Illinois to North Dakota: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is North Dakota'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 reciprocal agreement (licensure by examination)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from a state that is not on NDSEB's reciprocity list must qualify for the North Dakota license by examination. Out-of-state hours count: the board accepts electrical construction experience earned under the supervision of a master electrician in any jurisdiction with licensing and inspection rules similar to North Dakota's, and the exam application requires a minimum of 8,000 hours documented on the Employment Verification form (SFN 11845). The related-training requirement (two-year school, 576 hours of classes or a recognized apprenticeship) applies only when the majority of the practical experience was obtained in North Dakota, and 2,000 hours of credit is available to graduates of a board-approved two-year electrical program. The applicant files the exam application with the $25 fee, receives an exam invitation, must test within six months, and needs 70% on the board's journeyman exam; the $25 annual license fee is paid after passing. NDCC 43-09-25 lets the board license electricians from other states on proof of equal qualifications, but the board's published practice limits no-exam licensure to its listed reciprocity partners.
NDAC 24.1-03-01-01 says exam fees are paid separately to the testing center provider 'if required'; no exam fee amount is published on the NDSEB pages or forms opened. The exam covers North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards as well as the NEC, so there is no separate law exam.
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.Earned over not less than three years under a contracting master or master of record in a jurisdiction with similar licensing and inspection rules (NDAC 24.1-03-01-03).
- If the majority of practical experience was obtained in North Dakota, must have completed two years of board-approved electrical school, 576 hours of approved training classes, or a board-recognized apprenticeship program
What you'll do to get licensed in North Dakota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman exam application fee (SFN 11858), NDAC 24.1-03-01-01.
- 2Other. Employment Verification form SFN 11845 documenting hours, submitted with the application.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. NDSEB journeyman examination (one-hour closed-book and 3.5-hour open-book sections on the NEC and North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards; 70% to pass).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Annual journeyman license fee, paid after passing the exam; license expires March 31.
Published fees on this path total $50, 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
How North Dakota licenses journeyman electricians
North Dakota journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB)
North Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB). A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of experience installing and repairing electrical wiring, earned over not less than three years while registered as an apprentice under a contracting master or master of record in a jurisdiction with licensing and inspection rules similar to North Dakota's, and must pass the board-administered journeyman exam (one-hour closed-book and 3.5-hour open-book sections, 70% to pass). An applicant whose experience was mostly earned in North Dakota must also have completed related apprenticeship training (two years of electrical school, 576 hours of classes or a recognized apprenticeship program). The application fee is $25 and the license fee is $25 per year; journeyman licenses expire March 31. North Dakota belongs to the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) and has journeyman reciprocity with 13 states, for which no written exam is required.
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 North Dakota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. North Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a North Dakota journeyman electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in North Dakota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward North Dakota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from North Dakota to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from North Dakota to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-09 - Electricians · NDCC §§43-09-10, 43-09-11, 43-09-13, 43-09-15, 43-09-25 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§43-09-10 license classes (master, journeyman, class B, power limited). §43-09-11: master requires one year as a licensed journeyman; journeyman requires 8,000 hours over not less than three years plus approved apprenticeship training or a two-year course of study. §43-09-13: fees set by the board. §43-09-15: licenses issued for one year. §43-09-25: board may grant licenses of the same grade to electricians licensed by other states that provide similar action, on proof of equal qualifications.
- North Dakota State Electrical Board - Applying for an Electrical License · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Experience must be in a jurisdiction with similar licensing and inspection rules and under the supervision of a master electrician; Employment Verification SFN 11845 must accompany the exam application; passing grade 70%; North Dakota participates in the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA).
- NDSEB Form SFN 11858 - Application for Electrician's License by Exam (11-2020) · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Form · verified September 15, 2026Work experience minimums: 10,000 hours for master (one year and 2,000 hours if an ND journeyman), 8,000 hours for journeyman, 3,000 for Class B. Related training (two-year school, 576 hours of classes, or recognized apprenticeship) is required only if the majority of practical experience was obtained in North Dakota. Application fees: Master $50, Class B $40, Journeyman $25; a separate license fee is charged after passing.
- North Dakota State Electrical Board - Exam Dates & Information · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Board-administered exams offered roughly every two weeks; master, journeyman and Class B exams have a one-hour closed-book and a 3.5-hour open-book section based on the current NEC and North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards; passing grade 70%; candidates must test within six months of the invitation; retake waits of 0/3/6 months by score.
- NDSEB 2026 Laws, Rules, Wiring and Conveyance Standards of North Dakota (effective 07/01/2026) · NDAC 24.1-03-01-01, 24.1-03-01-02, 24.1-03-01-03, 24.1-03-01-07 · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202624.1-03-01-01: application fees master $50, journeyman $25; annual license fees master $50 (expires April 30), journeyman $25 (expires March 31); exam fees paid separately to the testing provider if required. 24.1-03-01-02: master needs 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman; contracting masters and masters of record must show liability insurance. 24.1-03-01-03: journeyman needs 8,000 hours over at least three years in a jurisdiction with similar licensing and inspection rules. 24.1-03-01-07: an apprentice without related training whose majority of experience was in North Dakota is ineligible for exam or reciprocal license.
- North Dakota State Electrical Board - Qualifications for Licensure · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Master: one year and 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman under a contracting master or master of record; three master categories (contracting master, master of record, non-contracting master). Journeyman: 8,000 hours over not less than three years registered as an apprentice; credits for two-year school (2,000 hours) and other categories.
- North Dakota State Electrical Board - Reciprocal License Agreements & Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the master reciprocity states (Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota) and the 13 journeyman reciprocity states; states the requirements (origin exam passed, license current and in good standing, held continuously one year, 8,000 hours journeyman / 10,000 hours master under a contracting master in a jurisdiction with similar licensing and inspection rules, related-training restriction, 8-hour CE proof if the origin state has no CE, no exam, not eligible if the ND exam was failed) and the fees: application $25 journeyman / $50 master, license fee $25 / $50.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.