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

Yes. South Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.

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

Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in South Dakota?

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

How long does the application take?

The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.

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

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

New York to South Dakota: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 8 sources

New York does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is South Dakota'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 journeyman without a reciprocal agreement

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

SDCL 36-16-23 lets the Commission grant a license of the same grade to an electrician licensed by another state, on payment of the fee and proof that the applicant's qualifications equal South Dakota's, to the extent that state provides similar action. The Commission's reciprocity page lists, beyond its agreement states, 'states with similar licensing requirements' (for example Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia) and three NERA states without agreements (Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin), but does not state how those licensees are treated or whether the exam is waived, and says to call the Commission for unverified states. Absent a confirmed waiver, the applicant files the general Electrician License Application with the $60 fee, documents four years (8,000 hours) of apprentice-level experience under a licensed contractor (the form accepts out-of-state employers and records any other-state license and how it was obtained), receives written approval to test, and must pass the Commission's journeyman exam with 70% within 90 days of approval; the $80 biennial license fee is paid on issuance.

No exam fee amount is published on the Commission's exam page or application form; SDCL 36-16-13 caps any exam fee at $150. The Commission's exam includes South Dakota statutes and rules, so there is no separate law exam. Whether the Commission waives the exam for the 'similar licensing requirements' states under SDCL 36-16-23 could not be confirmed from an official page.

At a glance

Trade exam: Required
Law / code exam: Not required
Out-of-state hours: Count toward eligibility
Typical processing: About 30 days

What you must already have

You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least four years of licensed electrical training under the employment and supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician (ARSD 20:44:16:08); one year equals 2,000 hours (20:44:16:06).

What you'll do to get licensed in South Dakota

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($60). Journeyman application fee, nonrefundable (ARSD 20:44:16:04).
2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Dakota Electrical Commission journeyman examination (NEC 2023 plus state statutes and rules; 70% to pass; must test within 90 days of written approval).
3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($80). Biennial journeyman license fee (ARSD 20:44:16:15); licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.

Published fees on this path total $140, 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 South Dakota licenses journeyman electricians

South Dakota journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by South Dakota Electrical Commission (Department of Labor & Regulation)

South Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the South Dakota Electrical Commission, part of the Department of Labor & Regulation. A new applicant must have at least four years (8,000 hours, with one year defined as 2,000 hours) of electrical training as a licensed apprentice under the employment and supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician, and must pass the Commission's own written journeyman exam, drawn from the NEC (2023 edition since December 2, 2024) and South Dakota statutes and rules, with 70%. The application fee is $60 and the biennial license fee is $80; all licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years and renewal requires 16 hours of continuing education (at least 8 code hours). The Commission has journeyman reciprocity agreements with 14 states, under which the exam is waived for a licensee who earned the origin license by exam and has held it in active status for at least one year.

Moving to South Dakota Leaving South Dakota

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 South Dakota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: Yes. South Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a South Dakota journeyman electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in South Dakota?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Dakota's eligibility requirements.
How long does the application take?: The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
Does it work the other way, from South Dakota to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Dakota to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

SDCL 36-16-13 - License required, examination, application, fees · SDCL 36-16-13 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Licenses issued in the class applied for after successful completion of the Commission's examination; exam fee capped at $150 per exam and application fee at $100. Text read from sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/36-16-13.html.
SDCL 36-16-2 - Definition of terms · SDCL 36-16-2 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Defines journeyman electrician (at least four years of experience in wiring, installing and repairing), electrical contractor (qualifications to plan, lay out and supervise, and who undertakes work for others), Class B electrician (36 months, farm and residential) and apprentice. Text read from the Legislature's statute rendering at sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/36-16-2.html.
SDCL 36-16-23 - Reciprocal licenses to electricians from other states · SDCL 36-16-23 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026To the extent other states provide similar action, the Commission may grant a license of the same grade or class to electricians licensed by other states, on payment of the fee and proof that the applicant's qualifications equal those of South Dakota licensees. Text read from sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/36-16-23.html.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Exams for Licensure · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exams are on the 2023 NEC since December 2, 2024; an applicant must submit the application and fee, be approved, and then has 90 days to arrange testing; no exam without prior written approval. No exam fee amount is shown.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Electrician License Application (REV 10/2025) · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fee table: application fee $60 for every class; license or reciprocal fee $80 Journeyman / Reciprocal JM, $200 Electrical Contractor / Reciprocal EC, $100 Class B. Applicant checks Exam or Reciprocal; Part II records other-state licenses and how obtained; experience table accepts out-of-state employers; requires CE certificates from 7/1/20 forward; licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years; processing about 30 days.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Licensing · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Describes the license classes and progression: apprentice to journeyman after four years (8,000 hours) under an electrical contractor; journeyman to electrical contractor after two more years (4,000 hours, at least 2,000 commercial); 16 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle (minimum 8 code hours).
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Reciprocal Agreements for Licensure · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026States the conditions (license earned by examination, held at least one year, active status for one year) and tabulates existing agreements by state and class: journeyman (JM) with 14 states and Electrical Contractor (EC) with 11 of them (Alaska, Colorado and New Mexico are journeyman-only). Separately lists NERA states without agreements (Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin), 'states with similar licensing requirements' and states with no or unverified state licenses, with no stated treatment other than to call the Commission.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Wiring Bulletin (SDCL 36-16 and ARSD Article 20:44) · ARSD 20:44:16:03, 20:44:16:04, 20:44:16:06, 20:44:16:08, 20:44:16:11, 20:44:16:15 · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202620:44:16:03: Commission-written exam from the NEC and state statutes and rules, 70% to pass for EC, Class B, journeyman; license must be issued within 90 days of passing; retake after 30 days. 20:44:16:04: application fees $60. 20:44:16:06: one year of experience is 2,000 hours. 20:44:16:08: apprentice to journeyman four years under a licensed EC or Class B; journeyman to EC two years under an EC with one year commercial. 20:44:16:11: biennial reciprocity fee EC $200, journeyman $80, nonrefundable. 20:44:16:15: biennial license fees EC $200, journeyman $80, Class B $100.

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

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