Florida to Oregon: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon'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.
Examination with credit for out-of-state experience (all non-reciprocal states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician licensed in a state without an Oregon reciprocity agreement applies for the General Journeyman license on the standard Electrical License Application and must pass the Oregon journeyman exam (52 questions, three hours, open book; 75 percent to pass). Out-of-state experience counts toward eligibility: either official transcripts showing 576 classroom hours plus verified 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience with at least 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial work, or 16,000 verified on-the-job hours with at least 2,000 hours in each category. Experience is documented with one Electrical Experience Verification Form per employer. Under ORS 479.632 the board may decline to examine an applicant whose out-of-state training or experience it finds not equivalent to Oregon's.
The Oregon journeyman exam is a single open-book exam; no separate law or rules exam is published. A separate application or exam fee could not be confirmed from a machine-readable official source; the License Directory lists only the $100 license fee.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 21 days
What you must already have
- 576 classroom hours of electrical training plus 8,000 verified on-the-job hours obtained outside Oregon (minimum 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial), OR 16,000 verified on-the-job hours obtained outside Oregon (minimum 2,000 hours in each category).
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). General Journeyman Electrician license fee (three-year license).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon General Journeyman Electrician exam: 52 questions, 3 hours, open book; minimum score 75 percent.
Published fees on this path total $100, 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
How Oregon licenses journeyman electricians
Oregon journeyman electrician · “General Journeyman Electrician (J)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services)
Oregon issues a statewide General Journeyman Electrician (J) license through the Building Codes Division. An applicant without a reciprocal license must document either an approved apprenticeship, or 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience earned outside Oregon, or 16,000 out-of-state on-the-job hours, and then pass the Oregon journeyman exam. Oregon has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements with Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington and Wyoming; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without taking the Oregon exam. Licenses renew every three years on October 1 and require 24 hours of continuing education.
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 Oregon journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman electrician license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Florida work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 21 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to Florida?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oregon Building Codes Division - Apply for an electrical license · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Application steps for individual electrical licenses; notes that reciprocal agreements exist only for the General Supervising Electrician and General Journeyman Electrician licenses, so the LME has no reciprocity.
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists reciprocal states per license type: General Journeyman (J): Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, Wyoming; General Supervising (S): Arkansas, Utah. States the apprenticeship/8,000-hour qualification and the Washington-specific apprenticeship condition.
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General licensing requirements · OAR 918-030-0020, 918-030-0045 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026918-030-0020: an applicant required to pass a written examination must score at least 75 percent.
- OAR chapter 918, division 282 - Electrical licensing · OAR 918-282-0140, 918-282-0170 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026918-282-0170 general journeyman experience categories (8,000 hours); 918-282-0140 general supervising electrician (licensed journeyman documents 8,000 additional journeyman hours).
- ORS chapter 479 - Protection of Buildings from Fire and Electrical Hazards · ORS 479.630, 479.632, 479.840 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026479.630: general journeyman requires four years as apprentice or equivalent and a written exam; general supervising requires four years as general journeyman or equivalent and a written exam. 479.632: the board may refuse to examine an applicant whose out-of-state training or experience is not equivalent.
- Oregon License Directory - General Journeyman Electrician (J) · Oregon Secretary of State / Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Eligibility paths including out-of-state 576 classroom hours + 8,000 OJT hours or 16,000 OJT hours; exam 52 questions, 3 hours, open book; license fee $100; processing 2-3 weeks. Page last updated 01/23/2026.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.