New Hampshire to Massachusetts: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire: a New Hampshire journeyman electrician can get a Massachusetts license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocity with New Hampshire (journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Massachusetts has a written reciprocal agreement with New Hampshire, its only one, and accepts a New Hampshire journeyman license without examination only if it was obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam; a New Hampshire license gained by reciprocity or endorsement from a third state does not qualify. The applicant files online through the DOL ePLACE portal with a License Verification/Certified Letter from the New Hampshire board bearing its seal, a notarized CORI authorization, a passport-quality photo and certified records of any discipline or convictions, and pays the non-refundable $208 fee. Under 237 CMR 15.01 the applicant must also show the equivalent of the 600-hour journeyman course within the last ten years and 8,000 hours over at least four years as an apprentice. The Board needs at least 10 business days to review a complete application; incomplete applications are abandoned after 180 days.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Typical processing
- About 14 days
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your New Hampshire license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your New Hampshire license must be active and in good standing.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 8,000 hours in no less than four years as an apprentice (237 CMR 15.01(2)(b)).
- Equivalent of the 600-hour journeyman course completed within ten years of application (237 CMR 15.01(2)(b))
- Not previously examined and licensed by the Massachusetts Board (237 CMR 15.02(6))
What you'll do to get licensed in Massachusetts
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($208). Journeyman reciprocity fee, non-refundable (237 CMR 15.02).
- 2Other. License Verification/Certified Letter (Statement of Registration) from the New Hampshire board with name, address, license type and number, status and Board seal.
- 3Background check. Complete a background check. Notarized CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) Authorization Form.
- 4Other. Recent passport-quality color photo; certified records of any disciplinary action or criminal conviction.
Published fees on this path total $208, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Massachusetts licenses journeyman electricians
Massachusetts journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”
Statewide license
Issued by Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)
Massachusetts issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians under M.G.L. c. 141. A new journeyman must document 4 years and 8,000 hours of supervised work experience plus a 600-hour Board-approved journeyman curriculum, submit a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate, and pass a two-part open-book exam administered by PSI (Part 1: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70%) based on the NEC with Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00). Application and exam fees total $226 and the license fee is $104. M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B and 237 CMR 15.00 let the Board license without examination an electrician from a state with substantially the same standards, but only where that state has a written agreement giving Massachusetts licensees the same privilege; the Board states that its only such agreement is with New Hampshire, and it accepts New Hampshire journeyman and master licenses only if they were obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam ($208 journeyman reciprocity fee). Every other out-of-state electrician qualifies by having out-of-state education and experience credited toward the Massachusetts exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New Hampshire?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with New Hampshire.
- What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman electrician license from New Hampshire?
- Published fees on this path total $208, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 14 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- 237 CMR 15.00 - Licensure without examination (by reciprocity), Mass. Register #1561, 11/21/2025 · 237 CMR 15.01, 15.02 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
- Mass.gov - Electricians FAQs for applications · 237 CMR 13.00, 13.05, 13.09 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- MGL Chapter 141, Section 2B - Electricians licensed in other states; reciprocal licensure without examination; fees · M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- MGL Chapter 141, Section 3 - Forms of examinations, licenses and certificates · M.G.L. c. 141, § 3 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Board of State Examiners of Electricians - Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 11/1/2024) · 237 CMR 13.00, 18.01 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Mass.gov - Apply for reciprocity for an out-of-state electricians license · 237 CMR 15.00 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.