Idaho to New Mexico: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
New Mexico has a reciprocity agreement with Idaho: a Idaho journeyman electrician can get a New Mexico license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Idaho (EE-98J journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
CID lists Idaho as an EE-98J reciprocity state. An Idaho journeyman electrician who obtained the license by examination and has been active for at least one year in Idaho submits the Journeyman Certificate Application to PSI with a copy of the Idaho license and the $75 fee; no work-experience forms and no New Mexico exam are required. Only the EE-98J residential and commercial classification is reciprocated.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Idaho license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have held your Idaho license for at least 1 year.Currently active for at least one year in the state in which the applicant tested.
- Your Idaho license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in New Mexico
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Journeyman Certificate Application fee paid to PSI.
- 2Other. Copy of the Idaho journeyman license submitted with the notarized application.
Published fees on this path total $75, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How New Mexico licenses journeyman electricians
New Mexico journeyman electrician · “EE-98J Journeyman Electrician (certificate of competence)”
Statewide license
Issued by New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID)
New Mexico issues statewide journeyman certificates of competence through the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the Regulation and Licensing Department; PSI processes applications and administers the exams under contract. The residential and commercial journeyman electrician classification is EE-98J, which requires four years (8,000 hours) of experience gained within the ten years before application; a residential-only ER-1J and several two-year specialty journeyman classifications also exist. A new EE-98J applicant passes a two-part written exam (Part 1 Code, open book on the 2020 NEC; Part 2 Theory, closed book) and a practical exam, each with a 75% passing score. CID reciprocates only the EE-98J classification, with ten states. Certificates are active for three years, and EE-98J holders complete 16 hours of continuing education per three-year code cycle.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the New Mexico journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Idaho?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Idaho.
- How long do I need to have held my Idaho license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a New Mexico journeyman electrician license from Idaho?
- Published fees on this path total $75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13 · NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-2(E), 60-13-14, 60-13-16, 60-13-38 · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 14.6.6 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Classifications and Scopes of Work · 14.6.6.8 and 14.6.6.9 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI - How to Obtain a New Mexico Journeyman Certificate · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- State of New Mexico Journeyman Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 4/13/2023) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- NM Regulation and Licensing Department - Apply for a Construction Industries License · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.