Do I have to take the Alaska journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path.

How long do I need to have held my New York license?

At least 1 year before applying.

What does it cost to get a Alaska journeyman electrician license from New York?

Published fees on this path total $250, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in Alaska?

Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.

How long does the application take?

The board's published or typical processing time is about 10 days.

Does it work the other way, from Alaska to New York?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

New York to Alaska: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

New York does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alaska'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.

Reciprocal or provisional certificate for any US jurisdiction with substantially similar requirements

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

Under 8 AAC 90.111 (effective August 8, 2025) Mechanical Inspection may reciprocate an electrical certificate of fitness with any jurisdiction that has substantially similar requirements, without a mutual agreement; it weighs the hours required, whether the jurisdiction tests, whether it requires registered apprenticeship, and other factors. The applicant must hold a current journeyman license that has been held for a full year, files the Reciprocal/Provisional application with a copy of the license, and pays $50 plus $200 for a two-year Reciprocal Electrician Journeyman COF that renews as a normal journeyman certificate; no Alaska exam is taken if the jurisdiction is found substantially similar. If the department decides the origin jurisdiction is not substantially similar it requests proof of hours and the applicant must pass the Alaska journeyman exam before a certificate is issued (8 AAC 90.112(h)). Alternatively, a provisional Electrician Journeyman COF ($50 plus $100, valid up to one year or until the origin license expires, not renewable, no trainee supervision) lets an out-of-state journeyman start work quickly and can be upgraded to a reciprocal certificate on request.

Whether a city- or county-issued journeyman license counts as a 'jurisdiction' under 8 AAC 90.111 is not addressed on any official page. The exam path (for applicants whose jurisdiction is not substantially similar) has no published exam fee; the department administers the exam itself and third-party proctoring is at the applicant's expense.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Out-of-state hours: Count toward eligibility
Typical processing: About 10 days

What you must already have

Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
You must have held your New York license for at least 1 year.Held for a full year before the application date (8 AAC 90.112(a))
Origin jurisdiction's requirements (hours, testing, apprenticeship) must be substantially similar to Alaska's as determined by Mechanical Inspection; otherwise proof of 8,000 hours and the Alaska exam are required

What you'll do to get licensed in Alaska

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Nonrefundable certificate of fitness application fee (AS 18.62.030).
2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Two-year Reciprocal Electrician Journeyman certificate fee; a provisional certificate costs $100 instead and lasts up to one year.
3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state license (and a prior license if the issue date is missing), picture identification and a 2x2 photo.

Published fees on this path total $250, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

How Alaska licenses journeyman electricians

Alaska journeyman electrician · “Electrician Journeyman Certificate of Fitness”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Standards and Safety Division, Mechanical Inspection Section

Alaska issues a statewide Electrician Journeyman Certificate of Fitness (COF) through the Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Mechanical Inspection Section; a state COF is required for construction work subject to the National Electrical Code everywhere in Alaska (AS 18.62.010). A new applicant documents 8,000 hours of supervised electrical work (no more than 2,000 residential; up to 1,000 classroom hours, 1,000 lineman hours and 4,000 military/vocational hours may be substituted) and passes the department's open-book exam on the 2020 NEC with a score of at least 70%. The COF costs $50 to apply for plus $200 on issue, is valid for two years, and renews with 16 hours of continuing education. Since August 8, 2025 the department reciprocates journeyman certificates with any US jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar (8 AAC 90.111), still names thirteen long-standing reciprocal states, and offers a one-year provisional certificate to any out-of-state journeyman.

Moving to Alaska Leaving Alaska

Why New York has nothing to transfer

New York journeyman electrician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 15 sources

New York has no statewide electrician license at any level: the Department of State's Division of Licensing Services issues no electrician license, and its only page on the subject treats master electrician licenses as credentials issued by local governments. Journeyman-level licensing therefore exists only where a city or county ordinance creates it, and most jurisdictions do not. New York City licenses only Master and Special Electricians; journeymen and helpers work as employees under a licensed master or special electrician without any personal license, and their supervised hours (at least two years in the city) are what later qualify them for the master exam. Buffalo is the main city with a true Journeyman Electrician license (five years under a licensed master plus a New York State journeyman card, an ICC exam or a city exam), and Suffolk County carries a journeyman category in its Consumer Affairs licensing codes. Rochester's lower tier is a Single-Phase (residential) license rather than a journeyman card. An out-of-state journeyman license has no state-level recognition in New York; a journeyman should confirm the rules of the specific city or county where they will work and, in most places, simply work for a licensed master while accumulating local hours.

How local licensing works in New York

How local licensing works. No state agency licenses electricians in New York. Each city or county that requires a license runs its own examining board under its own ordinance, so requirements, exams and fees differ from one jurisdiction to the next, and a license from one jurisdiction is not automatically valid in another.

New York City. The Department of Buildings issues Master Electrician and Special Electrician licenses only; there is no journeyman license or registration. Electricians work as employees under a licensed master or special electrician. Experience toward the master license must be gained 'under the direct and continuing supervision of a licensed master or special electrician in the United States', with at least two of the required years in New York City, so out-of-state supervised hours count toward the master exam but do not create any journeyman credential.

