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

Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.

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

Published fees on this path total $70, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in Idaho?

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

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

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

New York to Idaho: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 14, 2026· 8 sources

New York does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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 journeymen from non-reciprocal states (standard route with out-of-state experience credit)

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

An applicant licensed in a state that is not on Idaho's reciprocal list applies as an initial applicant. Idaho accepts supervised electrical-installation hours earned in any state: the journeyman application states that work hours 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho' and IDAPA 24.39.10.100.02 counts apprentice hours obtained 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience.' The applicant needs either 8,000 supervised hours plus completion of a Board-approved four-year apprenticeship program, or 16,000 supervised hours, documented on Work Verification Forms (one per employer or state). Hours in appliance repair, motor winding, or communications do not count. The applicant must pass the Idaho journeyman exam administered by PSI (the Idaho State Journeyman Electrician exam replaced the NASCLA exam on December 1, 2025) before applying, and pay DOPL's $15 application fee plus the $55 original journeyman license fee (shown as a combined $70 processing fee on the form).

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.8,000 supervised electrical-installation hours plus a completion certificate from a Board-approved four-year apprenticeship program; otherwise 16,000 supervised hours. Up to 2,000 hours as a limited electrical installer or trainee may count.

What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($15). DOPL application fee (the application form shows the combined $70 processing fee, which includes the license fee).
2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($55). Original Journeyman Electrician license fee, three-year term (renewal $45).
3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho State Journeyman Electrician exam administered by PSI; a passing score is required before the application is submitted; exam fee paid to PSI.
4Other. Work Verification Form(s) for each employer and state where hours were earned; apprenticeship completion certificate if using the 8,000-hour route.

Published fees on this path total $70, 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 Idaho licenses journeyman electricians

Idaho journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 14, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho Electrical Board)

Idaho issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) on behalf of the Idaho Electrical Board, under Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 10 and IDAPA 24.39.10. Idaho Code 54-1007(6) lets the administrator sign reciprocal agreements with states whose qualifications are at least equal to Idaho's, and Idaho participates in the multi-state National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) agreement as well as a separate bilateral agreement with Oregon. Journeymen from those states are licensed without examination on proof of an active license obtained by examination. Everyone else applies on the standard route, where out-of-state hours count toward the 8,000-hour (with a four-year program) or 16,000-hour experience requirement and the Idaho journeyman exam (PSI) must be passed. DOPL was re-evaluating its reciprocal agreements in late 2025, so the partner list may change.

Moving to Idaho Leaving Idaho

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 Idaho journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Idaho journeyman electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $70, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in Idaho?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Idaho to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Idaho Code 54-1007 - Issuance of licenses - Reciprocity · Idaho Code 54-1007 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026Subsection (3): a person who has worked as a licensed journeyman at least four years is qualified to apply for a master license. Subsection (6): 'To the extent that other states that provide for the licensing of electricians require qualifications at least equal to those contained in this chapter, the administrator may enter reciprocal agreements with such other states to grant licenses to electricians licensed by such other states.'
Idaho Electrical Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Fee table: application fee $15; Journeyman original license $55 (3-year term, renewal $45); Master original license $65 (3-year term, renewal $45).
Idaho Electrical Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Exams are administered by PSI (registration at test-takers.psiexams.com/idcon/test).
Idaho Electrical Board - Frequently Asked Questions · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Faq · verified September 14, 2026Q: Does Idaho have Reciprocal Licensing agreements? A: 'Yes. The states that Idaho has an agreement with are listed in the Reciprocal Information document.' The linked PDF (bcre-reciprocal-info.pdf) returned 404 on 2026-09-14; the current list is on the journeyman application form.
IDAPA 24.39.10 - Rules of the Idaho Electrical Board · IDAPA 24.39.10.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Section 100.02: journeyman applicant must pass a Board-designated exam and show either 8,000 hours as an apprentice 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience' plus a four-year approved sequence of instruction, or 16,000 hours of electrical experience. Section 100.03: a master electrician does not need to also hold a journeyman license. The rule contains no separate reciprocity section; reciprocity is governed by 54-1007 and the signed agreements.
Idaho Electrical Journeyman License Application and Instructions (revised August 2, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 14, 2026Reciprocal Pathway lists NERA states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (DOPL obtains license status, proof of licensure by examination, and issue date from the origin state), plus a separate Oregon pathway. Initial and reciprocal applications carry a $70.00 processing fee. Work hours for the standard route 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho.'
Idaho Electrical Board draft meeting minutes, August 12, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026'DOPL staff are reviewing the current reciprocal agreements as well as changes in other states' legislation that may affect those agreements. A revaluation of the reciprocal agreements will be conducted later this year.' Also notes House Bill 153 amended 54-1007 so a master licensee is automatically issued a journeyman license at no additional cost.
Idaho Electrical Board meeting minutes, October 29, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026Idaho State Journeyman and Master Electrician exams developed with PSI went live December 1, 2025, replacing the NASCLA exams. Idaho hosted the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) conference; staff to report on reciprocal status with surrounding states and the list of participating states.

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

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