Moving to Alabama as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule
Alabama has reciprocity agreements with 1 state. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
Alabama journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
Alabama issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors. A new applicant must document at least 8,000 hours of experience installing electrical wiring, apparatus or equipment (up to 2,000 hours may be substituted with approved education or apprenticeship) and pass the journeyman exam administered by Prov, either the Alabama exam or the NASCLA Portable Journeyman exam ($115 either way); the license fee is $35 and it renews annually for $35. Exams currently reference the 2023 NEC and will move to the 2026 NEC on January 1, 2027. Alabama law also lets counties and municipalities license and examine journeymen for work inside their boundaries, but a statewide Board license is deemed qualifying in every county and municipality, and journeymen employed by a Board licensee are exempt from local licensing. The Board's only journeyman reciprocity partner is Texas; every other out-of-state journeyman must qualify by documented experience and take the Alabama exam.
How local licensing works in Alabama
Ala. Code §34-36-13(a) requires a journeyman to hold a license 'from the board or from the county or municipality where the electrical contracting work is being performed', and §34-36-13(b)(2) preserves the authority of counties and municipalities to require their own examinations. A holder of a valid statewide Board license is deemed qualified and must be allowed to work in any county or municipality on proof of the license, subject to the local building permit and business license. Local journeyman cards therefore exist only as a substitute for the state license within the issuing jurisdiction; the Board's reciprocity applies only to state-issued licenses, and no Alabama city or county reciprocity rule was verified from an official page.
States Alabama reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| California | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Georgia | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Louisiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maine | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Montana | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Nebraska | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Hampshire | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New Jersey | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oregon | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Texas | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Washington | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wyoming | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 |
Getting licensed in Alabama from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Alabama issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyman Electrician license by examination
The Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors issues the statewide Journeyman Electrician license to an applicant who documents at least 8,000 hours of experience installing electrical wiring, apparatus or equipment and then passes the journeyman exam. Experience is shown with notarized affidavits from each employer plus matching W-2 or 1099 forms, or with a work affidavit from a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program. Approved electrical education or apprenticeship can replace up to 2,000 of the hours. Once the Board approves the Electrical Journeyman Examination Application (form JCE-1), you schedule an open-book exam with Prov: either the Alabama Journeyman Electrician exam or the NASCLA Journey-level Electrician exam, 75% to pass. After passing, you file form EC-1 with the $35 license fee; there is no separate law or business exam for journeymen.
Exam applications are emailed to [email protected] and reviewed at Board meetings, so file well before the next meeting deadline. Prov's bulletin says approved candidates may test within 90 days of approval, and the Board's rule lets an exam approval lapse two years after it is granted if the exam has not been passed. The Alabama journeyman exam has 80 questions in 4 hours, 10 of them unscored, and references the 2023 National Electrical Code; highlighting and permanent tabs are allowed in reference books, handwritten notes are not. A candidate who fails files the Request for Re-examination (form ERT-5) and pays the $115 exam fee again. The Board may accept military education, training or service as qualifying experience. Payment is by card (4% service fee), certified or cashier's check or money order; personal and business checks are not accepted. The Board asks you to allow 4 to 8 weeks to receive the license once it is approved. A statewide license is valid in every Alabama county and city; counties and cities may also issue local journeyman cards valid only inside their own boundaries.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Prov
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 75%
- Renewal
- Every year
Who can apply
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Installation of electrical wiring, apparatus or equipment for lighting, power or controls in commercial, industrial or residential work, shown as at least four years within the past eight years (303-X-3-.03(2); form JCE-1). Documented by a notarized Affidavit of Employment (JCE-4) from each employer with W-2 or 1099 forms, or by a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship Work Affidavit (JCE-5), which needs no tax forms.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Approved education or apprenticeship plus 6,000 hours
Each year of an electrical curriculum accredited by the Alabama Community College System, or of an industry-recognized apprenticeship program, counts as 1,000 hours of experience, up to 2,000 of the 8,000 hours. A long certificate from any public Alabama two-year or community college is credited as the full 2,000 hours. Submit copies of the certificate, diploma or transcript with the exam application; the Board approves the credit.
- Two years of an approved electrical curriculum or apprenticeship program, or a long certificate from a public Alabama two-year or community college
- You must document at least 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($115). Journeyman examination fee, paid to the Board with the exam application (Alabama exam or NASCLA Journey-level exam); non-refundable, and charged again for each retake. Prov charges nothing further..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Alabama Journeyman Electrician exam (80 questions, 4 hours, 2023 NEC) or NASCLA Journey-level Electrician exam (110 questions, 5 hours), both given by Prov; open book, 75% to pass.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($35). Journeyman Electrician license fee, paid with the Application for Licensure (form EC-1) after passing the exam.
- 4Other. Notarized exam application with employer Affidavits of Employment (JCE-4) and W-2 or 1099 forms, or a registered apprenticeship Work Affidavit (JCE-5).
- 5Other. Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence (for example a driver's license, passport or birth certificate) with the exam and license applications.
Published fees on this path total $150, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year and a $35 renewal fee.
Alabama's statute and the Board's rules set continuing education for electrical contractors only; no continuing education requirement for journeymen is published.
Licenses expire annually and must be renewed before the last day of the quarter in which they were issued. Journeyman licenses cannot be renewed late.
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.
- Exam fee · $115
- Trade exam
Sources for this section
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 303-X-3 - Licensing (certified rules effective February 14, 2026) · Ala. Admin. Code 303-X-3-.02, -.03, -.06, -.10 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Electrical Contractors Board - Annual Renewal Form (all license types) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - How to Get Licensed (examination and reciprocity steps) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Form JCE-1 - Electrical Journeyman Examination Application · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Form EC-1 - Application for Licensure (Electrical Contractor and Journeyman) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Form ERT-5 - Request for Re-examination · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 36 - Electrical Contractors and Journeyman Electricians · Ala. Code §§ 34-36-3, 34-36-7, 34-36-13 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (compilation of the Code of Alabama) · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Prov - State of Alabama Electrical Contractor Board Examinations, Candidate Information Bulletin (AECBE 2026.01.23) · Prov, Inc. · Form · verified September 23, 2026