Florida to Wisconsin: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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.
A journeyman licensed in any state other than Iowa or New Hampshire gets no exam waiver in Wisconsin and applies under Category A of Form 3106 like a first-time candidate. The license itself carries no credit, but the experience behind it does: Form 3106 and Wis. Stat. 101.87 count experience in installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring wherever it was earned, so the applicant documents 48 months with at least 8,000 hours (or 1,000 hours per year for five years) on the Experience Table (Form 3106T) signed by witnesses, or submits a certificate of completion from a U.S. DOL- or state-recognized electrical construction apprenticeship. The application and fees are submitted in LicensE ($35 application, $30 examination and $150 license fee under Table 305.02), DSPS then makes the applicant eligible to test, and the applicant must pass the Wisconsin journeyman exam. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
DSPS publishes no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states. Form 3106 does not say out-of-state experience is excluded; the credit for out-of-state hours is inferred from the experience definition, which has no geographic limit, and was not confirmed by an explicit DSPS statement. Fee amounts are from Table 305.02 of the administrative code; the forms say fees are calculated in LicensE, and Pearson test-center exams cost marginally more than DSPS-site exams.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 8,000 hours over at least 48 months installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring (or 1,000 hours per year for five years); up to 2,000 hours and two years may come from full-time electrical schooling at 500 hours per semester. A recognized three-year construction electrician apprenticeship is an alternative.
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Journeyman Electrician license application fee (Table 305.02 line 26e), paid in LicensE.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($30). Journeyman Electrician examination fee (Table 305.02 line 26e); paid again for each retake.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Journeyman Electrician examination (open book on SPS 305, SPS 316 and the NEC; 70% to pass).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Journeyman Electrician initial license fee (Table 305.02 line 26e); four-year credential.
- 5Other. Experience Table (Form 3106T) with witness signatures, or apprenticeship completion certificate, uploaded to LicensE.
Published fees on this path total $215, 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.
- Exam fee · $30
- Trade exam
How Wisconsin licenses journeyman electricians
Wisconsin journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS); under Wis. Stat. 101.862 no one may install, repair or maintain electrical wiring without a DSPS license or registration, and there is no municipal electrician licensing. A new applicant under Wis. Stat. 101.87 either completes a recognized construction electrician apprenticeship or documents 48 months with at least 8,000 hours of experience, applies in the LicensE portal, and passes the DSPS journeyman exam (open book, 70% to pass; based on the 2017 NEC until October 1, 2026, then the 2023 NEC). Under Wis. Stat. 101.874 DSPS may enter into reciprocal agreements, and Form 3106 currently waives the exam only for journeymen licensed by examination in Iowa or New Hampshire. The license is renewed every four years for $100.
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 Wisconsin journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin journeyman electrician license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $215, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Florida work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to Florida?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS Form 3106 - Journeyman Electrician License Application Information (Rev. 12/04/2025) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 15, 2026Category A (apprenticeship/experience and examination): completed recognized electrical construction apprenticeship, or 48 months with at least 8,000 hours of experience installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring, or 1,000 hours per year for five years; up to 2,000 hours / two years of credit for full-time electrical schooling at 500 hours per semester. Category B (reciprocity): a valid, unexpired journeyman license acquired through a state examination in Iowa (Journeyman A) or New Hampshire, held continuously for at least one year immediately before applying, licenses without the Wisconsin exam; Iowa applicants must have completed an apprenticeship or the experience hours, New Hampshire applicants a 600-hour apprenticeship-schooling program. Fees are calculated in LicensE.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Electrician Exam Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exam is open book with a 70% passing score; allowed references are SPS 305 and SPS 316, the NEC, and up to two bound reference books. Exams are based on the 2017 NEC until October 1, 2026, when the 2023 NEC takes effect.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Electrician · Wis. Stat. 101.862; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.40 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program page: licensing is required to install, repair or maintain electrical wiring; journeymen work under the general supervision of a master electrician; applications (Form 3106) are filed in the LicensE portal at license.wi.gov. Does not itself list reciprocity states or fees.
- DSPS - Trades Renewal Dates and Fees · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026HVAC Qualifier: 4-year credential renewing from date of issuance, renewal fee $100, no CE, reinstatement $200. HVAC Contractor: 4-year registration from date of issuance, renewal $40, reinstatement $200. (SPS 305 Table 305.07 still lists a 2-year term for these credentials; DSPS's current schedule is used here.) Read with pdftotext after download.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Credentialing Examination Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Trades exams are given at DSPS locations or, at a marginally higher fee, at Pearson test centers selected in the LicensE application; exam reviews are $15.
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Register August 2025) · SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.70; SPS 305.71 · Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Table 305.02: HVAC Contractor registration $15 application fee and $160 registration fee; HVAC Qualifier certification $15 application fee, $25 examination fee, $60 certification fee. SPS 305.70: HVAC contractor registration is mandatory for any person, entity or business installing or servicing HVAC equipment and is applied for by the owner, partner or chief executive; a note reminds that federal Section 608 technician certification is required for refrigerant work. SPS 305.71: an individual may obtain an HVAC qualifier certification by meeting the 4-year experience/education standard, passing the exam under SPS 305.09 and paying the certification fee; a business that uses a qualifier is a 'certified HVAC business' that cannot be required to obtain local approval. The chapter contains no reciprocity or credential-by-endorsement provision for HVAC. Read with pdftotext after download.
- Wis. Stat. 101.87 - Journeyman electrician license · Wis. Stat. 101.87 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Journeyman electrician qualifications: completion of a construction electrician apprenticeship of at least three years approved by the U.S. DOL or Wisconsin DWD, or 48 months with at least 8,000 hours of experience; each followed by passage of the department's examination. A two-year electrical degree or diploma counts as 12 months and 2,000 hours.
- Wis. Stat. 101.874 - Reciprocal agreements (electrical credentials) · Wis. Stat. 101.874 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026DSPS may enter into a reciprocal agreement with another state recognizing electrician credentials as comparable only if the other state's education, experience and examination requirements are at least equivalent to Wisconsin's; under an agreement DSPS issues a credential to an applicant who submits an application, pays the fee under s. 101.82(4), and holds a valid comparable credential from the other state.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.