LicensebyState

Tennessee to Idaho: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 14, 2026· 8 sources

Tennessee does not issue a statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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 journeymen from non-reciprocal states (standard route with out-of-state experience credit)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

An applicant licensed in a state that is not on Idaho's reciprocal list applies as an initial applicant. Idaho accepts supervised electrical-installation hours earned in any state: the journeyman application states that work hours 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho' and IDAPA 24.39.10.100.02 counts apprentice hours obtained 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience.' The applicant needs either 8,000 supervised hours plus completion of a Board-approved four-year apprenticeship program, or 16,000 supervised hours, documented on Work Verification Forms (one per employer or state). Hours in appliance repair, motor winding, or communications do not count. The applicant must pass the Idaho journeyman exam administered by PSI (the Idaho State Journeyman Electrician exam replaced the NASCLA exam on December 1, 2025) before applying, and pay DOPL's $15 application fee plus the $55 original journeyman license fee (shown as a combined $70 processing fee on the form).

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.8,000 supervised electrical-installation hours plus a completion certificate from a Board-approved four-year apprenticeship program; otherwise 16,000 supervised hours. Up to 2,000 hours as a limited electrical installer or trainee may count.

What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($15). DOPL application fee (the application form shows the combined $70 processing fee, which includes the license fee).
  2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($55). Original Journeyman Electrician license fee, three-year term (renewal $45).
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho State Journeyman Electrician exam administered by PSI; a passing score is required before the application is submitted; exam fee paid to PSI.
  4. 4Other. Work Verification Form(s) for each employer and state where hours were earned; apprenticeship completion certificate if using the 8,000-hour route.

Published fees on this path total $70, 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 Idaho licenses journeyman electricians

Idaho journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 14, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho Electrical Board)

Idaho issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) on behalf of the Idaho Electrical Board, under Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 10 and IDAPA 24.39.10. Idaho Code 54-1007(6) lets the administrator sign reciprocal agreements with states whose qualifications are at least equal to Idaho's, and Idaho participates in the multi-state National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) agreement as well as a separate bilateral agreement with Oregon. Journeymen from those states are licensed without examination on proof of an active license obtained by examination. Everyone else applies on the standard route, where out-of-state hours count toward the 8,000-hour (with a four-year program) or 16,000-hour experience requirement and the Idaho journeyman exam (PSI) must be passed. DOPL was re-evaluating its reciprocal agreements in late 2025, so the partner list may change.

Moving to IdahoLeaving Idaho

Why Tennessee has nothing to transfer

Tennessee journeyman electrician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 11 sources

Issued by Local code enforcement offices (Nashville, Memphis/Shelby County, Knoxville, Chattanooga and other exempt jurisdictions); no state journeyman license

Tennessee has no statewide journeyman electrician license. The Board for Licensing Contractors regulates electrical work at only two levels: the contractor license with the CE (electrical) classification, required for projects of $25,000 and up, and the Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE), a personal license for projects under $25,000 that is accepted only in the roughly 65 counties where the State Fire Marshal's Division of Fire Prevention issues permits and inspects. The Board itself says the LLE exam 'is NOT comparable to the journeyman/master', that no experience is required to take it, and that 'there are no out-of-state reciprocal (exam waiver) agreements for the LLE'. Journeyman cards exist only where a city or county runs its own testing, licensing and inspection program: Nashville, Memphis/Shelby County, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Jackson and about two dozen other 'exempt jurisdictions' listed by the state do not accept the LLE and require their local journeyman or master license, or a state CE contractor license, to obtain permits. An out-of-state journeyman license has no state-level recognition in Tennessee; the state's LLE packet states flatly that 'out-of-state electricians and contractors must obtain a license in Tennessee', and none of the largest local programs publish a reciprocity or exam-waiver path, so a journeyman arriving from another state should expect to sit the local exam in each jurisdiction where they will work (or take the $50 LLE exam for small jobs in fire-marshal counties).

How local licensing works in Tennessee

How local licensing works. T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 6 gives the Board for Licensing Contractors the CE contractor license (business-level, $25,000 and up, accepted by every jurisdiction) and the LLE (individual, under $25,000, valid only where the state inspects). Local governments that operate their own electrical inspection programs may license electricians for smaller work under their own codes, and the state publishes a list of exempt jurisdictions that do not accept the LLE. Every one of them accepts a state CE contractor license for permits, but none accepts another city's or state's journeyman card by rule.

