Mississippi to Maine: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Maine'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 (states without a reciprocity agreement)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Under 10 M.R.S. §8003-H, 32 M.R.S. §1201-B and board rule Chapter 180 (effective July 22, 2024), a journeyman licensed in any other U.S. jurisdiction may be licensed by endorsement if that jurisdiction's initial-licensure pathway is substantially equivalent to Maine's: it must require an accredited electrical program or an approved course of at least 576 hours, a passing score on an approved journeyman examination, and at least 8,000 hours of electrical work under a licensed master or journeyman. The applicant must hold a valid, active license, be in good standing in every jurisdiction where licensed (no pending complaint, suspension, restriction, surrender or revocation), file the application and pay the Chapter 10 fee. No Maine trade or law examination is prescribed for endorsement. An applicant whose home state does not meet the Chapter 180 standard applies by examination under 32 M.R.S. §1202-B, where the board may accept comparable out-of-state experience toward the 8,000-hour requirement and may waive the 576-hour study requirement for reciprocity applicants.
Chapter 180 does not state a separate endorsement fee; the Chapter 10 journeyman license fee ($150, two years) and the $21 SBI criminal-history report shown on the board's journeyman page are the published amounts. Whether the board requires the 45-hour NEC course of endorsement applicants is not stated on any official page. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Mississippi license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Origin jurisdiction's journeyman pathway must require an accredited electrical program or a 576-hour approved course, a passing score on an approved journeyman exam, and 8,000 hours of supervised electrical work (02-318 CMR ch. 180 s. 2)
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Required by the origin jurisdiction's pathway under Chapter 180; for the examination route the board may credit comparable experience acceptable to it (32 M.R.S. §1202-B).
What you'll do to get licensed in Maine
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Journeyman Electrician license fee, two-year term (02-041 CMR ch. 10 s. 5(15)).
- 2Background check. Complete a background check ($21). State Bureau of Identification criminal history record report required of all applicants.
- 3Other. Completed application with proof of the valid, active out-of-state license (license verification from the issuing board).
Published fees on this path total $150, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Maine licenses journeyman electricians
Maine journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)
Maine issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Electricians' Examining Board within the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR). A new applicant qualifies with 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice or helper plus a 576-hour course of study (or one of the school and college pathways in 32 M.R.S. §1202-B), completes a 45-hour NEC course, and passes the Prov-administered journeyman exam ($90). The license costs $150 for a two-year term plus a $21 State Bureau of Identification criminal-history report. Maine recognizes out-of-state journeymen two ways: a reciprocity license without examination for states that have a formal agreement with the board (New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming on the licensing page and application form; the board's FAQ now also names Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island), and, since July 2024, licensure by endorsement under board rule Chapter 180 for any other U.S. state whose journeyman requirements are substantially equivalent.
Why Mississippi has nothing to transfer
Mississippi journeyman electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Mississippi does not issue a journeyman electrician license. The Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) licenses contracting businesses - commercial contractors on projects over $50,000 and residential contractors and residential electrical subcontractors above the residential thresholds - through a Certificate of Responsibility with a qualifying party, and none of its classifications, exams or reciprocity agreements apply to an individual journeyman. Individual electricians are licensed, where they are licensed at all, by cities under their own ordinances: Southaven issues Apprentice, Journeyman and Master Electrician licenses and accepts a current journeyman license from another jurisdiction or a passed ICC journeyman exam in place of its own testing, while Hattiesburg licenses only master electrical contractors and requires all work to be supervised by one. An out-of-state journeyman license has no state-level recognition in Mississippi; the electrician must check the ordinance of each city where they will work and apply locally, and Southaven-style acceptance of ICC scores or another jurisdiction's card is the closest thing to reciprocity that exists.
How local licensing works in Mississippi
How local licensing works. Mississippi has no state electrician license. MSBOC regulates contractors (Miss. Code Title 31 ch. 3 for commercial, Title 73 ch. 59 for residential): a commercial license is required for every contractor and subcontractor on commercial jobs over $50,000, and residential electrical subcontractors need a residential license on new homes over $50,000 or remodels over $10,000. Those licenses attach to the business and its qualifying party, not to journeymen. Journeyman licensing is a municipal matter and varies by city.
Southaven. The Building Department licenses Apprentice Electricians ($20), Journeyman Electricians ($50) and Master Electricians ($100). A journeyman applicant files the application with photo ID and a copy of a current/active journeyman license held in another jurisdiction and/or written proof of passing the ICC journeyman exam, so an out-of-state journeyman card or ICC score substitutes for local testing. Work must comply with the 2023 NEC. The city refers all reciprocity questions for out-of-state contractors to MSBOC.
Hattiesburg. Chapter 9 of the city code creates an Electrical Examining Review Board and a Master Electrical Contractor License (21 years old, five years of proven experience by affidavit from licensed master electrical contractors, SBCCI exam with 70%); the ordinance does not license journeymen, and no one may install, repair or alter electrical installations except under the direct supervision of a licensed master electrical contractor. A license may be granted to a person holding a valid license from another city that meets the requirements of House Bill 359.
Jackson. Third-party guides say the City of Jackson examines and licenses journeyman and master electricians through its inspection division, but the city's website exposes only general business-license pages and its trade-license requirements are not published online; contact the city directly.
Out-of-state holders. No Mississippi city found publishes a formal reciprocity agreement with another state for journeymen. The portable credentials in practice are a passed ICC journeyman exam and a current journeyman license from another jurisdiction, which Southaven accepts outright.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Maine journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maine journeyman electrician license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Maine?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maine's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maine to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maine to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Electricians' Examining Board - Examinations (Prov, Inc.) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Electricians' Examining Board - Frequently Asked Questions (reciprocity answers by license type) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Faq · verified September 15, 2026
- Electricians' Examining Board - Journeyman Electrician licensing requirements, fees and reciprocity · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- 02-041 CMR Chapter 10 - OPOR Establishment of License Fees, section 5(29) Plumbers' Examining Board · 02-041 CMR ch. 10 §5(29) · Maine Secretary of State / Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- State of Maine OPOR Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov, MOPOR-2025.05.14) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation / Prov, Inc. · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 02-318 CMR Chapter 180 - Electricians' Examining Board: Licensure by Endorsement · 02-318 CMR ch. 180 (eff. July 22, 2024) · Maine Secretary of State / Electricians' Examining Board · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
- 10 M.R.S. §8003-H - Licensure by endorsement (OPOR general provision) · 10 M.R.S. §8003-H · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- 32 MRSA §1201-B - Licensure by endorsement · 32 M.R.S. §1201-B · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- 32 MRSA §1202-B - Issuance and scope of licenses (journeyman and master qualifications) · 32 M.R.S. §1202-B · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 MRSA §1206 - Reciprocity · 32 M.R.S. §1206 · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.