Louisiana to Colorado: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Colorado'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.
Licensure by endorsement (all other states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from a state without a NERA reciprocity agreement (for example Texas, which DPO's application expressly names as not reciprocal) applies by endorsement. The license to be endorsed must be active, issued and regulated by a state, and have been gained by testing on the NEC edition currently in use in Colorado (the 2023 NEC as of this verification); licenses issued without an exam, by exam on a different NEC edition, or through continuing education do not qualify. The applicant must also document 8,000 hours of electrical experience earned over no fewer than four years on Affidavit of Experience forms, and submit a Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board. Qualifying applicants are licensed without taking the Colorado exam; anyone who does not meet the endorsement criteria must qualify by examination instead.
The Board held a rulemaking hearing on May 27, 2026 to adopt the 2026 NEC; the DPO application preview still names the 2023 NEC as the edition in use. Applicants should confirm which edition applies when they apply. Application and exam fee amounts are shown only inside DPO Online Services and were not published on the public pages reviewed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Louisiana license must be active and in good standing.
- Your Louisiana license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Earned in no less than 4 years; 2,000 hours must be commercial/industrial work. Experience may be accumulated in other states and is documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form.
What you'll do to get licensed in Colorado
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee paid in DPO Online Services (amount not published on the public pages; non-refundable).
- 2Other. Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board.
- 3Other. Affidavit(s) of Experience completed by each supervising electrical contractor.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Colorado Journeyman Electrician exam (PSI) - only if the origin license does not meet the endorsement criteria.
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 · if applicable
How Colorado licenses journeyman electricians
Colorado journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)
Colorado issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. There are three routes: examination (8,000 hours over at least four years, 288 hours of classroom education, and the PSI-administered Colorado exam), endorsement of an active state-issued license obtained by exam on the NEC edition Colorado currently uses, and reciprocity for journeymen from the 14 NERA member states. Endorsement and reciprocity both issue the license without a Colorado exam. Applications are filed through DPO Online Services; licenses expire September 30 every three years.
Why Louisiana has nothing to transfer
Louisiana journeyman electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license. The only state electrical credential is the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) commercial contractor license with the Electrical classification, required for any electrical project of $10,000 or more; it is issued to the contracting business (or to an individual as a sole proprietor) on the strength of a qualifying party who passed the trade exam, and the LSLBC FAQ and Types of Licenses pages list no journeyman or master electrician license. Journeyman licensing exists only where a parish or city ordinance creates it: New Orleans issues a Class 'D' Journeyman Electrical License ($60 per year) to applicants who pass the ICC F17 National Standard Journeyman Electrician exam, Jefferson Parish administers its own electrical exam and requires a parish-licensed electrician to file electrical permits, and Shreveport directs journeyman and master candidates to ICC testing while requiring contractor registration with the city. None of these jurisdictions publish a reciprocity or endorsement rule for out-of-state journeyman licenses; in practice the portable credential is the ICC National Standard Journeyman Electrician exam, which several cities accept directly. An out-of-state journeyman who only wants to work as an employee needs whatever local card the parish or city requires, and nothing at the state level.
How local licensing works in Louisiana
How local licensing works. The Contractors Licensing Law (La. R.S. 37:2150.1 et seq.) regulates contractors: an electrical contractor is anyone who contracts for electrical work valued at $10,000 or more, and the LSLBC licenses the business through a designated qualifying party. Individual electricians are licensed, where at all, by parish or city ordinance, and requirements differ by jurisdiction.
New Orleans. The Department of Safety and Permits issues a Class 'E' Electrician Trainee license ($30 per year, sponsored by a Class 'A' master license holder or union representative) and a Class 'D' Journeyman Electrical License ($60 per year, delinquent fee $5 per month). The journeyman applicant must be 18 or older and submit a passing ICC Official Results Report for exam F17 National Standard Journeyman Electrician (an unofficial stamped report is not accepted), a passport-style photo and ID; a journeyman must be employed by and work under a Class 'A' electrical contractor. The city page states no experience-hour requirement and no reciprocity for other jurisdictions' licenses; an out-of-state journeyman who has already passed the ICC F17 exam can apply on that score.
Jefferson Parish. The Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement publishes an Electrical Exam Application and requires that electrical permit filings be made by a Jefferson Parish licensed electrician; the parish trade contractor license costs $200 and lists the state license among its checklist items. The exam application is a scanned document whose eligibility text could not be read, and no reciprocity rule was found on the parish site.
Shreveport. The city requires every contractor performing electrical work to register with the city and refers journeyman or master testing to the International Code Council or the LSLBC; electrical work over $10,000 requires the state license.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette. No official page describing a journeyman electrician license or exam was located for the City of Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish or for Lafayette Consolidated Government; their permit pages cover permitting and inspection only. Applicants should contact the local building official.
Out-of-state holders. No parish or city page reviewed publishes reciprocity or endorsement for journeyman licenses from other states. The LSLBC's reciprocity (trade-exam waiver for anyone who passed another state's exam) applies only to its contractor license.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Colorado journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Colorado?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Colorado's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Colorado to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Colorado to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 3 CCR 710-1 - State Electrical Board Rules and Regulations · 3 CCR 710-1, Rule 1.7 (Application for Licensure) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Current version effective 2026-07-15. Rule 1.7 sets 8,000 hours / 4 years for journeyman and 10,000 hours / 5 years for master by examination, the endorsement conditions (active license in another state, apprenticeship or required experience, comparable written state exam on the current NEC), journeyman reciprocity for NERA member states or states with a Board agreement, and states that a Colorado master electrician's license may not be granted by reciprocity.
- Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12, Article 115 - Electricians · C.R.S. §§ 12-115-107(2)(i), 12-115-113 · Colorado General Assembly · Statute · verified September 14, 2026§12-115-113(1): the Board shall issue a license by endorsement to a person licensed in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent credentials and qualifications; (2): by reciprocity where a reciprocal agreement exists; (3): the Board may define substantial equivalence by rule. §12-115-107(2)(i) authorizes reciprocal agreements with other states' electrical boards.
- Colorado Electrical Applications and Forms - Licensure Requirements (Examination, Endorsement, Reciprocity) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists experience hours by license type, the endorsement conditions, and the NERA journeyman reciprocity states. Fees are not shown; the page says fees are in the online application.
- Colorado Electrical Homepage - State Electrical Board · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Board rulemaking hearing May 27, 2026 on adopting the 2026 NEC; licenses expire September 30 every three years.
- DPO Journeyman Electrician (JW) Initial Application Preview · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Form · verified September 14, 2026Linked from dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical/Applications. States the three methods (examination, reciprocity, endorsement), that the current NEC in use in Colorado is the 2023 NEC, that reciprocity applicants need no experience documentation, and that Texas is not a reciprocal state.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.