Mississippi to Michigan: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Michigan'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 (all states; Michigan has no reciprocity)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Michigan does not reciprocate with any state, so an out-of-state journeyman must take and pass the Michigan Electrical Journeyman exam regardless of where they are licensed. The out-of-state license and experience are used only to establish eligibility: LARA's Out-of-State License Verification instructions say applicants with out-of-state experience must be approved by the Electrical Administrative Board to sit for the exam and 'may receive credit for experience earned from other states.' The applicant submits Form BCC-341 with the $40 license fee, a copy of the current out-of-state license and that state's licensing requirements, the Out-of-State License Verification form completed and sealed by the issuing board (showing exam history and a passing score of at least 75%), and notarized employer letters documenting 8,000 hours over at least four years under licensed supervision. The board reviews out-of-state applications at its quarterly meetings; once approved the applicant schedules the PSI exam ($100), passes at 75%, and the license issues. There is no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
Every electrical journeyman applicant must be approved by LARA before PSI will schedule the exam, and the Out-of-State License Verification instructions say applicants relying on out-of-state experience must be approved by the board, which meets quarterly. MCL 339.5715 requires the supervising electrician to be 'licensed under this article' and BCC-341 specifies a Michigan licensee, so out-of-state hours are credited at the board's discretion under MCL 339.5709 ('an equivalent of that experience requirement'), not automatically. A separate examination waiver exists only for service members, veterans and their dependents who hold an active electrical license in another state (BCC-341 military/uniformed services waiver).
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.Obtained over at least four years in electrical construction, building maintenance or electrical wiring/equipment under direct licensed supervision (MCL 339.5715); out-of-state hours are credited only if the board accepts them as equivalent.
- At least 20 years old
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Mississippi that the destination considers comparable.
What you'll do to get licensed in Michigan
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($40). Electrical Journeyman license fee, paid with the BCC-341 application (non-refundable), MCL 339.5707(2).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI when scheduling; non-refundable and valid for one year (MCL 339.5707(1)).
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Michigan Electrical Journeyman examination administered by PSI (80 questions, 150 minutes, 75% to pass; 2023 NEC and Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8).
- 4Other. Out-of-State License Verification form completed and sealed by the issuing state board, plus a copy of the current license and that state's licensing requirements.
- 5Other. Notarized letters from each employer stating dates, hours, type of electrical work and the licensed supervisor.
Published fees on this path total $140, 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 · $100
- Trade exam
How Michigan licenses journeyman electricians
Michigan journeyman electrician · “Electrical Journeyman”
State license plus local requirements
Michigan issues a statewide Electrical Journeyman license through LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes under Article 7 of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407). A new applicant must be at least 20, document 8,000 hours over at least four years under the direct supervision of a Michigan-licensed journeyman or master with notarized employer letters, pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam (80 questions, 75% to pass, 2023 NEC) for a $100 exam fee, and pay the $40 license fee; the license renews every year for $40. Michigan has no reciprocity agreements with any state: LARA states that out-of-state licensees must take and pass the Michigan exam, though experience earned in other states may be credited after board review. MCL 339.5733 lets a municipality with an equally stringent ordinance license its own residents; the City of Detroit does so, and Detroit licenses are valid statewide.
How local licensing works in Michigan
Under MCL 339.5733 a municipality that adopts an examination and licensing ordinance at least as stringent as the state's may license journeymen who reside in it, and both state and qualifying municipal licenses must be recognized by all municipalities. The City of Detroit's Board of Electrical Examiners examines and licenses Electrical Journeypersons who are Detroit residents (same 8,000-hour / four-year standard); Detroit licenses are valid throughout Michigan and equivalent to state licenses. Non-residents of Detroit apply to LARA. Other municipalities may require registration of state licensees under local inspection ordinances but do not issue their own journeyman licenses per the pages reviewed.
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 Michigan journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. Michigan requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Michigan journeyman electrician license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Michigan?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Michigan's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Michigan to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Michigan to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- City of Detroit - Board of Electrical Examiners FAQ · City of Detroit, Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department · Faq · verified September 15, 2026
- City of Detroit BSEED - Electrical Journeyperson Examination Overview · City of Detroit, Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Michigan LARA Form BCC-341 - Application for Journeyman, Master Electrician, Fire Alarm Specialty Technician or Sign Specialist Examination and Licensure (Rev. 3/22) · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Electrical Examination, Licensing/Registration and Application Information · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - Out-of-State License Verification Form and Instructions for Examination and Licensure Applicants with Out-of-State Experience/License (Rev. 3/22) · 1980 PA 299 / 2016 PA 407 · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - PSI Examinations · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 7 - Electricians and Electrical Contractors · MCL 339.5707, 339.5709, 339.5713, 339.5715, 339.5733 · Michigan Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI - Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes Electrical Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 8/20/2026) · PSI Services LLC for Michigan LARA · Other · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.