Arkansas to Nebraska: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Nebraska has a reciprocity agreement with Arkansas: a Arkansas journeyman electrician can get a Nebraska license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Arkansas (journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The State Electrical Board lists Arkansas as a Journeyman Electrician reciprocity state. An Arkansas journeyman who passed the Arkansas state exam with 75% or better and has held the license in good standing for at least one year applies for licensure by reciprocity, listing the Arkansas license and its exam date on the application, and pays the application fee plus the license fee ($90 + $37.50 in 2026); no Nebraska exam is required. Nebraska applies a one-time reciprocation policy: if the reciprocal Nebraska license lapses, the holder must pass the exam to get it back.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Arkansas that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have held your Arkansas license for at least 1 year.Held in good standing for not less than one year.
- Your Arkansas license must be active and in good standing.
- Your Arkansas license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
What you'll do to get licensed in Nebraska
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($90). Journeyman application fee (reciprocal applicants pay the application fee plus the license fee as one registration fee).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($37.50). License fee when issued in an even-numbered year (2026); $75 in an odd-numbered year.
Published fees on this path total $127.50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Nebraska licenses journeyman electricians
Nebraska journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Nebraska State Electrical Division (State Electrical Board)
Nebraska issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Division under the State Electrical Act. A new applicant needs four years (8,000 hours) of verifiable experience acceptable to the State Electrical Board (apprentice registration counts, and an associate degree in electrical technology earns one year of credit), pays a $90 application fee, and passes the PSI-administered exam covering the 2023 NEC (open book), electrical theory, the State Electrical Act and emergency circuits. The license fee is $37.50 when issued in an even-numbered year or $75 in an odd-numbered year; all licenses expire December 31 of even-numbered years and renewal requires 12 hours of continuing education. The Board has reciprocal journeyman agreements with thirteen states, and reciprocal applicants are licensed without the Nebraska exam. A Residential Journeyman (RW) license with a three-year requirement also exists.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Nebraska journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Arkansas?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Arkansas.
- How long do I need to have held my Arkansas license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Nebraska journeyman electrician license from Arkansas?
- Published fees on this path total $127.50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Application for State Electrical License (updated 3/2026) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Information and Licensing Applications · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Journeyman Electrician · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Reciprocal Information · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- State Electrical Act and State Electrical Board Rules (July 2026 booklet) · Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 81-2104(6), 81-2107, 81-2108, 81-2109, 81-2115, 81-2118, 81-2120 · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2109 - Journeyman electrician license; qualifications · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2109 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 - Licenses and registrations; expiration; fees · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120 - Licenses; issued without examination based on reciprocity; qualifications; reciprocal credentialing agreement, military occupational specialty, or apprenticeship training program · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120 (as amended by Laws 2024, LB16) · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.