Florida to Connecticut: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Connecticut'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.
Journeyperson by equivalent out-of-state license (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician licensed in any other state applies under DCP's 'Electrical Journeyperson - Equivalent Out of State License' path. DCP reviews one out-of-state license for equivalency: it must have required the same number of classroom hours (720 for the E-2), an equivalent classroom curriculum, and the same on-the-job training hours (8,000 for the E-2) as the Connecticut license. The applicant submits a copy of the license, an official license verification, the laws and regulations that set the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license; only one license will be reviewed and the $90 application fee is non-refundable. If the license is found equivalent, DCP approves the applicant to sit the E-2 exam with PSI ($59 per portion), and the license is issued after passing on payment of the $120 initial license fee. The out-of-state license does not waive the Connecticut exam because Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements. If the license cannot be shown equivalent, the applicant must instead document 720 classroom hours and 8,000 OJT hours under the equivalent experience and training path.
DCP's out-of-state license page does not itself restate that the exam is required; the exam requirement follows from the Electrical License page (exam vendor fees due on every path), CGS 20-333 (competency shown by examination) and the PSI bulletin (DCP determines eligibility, then the candidate tests). CGS 20-333a permits licensure without examination only where the other state reciprocates for Connecticut licensees, and DCP states no such agreements exist. Typical processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Florida license must be active and in good standing.
- The out-of-state license must be equivalent: it required the same classroom hours (720), an equivalent curriculum, and the same OJT hours (8,000) as the Connecticut E-2Only one out-of-state license is reviewed for equivalency.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training hours required for the E-2; demonstrated through the equivalent out-of-state license or, failing that, through notarized employer letters under the experience and training path.
What you'll do to get licensed in Connecticut
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($90). Journeyperson application fee, non-refundable (CGS 20-333).
- 2Other. Copy of the out-of-state license, official license verification, the laws/regulations listing the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson exam administered by PSI: 80 questions, 3.5 hours, 70% to pass, open book (2020 or 2023 NEC).
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($59). PSI examination fee per portion (same fee for retakes).
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Initial license fee for a journeyperson license after passing the exam (CGS 20-335); renews annually for $120.
Published fees on this path total $269, 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 · $59
How Connecticut licenses journeyman electricians
Connecticut journeyman electrician · “E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson”
Statewide license
Connecticut licenses electricians statewide through the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP); the journeyman-level license is the E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson, which allows all electrical work defined in CGS 20-330 while employed by a licensed contractor (limited journeyperson classes such as C-6, L-2, L-6, T-2 and PV-2 also exist). A new E-2 applicant qualifies through a Connecticut apprenticeship, through equivalent experience and training, or by holding an equivalent out-of-state license, and in every path must pass the PSI-administered E-2 exam (80 questions, 3.5 hours, 70%, open book on the 2020 or 2023 NEC). DCP states that Connecticut does not have reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction, even though CGS 20-333a would allow the Commissioner to waive the exam for licensees of states that reciprocate. The application fee is $90, the exam is $59 per portion, and the initial license fee is $120; licenses expire every September 30 and renew for $120.
Why Florida has nothing to transfer
Florida journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician Certificate of Competency (county-issued)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by County and municipal licensing boards (no state journeyman license)
Florida has no state journeyman electrician license. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation says it 'does not license or regulate the journeyman's license' and directs applicants to the county licensing office where they intend to work, and Hillsborough County's instructions add that 'There is no State of Florida requirement for anyone to hold a Journeyman Certificate of Competency.' Under s. 489.5335, F.S., counties and municipalities may issue journeyman electrician licenses to applicants who pass an exam, document apprenticeship or training hours and complete building-code coursework, and every county and municipality must recognize a journeyman license issued by any other Florida county or municipality. The large urban counties (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas and others) run journeyman programs with three to six years of experience and a 70-75% open-book exam; elsewhere an electrician simply works as an employee of a certified or registered electrical contractor with no personal license. An out-of-state journeyman license carries no state-level recognition in Florida and none of the county programs reviewed publish an out-of-state reciprocity rule (Miami-Dade reciprocates only with Broward and Palm Beach counties), so an arriving journeyman should expect to document experience and take the county exam in the first county that requires a card, after which that card is portable statewide.
How local licensing works in Florida
How local licensing works. DBPR certifies and registers electrical contractors only. Section 489.5335, F.S. authorizes counties and municipalities to issue journeyman licenses in the electrical and alarm system trades to an individual who passes an exam, documents apprenticeship or training hours, and completes building-code coursework, and subsection (2) requires every county and municipality to recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. A journeyman certificate never authorizes contracting; the holder works under a certified or registered electrical contractor.
Miami-Dade County. The Construction Trades Qualifying Board issues journeyman certificates of competency. Applicants need three years of proven experience in the trade (up to one-half may be equivalent education), must pass an open-book exam with 75% or above, and pay $240. Journeymen may work only in the employ of a certificate-holding contractor, one journeyman is required for every three trainees on a permitted site, and continuing education is required each certificate term. The county states it 'only reciprocates with Broward and Palm Beach County in specific trade categories'; reciprocating journeymen must show a 75% or higher exam score, and a Request to Reciprocate letter costs $20.
