South Carolina to Virginia: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Virginia'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.
Universal License Recognition for out-of-state journeymen (all other states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman licensed by any state without a reciprocal agreement applies on the Tradesman Universal License Recognition form for a 'Licensed Journeyman Electrical (ELE)' license, which DPOR issues without the Virginia trade examination. The Tradesman ULR form requires that the current out-of-state journeyman (or master) license has been held for at least one year, that the licensing state required an examination and required education, training or experience to obtain it, that there are no unresolved complaints or pending investigations, and that a Certification of Licensure/Letter of Good Standing dated within 90 days is sent directly by every state board that has licensed the applicant, listing the license number, initial date, expiration, means of licensure and any closed disciplinary actions. DPOR reserves the right to require an exam specific to Virginia law (Va. Code 54.1-205), and a felony or misdemeanor history must be reported. The ULR application fee is $171.75, which includes the technology fee added by 2026 House Bill 30. Applicants who do not meet the ULR criteria are not shut out: the standard Tradesman Exam & License Application ($171.75) accepts 'individuals currently certified or licensed as a journeyman or master by a governing body located outside the Commonwealth' as a qualification to sit the PSI journeyman exam ($100) with no experience or training documentation.
Whether DPOR actually imposes a Virginia-law exam on tradesman ULR applicants is not stated in its published materials.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must have held your South Carolina license for at least 1 year.Current out-of-state journeyman or master license held at least 1 year (Tradesman ULR form, 2026 version)
- Your South Carolina license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your South Carolina license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Virginia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($171.75). Tradesman Universal License Recognition application fee (form A501-2710ULR); includes the $7.25/year technology fee; non-refundable.
- 2Other. Certification of Licensure/Letter of Good Standing from each state board where licensed, sent directly to the Board for Contractors - Tradesmen Program and dated within 90 days.
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam (if applicable). DPOR may require an examination specific to Virginia law under Va. Code 54.1-205.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Only for applicants who do not meet the ULR criteria: PSI Virginia journeyman electrical exam ($100) via the Tradesman Exam & License Application ($171.75), for which an out-of-state journeyman or master license is itself the qualification.
Published fees on this path total $171.75, 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.
- Law / code exam · if applicable
- Trade exam · if applicable
How Virginia licenses journeyman electricians
Virginia journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrical Tradesman (ELE)”
Statewide license
Issued by Virginia Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program (DPOR)
Virginia issues a statewide Journeyman Electrical tradesman license to individuals (never to companies) through the Board for Contractors' Tradesmen Program at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). A first-time applicant qualifies for the PSI journeyman exam ($100) with a combination of practical experience and vocational training (4 years plus 240 hours down to 7 years plus 40 hours), a related degree plus experience, 8 years of verified experience, or completion of a registered apprenticeship, which exempts the applicant from the exam. The application fee on the 2026 form is $171.75, which includes the $7.25-per-year technology fee added by 2026 House Bill 30 on top of the $150 fee in 18VAC50-30-90. A journeyman or master license from another state qualifies its holder to sit the Virginia exam without documenting hours, and a licensee who has held that out-of-state license for at least one year may instead apply through Universal License Recognition, which issues the license without the Virginia trade exam. The Board also has signed journeyman-level examination reciprocity agreements with the District of Columbia, Kentucky and West Virginia. Anyone who contracts for work over $1,000 needs a separate Virginia contractor business license.
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 Virginia journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my South Carolina license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Virginia journeyman electrician license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $171.75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Virginia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Virginia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Virginia to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Virginia to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 18VAC50-30-100 - Examination fees · 18VAC50-30-100 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 18VAC50-30-39 - Qualifications for examination approval for a tradesman license · 18VAC50-30-39 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 18VAC50-30-50 - Exemptions from examination · 18VAC50-30-50 · Virginia Register / Board for Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 18VAC50-30-90 - Fees for licensure and certification · 18VAC50-30-90 · Virginia Board for Contractors / Virginia Register · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Va. Code 54.1-103 - Additional training of regulated persons; reciprocity; endorsement · Va. Code 54.1-103(B)-(C) · Virginia General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Virginia Board for Contractors - Reciprocal Licensing/Examination Agreements with Other Jurisdictions · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
- Form A501-2710EXLIC - Tradesman Exam & License Application (v8, 07/01/2026) · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- DPOR Board for Contractors - Tradesman Licensing Information and Application Instructions · Va. Code 54.1-1128 through 54.1-1131 · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- Form A501-2710ULR - Tradesman Universal License Recognition Application (v4, 07/01/2026) · Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- DPOR Board for Contractors - Tradesmen Program · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Universal License Recognition - Virginia DPOR · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.