Florida to Texas: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Florida 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 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 Texas journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- Yes. Texas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman electrician license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $108, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Texas to Florida?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Florida, 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.