Idaho to Minnesota: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Minnesota has no reciprocity agreement with Idaho. Your Idaho experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Minnesota exam.
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
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
A journeyman licensed in a state that is not on Minnesota's reciprocity list gets no exam waiver; the license itself carries no credit and the applicant qualifies by examination like any other candidate. Out-of-state hours do count: Minn. R. 3800.3520 credits electrical work performed outside Minnesota that DLI determines is substantially equivalent to work for a Minnesota licensed contractor, documented on the Work Experience Verification form by each employer (capped at 160 hours per month or 2,000 hours per year), and DLI's licensing page confirms credit for verifiable work in another state. The applicant must show at least 48 months of qualifying experience including 24 months of wiring and installing, file the Personal Electrical License Examination Application with the $50 fee (marking 'Licensed in a state other than Minnesota' and attaching a copy of the license), and pass the Class A Journeyworker exam. The license fee is paid separately once the exam is passed. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
DLI's pages describe no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states. Journeyworker licenses run two years from issuance, so the initial license fee is $48 ($40 base plus $8 board fee, Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 7), paid after the exam is passed.
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 48 months of qualifying work experience.At least 48 months of qualifying experience under Minn. R. 3800.3520, including at least 24 months wiring for and installing electrical wiring, apparatus and equipment; up to 12 months of credit for an approved two-year electrical course. Out-of-state work is credited when DLI finds it substantially equivalent.
What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Application and examination fee (non-refundable), Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 1.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota Class A Journeyworker Electrician written examination administered by DLI.
- 3Other. Electrical Work Experience Verification form completed by each employer, plus a copy of the out-of-state license.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($48). Class A Journeyworker license fee on approval: $40 base plus $8 board fee for the two-year term (Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 7).
Published fees on this path total $98, 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 · $50
- Trade exam
How Minnesota licenses journeyman electricians
Minnesota journeyman electrician · “Class A Journeyworker Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Board of Electricity
Minnesota issues a statewide Class A Journeyworker Electrician license through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); there is no municipal electrician licensing. A new applicant documents at least 48 months of qualifying experience (Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subd. 2 and Minn. R. 3800.3520), pays the $50 application and examination fee, and passes the DLI-administered written exam. Under Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subd. 20 the commissioner, with Board of Electricity approval, has reciprocity agreements with nine states whose journeyworker licensees are licensed without the Minnesota exam. Licenses expire every two years and renewal requires 16 hours of continuing education, 12 of them on the NEC.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Minnesota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Idaho?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman electrician license from Idaho?
- Published fees on this path total $98, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Idaho work hours count in Minnesota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Minnesota to Idaho?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to Idaho, the mechanism is reciprocity.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Residential Contractor, Remodeler, Roofer, Manufactured Home Installer Examination Application · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Experience requirements for an electrical license · Minn. R. 3800.3520; Minn. Stat. 326B.33 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Electrical licensing basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota Rules 3800.3520 - Experience requirements for electrical licenses · Minn. R. 3800.3520 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.092 - Fees (application, examination and license fees) · Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subds. 1, 3, 6, 7 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 - Electrical licenses and registration · Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subds. 1, 2, 20 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.