South Carolina to Washington: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Washington'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.
Examination with credit for out-of-state certificate or experience (all states except Oregon)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An electrician from any state other than Oregon applies to take the Washington journey level (01) exam using the Out-of-State Application for Electrical Examination. Eligibility is met with an out-of-state journey level certificate obtained through examination by a jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 hours of supervised experience (with at least 4,000 hours in new commercial or industrial work), with at least 16,000 hours of out-of-state electrical construction experience (4,000 in new commercial or industrial installations), with an equivalent 8,000-hour out-of-state apprenticeship, or with 8,000 hours of electrical construction experience in a U.S. armed forces construction battalion; a Canadian Red Seal construction electrician who has held the endorsement for at least one year also qualifies. Every applicant must also show at least 96 hours of classroom training on the National Electrical Code or electrical theory. Experience is documented with notarized letters from licensed electrical contractors, apprenticeship training directors or employers. After L&I approves the application the applicant schedules the open-book exam with PSI; it has an NEC and theory section and a Washington laws and rules section, and the minimum passing score is 70 percent on each section.
The NEC and theory section has about 60 questions in 3 hours and the Washington laws and rules section (chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC) about 17 questions in 1 hour; printed copies of the RCW and WAC may be brought into the exam in a binder. The exam fee is paid to PSI when scheduling, in addition to the L&I application fee; PSI bills electrician exams and retests by the hour, from $45 for one hour to $105 for seven hours.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- One of: an out-of-state journey level electrician certificate obtained through examination by a state licensing jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 hours of supervised experience; at least 16,000 hours of out-of-state experience in the electrical construction trade; an equivalent 8,000-hour out-of-state apprenticeship; or 8,000 hours of electrical construction experience in a U.S. armed forces construction battalionThe certificate, 16,000-hour and apprenticeship routes each require at least 4,000 hours in new commercial or industrial installations. A Canadian Red Seal journeyperson construction electrician with at least four years of training who has held the endorsement for at least one year also qualifies.
- Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.
What you'll do to get licensed in Washington
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($114.60). Out-of-state electrical examination application fee, submitted with form F626-009-000 (includes original certificate and application processing; $44.20 is nonrefundable once submitted).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Washington General Journey Level Electrician (01) exam, NEC and theory section, open book, minimum score 70 percent; scheduled with PSI after L&I approval.
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Washington laws and rules section on chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC, open book, minimum score 70 percent.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Paid to PSI when scheduling; PSI bills electrician exams and retests by the hour, from $45 for one hour to $105 for seven hours, and the two 01 sections are allotted four hours in total.
Published fees on this path total $114.60, 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
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee
How Washington licenses journeyman electricians
Washington journeyman electrician · “General Journey Level Electrician (01)”
Statewide license
Issued by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Electrical Program
Washington issues a statewide General Journey Level Electrician (01) certificate of competency through the Department of Labor & Industries. An out-of-state electrician can qualify to sit the Washington journey level exam with an out-of-state journey level certificate obtained by examination in a jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 supervised hours, or with 16,000 hours of documented out-of-state experience; the exam is open book and requires a 70 percent score on each section, including a Washington laws and rules section. Washington's only electrician reciprocity agreement is with Oregon: holders of an Oregon General Journeyman (J) or General Supervising (S) license obtained by Oregon examination can receive the 01 certificate without taking the Washington exam. Certificates renew every three years on the holder's birthdate and require 24 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 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 Washington journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Washington requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Washington journeyman electrician license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $114.60, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Washington?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Washington's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Washington to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Washington to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- L&I - Electrical Examination · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- L&I - Electrician certification (journey level and specialty) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Out of State Application for Electrical Examination (F626-009-000) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Application for a Reciprocal (01) General Journey Level Electrician Certificate (F500-148-000) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Washington Home Inspector Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Washington State Department of Licensing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- RCW 19.28.191 - Certificate of competency - Eligibility for examination - Rules · RCW 19.28.191 · Washington State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- WAC 296-46B-909 - Electrical/telecommunications fees · WAC 296-46B-909 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- WAC 296-46B-945 - Qualifying for master, journey level, specialty electrician examinations · WAC 296-46B-945 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- WAC 296-46B-960 - Administrator and electrician certificate of competency examinations · WAC 296-46B-960 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.