Illinois to Massachusetts: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Massachusetts'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.
Journeyman by examination with out-of-state education and experience credit
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman licensed in any state other than New Hampshire (the Board's only written reciprocity agreement) applies online through PSI for the Massachusetts journeyman examination and must meet the same eligibility as a new applicant: 4 years with 8,000 hours of work experience and a 600-hour journeyman curriculum (plus a high-school diploma). Out-of-state work is documented on the Out of State Practical Experience Certification Form, signed by the applicant, a licensed verifying agent and an unrelated professional witness, with enough detail for the Board to conclude the work meets Massachusetts requirements; out-of-state schooling goes on the Out of State Education Program Form with transcripts, a letter of accreditation and a description of the code taught, and the Board may award full, partial or no credit. The applicant must also submit an official board-certified verification of the current out-of-state license, a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate. The $226 application and exam fee is paid to PSI; after passing both parts of the exam (70% each) the $104 license fee is paid at the test center. The Board notes that out-of-state credentials can lengthen the application review beyond the usual 30 days.
The Board's reciprocity page and 237 CMR 15.00 confirm that licensure without examination is limited to states with a written reciprocal agreement, currently New Hampshire only, so every other state's journeyman takes the Massachusetts exam. The second part of the journeyman exam is a shorter code/theory part; its exact question count was not legible in the bulletin extraction.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.4 years with 8,000 hours of work experience; out-of-state hours documented on the Out of State Practical Experience Certification Form. Experience more than 20 years old is treated as expired.
- 600-hour journeyman curriculum (high-school diploma required); out-of-state schooling is reviewed for substantial equivalence and may receive full or partial creditEducation is treated as expired 20 years from its commencement.
- Your Illinois license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Massachusetts
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($226). Journeyman application and examination fee paid to PSI with the online application (excludes the license fee); re-exam for both parts $135.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician examination (PSI), two parts, open book, 70% on each part; Part 1 is 80 questions in 180 minutes on the NEC as amended by 527 CMR 12.00.
- 3Background check. Complete a background check. CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) authorization form; the Board requests CORIs on all applicants.
- 4Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Certificate of completion of a 15-hour code update course from a Board-approved provider, submitted with the application.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($104). Journeyman license fee paid at the test center after passing.
Published fees on this path total $330, 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.
- Application fee · $226
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Massachusetts licenses journeyman electricians
Massachusetts journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”
Statewide license
Issued by Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)
Massachusetts issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians under M.G.L. c. 141. A new journeyman must document 4 years and 8,000 hours of supervised work experience plus a 600-hour Board-approved journeyman curriculum, submit a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate, and pass a two-part open-book exam administered by PSI (Part 1: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70%) based on the NEC with Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00). Application and exam fees total $226 and the license fee is $104. M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B and 237 CMR 15.00 let the Board license without examination an electrician from a state with substantially the same standards, but only where that state has a written agreement giving Massachusetts licensees the same privilege; the Board states that its only such agreement is with New Hampshire, and it accepts New Hampshire journeyman and master licenses only if they were obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam ($208 journeyman reciprocity fee). Every other out-of-state electrician qualifies by having out-of-state education and experience credited toward the Massachusetts exam.
Why Illinois has nothing to transfer
Illinois journeyman electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Illinois does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license; the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation does not license electricians at any level, and state law only authorizes municipalities to register electrical contractors. Licensing of individual electricians is done, where it exists, by cities and counties under their own ordinances, and requirements vary by jurisdiction. In the largest jurisdictions the individual credential is a supervising or master-level license (Chicago's Supervising Electrician, Springfield's Electrical License based on the ICC Master Electrician exam) rather than a journeyman card, and non-supervising electricians work as employees under that licensed person or contractor. An out-of-state journeyman license has no state-level recognition in Illinois; a journeyman must check the rules of each municipality where they will work and apply locally if that municipality licenses individuals.
