South Carolina to Colorado: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Colorado'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.
Licensure by endorsement (all other states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from a state without a NERA reciprocity agreement (for example Texas, which DPO's application expressly names as not reciprocal) applies by endorsement. The license to be endorsed must be active, issued and regulated by a state, and have been gained by testing on the NEC edition in effect in Colorado when the application is submitted, which has been the 2026 NEC since August 1, 2026; licenses issued without an exam, by exam on a different NEC edition, or through continuing education do not qualify. The applicant must also document 8,000 hours of electrical experience earned over no fewer than four years on Affidavit of Experience forms, and submit a Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board. Qualifying applicants are licensed without taking the Colorado exam; anyone who does not meet the endorsement criteria must qualify by examination instead.
The Board adopted the 2026 NEC in Rule 1.5, effective August 1, 2026, and Board Rule 1.7(E) requires the origin exam to match the edition in effect when the application is submitted. DPO's online application still refers to the 2023 NEC, so an applicant whose license was tested on the 2023 NEC should confirm eligibility with DPO (303-894-7800) before paying the application fee. Rule 1.7(E) also treats the 288 hours of electrical training as part of substantial equivalence; the Board considers requests to waive it case by case. The Colorado exam, if needed, is given by PSI for $78 ($73 per retest); the application fee amount is shown only inside DPO Online Services.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your South Carolina license must be active and in good standing.
- Your South Carolina license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Earned in no less than 4 years; 2,000 hours must be commercial/industrial work. Experience may be accumulated in other states and is documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form.
What you'll do to get licensed in Colorado
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee paid in DPO Online Services (amount not published on the public pages; non-refundable).
- 2Other. Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board.
- 3Other. Affidavit(s) of Experience completed by each supervising electrical contractor.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Colorado Journeyman Electrician exam (PSI) - only if the origin license does not meet the endorsement criteria.
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 · if applicable
How Colorado licenses journeyman electricians
Colorado journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)
Colorado issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. There are three routes: examination (8,000 hours over at least four years, 288 hours of classroom education, and the PSI-administered Colorado exam), endorsement of an active state-issued license obtained by exam on the NEC edition Colorado currently uses (the 2026 NEC since August 1, 2026), and reciprocity for journeymen from the 14 NERA member states. Endorsement and reciprocity both issue the license without a Colorado exam. Applications are filed through DPO Online Services; licenses expire September 30 every three years.
Why South Carolina has nothing to transfer
South Carolina journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician certification (CAGC SC Trades Certification, formerly MASC)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by Local building departments, using the CAGC SC Trades Certification (formerly MASC) journeyman card
South Carolina has no state journeyman electrician license. The LLR Contractor's Licensing Board licenses mechanical contractors (entities qualified by an individual qualifying party) for electrical work over $10,000 and the Residential Builders Commission licenses residential electricians, and neither chapter of the contractor law creates a journeyman credential; an electrician who is not a contractor works under one of those licensees without any state license. The journeyman-level credential that does exist is the journeyman electrician card of the SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program, run since 1965 by the Municipal Association of South Carolina (the association of the state's cities) and, since January 1, 2026, by the Carolinas AGC Foundation; the program's own page says the card is not a license and must not be represented as one. Whether a card is needed depends on the city or county building department, and the local ordinances themselves is not stated in the board's published materials on this verification date. No reciprocity or out-of-state acceptance is published for the journeyman card, so an arriving journeyman should expect to document two years of experience, pay the $35 application fee and take the Prov exam if a local jurisdiction or employer requires the card; the card's master-level counterpart is what LLR accepts toward the state contractor licenses.
How local licensing works in South Carolina
How local licensing works. State law licenses contractors, not electricians: S.C. Code § 40-11-30 requires a Contractor's Licensing Board license (Mechanical Contractor, Electrical classification) for mechanical contracting work whose total cost exceeds $10,000, and Chapter 59 requires a Residential Builders Commission license for residential specialty (electrical) work over $500. Employees of those licensees need no state credential. The Contractor's Licensing Board home page lists no journeyman license, and the Residential Builders Commission licenses the residential electrician, not a journeyman.
The trades certification card. The SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program was created in 1965 by the Municipal Association of South Carolina, the statewide association of cities, to give municipalities a common examination and certification for journeyman and master electricians, plumbers, HVAC and gas fitters. MASC handed the program to the Carolinas AGC Foundation on January 1, 2026; cards issued by MASC remain valid until the expiration printed on them, and CAGC now issues verification letters. CAGC charges a $35 application fee, uses PROV as its exam provider, and states that the card 'should not be confused with' the LLR mechanical contractor or residential specialty licenses and that a holder 'will not represent to anyone that the ... trade certification card is evidence of a license'. The master electrician card (issued by exam by MASC between December 1990 and December 2025, or by CAGC after January 1, 2026) is accepted by LLR as a technical-exam waiver for both the Mechanical Contractor Electrical classification and the Residential Electrician license, which is the card's main statewide use.
Which cities require it. Requirements are set by each city or county building department. An out-of-state journeyman can work for a licensed South Carolina contractor without any state credential and, if a card is required locally, applies to CAGC with two years of documented experience.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Colorado journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Colorado?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Colorado's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Colorado to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Colorado to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 3 CCR 710-1 - State Electrical Board Rules and Regulations · 3 CCR 710-1, Rule 1.7 (Application for Licensure) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12, Article 115 - Electricians (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 12) · C.R.S. §§ 12-115-107(2)(i), 12-115-113 · Colorado General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Electrical Applications and Forms - Licensure Requirements (Examination, Endorsement, Reciprocity) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Electrical Homepage - State Electrical Board · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DPO Journeyman Electrician (JW) Initial Application Preview · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado State Electrical Board Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC (for the Colorado State Electrical Board) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.