Buffalo. The Electrical Examining Board issues a Journeyman Electrician License. Minimum qualification is five years working as an employee of a licensed master electrician (not self-employed), plus one of: a New York State journeyman electrician license/card, a passing ICC exam score together with the five years of experience, or at the board's discretion other proof such as a passing score on a City of Buffalo-administered exam. The notarized application lists every master electrician worked for with dates and hours, supported by master electrician affidavits.

Rochester. No journeyman license. The Electrical Examining Board issues a Single-Phase (residential) license requiring two years of applicable experience, interpreted as at least 3,000 hours within the past five years (at least half in the field with tools, up to 1,500 hours from course work or estimating/design/supervision), and an ICC-based exam with a 70 percent passing grade.

Syracuse and Albany. Both cities license electricians through their own examining boards (Syracuse Division of Code Enforcement; Albany Electrical Examining Board under General Code Chapter 171, Article III). The pages that could be opened describe master-level licensing and application deadlines but publish no journeyman card requirements.

Suffolk County. The Department of Consumer Affairs licenses Master Electricians and Restricted Electrical licensees and its licensing code list includes an 'AJ - Journeyman' category; the journeyman requirements themselves are not on the pages that could be opened.

Westchester County and Yonkers. Westchester County issues master and special electrician licenses by examination; it has no journeyman license. Yonkers does not license electricians itself and its electrical permits are issued to master electricians licensed by Westchester County.

Nassau County. The county's FAQ recognizes electricians as a trade held to a 'standard of competency' by state or local law, but no page describing a Nassau electrician license could be opened; treat Nassau's requirements as unverified.

Out-of-state holders. No jurisdiction above publishes a reciprocity or endorsement path for a journeyman license from another state. Buffalo will accept an ICC exam score with five years of experience under any licensed master; elsewhere an arriving journeyman works under a locally licensed master electrician until eligible for that jurisdiction's master exam.

Moving to New York Leaving New York

Common questions

Do I have to take the Alaska journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
How long do I need to have held my New York license?: At least 1 year before applying.
What does it cost to get a Alaska journeyman electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $250, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in Alaska?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.
How long does the application take?: The board's published or typical processing time is about 10 days.
Does it work the other way, from Alaska to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Alaska Certificate of Fitness Information Packet - AS 18.62 and 8 AAC 90 (Version 20250715) · AS 18.62.020, AS 18.62.030; 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.115, 8 AAC 90.160 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026AS 18.62.030: $50 application fee and $200 journeyman certificate fee (two years, prorated). 8 AAC 90.111: the department may reciprocate an electrical COF with any jurisdiction that has substantially similar requirements, considering hours, testing, apprenticeship membership and other factors. 8 AAC 90.112: provisional certificate requires a current license held a full year, $50 + $100, expires after one year or when the origin license expires; if the origin jurisdiction is not substantially similar the applicant must prove hours and take the exam. 8 AAC 90.115(c): passing score 70. 8 AAC 90.160: journeyman COF requires the exam plus 8,000 documented hours (max 2,000 residential; up to 1,000 classroom and 1,000 lineman hours substitutable; maintenance experience excluded). Includes the FAQ on the August 8, 2025 reciprocity change.
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Certificate of Fitness License Requirements (Electrician) · 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.160 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Electrician Journeyman: 8,000 hours (max 2,000 residential, 1,000 classroom, 1,000 lineman, 4,000 military/vocational), exam with 70% passing score, $50 non-refundable application fee plus $200 certificate fee, valid 2 years, 16 CE hours to renew. Reciprocal Electrician Journeyman: license held one full year, origin requirements substantially similar as determined by Mechanical Inspection, no exam, $50 + $200. Provisional Electrician Journeyman: held one full year, $50 + $100, valid 1 year, may not supervise apprentices.
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Frequently Asked Questions · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Faq · verified September 15, 2026Covers only electrician and plumber certificates; says 'Alaska also has Mechanical Administrator and Electrical Administrator licenses which cover supervision and sign-off of code work. Refer to DCCED for details on these licenses.' Also notes that provisional plumber certificates do not allow fuel gas work because many states exclude gas from their plumber license.
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Home · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Announces the changes effective August 8, 2025: expanded reciprocity for electricians and plumbers, new provisional licensing, and acceptance of military and vocational hours; a state-issued COF is required for construction work subject to the NEC in all parts of Alaska.
Reciprocal/Provisional Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness (v.20250828) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 15, 2026Reciprocal Electrician Journeyman $250 for 2 years; Provisional Electrician Journeyman $150 for up to 1 year (not renewable); $50 nonrefundable application fee plus $100 or $200 certificate fee; attach a copy of the current license; processing 7-10 business days.
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Testing Information · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Electrician journeyman exam is open book on the 2020 National Electrical Code, minimum 70%, four-hour limit, given the first and third Wednesday of each month in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks with proctored options; applications take 7-10 business days to approve before scheduling. No exam fee is listed.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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