Mississippi to Oregon: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon'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.
Examination with credit for out-of-state experience (all non-reciprocal states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician licensed in a state without an Oregon reciprocity agreement applies for the General Journeyman license on the standard Electrical License Application and must pass the Oregon journeyman exam (52 questions, three hours, open book; 75 percent to pass). Out-of-state experience counts toward eligibility: either official transcripts showing 576 classroom hours plus verified 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience with at least 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial work, or 16,000 verified on-the-job hours with at least 2,000 hours in each category. Experience is documented with one Electrical Experience Verification Form per employer. Under ORS 479.632 the board may decline to examine an applicant whose out-of-state training or experience it finds not equivalent to Oregon's.
The Oregon journeyman exam is a single open-book exam; no separate law or rules exam is published. A separate application or exam fee could not be confirmed from a machine-readable official source; the License Directory lists only the $100 license fee.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 21 days
What you must already have
- 576 classroom hours of electrical training plus 8,000 verified on-the-job hours obtained outside Oregon (minimum 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial), OR 16,000 verified on-the-job hours obtained outside Oregon (minimum 2,000 hours in each category).
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). General Journeyman Electrician license fee (three-year license).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon General Journeyman Electrician exam: 52 questions, 3 hours, open book; minimum score 75 percent.
Published fees on this path total $100, 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
How Oregon licenses journeyman electricians
Oregon journeyman electrician · “General Journeyman Electrician (J)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services)
Oregon issues a statewide General Journeyman Electrician (J) license through the Building Codes Division. An applicant without a reciprocal license must document either an approved apprenticeship, or 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience earned outside Oregon, or 16,000 out-of-state on-the-job hours, and then pass the Oregon journeyman exam. Oregon has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements with Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington and Wyoming; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without taking the Oregon exam. Licenses renew every three years on October 1 and require 24 hours of continuing education.
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 could not be verified; 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 Oregon journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman electrician license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 21 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oregon Building Codes Division - Apply for an electrical license · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Application steps for individual electrical licenses; notes that reciprocal agreements exist only for the General Supervising Electrician and General Journeyman Electrician licenses, so the LME has no reciprocity.
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists reciprocal states per license type: General Journeyman (J): Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, Wyoming; General Supervising (S): Arkansas, Utah. States the apprenticeship/8,000-hour qualification and the Washington-specific apprenticeship condition.
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General licensing requirements · OAR 918-030-0020, 918-030-0045 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026918-030-0020: an applicant required to pass a written examination must score at least 75 percent.
- OAR chapter 918, division 282 - Electrical licensing · OAR 918-282-0140, 918-282-0170 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026918-282-0170 general journeyman experience categories (8,000 hours); 918-282-0140 general supervising electrician (licensed journeyman documents 8,000 additional journeyman hours).
- ORS chapter 479 - Protection of Buildings from Fire and Electrical Hazards · ORS 479.630, 479.632, 479.840 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026479.630: general journeyman requires four years as apprentice or equivalent and a written exam; general supervising requires four years as general journeyman or equivalent and a written exam. 479.632: the board may refuse to examine an applicant whose out-of-state training or experience is not equivalent.
- Oregon License Directory - General Journeyman Electrician (J) · Oregon Secretary of State / Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Eligibility paths including out-of-state 576 classroom hours + 8,000 OJT hours or 16,000 OJT hours; exam 52 questions, 3 hours, open book; license fee $100; processing 2-3 weeks. Page last updated 01/23/2026.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.