Broward County. The Building Code Division's Central Examining Boards certify Electrical Journeymen (plus fire alarm, limited energy, solar photovoltaic and electrical sign journeymen). Requirements: at least four years of practical electrical experience, a notarized affidavit from the licensed employer, the last four years of W-2s, and a GITS or ProV exam with a minimum passing grade of 75%; journeymen do not take the Business & Law exam. Since January 1, 2025 the journeyman application fee is $225, renewal $120, and a letter of reciprocity $50. The application offers 'License by Reciprocity' for holders of other Florida county cards.
Hillsborough County. Development Services issues a Journeyman Electrician Certificate of Competency to applicants with 12,000 hours (6 years) as an apprentice under a licensed contractor, or 8,000 hours (4 years) plus completion of a Florida-approved 4-year apprenticeship; graduates of a recognized apprenticeship may already have taken the exam. The exam is open book with a 75% minimum. Fees are $150 to apply and $70 to register the certificate, which does not expire. The county states the certificate 'is recognized in all jurisdictions throughout the State of Florida.'
Pinellas County. The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board (PCCLB) certifies journeymen under Chapter 75-489, Laws of Florida; the open-book exam by an independent testing agency has a 70% passing grade, the application fee is $75, and applicants file notarized employer experience certificates plus three character letters.
Out-of-state holders. No county page reviewed describes reciprocity for a journeyman license from another state; Miami-Dade limits reciprocity to two neighboring counties, and Broward's form warns that a lower accepted score 'may not be' reciprocable to another county or state. Palm Beach County's journeyman page could not be opened on this verification date and is not described here.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Connecticut journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- Yes. Connecticut requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Connecticut journeyman electrician license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $269, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Florida work hours count in Connecticut?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Connecticut's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Connecticut to Florida?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Connecticut to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 393 - Occupational Licensing (Electrical, Plumbing and Piping, Heating, Cooling...) · CGS §§ 20-333, 20-333a, 20-334a, 20-335 · Connecticut General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§20-333: non-refundable application fee of $90 for limited licenses and journeyman-type licenses under 20-334a(a)(2)-(3) and $150 for unlimited contractor licenses under 20-334a(a)(1); competency is shown by examination. §20-333a Reciprocity: the Commissioner may grant a license without examination to a currently practicing, competent person holding a similar license from another state with substantially similar or higher requirements, but only if that state grants the same privilege to Connecticut licensees; DCP reports no such agreements exist. §20-334a(a)(1)(A): an unlimited contractor's license may be issued to a person who served as a journeyman in the trade for at least two years 'and, if such service as a journeyman was outside this state, has furnished evidence satisfactory to the appropriate state board or the department that such service is comparable to similar service in this state', and has passed the examination; (a)(2)(A): an unlimited journeyman's license requires a bona fide apprenticeship including not less than four years' experience and passing the state licensure examination. §20-335: initial license fee $150 for a contractor's license and $120 for any other license; licenses expire annually; renewal $150 contractor / $120 other. The page returned a TLS certificate error to the fetch tool on 2026-09-15 and was downloaded directly with curl to read the section text.
- Connecticut DCP - Electrical License (application paths, fees, renewal) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the six application paths (contractor: 2+ years as journeyperson, equivalent experience and training, equivalent out-of-state license; journeyperson: Connecticut apprenticeship, equivalent experience and training, equivalent out-of-state license). Application fee: contractor $150, journeyperson $90, non-refundable. Renewal: contractor $150, journeyperson $120; all licenses expire September 30 annually. States 'Separate fees will be due to the exam vendor at time of exam registration' and, verbatim, 'Connecticut does not have reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction.'
- Connecticut DCP - Electrical Journeyperson: Equivalent Out of State License · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Defines an equivalent out-of-state license as one that required the same number of classroom hours, equivalent classroom curriculum, and on-the-job training hours as the Connecticut license applied for. Table: E-2 requires 8,000 OJT hours and 720 classroom hours (C-6 4,000/360, L-6 4,000/288, PV-2 4,000/324, T-2 4,000/288, L-2 8,000/576, C-8 2,000/144). Required documents: copy of the out-of-state license, license verification, the laws and regulations showing the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license. Only one out-of-state license is reviewed; application fees are non-refundable; if equivalency cannot be proven the application is not approved on this basis.
- Connecticut DCP - Electrical License Types and Scope of Work · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026E-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor: all electrical work as defined in CGS 20-330. E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson: all electrical work, only while employed by a properly licensed contractor. Also lists the limited classes (C-5/C-6, C-7/C-8, L-1/L-2, L-5/L-6, T-1/T-2, PV-1/PV-2).
- Connecticut DCP Occupational Licensing - Electrical Trades Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 2/4/2026) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 15, 2026Eligibility for examination is determined by the State (DCP approves the application, then PSI schedules). Fee: $59 per examination portion, first attempt or retake, non-refundable. Journeypersons pass only a trade portion; contractors must pass both a trade portion and the Business and Law portion (50 questions, 2 hours, 70%, based on the NASCLA Contractors Guide, Connecticut 6th edition). E-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor trade exam: 100 questions, 4 hours, 70%, open book. E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson: 80 questions, 3.5 hours, 70%, open book. Code questions are based on the 2020 or 2023 National Electrical Code. Eligibilities are valid for one year; a passed portion is valid for two years.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.