
- TDLR's search for registered boilers, separate from the license search. It finds a boiler by number, National Board number, location or inspection organization. How to use it.
C
- Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB)
- The document PSI publishes for each TDLR exam, with the number of questions, time limit, fee, reference books and content outline. The edition sent with your eligibility notice is the one that applies to you. Exam guides.
- CE provider
- A school or company TDLR has approved to offer continuing education courses for a program. CE providers are themselves registered and appear in the license file.
- Certificate of compliance
- The certificate TDLR issues for each elevator or escalator after its annual inspection report and fees are filed. It is valid for one year from the inspection date and must be posted where the public can see it. Elevator inspections.
- Certificate of operation
- The certificate a boiler must hold to operate in Texas. It belongs to the boiler, not to a person, runs one to three years and must be posted on or near the boiler. Checking a certificate.
- Certified technician (A/C)
- The higher of the two air conditioning technician credentials. It requires 24 months of supervised experience or an approved 2,000-hour program, plus an exam, and shortens the path to a contractor license. Registered vs certified.
- Class A and Class B (A/C)
- The two classes of air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license. Class A covers any size of unit; Class B is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 1.5 million BTU per hour of heating. HVAC license.
- Commission
- The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, the board that governs TDLR, adopts its rules and issues orders. Recent rule changes.
- Consent tow
- A tow the vehicle owner or operator asks for. Operators who only do consent tows hold a consent tow license, which needs no certification. Tow operator licenses.
- Continuing education (CE)
- Approved coursework some licenses require before renewal. Hours must come from a TDLR-approved provider, which reports them to TDLR. CE by license type.
- Criminal History Evaluation Letter
- A ruling you can request from TDLR before applying, on whether a past conviction would make you ineligible for a license.
- Criminal History Questionnaire
- A form applicants must include if they have any conviction other than a minor traffic offence, or a guilty or no-contest plea with deferred adjudication. Reviews take one to six weeks.
D
- Drop charge
- The fee to have a vehicle released when it is fully hooked to a tow truck but has not yet left the parking lot. Under TDLR guidance the driver must accept cash, credit or debit cards for it. Your rights when towed.
E
- Endorsement (A/C)
- The specialty added to an air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license: Environmental Air Conditioning, Commercial Refrigeration, or Process Cooling or Heating. HVAC license.
- Establishment license
- The license the premises of a salon, barbershop, nail salon or lash studio must hold, separate from the licenses of the people working there. Mini-establishments are small spaces inside a licensed establishment. Salon licenses.
- Experience Verification Form
- The form a supervisor signs to confirm the hours or months you worked under them. Electricians and A/C contractors need one from every supervisor they count experience from. Example: journeyman.
F
- Fiscal year (Texas)
- The state's budget year, running from 1 September to 31 August. Several TDLR records, such as the administrative orders search, are organized by fiscal year.
I
- Incident management tow
- A tow from an accident scene or ordered by police. It needs the highest tow operator license, which also covers private property and consent tows. Tow operator licenses.
J
- Journeyman electrician
- An electrician licensed after 8,000 hours of supervised on-the-job training and an exam, working under the general supervision of a master electrician. How to get one.
L
- Late inspection fee (boilers)
- A daily fee TDLR charges, since 15 June 2026, when a boiler is inspected after its certificate of operation has expired: $25 a day for the first 30 days, $50 a day to day 60, then $100 a day. Boiler fees.
- Late renewal
- Renewing after a license has expired. It costs more the longer you wait, and after a program-specific limit a license can no longer be renewed at all. When a license expires.
- Lawful presence
- Proof of lawful presence in the United States, which TDLR may request from applicants and license holders, including students. Documents should only be sent when TDLR asks. What changed.
- License file
- The public file of every license TDLR issues, published daily. It is the source of every statistic on this site. Our method.
M
- Master electrician
- The highest individual electrical license: two years as a journeyman plus 12,000 supervised hours and an exam. Every electrical contractor must employ one. How to get one.
N
- National Electrical Code (NEC)
- The model electrical code Texas adopts as its state electrical code. The 2026 edition took effect on 1 September 2026. NEC 2026 in Texas.
P
- Private property tow
- A tow from a parking lot without the vehicle owner's consent. It needs a private property or incident management operator license, and certification. If you were towed.
- PSI
- The third-party company that runs most TDLR licensing exams, including barber, cosmetology, electrician, A/C and property tax consultant exams. License guides.
R
- Recovery fund (auctioneers)
- A fund every auctioneer license pays into, used to compensate people harmed by a licensed auctioneer, up to set limits per claim. Auctioneer license.
- Registered technician (A/C)
- The basic air conditioning technician credential: age 16, a $20 fee, and work under a licensed A/C contractor. Registered vs certified.
- Residential wireman
- An electrician licensed for homes and apartment buildings up to four stories, after 4,000 supervised hours or an approved career and technology program. How to get one.
- Responsible party (elevators)
- The person an elevator contractor designates as responsible for its work, who must complete continuing education. CE by license type.
S
- Student permit
- The permit a barbering or cosmetology student holds while training at a licensed school. Cosmetology license.
T
- TAC (Texas Administrative Code)
- The compilation of state agency rules. TDLR's rules are in Title 16, with a chapter per program, for example chapter 73 for electricians and chapter 75 for air conditioning. Recent rule changes.
- Temporary license (barbering and cosmetology)
- A license that prints with your passing practical exam score, valid for 60 days while the full license is mailed. You only get one if you applied before taking the written exam. The order that matters.
- Tow hearing
- A hearing before a justice of the peace to challenge a tow. It must be requested before the 14th day after the vehicle was placed in storage. The 14-day deadline.
V
- Vehicle storage facility (VSF)
- A lot licensed by TDLR to store towed vehicles. VSFs and their employees are licensed separately from tow companies and operators. Checking a VSF.
Definitions summarize TDLR's own pages and are not legal definitions. Independent site, not affiliated with TDLR. See also: TDLR links · license requirements · how to get licensed.