How local licensing works in Illinois
How local licensing works. Illinois has no state electrician license and no state electrical board. The Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/11-33-1) allows each municipality to require registration of electrical contractors, with an annual fee of $25, and provides that a contractor registered in one municipality cannot be required to register or pay a fee in another. Anything beyond registration (examinations, experience requirements, supervising or master licenses) comes from each city's or county's own ordinance. Employees of an electrical contractor are expressly excluded from the statutory definition of 'electrical contractor', so state law does not require any personal license for a journeyman-level worker.
Chicago. The Department of Buildings licenses Supervising Electricians (individuals) and Electrical Contractors (businesses). There is no Chicago journeyman license. The supervising electrician exam requires age 21 and at least 2 years of experience under a supervising electrician or equivalent, verified by supervisor letters; general and low-voltage exams are offered through Continental Testing Services (2026 fees: $150 exam, $150 initial license, $150 annual renewal). For 'Class 1' work (buildings over 55 feet or large assembly occupancies before a certificate of occupancy), every worker must be a licensed supervising electrician or have completed or be enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor-recognized apprenticeship of at least 8,000 hours; this apprenticeship standard is the closest thing Chicago has to a journeyman qualification. All other work is done by employees under the contractor's supervising electrician. Chicago's pages do not describe any reciprocity or endorsement for out-of-state licenses.
Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department issues an Electrical License to individuals who document 5 years of electrical experience (2 supervisory) and pass the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam (W16); the Springfield Electrical Commission approves applications and the fee is $25. A limited grandfather clause applies to licenses from other Illinois or out-of-state municipalities with reciprocal testing that were issued before 10/10/2007; otherwise the ICC exam is required. Contractors performing work in the city must also register.
Peoria. Electrical licenses are issued to individuals, not businesses ($150 annual). Holders of Normal or Pekin licenses may register without testing; everyone else must submit an ICC contractor exam certificate (2017 code cycle or newer).
Rockford. Electrical contractors are not licensed, only registered ($25 per calendar year, or free with proof of current registration or license in another Illinois municipality).
Naperville and Aurora. Both accept current ICC certifications (Standard Master Electrician for commercial, Standard Residential Electrician for residential) or a license from a listed testing municipality in lieu of local testing; Naperville stopped issuing its own electrical licenses after 2022 and now registers electrical contractors. Insurance naming the city is required.
Elgin. Requires a contractor's license from any Illinois city that gives a written NEC-based examination, or Elgin's own exam administered through CLEC Enterprises.
Unincorporated Cook County. Electrical contractors must register ($150 initial, $75 annual renewal per trade), provide $1,000,000 general liability insurance, and submit a supervising electrician's license from an Illinois city, town or village that has an electrical commission administering an examination.
Out-of-state holders. None of these jurisdictions publish a reciprocity or endorsement path for licenses from other states. In practice the portable credentials inside Illinois are the ICC National Standard Master/Residential Electrician exams and licenses from testing municipalities such as Chicago; an electrician arriving from another state should expect to take the ICC exam or the local exam and apply separately in each municipality that licenses individuals.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Massachusetts requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $330, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in Massachusetts?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Massachusetts's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 237 CMR 15.00 - Licensure without examination (by reciprocity), Mass. Register #1561, 11/21/2025 · 237 CMR 15.01, 15.02 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202615.01(1): the Board may license without examination a master or journeyman licensed in another state with substantially the same standards, 'provided, however, that the state which has already granted licensure has entered a written agreement with the commonwealth giving a like privilege' to Massachusetts licensees. 15.01(2): a master applicant shows a minimum of five years actively engaged in electrical work and holds a current Class B (journeyman) license issued by the Board (the Class B application may be made at the same time); a journeyman applicant shows the equivalent of the 600-hour journeyman course completed within ten years of application and at least 8,000 hours of practical experience in no less than four years as an apprentice. 15.02: notarized application, fee paid in full and non-refundable, a certified Statement of Registration bearing the origin board's seal, and anyone previously examined and licensed by the Board is not eligible under 15.00. Opened on 2026-09-15 through a text-extraction proxy; mass.gov refuses direct requests from automated clients with HTTP 403.
