Kansas to Hawaii: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Hawaii'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: experience credited, full Hawaii exam (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Hawaii has no reciprocity or endorsement for journeyman electricians from any state. An out-of-state journeyman applies for the EJ exam like a new candidate, documenting at least 10,000 hours (five years) of residential or commercial wiring on notarized Experience Verification forms signed by each licensed electrician who supervised the work; if the state where the experience was gained licenses only contractors, the Board accepts a form signed by the licensed contractor together with verification of that contractor's license dates, and a self-employed electrical contractor may self-attest with a copy of the contractor license. The applicant must also show 240 hours of electrical academic coursework, which out-of-state apprenticeship, college or military training can satisfy if Honolulu Community College reviews and accepts it as equivalent, and must submit a License Verification form from every jurisdiction where a license has ever been held. The $40 application goes to the Board, which meets in even-numbered months and must approve the applicant before PSI will register them; the exam is open code book and eligibility lasts two years. On passing, the license fee is $306 in the first year of the triennium (July 2026 to June 2027), $204 in the second and $102 in the third. A Hawaii contractor's license under HRS ch. 444 is separately required to contract for electrical work.
Board meetings are usually in February, April, June, August, October and December with exams the following month, so allow roughly two to four months from filing to exam. The exam fee is paid directly to PSI and is not printed on the current DCCA form; the Board's 2018 FAQ listed $95. The coursework requirement (Act 35, SLH 2010) applies to all journey worker and maintenance classes; coursework not on the approved list must be sent to Honolulu Community College for review, which charges its own fee.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least five years full-time in residential or commercial wiring under the supervision of a journey worker or supervising electrician (HRS §448E-5(b)(1)); out-of-state hours count when verified by the supervising licensee or licensed contractor.
- 240 hours of electrical academic coursework completed at, or reviewed and accepted as equivalent by, a University of Hawaii community college (HRS §448E-5(b)(1)(B))
- License Verification form completed by every jurisdiction in which the applicant has ever held a license, showing any discipline
What you'll do to get licensed in Hawaii
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($40). Non-refundable application fee payable to Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Hawaii Journey Worker Electrician examination administered by PSI Services (open code book); Board approval required before registering.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid directly to PSI at registration (amount set in the PSI candidate bulletin; $95 in the Board's 2018 FAQ).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($306). Initial license fee if licensed in the first year of the triennium (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), including the compliance resolution fund fee; $204 in the second year and $102 in the third.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. For each triennial renewal (by June 30, 2029): proof of a University of Hawaii community college NEC update course or approved equivalent (HRS §448E-8.5); renewal fee $306.
Published fees on this path total $346, 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
- Exam fee
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Hawaii licenses journeyman electricians
Hawaii journeyman electrician · “Journey Worker Electrician (EJ)”
Statewide license
Issued by Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division)
Hawaii issues a statewide Journey Worker Electrician (EJ) license through the Board of Electricians and Plumbers in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and under HAR §16-80-4 anyone who performs electrical work in the state must hold it (or work under a licensee who is physically present). Eligibility under HRS §448E-5(b) is five years full-time and not less than 10,000 hours of residential or commercial wiring experience under a journey worker or supervising electrician, plus 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii community college, followed by the PSI-administered open-book Hawaii exam. Narrower journey-level classes exist for industrial (EJI, 8,000 hours), specialty/low-voltage (EJS, 6,000 hours) and maintenance (EM) electricians. The Board's application form states that Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction: an out-of-state journeyman license is never exchanged for a Hawaii license and the exam is never waived, but out-of-state work experience counts in full when verified by the licensed electrician (or, where that state licenses only contractors, the licensed contractor) under whom it was earned. Licenses run on a three-year cycle ending June 30 (2026, 2029, 2032) and renewal requires an NEC update course.
Why Kansas has nothing to transfer
Kansas journeyman electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Kansas has no state electrician license and no state electrical board. State law (K.S.A. 12-1525 to 12-1527) only sets a framework for the counties and cities that choose to license electricians: it names the ICC, IAPMO and Prometric standard exams as the competency tests, requires a 75% passing score, two years of supervised field experience for a journeyman or residential certificate (up to one year creditable from at least 930 hours of trade school), and continuing education of 12 hours every two years. A certificate of competency earned by passing one of those standard exams is valid proof of competency in every Kansas county or city that licenses electricians, without retesting, but a license based on a local alternative exam is good only in the issuing jurisdiction unless it has a reciprocal agreement. Sedgwick County/Wichita (MABCD), Kansas City, Kansas (Unified Government), Lawrence and other cities license journeymen; Johnson County licenses electrical contractors through a master-level qualifying individual and does not issue journeyman cards. There is no reciprocity with other states: MABCD states it does not reciprocate with state testing, and the only portable credential is a passing score on a Kansas Standard ICC (or, in some jurisdictions, national ICC, Prometric or IAPMO) journeyman exam, which an out-of-state electrician can usually submit in place of retesting.
How local licensing works in Kansas
How local licensing works. Kansas issues no personal electrician license. K.S.A. 12-1526 lets any county or city that requires electrician licensure administer the K.S.A. 12-1525 standard exams (ICC, IAPMO, Prometric), with a 75% minimum, uniform fees, two years of field experience under a certified electrician for a journeyman certificate (one year may be trade school of at least 930 program hours), and 12 hours of CE every two years. The resulting certificate of competency is valid in every licensing jurisdiction in Kansas without further examination, subject to each jurisdiction's experience check and fees. K.S.A. 12-1527 allows local alternative exams, but licenses earned on them stop at the jurisdiction line.
