South Carolina to Rhode Island: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 journeyperson or contractor admitted to the Rhode Island journeyperson exam (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician holding a journeyperson's or contractor's license from any other state applies to DLT for the journeyperson examination under the 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' code. The application must include a notarized statement from present or past employers detailing all work-related experience, a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts are not accepted), a copy of government-issued ID, and the $75 non-refundable processing fee; the form is signed before a notary. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D, holding the out-of-state license is what makes the applicant eligible to sit the Rhode Island journeyperson exam without a Rhode Island-registered apprenticeship; the exam itself is not waived and must be passed at 70%. Applicants who pass are invoiced for the $72 two-year Certificate B license fee. The application instructions state that all journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of approved related instruction.
DLT does not publish whether the 576-hour related-instruction requirement is separately enforced for out-of-state licensees admitted under § 7.7.D, or how it verifies out-of-state schooling; the regulation itself conditions exam admission only on holding the out-of-state license. Applications must be received 15 working days before an exam date. 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.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least four years of trade experience (8,000 hours), verified by notarized employer statements on company letterhead.
- 576 hours of related instruction approved by DLT (per the application instructions for all journeyperson tests)
- At least 18 years of age
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable application processing fee for the journeyperson examination (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17).
- 2Other. Notarized application, copy of government-issued ID, notarized employer experience letters, copy of the out-of-state license and official license verification.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Journeyperson Electrician (Certificate B) examination administered by DLT; 70% required to pass.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($72). Two-year Journeyperson Electrician Class B license fee, invoiced after a passing score (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16).
Published fees on this path total $147, 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
How Rhode Island licenses journeyman electricians
Rhode Island journeyman electrician · “Journeyperson Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”
Statewide license
Rhode Island issues a statewide Journeyperson Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Department of Labor and Training (DLT), which writes and administers the exam itself. A new applicant must show at least four years of trade experience (8,000 hours as a registered apprentice, R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.3) and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction, then pass the DLT journeyperson exam with a score of 70% or better. Rhode Island has no reciprocity agreements and no statute allowing a journeyperson license without examination; instead, DLT's regulation provides that an out-of-state applicant who holds a contractor's or journeyperson's license is allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson exam, and the application packet has a dedicated out-of-state journeyperson application code. Fees are a $75 non-refundable application fee and a $72 two-year license fee invoiced after passing; licenses renew every two years on the licensee's birthday with 15 hours of continuing education.
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 could not be confirmed from an official page 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. The official pages of the largest jurisdictions that could be opened on this date (Greenville County Building Safety, the City of Greenville Building & Permit Center) do not state a journeyman card requirement, and the Columbia, Charleston and Charleston County pages tried could not be opened, so no city-by-city list is given here; electricians should ask the local building department where they will work.
Out-of-state holders. Neither CAGC nor MASC publishes reciprocity for journeyman licenses from other states, and LLR's waiver agreements apply only to contractor-level exams. 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 Rhode Island journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island journeyman electrician license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $147, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Electrician Application Instructions and Application for Examination · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulations Unit · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $75 application processing fee. All electrical contractor tests require verification of at least six years of trade experience and possession of a Rhode Island journeyperson's license held at least two years before applying for the contractor exam. All electrical journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction. Out-of-state applicants must attach a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts not accepted). Fee table: Electrical Contractor A, $75 application, $240 two-year license; Journeyperson Electrician B, $75, $72; a separate 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' application code (29, $75). Individuals scoring 70 or greater are invoiced for the license fee.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation: Electricians · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Confirms that the DLT Professional Regulation unit licenses, tests and disciplines electricians itself (exams are given by DLT, not a vendor) and links to exam information, applications and the Board of Examiners of Electricians. Contact: Chief Investigator of Electrical, (401) 462-8571.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation Forms and Applications · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the Mechanical Trade application (English and Spanish), the Mechanical Corporation application and the Apprentice Completion and Application for Examination form; there is no separate refrigeration-only form, the mechanical application covers pipefitter, refrigeration, sheet metal and sprinkler fitter exams.
- 260-RICR-30-15-7 - Board of Examiners of Electricians (DLT regulation, effective January 4, 2022) · 260-RICR-30-15-7 §§ 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.14 · Rhode Island Department of State (Code of Rhode Island Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§7.5: exams are written and may include practical demonstrations; 70% required to obtain a license. §7.6: Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license. §7.7.C: Certificate B applicants must show at least 8,000 hours (4 years) of experience as a registered apprentice. §7.7.D: Certificate A applicants must have at least 12,000 hours (6 years) of experience and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B for two years; 'Out-of-state applicants who hold a contractor's license or journeyperson's license will be allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson's exam', and out-of-state contractors who have held a Rhode Island journeyperson's license for two years and have 12,000 hours may take the contractor exam. Applicants for Certificate A must be at least 21; others at least 18. §7.14: 15 hours of continuing education per renewal for Certificate A and B holders.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 - License fees · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor's license Class A $240; journeyperson electrician's license Class B $72. Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years and renew on payment of the biennial fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 - Application for examination; fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Examination application on the state form with a $75 fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.3 - Credit for electrical license exams · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.3 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Apprenticeship path to the Class B exam: minimum 8,000 on-the-job learning hours with 144 hours of related instruction for every 2,000 hours (Class M maintenance: 6,000 hours). Effective June 25, 2024.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 - Forms of licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license; Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'. Also lists Certificates C, D, M, E, F, AF, BF, SCF, CF, LPC, LPI and SRL.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-9 - Journeyperson's certificate/license · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-9 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate B is granted to any person who has passed an examination before the division of professional regulation. No reciprocity or exam-waiver language.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.