Louisiana to Oklahoma: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oklahoma'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 reciprocity agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from a state that has no written agreement with Oklahoma can ask for exam equivalency under OAC 158:40-9-2.4, but only if the Board has already approved that jurisdiction's exam as substantially similar; if so, the Oklahoma journeyman exam is waived on a certified letter from the home jurisdiction showing a current license in good standing, the license category, an exam score of 70% or higher and no pending discipline. CIB does not publish the list of approved jurisdictions. Otherwise the applicant files the standard Application for Electrical Licensure with a complete work history and employer experience affidavits, and out-of-state residents must show similar experience by attaching copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued electrical licenses; utility work is not counted. The applicant then pays $75 and must pass the Unlimited Electrical Journeyman exam through PSI. Oklahoma has no separate law exam for journeymen.
New Mexico lists Oklahoma as an EE-98J reciprocity partner, but Oklahoma's published list does not include New Mexico, so a New Mexico journeyman falls under this default path unless CIB confirms otherwise. Which jurisdictions' exams have been approved for equivalency could not be confirmed from an official page. 59 O.S. §1685(A)(1) also lets the Committee certify an applicant holding a valid license from another governmental entity with similar requirements.
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 on-the-job hours as a registered apprentice while employed by an electrical contractor, 4,000 in commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 hours may be formal electrical education with official transcripts.
What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application (processing) fee, non-refundable (OAC 158:40-9-3(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial journeyman license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $75.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Unlimited Electrical Journeyman exam administered by PSI, 70% to pass; waived only if the Board has approved the home jurisdiction's exam for equivalency.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($92). PSI fee per examination portion, non-refundable.
Published fees on this path total $167, 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 · $92
How Oklahoma licenses journeyman electricians
Oklahoma journeyman electrician · “Unlimited Electrical Journeyman”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Electrical Licensing Unit
Oklahoma issues statewide electrical journeyman licenses through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) in three categories: Unlimited, Residential and Refinery. The Unlimited Electrical Journeyman license requires 8,000 verifiable hours as a registered apprentice under a licensed journeyman or contractor while employed by an electrical contractor, of which 4,000 must be commercial/industrial and up to 2,000 may be formal electrical education, plus passing the PSI-administered exam with 70% (59 O.S. §1684). The fee is $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license) and the PSI exam fee is $92 per portion. CIB has written journeyman reciprocity agreements with ten states, and reciprocal applicants are exempt from the Oklahoma exam. Journeymen must be employed by a licensed contractor and complete 12 hours of continuing education 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 Oklahoma journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma journeyman electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $167, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Oklahoma?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Reciprocity requires a written agreement between the states, a current license in good standing for at least one year, and current CEU compliance. Journeymen and contractors complete 12 hours of continuing education every three years (six on code changes). Contractor activation requires general liability insurance with CIB as certificate holder, a bond, and workers' compensation proof. Links the Electrical License Act (Title 59, effective 11-1-2025).
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Application Information and Application for Electrical Licensure (revised June 2024) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fees that must accompany the application: Electrical Contractor $330 (license $300 / processing $30); Electrical Journeyman, reciprocal or otherwise, $75 (license $50 / processing $25). Unlimited contractor: 12,000 hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, proof of 4,000 hours and 2 years as a licensed unlimited journeyman, 6,000 commercial/industrial hours; must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm to activate. Out-of-state residents must have completed similar experience and include copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses; utility work is not counted. 'All applicants are required to pass the Oklahoma electrical exam to gain licensure - exception: reciprocal applicants.' Reciprocal licenses cannot be grandfathered and must have been held at least one year.
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Journeyman · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Unlimited Electrical Journeyman: 8,000 verifiable hours on the job, 4,000 in commercial/industrial work, up to 2,000 hours by formal electrical education. Residential Electrical Journeyman: 4,000 hours, up to 1,000 by education. Refinery Electrical Journeyman is issued on the basis of a current out-of-state unlimited license. Links the Temporary Journeyman Application and License Through Reciprocity.
- Oklahoma CIB - Frequently Asked Questions · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Faq · verified September 15, 2026'How do I obtain CIB licensing through reciprocity?': your state must have a written reciprocity agreement with Oklahoma; current license in good standing for at least one year; current in CEU requirements; complete application with work history and fees; CIB verifies hours with the reciprocating state. Retest after 30 days for a first failure and 90 days after subsequent failures.
- Oklahoma Electrical License Act, 59 O.S. §§ 1680-1690 (effective 11-1-2025) · 59 O.S. §§ 1684, 1685, 1685.1 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§1684(B): passing score is 70% on each part; a failing applicant waits 30 days. §1685(A): CIB issues a journeyman electrician or electrical contractor license to any person certified by the Committee of Electrical Examiners as having passed the exam or holding a valid license from another governmental entity with similar requirements, who pays the fee and completes a national criminal history check when required. §1685.1: temporary one-year journeyman licenses for out-of-state journeymen after a declared disaster. The Act contains no section headed reciprocity; agreements are handled under the CIB rules.
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 40 - Electrical Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 07/11/2026) · OAC 158:40-5-5, 158:40-7-5, 158:40-9-2.4, 158:40-9-3 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026158:40-7-5: journeyman and contractor licenses by reciprocity require a written reciprocity agreement; the applicant pays the application fee plus the initial license fee; conditions include substantially equivalent requirements, one year of lawful practice in the origin state immediately before application, no pending discipline (certified statement), and a license obtained by examination; a contractor applicant under a written contractor agreement is issued a journeyman license by reciprocity and receives the contractor license after passing the Business and Law portion of the contractor exam and meeting bond and insurance requirements. 158:40-9-2.4: exam equivalency for licensees of states without an agreement, only where the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam; waives the journeyman exam or the technical trade portion of the contractor exam but not the Business and Law portion; requires a certified letter showing current good standing, category, 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline. 158:40-9-3(b): contractor application $30, initial contractor license $300, renewal $200; journeyman application $25, initial license $50, renewal $75. 158:40-5-5: $5,000 license bond and $50,000 combined single limit general liability insurance for active contractors, plus workers' compensation compliance.
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, effective 12/18/2025) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Other · verified September 15, 2026Eligibility is determined by CIB; PSI fee is $92 per examination portion, non-refundable. Content outlines cover the Unlimited Electrical Contractor, Limited Electrical Contractor, Residential Electrical Contractor, Unlimited Electrical Journeyman, Residential Electrical Journeyman and Refinery Electrical Journeyman exams.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.