What the law makes a service firm keep
EPA 608 record keeping requirements and other trade records
Updated
A trade firm's job system is partly a compliance file. Section 608 and its sister rules set how long each kind of record is kept, and those periods decide what is still on hand when the business is licensed or sold.
Refrigerant work in the US
Three federal rules set how long a US refrigerant firm keeps its records.
Source: Field service trade records law
| EPA rule | What is kept | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 40 CFR 82.166 | All records kept under that section, unless otherwise indicated | At least three years |
| 40 CFR 82.156 | Each recovery by a technician recovering refrigerant for disposal from an appliance holding a full charge of more than 5 and less than 50 pounds | Three years |
| 40 CFR 84.106 | Records under the HFC leak repair rule | Three years |
Lead-safe renovation and pest control
Two more federal rules reach renovation and pest control firms.
Source: Field service trade records law
- Under 40 CFR 745.86, firms doing renovations keep the records that show compliance for three years.
- Under 40 CFR 171.303, state plans must require commercial applicators to keep records of their restricted use pesticide applications for at least two years.
Gas, electrical and F-gas work in the UK
In the UK the period depends on the work and the regulation behind it.
Source: Field service trade records law
- Gas safety checks
- Under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety Regulations, a landlord's record of each appliance check is kept until two further checks have been made.
- Electrical inspection
- Rented homes need an electrical inspection at intervals of no more than five years.
- F-gas records
- Kept for at least five years.
Tax and company records
The tax authorities set their own periods for the books behind the jobs.
Source: Field service trade records law
| Who | Period |
|---|---|
| HMRC, limited company | Six years from the end of the financial year the records relate to |
| HMRC, sole trader | At least five years after the 31 January deadline |
| IRS | Three years as the usual period |
From keeping to licensing
How those records can be licensed once kept is on selling a HVAC business.