Mississippi to Montana: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Montana'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 examination for states not determined substantially equivalent
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from a state that the board's Substantial Equivalency Determinations mark 'No' (for example Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico or Maine) must take the Montana journeyman exam: the checklist states 'If not SE, you must take our exam.' Out-of-state experience is credited: the applicant submits a Journeyman Experience Verification Affidavit from each employer listing the states in which the 8,000 hours were earned (or an apprenticeship completion certificate or union travel letter), plus verifications for every license ever held. MCA 37-1-304 also requires the board to determine whether an applicant's actual qualifications and work experience cure a deficiency in the origin state's standards. After board approval the applicant pays PSI $75 for the open-book 2020 NEC exam (70% to pass) and may buy a $50 temporary practice permit valid 90 days.
No timeline is published; approved candidates can usually sit for the PSI exam within about a week of the admission letter. Applicants who fail with 64% or less are not eligible for a second temporary permit.
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.Legally obtained practical experience in wiring for, installing and repairing electrical apparatus for light, heat and power, verified by a third party; no more than 50% residential (ARM 24.141.515). Alternatives: completion of an approved apprenticeship, or 20,000 maintenance hours with employer certification
- Official license verification from every state or jurisdiction in which the applicant holds or has ever held a professional license of any type
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($190). Application for license by examination, includes the original license fee (ARM 24.141.405); nonrefundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Montana Journeyman Electrician examination administered by PSI, open book on the 2020 NEC, at least 60 questions, 70% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI after board approval; nonrefundable, valid one year.
- 4Other. Optional temporary practice permit for exam candidates (90 days or until exam results), in addition to the application fee ($50) (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $265, 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 · $75
How Montana licenses journeyman electricians
Montana journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)
Montana issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within the Department of Labor & Industry. A new applicant qualifies under MCA 37-68-305 by completing an approved apprenticeship (a Montana registered program or a substantially equivalent one), 8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience (no more than half residential), or 20,000 hours of electrical maintenance work, and then passes the PSI-administered open-book exam on the 2020 NEC with 70%. The $190 application fee includes the original license; a $50 temporary practice permit lets exam candidates work for a licensed contractor for 90 days. Licenses renew every two years for $140 with 16 hours of continuing education. Out-of-state journeymen are handled through substantial equivalency (SE): the board publishes a state-by-state determination table, and licensees from the twenty 'Yes' states are licensed by endorsement without the exam, while everyone else must test. Licenses issued by cities or counties are not considered.
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 Montana journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. Montana requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Montana journeyman electrician license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $265, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Montana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Montana's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Montana to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Montana to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Montana State Electrical Board - Exam Information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board / PSI Examination Information Sheet (3/27/2025) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry / PSI Services · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board - Home · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician Licensing Requirements, Application Checklist and Application (Rev. 07/22/2024) · MCA 37-68-305; ARM 24.141.502, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board Laws and Rules Booklet (MCA Title 37 Chapter 68 and ARM Title 24 Chapter 141) · ARM 24.141.405, 24.141.502, 24.141.503, 24.141.504, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Mont. Code Ann. sec. 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement; reciprocity · Mont. Code Ann. sec. 37-1-304 · Montana Legislative Services Division · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- MCA 37-68-305 - Journeyman and residential electricians -- application -- qualifications -- contents of examination · MCA 37-68-305 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations (all boards and programs) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.