South Dakota to Arkansas: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Arkansas has a reciprocity agreement with South Dakota: a South Dakota journeyman electrician can get a Arkansas license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with South Dakota (journeyman)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Arkansas lists South Dakota under its Journeyman Reciprocal Agreement. A South Dakota journeyman applies with the Board's electrician application marked 'Reciprocal' and certification from South Dakota that the applicant is currently licensed as a journeyman in good standing, has held that license for at least one year, and was tested in South Dakota; the Arkansas journeyman exam is waived and the $25 license fee is paid. The license must be South Dakota's original license, not one South Dakota itself granted by reciprocity.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your South Dakota license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have held your South Dakota license for at least 1 year.
- Your South Dakota license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
What you'll do to get licensed in Arkansas
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman electrician license fee (Ark. Code §17-28-301).
- 2Other. Board electrician application marked 'Reciprocal', photocopy of the South Dakota license, and certification from the South Dakota Electrical Commission.
Published fees on this path total $25, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Arkansas licenses journeyman electricians
Arkansas journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing)
Arkansas issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Board of Electrical Examiners in the Department of Labor and Licensing; the Board also issues residential journeyman, residential master, industrial maintenance, air conditioning and specialist sign electrician licenses. A new applicant qualifies by completing a four-year USDOL-approved apprenticeship or by documenting eight years (16,000 hours, maximum 2,000 per year) of electrical construction experience, then passes the journeyman exam ($80 exam fee) and pays the $25 license fee; the license renews annually for $25 and requires eight hours of continuing education each NEC cycle. Arkansas has journeyman reciprocity agreements with seventeen states, and a qualifying journeyman from one of them is licensed without taking the Arkansas exam; a master electrician from a journeyman-only partner state can likewise be reciprocated into an Arkansas journeyman license. The Board only reciprocates an original license issued by the partner state, never a license that was itself obtained by reciprocity.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in South Dakota?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with South Dakota.
- How long do I need to have held my South Dakota license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Arkansas journeyman electrician license from South Dakota?
- Published fees on this path total $25, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing - Electrical Inspection and Licensing (Board of Electrical Examiners; Reciprocal Agreements) · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the six license classes, the online exam application portal, and the Reciprocal Agreements table: Journeyman Reciprocal Agreement with Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming; Master Reciprocal Agreement column listing Iowa, Oregon and Texas. States that the Board only reciprocates an original license from the issuing state (a reciprocated license cannot be reciprocated), that a master license from a journeyman-only partner can only be reciprocated as a journeyman license 'except for Oregon and North Dakota which Arkansas has a Master License reciprocal Agreement', and that Wyoming only reciprocates a journeyman who completed a USDOL apprenticeship with at least 576 classroom hours. The explanatory paragraph (Oregon and North Dakota) and the master column (Iowa, Oregon, Texas) are not fully consistent.
- Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners - Electrician Application (examination, reciprocal, temporary) · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · Form · verified September 15, 2026Single application form with 'Reciprocal' as a licensing qualification checkbox alongside Examination and Temporary. Requires photocopies of any electrician licenses held, whether the license was issued by examination, the exam score, date and testing firm, and notarized employer verification of work experience (Affidavit of Employment Experience); an electrical engineering degree plus two years' experience qualifies for the master exam.
- Rules of the Board of Electrical Examiners of the State of Arkansas, 17 CAR Part 210 · 17 CAR §§ 210-403, 210-404, 210-508, 210-509 · Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners / Department of Labor and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§210-403(c): examination fees $80 for master, journeyman, residential master, residential journeyman and specialist sign electrician, $50 for industrial maintenance. §210-404(d): master applicants need an electrical engineering degree plus two years of construction experience, or six years in the construction industry (residential and commercial) including two years as a licensed journeyman, or a Board-approved equivalent. §210-404(e): journeyman applicants must have completed a four-year USDOL-approved apprenticeship (with a Released-for-Test form, or out-of-state completion certified by the responsible agency), or seek reciprocity with certification from the sister state that they are currently licensed as a journeyman in good standing, have held the license for one year, and were tested in the sister state, or have eight years (16,000 hours, maximum 2,000 per year) of electrical construction experience. §210-508: six-month temporary master ($50) or journeyman ($25) license for a holder of a current license of the same classification from another state, restricted to industrial projects. §210-509: the Board may license applicants holding equivalent licenses in other states, on payment of fees and proof of license, provided an agreement exists with that state.
- Board of Electrical Examiner Statutes, Ark. Code Ann. Title 17, Chapter 28 (2025 compilation) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-28-203, 17-28-301, 17-28-304, 17-28-306, 17-28-311 · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§17-28-203: exam fees may not exceed $100 (master, journeyman, residential classes). §17-28-301(a): license fees on passing the exam, $50 master and $25 journeyman; (b) annual renewal $50 master and $25 journeyman, late fee of one year's renewal plus $10 per month; reinstatement after 36 months requires retesting and a $1,000 penalty; (d) temporary six-month master or journeyman licenses for industry projects for applicants holding a current license of the same classification from another state. §17-28-304: no person may perform electrical work without a license. §17-28-306: the Board may issue licenses to applicants holding equivalent licenses in other states on payment of fees and proof of license, provided an agreement has been reached with that state to recognize Arkansas licenses. §17-28-311: eight hours of continuing education per NEC cycle for master and journeyman licensees.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.