Mississippi to Rhode Island: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 journeyperson or contractor admitted to the Rhode Island journeyperson exam (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician holding a journeyperson's or contractor's license from any other state applies to DLT for the journeyperson examination under the 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' code. The application must include a notarized statement from present or past employers detailing all work-related experience, a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts are not accepted), a copy of government-issued ID, and the $75 non-refundable processing fee; the form is signed before a notary. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D, holding the out-of-state license is what makes the applicant eligible to sit the Rhode Island journeyperson exam without a Rhode Island-registered apprenticeship; the exam itself is not waived and must be passed at 70%. Applicants who pass are invoiced for the $72 two-year Certificate B license fee. The application instructions state that all journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of approved related instruction.
DLT does not publish whether the 576-hour related-instruction requirement is separately enforced for out-of-state licensees admitted under § 7.7.D, or how it verifies out-of-state schooling; the regulation itself conditions exam admission only on holding the out-of-state license. Applications must be received 15 working days before an exam date. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- 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 document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least four years of trade experience (8,000 hours), verified by notarized employer statements on company letterhead.
- 576 hours of related instruction approved by DLT (per the application instructions for all journeyperson tests)
- At least 18 years of age
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable application processing fee for the journeyperson examination (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17).
- 2Other. Notarized application, copy of government-issued ID, notarized employer experience letters, copy of the out-of-state license and official license verification.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Journeyperson Electrician (Certificate B) examination administered by DLT; 70% required to pass.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($72). Two-year Journeyperson Electrician Class B license fee, invoiced after a passing score (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16).
Published fees on this path total $147, 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 Rhode Island licenses journeyman electricians
Rhode Island journeyman electrician · “Journeyperson Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”
Statewide license
Rhode Island issues a statewide Journeyperson Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Department of Labor and Training (DLT), which writes and administers the exam itself. A new applicant must show at least four years of trade experience (8,000 hours as a registered apprentice, R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.3) and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction, then pass the DLT journeyperson exam with a score of 70% or better. Rhode Island has no reciprocity agreements and no statute allowing a journeyperson license without examination; instead, DLT's regulation provides that an out-of-state applicant who holds a contractor's or journeyperson's license is allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson exam, and the application packet has a dedicated out-of-state journeyperson application code. Fees are a $75 non-refundable application fee and a $72 two-year license fee invoiced after passing; licenses renew every two years on the licensee's birthday with 15 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 Rhode Island journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island journeyman electrician license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $147, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Electrician Application Instructions and Application for Examination · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulations Unit · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $75 application processing fee. All electrical contractor tests require verification of at least six years of trade experience and possession of a Rhode Island journeyperson's license held at least two years before applying for the contractor exam. All electrical journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction. Out-of-state applicants must attach a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts not accepted). Fee table: Electrical Contractor A, $75 application, $240 two-year license; Journeyperson Electrician B, $75, $72; a separate 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' application code (29, $75). Individuals scoring 70 or greater are invoiced for the license fee.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation: Electricians · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Confirms that the DLT Professional Regulation unit licenses, tests and disciplines electricians itself (exams are given by DLT, not a vendor) and links to exam information, applications and the Board of Examiners of Electricians. Contact: Chief Investigator of Electrical, (401) 462-8571.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation Forms and Applications · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the Mechanical Trade application (English and Spanish), the Mechanical Corporation application and the Apprentice Completion and Application for Examination form; there is no separate refrigeration-only form, the mechanical application covers pipefitter, refrigeration, sheet metal and sprinkler fitter exams.
- 260-RICR-30-15-7 - Board of Examiners of Electricians (DLT regulation, effective January 4, 2022) · 260-RICR-30-15-7 §§ 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.14 · Rhode Island Department of State (Code of Rhode Island Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§7.5: exams are written and may include practical demonstrations; 70% required to obtain a license. §7.6: Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license. §7.7.C: Certificate B applicants must show at least 8,000 hours (4 years) of experience as a registered apprentice. §7.7.D: Certificate A applicants must have at least 12,000 hours (6 years) of experience and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B for two years; 'Out-of-state applicants who hold a contractor's license or journeyperson's license will be allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson's exam', and out-of-state contractors who have held a Rhode Island journeyperson's license for two years and have 12,000 hours may take the contractor exam. Applicants for Certificate A must be at least 21; others at least 18. §7.14: 15 hours of continuing education per renewal for Certificate A and B holders.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 - License fees · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor's license Class A $240; journeyperson electrician's license Class B $72. Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years and renew on payment of the biennial fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 - Application for examination; fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Examination application on the state form with a $75 fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.3 - Credit for electrical license exams · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.3 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Apprenticeship path to the Class B exam: minimum 8,000 on-the-job learning hours with 144 hours of related instruction for every 2,000 hours (Class M maintenance: 6,000 hours). Effective June 25, 2024.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 - Forms of licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license; Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'. Also lists Certificates C, D, M, E, F, AF, BF, SCF, CF, LPC, LPI and SRL.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-9 - Journeyperson's certificate/license · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-9 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate B is granted to any person who has passed an examination before the division of professional regulation. No reciprocity or exam-waiver language.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.