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

Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.

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

Published fees on this path total $215, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in Wisconsin?

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

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

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

New York to Wisconsin: 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 Wisconsin'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 reciprocity agreement

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

A journeyman licensed in any state other than Iowa or New Hampshire gets no exam waiver in Wisconsin and applies under Category A of Form 3106 like a first-time candidate. The license itself carries no credit, but the experience behind it does: Form 3106 and Wis. Stat. 101.87 count experience in installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring wherever it was earned, so the applicant documents 48 months with at least 8,000 hours (or 1,000 hours per year for five years) on the Experience Table (Form 3106T) signed by witnesses, or submits a certificate of completion from a U.S. DOL- or state-recognized electrical construction apprenticeship. The application and fees are submitted in LicensE ($35 application, $30 examination and $150 license fee under Table 305.02), DSPS then makes the applicant eligible to test, and the applicant must pass the Wisconsin journeyman exam. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.

DSPS publishes no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states. Form 3106 does not say out-of-state experience is excluded; the credit for out-of-state hours is inferred from the experience definition, which has no geographic limit, and was not confirmed by an explicit DSPS statement. Fee amounts are from Table 305.02 of the administrative code; the forms say fees are calculated in LicensE, and Pearson test-center exams cost marginally more than DSPS-site exams.

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.At least 8,000 hours over at least 48 months installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring (or 1,000 hours per year for five years); up to 2,000 hours and two years may come from full-time electrical schooling at 500 hours per semester. A recognized three-year construction electrician apprenticeship is an alternative.

What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Journeyman Electrician license application fee (Table 305.02 line 26e), paid in LicensE.
2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($30). Journeyman Electrician examination fee (Table 305.02 line 26e); paid again for each retake.
3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Journeyman Electrician examination (open book on SPS 305, SPS 316 and the NEC; 70% to pass).
4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Journeyman Electrician initial license fee (Table 305.02 line 26e); four-year credential.
5Other. Experience Table (Form 3106T) with witness signatures, or apprenticeship completion certificate, uploaded to LicensE.

Published fees on this path total $215, 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.

Exam fee · $30
Trade exam

How Wisconsin licenses journeyman electricians

Wisconsin journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)

Wisconsin issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS); under Wis. Stat. 101.862 no one may install, repair or maintain electrical wiring without a DSPS license or registration, and there is no municipal electrician licensing. A new applicant under Wis. Stat. 101.87 either completes a recognized construction electrician apprenticeship or documents 48 months with at least 8,000 hours of experience, applies in the LicensE portal, and passes the DSPS journeyman exam (open book, 70% to pass; based on the 2017 NEC until October 1, 2026, then the 2023 NEC). Under Wis. Stat. 101.874 DSPS may enter into reciprocal agreements, and Form 3106 currently waives the exam only for journeymen licensed by examination in Iowa or New Hampshire. The license is renewed every four years for $100.

Moving to Wisconsin Leaving Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Wisconsin journeyman electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $215, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in Wisconsin?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Wisconsin DSPS Form 3106 - Journeyman Electrician License Application Information (Rev. 12/04/2025) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 15, 2026Category A (apprenticeship/experience and examination): completed recognized electrical construction apprenticeship, or 48 months with at least 8,000 hours of experience installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring, or 1,000 hours per year for five years; up to 2,000 hours / two years of credit for full-time electrical schooling at 500 hours per semester. Category B (reciprocity): a valid, unexpired journeyman license acquired through a state examination in Iowa (Journeyman A) or New Hampshire, held continuously for at least one year immediately before applying, licenses without the Wisconsin exam; Iowa applicants must have completed an apprenticeship or the experience hours, New Hampshire applicants a 600-hour apprenticeship-schooling program. Fees are calculated in LicensE.
Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Electrician Exam Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exam is open book with a 70% passing score; allowed references are SPS 305 and SPS 316, the NEC, and up to two bound reference books. Exams are based on the 2017 NEC until October 1, 2026, when the 2023 NEC takes effect.
Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Electrician · Wis. Stat. 101.862; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.40 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program page: licensing is required to install, repair or maintain electrical wiring; journeymen work under the general supervision of a master electrician; applications (Form 3106) are filed in the LicensE portal at license.wi.gov. Does not itself list reciprocity states or fees.
DSPS - Trades Renewal Dates and Fees · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026HVAC Qualifier: 4-year credential renewing from date of issuance, renewal fee $100, no CE, reinstatement $200. HVAC Contractor: 4-year registration from date of issuance, renewal $40, reinstatement $200. (SPS 305 Table 305.07 still lists a 2-year term for these credentials; DSPS's current schedule is used here.) Read with pdftotext after download.
Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Credentialing Examination Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Trades exams are given at DSPS locations or, at a marginally higher fee, at Pearson test centers selected in the LicensE application; exam reviews are $15.
Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Register August 2025) · SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.70; SPS 305.71 · Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Table 305.02: HVAC Contractor registration $15 application fee and $160 registration fee; HVAC Qualifier certification $15 application fee, $25 examination fee, $60 certification fee. SPS 305.70: HVAC contractor registration is mandatory for any person, entity or business installing or servicing HVAC equipment and is applied for by the owner, partner or chief executive; a note reminds that federal Section 608 technician certification is required for refrigerant work. SPS 305.71: an individual may obtain an HVAC qualifier certification by meeting the 4-year experience/education standard, passing the exam under SPS 305.09 and paying the certification fee; a business that uses a qualifier is a 'certified HVAC business' that cannot be required to obtain local approval. The chapter contains no reciprocity or credential-by-endorsement provision for HVAC. Read with pdftotext after download.
Wis. Stat. 101.87 - Journeyman electrician license · Wis. Stat. 101.87 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Journeyman electrician qualifications: completion of a construction electrician apprenticeship of at least three years approved by the U.S. DOL or Wisconsin DWD, or 48 months with at least 8,000 hours of experience; each followed by passage of the department's examination. A two-year electrical degree or diploma counts as 12 months and 2,000 hours.
Wis. Stat. 101.874 - Reciprocal agreements (electrical credentials) · Wis. Stat. 101.874 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026DSPS may enter into a reciprocal agreement with another state recognizing electrician credentials as comparable only if the other state's education, experience and examination requirements are at least equivalent to Wisconsin's; under an agreement DSPS issues a credential to an applicant who submits an application, pays the fee under s. 101.82(4), and holds a valid comparable credential from the other state.

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

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