Do I have to take the Minnesota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Michigan?

Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.

What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman electrician license from Michigan?

Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my Michigan work hours count in Minnesota?

Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.

Michigan to Minnesota: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

Experience credit· Hours transferVerified September 15, 2026· 7 sources

Minnesota has no reciprocity agreement with Michigan. Your Michigan experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Minnesota exam.

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

Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.

A journeyman licensed in a state that is not on Minnesota's reciprocity list gets no exam waiver; the license itself carries no credit and the applicant qualifies by examination like any other candidate. Out-of-state hours do count: Minn. R. 3800.3520 credits electrical work performed outside Minnesota that DLI determines is substantially equivalent to work for a Minnesota licensed contractor, documented on the Work Experience Verification form by each employer (capped at 160 hours per month or 2,000 hours per year), and DLI's licensing page confirms credit for verifiable work in another state. The applicant must show at least 48 months of qualifying experience including 24 months of wiring and installing, file the Personal Electrical License Examination Application with the $50 fee (marking 'Licensed in a state other than Minnesota' and attaching a copy of the license), and pass the Class A Journeyworker exam. The license fee is paid separately once the exam is passed. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.

DLI's pages describe no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states. The initial license fee is prorated to the two-year expiration cycle from the statutory base of $20 per year plus a $4 per year board fee (Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 7); DLI's licensing page states the amount is determined after the exam is passed.

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 48 months of qualifying work experience.At least 48 months of qualifying experience under Minn. R. 3800.3520, including at least 24 months wiring for and installing electrical wiring, apparatus and equipment; up to 12 months of credit for an approved two-year electrical course. Out-of-state work is credited when DLI finds it substantially equivalent.

What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota

1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Application and examination fee (non-refundable), Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 1.
2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota Class A Journeyworker Electrician written examination administered by DLI.
3Other. Electrical Work Experience Verification form completed by each employer, plus a copy of the out-of-state license.
4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Class A Journeyworker license fee on approval, prorated from $20 per year plus $4 per year board fee (Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 7).

Published fees on this path total $50, 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.

Exam fee · $50
Trade exam

How Minnesota licenses journeyman electricians

Minnesota journeyman electrician · “Class A Journeyworker Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Board of Electricity

Minnesota issues a statewide Class A Journeyworker Electrician license through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); there is no municipal electrician licensing. A new applicant documents at least 48 months of qualifying experience (Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subd. 2 and Minn. R. 3800.3520), pays the $50 application and examination fee, and passes the DLI-administered written exam. Under Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subd. 20 the commissioner, with Board of Electricity approval, has reciprocity agreements with nine states whose journeyworker licensees are licensed without the Minnesota exam. Licenses expire every two years and renewal requires 16 hours of continuing education, 12 of them on the NEC.

Moving to Minnesota Leaving Minnesota

Common questions

Do I have to take the Minnesota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Michigan?: Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman electrician license from Michigan?: Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Michigan work hours count in Minnesota?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.

Sources

Minnesota DLI - Personal Electrical License Examination Application and Work Experience Verification Form · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Form · verified September 15, 2026Exam application fee $50.00, non-refundable. Has a checkbox for applicants 'Licensed in a state other than Minnesota' (copy of license required). Experience is verified per employer on the Work Experience Verification form; credit capped at 160 hours per month / 2,000 hours per year and must qualify under Minn. Stat. 326B.33 and Minn. R. 3800.3520. Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering is an alternative qualification for the Master A exam.
Minnesota DLI - Experience requirements for an electrical license · Minn. R. 3800.3520; Minn. Stat. 326B.33 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Class A Journeyworker: 48 months minimum (24 months wiring/installing); Class A Master: 60 months minimum. Up to one year of credit for an approved two-year electrical course. Electrical work performed outside Minnesota counts if the department determines it substantially equivalent to work for a Minnesota licensed contractor; foreign-country experience capped at 12 months.
Minnesota DLI - Electrical licensing basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Journeyworker and master licenses both require passing a written exam after documenting experience; exam application fee $50. Work experience credit is given for verifiable electrical work performed in another state. Journeyworker licenses expire every two years (renewal $53); master licenses expire the last day of February of odd-numbered years (renewal $93); 16 hours of CE per cycle including 12 on the NEC.
Minnesota DLI - Electrical license reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the Class A Journeyworker reciprocity states (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming) and the Class A Master reciprocity states (Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska); the eligibility bullets (license obtained by state-level exam, held at least one year, current and in good standing, no failed Minnesota exam of the same or greater class, no pending denial/suspension/revocation); and the $50 application fee plus the license fee due on approval.
Minnesota Rules 3800.3520 - Experience requirements for electrical licenses · Minn. R. 3800.3520 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Sets the month-by-category experience tables (48 months journeyworker, 60 months master) and allows credit for electrical work performed outside Minnesota that the department determines is substantially equivalent to work in the employ of a Minnesota licensed contractor, based on employer certification. Military experience is credited on the same basis; foreign experience is capped at 12 months.
Minnesota Statutes 326B.092 - License fees and license renewal fees · Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subds. 1, 7 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Subd. 1: application and examination fee of $50, separate from the license fee. Subd. 7: base license fee journeyworker $20 per year ($40 for two years), master $40 per year ($80 for two years), plus a $4 per year board fee and a $5 continuing-education fee on renewal.
Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 - Electrical licenses and registration · Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subds. 1, 2, 20 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Subd. 1: Class A master requires a four-year electrical engineering degree, one year as a licensed journeyworker, or five years of planning/laying out/supervising/installing experience. Subd. 2: Class A journeyworker requires four years of experience (one year credit for approved coursework). Subd. 20: the commissioner may enter into reciprocity agreements with another state if approved by the Board of Electricity, and may then issue a personal license without exam to an applicant who holds a valid comparable license obtained under a statewide program with comparable exam and experience, has held it continuously for at least one year, and has not failed the same or greater class Minnesota exam or had such a license revoked or suspended.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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