South Carolina to Michigan: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Michigan'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 (all states; Michigan has no reciprocity)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Michigan does not reciprocate with any state, so an out-of-state journeyman must take and pass the Michigan Electrical Journeyman exam regardless of where they are licensed. The out-of-state license and experience are used only to establish eligibility: LARA's Out-of-State License Verification instructions say applicants with out-of-state experience must be approved by the Electrical Administrative Board to sit for the exam and 'may receive credit for experience earned from other states.' The applicant submits Form BCC-341 with the $40 license fee, a copy of the current out-of-state license and that state's licensing requirements, the Out-of-State License Verification form completed and sealed by the issuing board (showing exam history and a passing score of at least 75%), and notarized employer letters documenting 8,000 hours over at least four years under licensed supervision. The board reviews out-of-state applications at its quarterly meetings; once approved the applicant schedules the PSI exam ($100), passes at 75%, and the license issues. There is no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
Every electrical journeyman applicant must be approved by LARA before PSI will schedule the exam, and the Out-of-State License Verification instructions say applicants relying on out-of-state experience must be approved by the board, which meets quarterly. MCL 339.5715 requires the supervising electrician to be 'licensed under this article' and BCC-341 specifies a Michigan licensee, so out-of-state hours are credited at the board's discretion under MCL 339.5709 ('an equivalent of that experience requirement'), not automatically. A separate examination waiver exists only for service members, veterans and their dependents who hold an active electrical license in another state (BCC-341 military/uniformed services waiver).
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.Obtained over at least four years in electrical construction, building maintenance or electrical wiring/equipment under direct licensed supervision (MCL 339.5715); out-of-state hours are credited only if the board accepts them as equivalent.
- At least 20 years old
- You must have passed a licensing exam in South Carolina that the destination considers comparable.
What you'll do to get licensed in Michigan
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($40). Electrical Journeyman license fee, paid with the BCC-341 application (non-refundable), MCL 339.5707(2).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI when scheduling; non-refundable and valid for one year (MCL 339.5707(1)).
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Michigan Electrical Journeyman examination administered by PSI (80 questions, 150 minutes, 75% to pass; 2023 NEC and Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8).
- 4Other. Out-of-State License Verification form completed and sealed by the issuing state board, plus a copy of the current license and that state's licensing requirements.
- 5Other. Notarized letters from each employer stating dates, hours, type of electrical work and the licensed supervisor.
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.
- Exam fee · $100
- Trade exam
How Michigan licenses journeyman electricians
Michigan journeyman electrician · “Electrical Journeyman”
State license plus local requirements
Michigan issues a statewide Electrical Journeyman license through LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes under Article 7 of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407). A new applicant must be at least 20, document 8,000 hours over at least four years under the direct supervision of a Michigan-licensed journeyman or master with notarized employer letters, pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam (80 questions, 75% to pass, 2023 NEC) for a $100 exam fee, and pay the $40 license fee; the license renews every year for $40. Michigan has no reciprocity agreements with any state: LARA states that out-of-state licensees must take and pass the Michigan exam, though experience earned in other states may be credited after board review. MCL 339.5733 lets a municipality with an equally stringent ordinance license its own residents; the City of Detroit does so, and Detroit licenses are valid statewide.
How local licensing works in Michigan
Under MCL 339.5733 a municipality that adopts an examination and licensing ordinance at least as stringent as the state's may license journeymen who reside in it, and both state and qualifying municipal licenses must be recognized by all municipalities. The City of Detroit's Board of Electrical Examiners examines and licenses Electrical Journeypersons who are Detroit residents (same 8,000-hour / four-year standard); Detroit licenses are valid throughout Michigan and equivalent to state licenses. Non-residents of Detroit apply to LARA. Other municipalities may require registration of state licensees under local inspection ordinances but do not issue their own journeyman licenses per the pages reviewed.
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 Michigan journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Michigan requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Michigan journeyman electrician license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Michigan?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Michigan's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Michigan to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Michigan to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- City of Detroit - Board of Electrical Examiners FAQ · City of Detroit, Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department · Faq · verified September 15, 2026
- City of Detroit BSEED - Electrical Journeyperson Examination Overview · City of Detroit, Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Michigan LARA Form BCC-341 - Application for Journeyman, Master Electrician, Fire Alarm Specialty Technician or Sign Specialist Examination and Licensure (Rev. 3/22) · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Electrical Examination, Licensing/Registration and Application Information · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - Out-of-State License Verification Form and Instructions for Examination and Licensure Applicants with Out-of-State Experience/License (Rev. 3/22) · 1980 PA 299 / 2016 PA 407 · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - PSI Examinations · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, Article 7 - Electricians and Electrical Contractors · MCL 339.5707, 339.5709, 339.5713, 339.5715, 339.5733 · Michigan Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI - Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes Electrical Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 8/20/2026) · PSI Services LLC for Michigan LARA · Other · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.