Moving to Kentucky as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule
Kentucky has reciprocity agreements with 2 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
Kentucky journeyman electrician · “Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Licensing Branch
Kentucky's journeyman-level credential is the statewide Electrician license issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS Chapter 227A; Kentucky does not use the word 'journeyman' in the license title, though the exam is called the Journeyman Electrician exam. A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course, two years of a four-year apprenticeship, an associate degree in electrical technology, or two years of teaching each substitute for 4,000 hours), must pass the open-book Journeyman Electrician exam (80 questions, 3 hours, $80) offered through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70%, and pays a $100 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. Licenses run two years and renew with continuing education. DHBC's published reciprocity list covers only West Virginia and Virginia at this level; electricians from every other state document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.
States Kentucky reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| 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 |
| 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 | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Virginia | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Washington | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| West Virginia | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wyoming | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 |