Arizona to Texas: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Arizona does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Texas's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state journeyman without a reciprocity agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
TDLR publishes no electrician-specific endorsement process for states outside its reciprocity agreements. Occupations Code §51.4041 lets TDLR waive prerequisites case by case for an applicant who holds a similar license from a state with substantially equivalent requirements, and TDLR describes that substantial-equivalence review as its primary method for out-of-state licensees, but the electrician program pages do not describe how it is applied. In practice an applicant from a non-reciprocal state files the standard Journeyman Electrician application, documents 8,000 hours of on-the-job training on TDLR's Experience Verification form, and must pass the Texas journeyman exam. Texas has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
TDLR's application page says the training must be under a Master Electrician licensed in Texas; whether hours supervised by an out-of-state master are credited was not confirmed from an official page. Applicants may sit the exam after 7,000 documented hours but need 8,000 for licensure.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician (Tex. Occ. Code §1305.155).
What you'll do to get licensed in Texas
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Journeyman Electrician license application fee (non-refundable), 16 TAC §73.80.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Texas Journeyman Electrician exam administered by PSI (knowledge and calculations portions, open book, 2023 NEC).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($78). PSI examination fee for both portions; retake $78.
Published fees on this path total $108, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Trade exam
- Exam fee · $78
How Texas licenses journeyman electricians
Texas journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
Texas issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician (TDLR's application page specifies a Texas-licensed master) and must pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam, which is open book on the 2023 NEC. TDLR has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements with ten states; a qualifying licensee from one of those states is licensed without taking the Texas exam. Licenses are valid for one year and renewed annually.
Why Arizona has nothing to transfer
Arizona journeyman electrician
No individual license at this level
Issued by Arizona Registrar of Contractors (contractor licensing only)
Arizona does not issue a journeyman electrician license. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) licenses electrical contractors under the R-11 (residential), C-11 (commercial) and CR-11 (dual) classifications, and individual electricians work as employees of a licensed contractor without any personal state license; the largest city, Phoenix, likewise states that it does not issue an electrical journeyman or apprentice license. An out-of-state journeyman license therefore has nothing to transfer to in Arizona and is neither required nor recognized for employment. An electrician who wants to contract independently must instead obtain an ROC contractor license: the qualifying party needs 4 years of practical or management trade experience (at least 2 within the last 10 years), a passing score of 70% on the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE, $61) and on the trade exam ($66 through PSI, or the NASCLA electrical exam for $116), a background check, a license bond (from $2,500 for commercial specialty and $4,250 for residential specialty, depending on volume), and application and license fees ($720 for R-11, $580 for C-11, $850 for CR-11 including the residential recovery fund assessment). Arizona has no direct reciprocity with any state, but the ROC may waive the trade exam and experience requirement for a qualifying party who held a comparable contractor license in another state within the past 5 years that was obtained by a trade examination; the SRE is never waived for out-of-state applicants.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Texas journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Arizona?
- Yes. Texas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman electrician license from Arizona?
- Published fees on this path total $108, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Texas to Arizona?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Arizona, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1305 - Electricians · Tex. Occ. Code §§1305.153, 1305.155, 1305.164 · Texas Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026§1305.155 journeyman: 8,000 hours OJT under a master electrician and pass the exam. §1305.153 master: 12,000 hours OJT, journeyman license held at least two years, pass the exam. §1305.164: the executive director may license an applicant licensed in a state with which Texas has an agreement to recognize licenses.
- Texas Occupations Code §51.4041 - Alternative Qualifications for License · Tex. Occ. Code §51.4041 · Texas Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026Allows TDLR to waive license prerequisites for an applicant holding a similar license from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements or a reciprocity agreement, and to enter reciprocity agreements with the Governor's approval.
- Electricians Administrative Rules, 16 TAC Chapter 73 · 16 TAC §§73.20, 73.21, 73.24, 73.80 · Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026§73.24(a): an applicant licensed in a state with a reciprocity agreement may obtain the equivalent Texas license without examination if all other requirements of Occupations Code ch. 1305 are met. §73.80: journeyman application $30, master application $45.
- TDLR - Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026
- TDLR Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation / PSI Services · Other · verified September 14, 2026Exam fee table: Journeyman Electrician $78; Master Electrician (both portions) $78; retakes $78.
- TDLR - Electrician Exam Information · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026
- TDLR - Transfer Your Out-of-State Electrician License to Texas · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists the current journeyman and master reciprocity partner states, the eligibility bullets, fees, and the reciprocity application forms.
- TDLR - Removing Barriers for Out-of-State Licensees at a Glance (AAG FORM-019, Jan. 2025) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Other · verified September 14, 2026Agency-wide summary: substantial-equivalence review under Occupations Code 51.4041(b)(1) is described as the primary case-by-case method for out-of-state licensees; reciprocity agreements require the Governor's approval. Its electrician partner lists are as of January 2025.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.