Louisiana to Montana: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Montana'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 examination for states not determined substantially equivalent
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from a state that the board's Substantial Equivalency Determinations mark 'No' (for example Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico or Maine) must take the Montana journeyman exam: the checklist states 'If not SE, you must take our exam.' Out-of-state experience is credited: the applicant submits a Journeyman Experience Verification Affidavit from each employer listing the states in which the 8,000 hours were earned (or an apprenticeship completion certificate or union travel letter), plus verifications for every license ever held. MCA 37-1-304 also lets the board evaluate whether an applicant's actual work experience and credentials cure a deficiency in the origin state's standards. After board approval the applicant pays PSI $75 for the open-book 2020 NEC exam (70% to pass) and may buy a $50 temporary practice permit valid 90 days.
No timeline is published; approved candidates can usually sit for the PSI exam within about a week of the admission letter. Applicants who fail with 64% or less are not eligible for a second temporary permit.
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.Legally obtained practical experience in wiring for, installing and repairing electrical apparatus for light, heat and power, verified by a third party; no more than 50% residential (ARM 24.141.515). Alternatives: approved apprenticeship completion, union/trade-association training program, or 20,000 maintenance hours with employer certification
- Official license verification from every state or jurisdiction in which the applicant holds or has ever held a professional license of any type
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($190). Application for license by examination, includes the original license fee (ARM 24.141.405); nonrefundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Montana Journeyman Electrician examination administered by PSI, open book on the 2020 NEC, at least 60 questions, 70% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI after board approval; nonrefundable, valid one year.
- 4Other. Optional temporary practice permit for exam candidates (90 days or until exam results), in addition to the application fee ($50) (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $265, 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 · $75
How Montana licenses journeyman electricians
Montana journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)
Montana issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within the Department of Labor & Industry. A new applicant qualifies under MCA 37-68-305 by completing an approved apprenticeship, a bona fide union or trade-association training program, 8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience (no more than half residential), or 20,000 hours of electrical maintenance work, and then passes the PSI-administered open-book exam on the 2020 NEC with 70%. The $190 application fee includes the original license; a $50 temporary practice permit lets exam candidates work for a licensed contractor for 90 days. Licenses renew every two years for $140 with 16 hours of continuing education. Out-of-state journeymen are handled through substantial equivalency (SE): the board publishes a state-by-state determination table, and licensees from the twenty 'Yes' states are licensed by endorsement without the exam, while everyone else must test. Licenses issued by cities or counties are not considered.
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 Montana journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Montana requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Montana journeyman electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $265, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Montana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Montana's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Montana to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Montana to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Montana State Electrical Board - Exam Information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026PSI is the exam vendor; exams are based on the 2020 NEC as of June 10, 2022; only board-approved applicants may register and may sit within about a week of the admission letter; PSI test centers nationwide.
- Montana State Electrical Board / PSI Examination Information Sheet (3/27/2025) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry / PSI Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026PSI examination fees: Master Electrician $85, Journeyman Electrician $75, Residential Electrician $75; fees nonrefundable and valid one year; Montana test sites in Billings, Helena, Missoula, Great Falls and other locations.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Home · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026License types: Residential Electrician, Journeyman Electrician, Master Electrician, Electrical Contractor. Notes that the 2026 renewal cycle (May 15 - July 15, 2026) has fees abated 50%.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician Licensing Requirements, Application Checklist and Application (Rev. 07/22/2024) · MCA 37-68-305; ARM 24.141.502, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026Applicants with an active license that meets substantial equivalency (SE) submit license verifications, discipline/conviction documents and the $190 fee and do not take the exam; 'If not SE, you must take our exam.' SE requires a license that is active, unrestricted and in good standing from a state that requires passage of an electrical exam and one of: approved apprenticeship, union/trade-association training, 8,000 hours of practical experience, or 20,000 maintenance hours. Fees: $190 application by exam or by reciprocity/endorsement (includes license), $50 temporary work permit. Verification of licensure form asks the other board for the exam score and says Montana requires 75% or greater. License verifications are required for every license ever held.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Links the online application (ebiz.mt.gov/pol) and checklist; exams are based on the 2020 NEC; 16 hours of board-approved CE per renewal cycle (8 on code update) and the board accepts CE from any reciprocal state; all fees are nonrefundable.
- Montana State Electrical Board Laws and Rules Booklet (MCA Title 37 Chapter 68 and ARM Title 24 Chapter 141) · ARM 24.141.405, 24.141.502, 24.141.503, 24.141.504, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202624.141.405 fee schedule: application for license by examination $190 (includes original license), application by endorsement or reciprocity $190 (includes original license), temporary permit $50, renewal (two years) master $140 / journeyman $140, exam fees set by the testing agency; fees nonrefundable. 24.141.503: passing grade 70% for residential and journeyman exams, 75% for master; exams open book. 24.141.504: the board may enter reciprocity agreements case by case for residential or journeyman licenses with states whose requirements are substantially equivalent or greater; may issue a license by endorsement to an applicant who files a completed application with fees and holds a current, valid license in good standing in the category applied for; licenses issued by a city, county or municipality are not considered. 24.141.502: temporary practice permit valid 90 days or until exam results. 24.141.515: no more than 50% of experience may be residential.
- MCA 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement -- reciprocity · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026An applicant for licensure by endorsement must have an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose qualifications, measured at the time of application, are substantially equivalent to Montana's; where they are not, the board may evaluate whether the applicant's actual work experience and credentials cure the deficiency; reciprocity agreements may not license applicants who have not met substantially equivalent standards.
- MCA 37-68-305 - Journeyman and residential electricians -- application -- qualifications -- contents of examination · MCA 37-68-305 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Journeyman applicants show completion of an approved apprenticeship (or substantially equivalent program), a bona fide union or trade association training program, 8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience, or 20,000 hours in electrical maintenance with employer certification (8,000 practical); exam of at least 60 questions on the NEC and board rules.
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations - State Electrical Board tables (Residential, Journeyman and Master Electrician) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026State-by-state Yes/No tables linked from the board's license pages. Journeyman Electrician 'Yes': Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming (all other states No, including Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Maine). Master Electrician 'Yes': Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming. The document carries no publication date.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.