South Carolina to Connecticut: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Connecticut'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.
Journeyperson by equivalent out-of-state license (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician licensed in any other state applies under DCP's 'Electrical Journeyperson - Equivalent Out of State License' path. DCP reviews one out-of-state license for equivalency: it must have required the same number of classroom hours (720 for the E-2), an equivalent classroom curriculum, and the same on-the-job training hours (8,000 for the E-2) as the Connecticut license. The applicant submits a copy of the license, an official license verification, the laws and regulations that set the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license; only one license will be reviewed and the $90 application fee is non-refundable. If the license is found equivalent, DCP approves the applicant to sit the E-2 exam with PSI ($59 per portion), and the license is issued after passing on payment of the $120 initial license fee. The out-of-state license does not waive the Connecticut exam because Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements. If the license cannot be shown equivalent, the applicant must instead document 720 classroom hours and 8,000 OJT hours under the equivalent experience and training path.
DCP's out-of-state license page does not itself restate that the exam is required; the exam requirement follows from the Electrical License page (exam vendor fees due on every path), CGS 20-333 (competency shown by examination) and the PSI bulletin (DCP determines eligibility, then the candidate tests). CGS 20-333a permits licensure without examination only where the other state reciprocates for Connecticut licensees, and DCP states no such agreements exist. Typical processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- 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.
- The out-of-state license must be equivalent: it required the same classroom hours (720), an equivalent curriculum, and the same OJT hours (8,000) as the Connecticut E-2Only one out-of-state license is reviewed for equivalency.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training hours required for the E-2; demonstrated through the equivalent out-of-state license or, failing that, through notarized employer letters under the experience and training path.
What you'll do to get licensed in Connecticut
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($90). Journeyperson application fee, non-refundable (CGS 20-333).
- 2Other. Copy of the out-of-state license, official license verification, the laws/regulations listing the requirements met to obtain it, and the scope of work for that license.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson exam administered by PSI: 80 questions, 3.5 hours, 70% to pass, open book (2020 or 2023 NEC).
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($59). PSI examination fee per portion (same fee for retakes).
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Initial license fee for a journeyperson license after passing the exam (CGS 20-335); renews annually for $120.
Published fees on this path total $269, 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
- Exam fee · $59
How Connecticut licenses journeyman electricians
Connecticut journeyman electrician · “E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson”
Statewide license
Connecticut licenses electricians statewide through the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP); the journeyman-level license is the E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson, which allows all electrical work defined in CGS 20-330 while employed by a licensed contractor (limited journeyperson classes such as C-6, L-2, L-6, T-2 and PV-2 also exist). A new E-2 applicant qualifies through a Connecticut apprenticeship, through equivalent experience and training, or by holding an equivalent out-of-state license, and in every path must pass the PSI-administered E-2 exam (80 questions, 3.5 hours, 70%, open book on the 2020 or 2023 NEC). DCP states that Connecticut does not have reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction, even though CGS 20-333a would allow the Commissioner to waive the exam for licensees of states that reciprocate. The application fee is $90, the exam is $59 per portion, and the initial license fee is $120; licenses expire every September 30 and renew for $120.
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 Connecticut journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Connecticut requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Connecticut journeyman electrician license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $269, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Connecticut?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Connecticut's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Connecticut to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Connecticut to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 393 - Occupational Licensing (Electrical, Plumbing and Piping, Heating, Cooling...) · CGS §§ 20-330, 20-333, 20-333a, 20-334a, 20-335 · Connecticut General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Electrical License (application paths, fees, renewal) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Electrical Journeyperson: Equivalent Out of State License · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Connecticut DCP - Electrical License Types and Scope of Work · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Connecticut DCP Occupational Licensing - Electrical Trades Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 2/4/2026) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection / PSI Services LLC · 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.