Ohio to Wisconsin: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Ohio 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 through the Licensure by Examination method in LicensE like a first-time candidate. The license itself carries no credit, but the experience behind it does: DSPS and Wis. Stat. 101.87 count experience in installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring without limiting it to Wisconsin, so the applicant documents at least 8,000 hours over at least 48 months on the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168), which goes to the applicant's witnesses to sign, or shows completion of an electrical construction apprenticeship of at least three years approved by the U.S. Department of Labor or the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The application and fees are submitted in LicensE ($35 application, $30 examination and $100 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. Fee amounts are from Table 305.02 of the administrative code and match DSPS's published fee list; the total is 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; a two-year electrical engineering or electrical-related technical degree or diploma counts as 12 months and 2,000 hours. 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 25), paid in LicensE.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($30). Journeyman Electrician examination fee (Table 305.02 line 25); 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 ($100). Journeyman Electrician initial license fee (Table 305.02 line 25); four-year credential.
- 5Other. Trades Experience Form (Form 8168) signed off by witnesses, or a Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards letter confirming apprenticeship completion, submitted with the LicensE application.
Published fees on this path total $165, 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
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 on SPS 305, SPS 316 and the 2023 NEC; 70% to pass). Under Wis. Stat. 101.874 DSPS may enter into reciprocal agreements, and DSPS currently waives the exam only for journeymen licensed by examination in Iowa or New Hampshire. The license is renewed every four years for $100.
Why Ohio has nothing to transfer
Ohio journeyman electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by No state authority; Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses contractors only
Ohio does not issue a journeyman electrician license. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) licenses individual electrical contractors for commercial work, and R.C. 4740.01 defines everyone else on the job as a 'tradesperson' employed by a contractor, with no state license or card. Where a personal journeyman credential exists it comes from a city ordinance: Toledo examines and licenses Journeyman and Residential Journeyman Electricians through its Division of Building Inspection and registers 'traveler' journeymen from other jurisdictions, while Cincinnati and Hamilton only register contractors (a 'Master Registration' in Hamilton) and do not license individual electricians. An out-of-state journeyman license has no state-level recognition in Ohio; it is useful only as proof of experience when a city requires it, or as one of the documents OCILB accepts (an active journeyman's card) toward the five-year experience requirement for the state contractor exam.
How local licensing works in Ohio
How local licensing works. Ohio's contractor licensing statute (R.C. Chapter 4740) covers only the individual electrical contractor license issued by OCILB and does not license tradespersons; any journeyman requirement is local. Most large cities require only that electrical work be done by or under a state-licensed contractor who has registered with the city.
Toledo. The Division of Building Inspection issues Journeyman Electrician and Residential Journeyman licenses after an examination ($100 exam fee), with proof of graduation from an apprenticeship program with 8,000 hours or an equivalent qualification (a journeyman certificate earned by testing in another city jurisdiction, completion of a recognized apprenticeship, or four years in the electrical construction industry). A Traveler Journeyman registration ($100) is available with the same documentation, and apprentices register for $25. Licenses renew annually by December 31.
Cincinnati. Contractors performing work in the city must hold a contractor registration under Municipal Code Chapter 1106 ($131.25 per year including surcharges); registration of state-licensed contractors runs until the state license expires. Toledo's application does accept a journeyman certificate obtained by testing in another city jurisdiction as a qualification to sit for (or register for) its exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Wisconsin journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Ohio?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin journeyman electrician license from Ohio?
- Published fees on this path total $165, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Ohio 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 Ohio?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to Ohio, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber: Licensure by Examination · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber (profession page) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Electrician: Reciprocity · Wis. Stat. 101.874; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.47 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Credential Fees and Renewal Dates · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Exam and Continuing Education Information (exam fee schedule) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Table 305.02 fees; Table 305.06 terms; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91, 305.93, 305.95) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 lines 62 and 65; SPS 305.06 Table 305.06; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91; SPS 305.93; SPS 305.95 · Wisconsin Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 101.87 - Journeyman electrician license · Wis. Stat. 101.87 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 101.874 - Reciprocal agreements (electrical credentials) · Wis. Stat. 101.874 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.