District of Columbia to Virginia: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Virginia has a reciprocity agreement with District of Columbia: a District of Columbia journeyman electrician can get a Virginia 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 the District of Columbia (journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board for Contractors has an approved license and examination reciprocity agreement covering the District of Columbia Journeyman Electrical tradesman license and the Virginia Journeyman Electrical Tradesman license. A DC journeyman electrician applies on the Tradesman Exam & License Application selecting 'Reciprocity' as the method of licensure for the Journeyman Electrical designation, pays the $171.75 fee, and attaches a Certification/Letter of Good Standing from the DC licensing board; the Virginia exam is waived. The Board's list says applicants must meet all terms of the agreement, but the agreement's text and any minimum years or experience conditions are not published online.
Agreement terms (years held, experience) are not published; DPOR directs applicants to [email protected] or 804-367-8511 for details.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your District of Columbia license must be active and in good standing.
- Must meet all terms of the DC-Virginia reciprocal agreement (not published)
What you'll do to get licensed in Virginia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($171.75). Tradesman Exam & License Application, method 'Reciprocity', Journeyman Electrical; includes the $7.25/year technology fee; non-refundable.
- 2Other. Certification/Letter of Good Standing from the DC licensing authority and a copy of the current license.
Published fees on this path total $171.75, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Virginia licenses journeyman electricians
Virginia journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrical Tradesman (ELE)”
Statewide license
Issued by Virginia Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program (DPOR)
Virginia issues a statewide Journeyman Electrical tradesman license to individuals (never to companies) through the Board for Contractors' Tradesmen Program at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). A first-time applicant qualifies for the PSI journeyman exam ($100) with a combination of practical experience and vocational training (4 years plus 240 hours down to 7 years plus 40 hours), a related degree plus experience, 8 years of verified experience, or completion of a registered apprenticeship, which exempts the applicant from the exam. The application fee on the 2026 form is $171.75, which includes the $7.25-per-year technology fee added by 2026 House Bill 30 on top of the $150 fee in 18VAC50-30-90. A journeyman or master license from another state qualifies its holder to sit the Virginia exam without documenting hours, and a licensee who has held that out-of-state license for at least one year may instead apply through Universal License Recognition, which issues the license without the Virginia trade exam. The Board also has signed journeyman-level examination reciprocity agreements with the District of Columbia, Kentucky and West Virginia. Anyone who contracts for work over $1,000 needs a separate Virginia contractor business license.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Virginia journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in District of Columbia?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with District of Columbia.
- What does it cost to get a Virginia journeyman electrician license from District of Columbia?
- Published fees on this path total $171.75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- 18VAC50-30-39 - Qualifications for examination approval for a tradesman license · 18VAC50-30-39 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 18VAC50-30-50 - Exemptions from examination · 18VAC50-30-50 · Virginia Register / Board for Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 18VAC50-30-90 - Fees for licensure and certification · 18VAC50-30-90 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Va. Code 54.1-103 - Additional training of regulated persons; reciprocity; endorsement · Va. Code 54.1-103(B)-(C) · Virginia General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Virginia Board for Contractors - Reciprocal Licensing/Examination Agreements with Other Jurisdictions · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
- Form A501-2710EXLIC - Tradesman Exam & License Application (v8, 07/01/2026) · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- DPOR Board for Contractors - Tradesman Licensing Information and Application Instructions · Va. Code 54.1-1128 through 54.1-1131 · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- DPOR Board for Contractors - Tradesmen Program · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.