Sedgwick County and Wichita (MABCD). The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department issues journeyman electrician certificates to applicants with one year of field experience plus one year of electrical trade school, or two years of field experience (documented on company letterhead), who score 75% on ICC exam 558 or KGH Journeyman Electrician (565/KGX for residential only). New certificate $35; two-year term; renewal $35 with six trade-specific and six general CEUs. 'MABCD does not reciprocate with state testing, only those exams listed are approved for Sedgwick County', so an out-of-state journeyman must show one of the listed ICC scores (Block, Experior, Prometric, ICC and IAPMO testing facilities are recognized).
Johnson County (Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee and other participating cities). Johnson County Contractor Licensing issues company licenses only, including the Class DE Electrical license ($100 application plus $225 per license type), qualified by a Qualifying Individual who passed the ICC Standard Master Electrician exam (554/KGD). There is no county journeyman license.
Kansas City, Kansas (Unified Government of Wyandotte County). Building Inspections licenses trade masters, who must hold a master's license (Prometric testing arranged through the department), and requires a city occupational tax license for contractors and subcontractors; the published pages do not describe a journeyman license, its fees or any reciprocity.
Lawrence. Planning and Development Services certifies journeyman electricians with two years of practical field experience (engineering degree counts 2.5 years, vocational training one year) who pass the K.S.A. standard exam with 75%; exam application $50, license $20, renewal $10, six hours of CE per year. A certificate of competency from another Kansas jurisdiction is the accepted standard for licensure.
Out-of-state holders. No Kansas jurisdiction found publishes a reciprocity agreement with another state. An out-of-state journeyman who has already passed an ICC journeyman exam (Kansas Standard or, where the jurisdiction allows, national) can submit that score with experience documentation; anyone else takes the ICC/Prometric exam through the local sponsoring jurisdiction and then benefits from statewide portability of the certificate.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Hawaii journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- Yes. Hawaii requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Hawaii journeyman electrician license from Kansas?
- Published fees on this path total $346, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Hawaii?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Hawaii's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Hawaii to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Hawaii to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- DCCA PVL - Requirements for Examination and License, Electricians and Plumbers (Forms EP-00 / EP-01, rev. 06/2026) · HRS ch. 448E; HAR ch. 16-80 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026States 'IMPORTANT: Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction.' Lists each electrician class with its requirement (EJ 5 years/10,000 hours plus 240 hours of coursework; ES 4 years as a licensed journey worker electrician or equivalent; EJI 4 years/8,000 hours plus 200 hours; ESI 3 years; EJS 3 years/6,000 hours plus 120 hours; ESS 2 years; EM 1 year plus 80 hours). Defines equivalent experience for supervising categories as having been licensed as a journey worker or supervising level electrician for at least 4 years in another county, state or country whose licensure requirements are substantially equivalent. Experience Verification forms must be signed by the licensed electrician who supervised the work (or by a licensed contractor where that state licenses only contractors); License Verification forms are required from every jurisdiction where a license was ever held. Application fee $40; exams through PSI Services (open code book); license fee on passing $306 in the first year of the triennium, $204 in the second, $102 in the third.
- DCCA PVL - Board of Electricians and Plumbers · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Board home page. Electricians renew by June 30 every three years (2026, 2029, 2032); the current licensing period runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029; on-time renewal cost for all electrician classes is $306 active ($12 inactive).
- DCCA PVL - Electrician and Plumber Application Deadline and Examination Dates · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Applications must be filed at least seven days before a Board meeting and approved by the Board before the exam; the electrician and plumber exams are offered by PSI Services, LLC; exam eligibility is valid for two years from the approval letter.
- DCCA PVL - Frequently Asked Questions, Electricians and Plumbers (July 2018) · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Faq · verified September 15, 2026Same class requirements as the application form. 2018 fee table: application $40, examination $95, license $306/$204/$102 by year of the triennium, renewal $306. Renewal by June 30 every three years; all electricians except maintenance electricians must show attendance at a University of Hawaii community college NEC update course (or equivalent courses by the Hawaii Electricians Training Fund or ABC) to renew; licensees licensed within one year of the renewal date are exempt. The exam fee figure is from 2018 and may have changed.
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 80 - Electricians and Plumbers · HAR §§16-80-3, 16-80-4, 16-80-5, 16-80-6 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§16-80-3 defines 'equivalent experience in the trade' for supervising electricians as including having been licensed as a journey worker electrician or supervising electrician in another county, state or country whose requirements for licensure are substantially equivalent to Hawaii's (same definition for supervising specialty electricians). §16-80-4: anyone who performs electrical work needs a journey worker electrician license and anyone who directs or supervises it needs a supervising electrician license; unlicensed helpers may work only under a licensee physically present on site. §16-80-5: no license is issued unless the person applies for, takes and passes the board's written examination, and must submit documentary proof of experience. §16-80-6: triennial renewal fees due by July 1 every third year.
- HRS §448E-5 - Minimum requirements (electricians and plumbers) · HRS §448E-5(b) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§448E-5(b)(1): journey worker electrician applicants must be 18, have at least five years full-time (not less than 10,000 hours) of residential or commercial wiring experience under the supervision of a journey worker or supervising electrician, and have completed 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii community college. §448E-5(b)(3): supervising electrician applicants must have been registered with the board as a journey worker electrician for at least four years 'or shall have equivalent experience in the trade'.
- HRS §448E-5.5 - Examination · HRS §448E-5.5 · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Every applicant shall be examined and shall pass an examination to be eligible for licensure; the board may contract with a professional testing service and the exam fee may be paid directly to the testing agency.
- HRS §448E-8.5 - Continued competency; license renewals · HRS §448E-8.5(a), (c) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Before each renewal all licensed electricians except maintenance electricians must furnish proof of attendance at a community-college NEC update course or pass a board-prescribed NEC update exam; a licensee issued a new license within one year of the renewal date is exempt.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.