The dates, as EPA has them now
| What | Rule | Date | Status in 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New residential and light commercial AC and heat pump systems | GWP limit 700 for systems installed | 1 January 2026 (2023 rule) | Deadline removed for systems whose components were all made or imported before 1 January 2025 (May 2026 rule) |
| Window, portable and other self-contained AC units | GWP limit 700 for manufacture and import | 1 January 2025 | In force |
| Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems | GWP limit 700 for systems installed | 1 January 2027 | In force: higher-GWP VRF equipment made before 1 January 2026 can be installed only until this date |
| HFC production and import cap | 60% of baseline | 2024 to 2028 | Unchanged; falls to 30% in 2029 |
Sources: EPA Technology Transitions fact sheet (updated May 2026) for the limits and the VRF date; 91 FR 31284 for the removal; EPA HFC FAQ for the cap schedule. EPA notes its fact sheet had not yet been updated for the May 2026 rule, which is why the first row cites both.
What changed in 2026
The 2023 Technology Transitions rule set two dates for home central AC and heat pumps: no new systems with a GWP of 700 or more manufactured or imported from 1 January 2025, and none installed from 1 January 2026, unless every component was made before 2025 (EPA). The May 2026 rule "removes the installation deadline" for systems "where all specified components of such systems were domestically manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025", so distributors can sell that stock until it is gone (Federal Register). EPA said in the same rule it was "not making any changes to the treatment of new condensing units" in this subsector.
The manufacturing limit did not move. AHRI told ACHR News that over 90% of new residential and light commercial equipment already uses next-generation refrigerants (ACHR News).
What it means for a 2027 replacement
- Two kinds of quote. A new low-GWP system, or an R-410A-type system from pre-2025 stock. Both are legal to install. Ask which one you are being quoted and for the model numbers of both halves.
- Mixing old and new. The exception covers systems where all the listed components predate 2025. If a contractor proposes a new outdoor unit on your old coil, ask how the pair meets the manufacturer's matching requirements; EPA left the treatment of new condensing units unchanged.
- Repairs stay legal. EPA's FAQ: "you can continue to repair your existing refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump system." Refrigerant for older systems still comes from a supply that is capped at 60% of the baseline through 2028 and 30% from 2029 (EPA). We have no price data for refrigerant.
- The permit is the same permit. A replacement still needs the city's mechanical or refrigeration permit; see do I need a permit for HVAC replacement.
How many replacements this touches, in our cities
| City | HVAC permits, three years | Firms | Usual filed job value | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle (Heat Pump & AC) | 15,441 | 272 | $8,000 | 85.6% |
| Miami | 5,161 | 846 | $6,792 | 95.6% |
| Sacramento County (unincorporated) | 7,937 | 581 | $15,268 | 84.1% |
| Elk Grove | 4,434 | 339 | $16,000 | 84.7% |
| Cape Coral | 5,015 | 455 | $8,570 | 93.2% |
| Colorado Springs | 22,485 | 421 | $3,000 | — |
"Finished" is the share of permits a year or more old that reached final inspection; we have no final dates for Colorado Springs. The filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not the invoice. For what a full replacement costs, see HVAC replacement cost.
What you can do in five minutes
Look up the model number on the quote at the manufacturer's site and note the refrigerant. Then open your city's compare page, find the firm, and check how many HVAC permits it filed in the last year and how many reached final. In Seattle the busiest heat pump installer, Greenwood Htng & Home Services, filed 646 in its latest twelve months of data.
What this page does not cover
This page covers the federal rule only; we have not reviewed state air-agency rules on refrigerants, which can add requirements. Our permit data does not record the refrigerant, so we cannot say how many systems in any city are R-410A.
How we know this
Refrigerant dates are quoted from the Federal Register text of EPA's final rule of 26 May 2026 (91 FR 31284), EPA's Technology Transitions fact sheet (updated May 2026), EPA's Regulatory Actions page and its HFC FAQ, read 26 October 2026; the AHRI figure is as reported by ACHR News. Permit counts are from each city's open permit data over the window shown on its compare page (October 2023 to September 2026 for most; Cape Coral from January 2025); "usual" is the median filed job value.
Numbers come from City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports); City of Miami building permits (since 2014); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); Pikes Peak Regional Building Department permits inside Colorado Springs city limits; City of Cape Coral building permits (the city's open permit table starts January 2025); City of Elk Grove TRAKiT building permits on single-family, duplex, mobile-home and ADU homes, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Sacramento County HVAC contractor by permit record →
Questions
- Can a contractor still install an R-410A air conditioner in 2027?
Yes, if every component of the system was made or imported before 1 January 2025. EPA's final rule of 26 May 2026, effective 27 July 2026, removed the 1 January 2026 installation deadline for that inventory. New residential systems built since 2025 must use a refrigerant with a GWP under 700.
- Do I have to replace my working R-410A system?
No. EPA says there are no requirements to stop using equipment currently in use, that consumers can keep using it to the end of its useful life, and that existing systems can still be repaired.
- Is there a new refrigerant deadline in 2027 for home AC?
Not for ordinary split or packaged home systems. The one 2027 date in EPA's AC and heat pump table is 1 January 2027 for variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems: higher-GWP VRF equipment made or imported before 1 January 2026 can be installed only until then. The HFC supply cap stays at 60% of baseline through 2028 and drops to 30% in 2029.
- How much does an HVAC permit cost with the new refrigerants?
The refrigerant does not change the permit fee; the fee comes from your city's schedule. The usual filed job value on an HVAC permit in our data is $6,792 in Miami and $15,268 in unincorporated Sacramento County.
- Should I ask which refrigerant the new system uses?
Yes. Ask for the model numbers of the outdoor and indoor units and the refrigerant on the nameplate. If the quote is for an R-410A system in 2027, ask for the manufacture dates, because only pre-2025 equipment can still be installed.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- How long does an HVAC system last? Furnace, AC and heat pump lifespans, and when to replace
- Hiring an HVAC contractor: 5 red flags and 10 questions, checked against HVAC permits in 43 cities
- How to finance a roof, heat pump or solar: FHA, USDA, PACE and state loans compared
- Repair or replace your furnace or AC? The filed costs and the rules
For one city
- Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the AIM Act (91 FR 31284, 26 May 2026) — Federal Register (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Technology Transitions Program fact sheet (updated May 2026) — U.S. EPA (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Regulatory Actions for Technology Transitions — U.S. EPA (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Frequent Questions on the Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons — U.S. EPA (accessed 2026-10-26)
- EPA removes R-410A installation deadline — ACHR News (accessed 2026-10-26)