Kansas to Kentucky: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Kentucky'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 electrician without a reciprocity agreement (examination with experience credit)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician licensed in a state other than West Virginia or Virginia applies on Form EL-3 as a new applicant: out-of-state hours count toward the 8,000-hour requirement when documented by tax records showing the occupation, a sworn affidavit on letterhead from a union, the licensed electrical contractor and master electrician who employed the applicant, an industrial facility, or an approved apprenticeship program, or by military form ELM-1. The applicant must pass the Kentucky Journeyman Electrician exam through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70% (an $80, open-book, 80-question exam); 815 KAR 35:060 Section 4(5) lets DHBC recognize another examination as equivalent on a showing that it covers the same material at the same level, and the checklist accepts the NASCLA-administered exam. The $100 biennial application fee is prorated by birth month, a passport-sized photo is required, and the application stays open for one year while requirements are completed. There is no separate law or code exam for the electrician license.
DHBC does not publish an endorsement path that waives the exam for non-reciprocal states; whether a previously passed NASCLA or ICC journeyman exam from another state will be accepted under Section 4(5) is decided by the department and was not confirmed from an official page. Passing scores are valid for three years.
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.Verifiable electrical work under the scope of the NEC since the applicant's sixteenth birthday (KRS 227A.060(3)); one year equals at least 1,600 hours; education substitutes for up to 4,000 hours.
What you'll do to get licensed in Kentucky
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Electrician license application fee for a two-year license (Form EL-3), prorated by birth month to between 13 and 24 months; non-refundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Kentucky Journeyman Electrician examination (Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue), open book, 80 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Examination fee per attempt (Prov Candidate Information Bulletin).
- 4Other. Passport-sized color photograph taken within six months, plus notarized experience affidavit or tax documents.
Published fees on this path total $180, 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 · $80
How Kentucky licenses journeyman electricians
Kentucky journeyman electrician · “Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Licensing Branch
Kentucky's journeyman-level credential is the statewide Electrician license issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS Chapter 227A; Kentucky does not use the word 'journeyman' in the license title, though the exam is called the Journeyman Electrician exam. A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course, two years of a four-year apprenticeship, an associate degree in electrical technology, or two years of teaching each substitute for 4,000 hours), must pass the open-book Journeyman Electrician exam (80 questions, 3 hours, $80) offered through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70%, and pays a $100 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. Licenses run two years and renew with continuing education. DHBC's published reciprocity list covers only West Virginia and Virginia at this level; electricians from every other state document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.
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 Kentucky journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- Yes. Kentucky requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Kentucky journeyman electrician license from Kansas?
- Published fees on this path total $180, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Kentucky?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Kentucky's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Kentucky to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Kentucky to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- DHBC Form EL-3 - Electrical License Application (Master Electrician / Electrician), October 2024, with fee schedule · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 15, 2026One form for Master Electrician and Electrician licenses; applicant marks 'Test results' or 'Reciprocity' and attaches proof; passport photo required. Fee schedule: Electrical Contractor $400, Master Electrician $200, Electrician $100 for a two-year (24-month) period, prorated by birth month for initial licenses (13 to 24 months).
- DHBC - Forms and Documents (Electrical License Forms) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the electrical license forms: ELM-1 military experience, EL-2 Electrical Contractor License Application, EL-3 Electrician License Application, EL-14 Provisional Electrician License Application, DHBC L-1 renewal, and the New Electrical Application Checklist.
- Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - home · Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026States that HBC licenses/certifies plumbers, electricians, boiler contractors, sprinkler and fire alarm contractors and building inspectors statewide; links to the licensing portal and forms pages.
- DHBC - Electrical New Application Checklists (KRS 227A.060 & 815 KAR 35:060; 080; 090), Feb. 4, 2025 · KRS 227A.060; 815 KAR 35:060 · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 15, 2026Master electrician: pass the Master Electrician's Exam with Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue, 16,000 hours of experience. Electrician: pass the Journeyman's Electrical Exam with Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue, 8,000 hours. Contractor: Business and Law exam, insurance certificate. RECIPROCITY LICENSES section: State of Ohio electrical contractor is issued a Kentucky Contractor Electrician and Master Electrician license (copy of active Ohio license, insurance certificate, contractor and electrical license applications, fees, photo, good standing letter); State of West Virginia or Commonwealth of Virginia master electrician or journeyman electrician (copy of active license, electrical license application, fee, photo, good standing letter). No other states are listed.
- Kentucky Electrical Licensing Examinations - Prov Candidate Information Bulletin (July 2020) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction / Prov · Other · verified September 15, 2026Exams cost $80 each, computer-based, open book and timed. Journeyman Electrician: 80 questions, 3 hours. Master Electrician: 100 questions, 4 hours. Business and Law (contractor): 40 questions, 1.5 hours.
- 815 KAR 35:060 - Licensing of electrical contractors, master electricians, and electricians · 815 KAR 35:060 Sections 1-4, 6, 8, 9 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section 1: application fees $400 (contractor), $200 (master), $100 (electrician) for a biennial license, prorated to not less than 13 months, expiring on the last day of the birth month; passport photo; application void after one year. Section 2 (Reciprocity): comply with the reciprocity agreement between Kentucky and the licensing state and the Section 1 requirements; provide a copy of the license and a letter of good standing; contractors also provide proof of insurance. Section 3: proof of experience by tax documents, business license, sworn affidavit from a union, licensed contractor/master electrician, industrial facility or approved training program, or military form ELM-1; one year of experience equals at least 1,600 hours. Section 4: pass an examination administered by an approved provider with at least 70%; passing score valid three years; the department may recognize another examination as equivalent. Section 8: two-year licenses, renewal fees $400/$200/$100 with continuing education. Section 9: late fee $50; fees non-refundable.
- KRS 227A.060 - Qualifications for licensure; provisional license · KRS 227A.060(1)-(5) · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor: application fee up to $200, pass the exam, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance compliance and $1,000,000 general liability policy. Master electrician: application fee up to $100, 16,000 hours of verifiable experience since age 16 (training course or two years teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours; associate degree substitutes for 6,000), pass the exam. Electrician: application fee up to $50, 8,000 hours (training course, two years of a four-year program, associate degree or two years teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours), pass the exam. Military experience may count. Nonrenewable one-year provisional electrician license for six years of experience at 2,080 hours per year.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.