Last reviewed: September 2026 · By the HVAC Brief Editorial Team · Our sourcing and editorial standards
Yes. Under federal rules you can still install R-410A equipment in 2026, as long as every component was manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025. There is currently no federal end date on that inventory. What you cannot do is build or import new R-410A residential equipment.
Much of the guidance published on this topic is out of date. It describes a January 1, 2026 installation cutoff that EPA has since removed.
This is the question we get asked more than any other, and it is the one the trade press has handled worst. The rules changed twice, and a large amount of published advice still describes the first version. Here is what the regulation says today, quoted directly.
What the rule prohibits
Under 40 CFR 84.54(a)(1), effective January 1, 2025, no person may manufacture or import self-contained residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump products that use a refrigerant with a global warming potential of 700 or greater. R-410A has a GWP of 2,088, so it is out for new production. That part has not changed and is not in dispute.
The installation question is separate, and it is where the confusion lives. The original rule paired the manufacturing ban with a cutoff on installing existing stock.
What EPA changed in 2026
On May 26, 2026, EPA published a final rule reconsidering parts of the Technology Transitions program. In the agency’s own words, the rule “allows the inventory of residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment that was manufactured in the United States or imported into the United States before January 1, 2025, to continue to be installed.”
That rule is 91 FR 31284, RIN 2060-AW39, docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005, effective July 27, 2026. The current text of 40 CFR 84.54(c)(1) now carries the sell-through with no expiration date attached.
Pre-2025 R-410A inventory is a legitimate thing to sell again rather than a compliance liability. Distributors are still moving it and it is usually cheaper than the A2L equivalent. The catch is not federal legality, it is the refrigerant’s long-term service cost and your state’s own rules.
The full picture, by equipment type
| Equipment | Federal status in 2026 |
|---|---|
| R-410A residential split systems, all components built before Jan 1, 2025 | May continue to be installed. No federal end date currently set. |
| New R-410A residential or light commercial equipment | Cannot be manufactured or imported since Jan 1, 2025. |
| Existing R-410A systems already in service | Legal to operate and service. Service refrigerant remains legal to produce and sell. |
| Variable refrigerant flow, GWP 700 or greater | Restricted from Jan 1, 2026. Installable before Jan 1, 2027 where all components were built or imported before Jan 1, 2026, and before Jan 1, 2028 where a building permit issued prior to Oct 5, 2023 specifies the restricted refrigerant. |
Where this can still catch you out
The federal sell-through is not the last word. Several states run their own hydrofluorocarbon programs that can be stricter than the federal rule, and New York’s 6 NYCRR Part 494 is the one most likely to surprise a contractor working near a state line. Reporting on the precise New York dates has been inconsistent enough that we will not restate a specific deadline here. Confirm the current text with the state agency or your distributor before you sell a job that depends on it.
The second thing to get in writing is the refrigerant’s future. R-410A is being phased down under the AIM Act, which means service refrigerant will get progressively more expensive across the life of the system. On a unit a homeowner expects to keep fifteen years, that is a real cost. Tell them before they find out in year six.
Methodology
Regulatory text is quoted from the current Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR 84.54, retrieved from the electronic CFR. The 2026 rule change is quoted from the Federal Register summary for document 2026-10387, citation 91 FR 31284. We quote the regulation directly rather than paraphrasing because paraphrase is how the January 2026 cutoff myth spread in the first place.
Limitations
- This covers federal rules only. State and local rules can be stricter and change independently.
- We do not state New York’s specific dates because available secondary reporting conflicts and we could not verify a single authoritative date from the state’s own text.
- Nothing here is legal advice. Confirm before you sell a job that depends on it.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to install R-410A in 2026?
Not under federal rules, provided every component of the system was manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025. EPA’s final rule at 91 FR 31284 explicitly allows that inventory to continue to be installed. Some states impose stricter limits.
Was there not a January 1, 2026 deadline?
There was, in the original rule. EPA removed it in a final rule published May 26, 2026 and effective July 27, 2026. Guidance still describing that cutoff is out of date.
Can I still get refrigerant to service an existing R-410A system?
Yes. Existing systems are legal to operate and service, and service refrigerant remains legal to produce and sell. It is being phased down over time, so expect the cost to rise.
What about VRF systems?
VRF has its own schedule. Restrictions took effect January 1, 2026, with installation allowed before January 1, 2027 where components were built or imported before January 1, 2026, extending to January 1, 2028 where a building permit issued before October 5, 2023 specifies the refrigerant.
Sources
- 40 CFR 84.54, Restrictions on the use of hydrofluorocarbons, current text via eCFR.
- EPA, “Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020,” final rule, 91 FR 31284, published May 26, 2026, effective July 27, 2026, RIN 2060-AW39, docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005.
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 6 NYCRR Part 494, Hydrofluorocarbon Standards and Reporting.
The HVAC Brief is an independent trade publication. We do not sell equipment or take manufacturer advertising. Corrections: if you find an error, tell us and we will fix it and note the change.
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