Louisiana to Texas: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Texas'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.
TDLR publishes no electrician-specific endorsement process for states outside its reciprocity agreements. Occupations Code §51.4041 lets TDLR waive prerequisites case by case for an applicant who holds a similar license from a state with substantially equivalent requirements, and TDLR describes that substantial-equivalence review as its primary method for out-of-state licensees, but the electrician program pages do not describe how it is applied. In practice an applicant from a non-reciprocal state files the standard Journeyman Electrician application, documents 8,000 hours of on-the-job training on TDLR's Experience Verification form, and must pass the Texas journeyman exam. Texas has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
TDLR's application page says the training must be under a Master Electrician licensed in Texas; whether hours supervised by an out-of-state master are credited was not confirmed from an official page. Applicants may sit the exam after 7,000 documented hours but need 8,000 for licensure.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician (Tex. Occ. Code §1305.155).
What you'll do to get licensed in Texas
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Journeyman Electrician license application fee (non-refundable), 16 TAC §73.80.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Texas Journeyman Electrician exam administered by PSI (knowledge and calculations portions, open book, 2023 NEC).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($78). PSI examination fee for both portions; retake $78.
Published fees on this path total $108, 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 · $78
How Texas licenses journeyman electricians
Texas journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
Texas issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician (TDLR's application page specifies a Texas-licensed master) and must pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam, which is open book on the 2023 NEC. TDLR has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements with ten states; a qualifying licensee from one of those states is licensed without taking the Texas exam. Licenses are valid for one year and renewed annually.
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 Texas journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Texas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Texas journeyman electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $108, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Texas to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Texas to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1305 - Electricians · Tex. Occ. Code §§1305.153, 1305.155, 1305.164 · Texas Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026§1305.155 journeyman: 8,000 hours OJT under a master electrician and pass the exam. §1305.153 master: 12,000 hours OJT, journeyman license held at least two years, pass the exam. §1305.164: the executive director may license an applicant licensed in a state with which Texas has an agreement to recognize licenses.
- Texas Occupations Code §51.4041 - Alternative Qualifications for License · Tex. Occ. Code §51.4041 · Texas Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026Allows TDLR to waive license prerequisites for an applicant holding a similar license from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements or a reciprocity agreement, and to enter reciprocity agreements with the Governor's approval.
- Electricians Administrative Rules, 16 TAC Chapter 73 · 16 TAC §§73.20, 73.21, 73.24, 73.80 · Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026§73.24(a): an applicant licensed in a state with a reciprocity agreement may obtain the equivalent Texas license without examination if all other requirements of Occupations Code ch. 1305 are met. §73.80: journeyman application $30, master application $45.
- TDLR - Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026
- TDLR Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation / PSI Services · Other · verified September 14, 2026Exam fee table: Journeyman Electrician $78; Master Electrician (both portions) $78; retakes $78.
- TDLR - Electrician Exam Information · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026
- TDLR - Transfer Your Out-of-State Electrician License to Texas · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists the current journeyman and master reciprocity partner states, the eligibility bullets, fees, and the reciprocity application forms.
- TDLR - Removing Barriers for Out-of-State Licensees at a Glance (AAG FORM-019, Jan. 2025) · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Other · verified September 14, 2026Agency-wide summary: substantial-equivalence review under Occupations Code 51.4041(b)(1) is described as the primary case-by-case method for out-of-state licensees; reciprocity agreements require the Governor's approval. Its electrician partner lists are as of January 2025.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.