Nashville (Metro Codes and Building Safety). The Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical Examiners and Appeals Board examines and licenses Master Electricians, Equipment Installers, Low Voltage Installers and Journeyman Electricians. A journeyman applicant must show completion of an electrical construction apprenticeship program or regular employment as a journeyman under an electrical contractor or master electrician, submit employer verification letters and a character letter, be approved by the Chief Electrical Inspector, and pass the Prov-administered Metro journeyman exam with 70% (30-day wait to retest). The application asks whether the applicant holds a master license in another city or state but describes no exam waiver.

Memphis / Shelby County (Office of Construction Code Enforcement). The joint Memphis and Shelby County Electrical Code licenses Journeyman Electricians and Linemen (age 20, three years of experience in the electrical field immediately preceding application, application in person with three industry recommendations, 30-day investigation, exam before the Electrical Code Advisory Board; exam $50, annual renewal $50) and registers apprentices ($12). Journeymen work under a licensed Master Electrician who pulls the permit. No reciprocity provision appears in the code.

Knoxville (Plans Review & Inspections). Knoxville is on the state's exempt list and requires everyone pulling a permit to hold a city registration matching their qualifications (state contractor, homeowner, or unlicensed/LLE-LLP registration). The city's own electrical exam, experience and fee details are not published on the pages found; contact 865-215-4311.

Chattanooga (Land Development Office). Issues a Journeyman electrical license ($55, two-year term) to applicants with 3 years or 6,000 documented hours of experience with an electrical contractor who pass the city test, and a separate 'state certified' journeyman registration on the same terms; a Board of Electrical Examiners oversees testing. No reciprocity is mentioned.

Out-of-state holders. The state has no journeyman license to endorse, the LLE has no reciprocity, and the four largest local programs publish no exam waiver for other jurisdictions' journeyman cards. Practical routes are: pass the local journeyman exam in each exempt jurisdiction where you will work; take the LLE exam ($50 license, no experience required) for sub-$25,000 work in fire-marshal counties; or, for independent contracting, obtain the state CE contractor license, which every jurisdiction accepts.

Moving to TennesseeLeaving Tennessee

Common questions

Do I have to take the Idaho journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Idaho journeyman electrician license from Tennessee?
Published fees on this path total $70, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Tennessee work hours count in Idaho?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Tennessee?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. Idaho Code 54-1007 - Issuance of licenses - Reciprocity · Idaho Code 54-1007 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026Subsection (3): a person who has worked as a licensed journeyman at least four years is qualified to apply for a master license. Subsection (6): 'To the extent that other states that provide for the licensing of electricians require qualifications at least equal to those contained in this chapter, the administrator may enter reciprocal agreements with such other states to grant licenses to electricians licensed by such other states.'
  2. Idaho Electrical Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Fee table: application fee $15; Journeyman original license $55 (3-year term, renewal $45); Master original license $65 (3-year term, renewal $45).
  3. Idaho Electrical Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Exams are administered by PSI (registration at test-takers.psiexams.com/idcon/test).
  4. Idaho Electrical Board - Frequently Asked Questions · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Faq · verified September 14, 2026Q: Does Idaho have Reciprocal Licensing agreements? A: 'Yes. The states that Idaho has an agreement with are listed in the Reciprocal Information document.' The linked PDF (bcre-reciprocal-info.pdf) returned 404 on 2026-09-14; the current list is on the journeyman application form.
  5. IDAPA 24.39.10 - Rules of the Idaho Electrical Board · IDAPA 24.39.10.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Section 100.02: journeyman applicant must pass a Board-designated exam and show either 8,000 hours as an apprentice 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience' plus a four-year approved sequence of instruction, or 16,000 hours of electrical experience. Section 100.03: a master electrician does not need to also hold a journeyman license. The rule contains no separate reciprocity section; reciprocity is governed by 54-1007 and the signed agreements.
  6. Idaho Electrical Journeyman License Application and Instructions (revised August 2, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 14, 2026Reciprocal Pathway lists NERA states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (DOPL obtains license status, proof of licensure by examination, and issue date from the origin state), plus a separate Oregon pathway. Initial and reciprocal applications carry a $70.00 processing fee. Work hours for the standard route 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho.'
  7. Idaho Electrical Board draft meeting minutes, August 12, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026'DOPL staff are reviewing the current reciprocal agreements as well as changes in other states' legislation that may affect those agreements. A revaluation of the reciprocal agreements will be conducted later this year.' Also notes House Bill 153 amended 54-1007 so a master licensee is automatically issued a journeyman license at no additional cost.
  8. Idaho Electrical Board meeting minutes, October 29, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026Idaho State Journeyman and Master Electrician exams developed with PSI went live December 1, 2025, replacing the NASCLA exams. Idaho hosted the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) conference; staff to report on reciprocal status with surrounding states and the list of participating states.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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