- Mass.gov - Electricians FAQs for applications · 237 CMR 13.00, 13.05, 13.09 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Faq · verified September 15, 2026'MA only has reciprocity with NH.' The NH agreement covers journeyman and master licensure only if the NH license was acquired by examination in NH; a NH license gained by reciprocity or endorsement is not eligible. An electrician licensed in any other state must apply, sit for and pass the journeyman exam, documenting out-of-state education on the Out-of-State Education Program Form and experience per 237 CMR 13.09, plus the 15-hour code-update course (237 CMR 13.05). A master licensed in another state (other than NH) first obtains the MA journeyman license by exam, then may apply for the master exam: 'the requirement to be a Journeyman for a year can be waived with the proof of Master Licensure in said other state', with a Board-approved 150-hour master course or an equivalent 150-hour out-of-state course. Board staff do not pre-review education or experience. Opened on 2026-09-15 through a text-extraction proxy; mass.gov refuses direct requests from automated clients with HTTP 403.
- MGL Chapter 141, Section 2B - Electricians licensed in other states; reciprocal licensure without examination; fees · M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Verbatim: 'The examiners may license without examination any person who has been licensed as an electrician in another state under laws which, in the opinion of the examiners, maintain standards substantially the same as those of the commonwealth for electricians.' The fee for licensing without examination for master and journeyman licenses is set annually by the commissioner of administration under M.G.L. c. 7, § 3B; no amount is published in the statute.
- MGL Chapter 141, Section 3 - Forms of examinations, licenses and certificates · M.G.L. c. 141, § 3 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Establishes certificate A (master electrician's license), certificate B (journeyman electrician's license), certificate C (systems contractor's license) and certificate D (systems technician's license). Certificate B is issued to a person who has passed the examination before the state examiners; certificate A requires passing the examination and having held a certificate B for at least twelve months. Applicants apply in writing with an examination fee and pay a license fee on issuance; amounts are not in the statute.
- Board of State Examiners of Electricians - Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 11/1/2024) · 237 CMR 13.00, 18.01 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 15, 2026Written by the Board and hosted by PSI, which processes all applications and administers the exams. Journeyman eligibility: high-school diploma, 600-hour journeyman curriculum, and 4 years with 8,000 hours of work experience; Master: 150-hour master curriculum and '1 yr as MA Journeyman'. Out-of-state applicants submit the Out of State Education Program Form with transcripts, the Out of State Practical Experience Certification Form (signed by the applicant, a licensed verifying agent and a professional witness), and an official board-certified verification of any current out-of-state license; the Board may award full or partial credit for out-of-state education and may deny credit. Fees paid to PSI with the online application: Journeyman $226, Master $276 (application and exam, excluding license fee); license fee paid at the test center after passing: Journeyman $104, Master $155; re-exam for both parts $135. Exams are open-book, two-part, 70% on each part: Journeyman Part 1 is 80 questions in 180 minutes; Master Part 1 is 90 questions in 240 minutes plus a 50-question, 120-minute Business and Law part; code questions use the NEC as amended by the Massachusetts Electrical Code, 527 CMR 12.00. Applicants also need a CORI authorization and a certificate of a 15-hour code update course from a Board-approved provider. Application approval lasts 12 months; education older than 20 years and experience more than 20 years old are treated as expired.
- Mass.gov - Apply for reciprocity for an out-of-state electricians license · 237 CMR 15.00 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Verbatim: 'The Board has an agreement with New Hampshire to accept Journeyman and Master licenses ONLY IF they were obtained by passing an exam in New Hampshire.' Journeyman: License Verification/Certified Letter from the New Hampshire Board (name, address, license type/number, status, Board seal; PDF upload accepted), notarized CORI Authorization Form, passport-quality photo, certified records of any discipline or convictions. Master: additionally a copy of a current MA journeyman license or an indication that a journeyman-by-reciprocity application is being submitted at the same time, documentation of completing the MA 150-hour Master Electrician Program, and a standing letter issued within 90 days for each professional license held elsewhere. Fees (non-refundable per 237 CMR 15.02): Journeyman $208, Master $310. Applications are filed online through the DOL ePLACE portal; incomplete applications are held 180 days then abandoned; the Board needs at least 10 business days to review a complete application. Opened on 2026-09-15 through a text-extraction proxy; mass.gov refuses direct requests from automated clients with HTTP 403.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.