Moving to Maryland as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule
Maryland has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
Maryland journeyman electrician · “Journeyperson Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Maryland State Board of Electricians (Department of Labor)
Maryland issues a statewide Journeyperson Electrician license through the State Board of Electricians in the Department of Labor. Statewide journeyperson and apprentice licensing began July 1, 2021 under the Maryland Electricians Act; before that the State licensed only master electricians and each county or Baltimore City licensed journeypersons, and those local bodies now issue registrations rather than licenses. A new applicant qualifies with 4 years of electrical work under the direction and supervision of a master electrician (or a similarly qualified employee of a governmental unit) and then passes the PSI-administered journeyperson exam (70 questions, 70% to pass, open book on the NEC, $65); completing a MATC- or federally-approved apprenticeship with 576 classroom hours and 8,000 work hours waives both the experience and the exam requirements. The original license fee is $18.50. Maryland no longer reciprocates out-of-state journeyperson licenses: the Board's how-to-apply page says 'currently there are no provisions to reciprocate a journeyperson license obtained out of state' and that applicants must apply by examination. Master-license reciprocity with Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia is unaffected. Licensed journeypersons work under the direction and control of a master electrician.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| California | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Georgia | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Louisiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Maine | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Montana | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Nebraska | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| New Hampshire | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| New Jersey | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| North Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| North Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Oregon | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Washington | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wyoming | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 |
Getting licensed in Maryland from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Maryland issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyperson Electrician license by examination
Maryland issues the Journeyperson Electrician license to an applicant who has spent at least 4 years regularly and principally providing electrical services under the direction and supervision of a master electrician (or a similarly qualified government employee) and passes the State journeyperson exam. Because all electrical work in Maryland must be done by a licensed master, journeyperson or apprentice, those years are normally worked under a State apprentice license. You register for the exam with PSI, uploading your certification of experience, and PSI approves eligibility before you pay and schedule. The exam is open book on the National Electrical Code and requires 70% to pass; there is no separate law or business exam. After passing, you apply to the Board online and pay the $18.50 original license fee.
PSI administers the exam at test centers in Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham and Salisbury. It has 70 questions, 49 correct answers (70%) pass, and the time limit is 210 minutes; the only reference allowed is an unmarked copy of NFPA 70 (the PSI bulletin lists the 2020 edition), which may be tabbed and highlighted. A failed candidate must wait 30 days before retesting and 60 days between later attempts, and pays the exam fee each time. The PSI bulletin says the Board may credit up to 3 years toward the experience requirement for a comparable formal course of study or professional training. The apprentice license itself has no prerequisites and costs $12. Journeypersons working for a licensed master electrician do not need their own liability insurance.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education
- 5 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- You must document at least 4 years of qualifying work experience.At least 4 years engaged or employed regularly and principally in providing electrical services for all types of electrical equipment and apparatus, under the direction and supervision of a master electrician or a similarly qualified employee of a governmental unit (Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-304(c)). Work done in a completed approved apprenticeship counts toward the 4 years.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Completed approved apprenticeship (experience and exam waived)
The Board must waive both the experience and the examination requirements for an applicant who provides written proof of completing an electrician apprenticeship program approved by the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council or the federal Office of Apprenticeship, consisting of at least 576 classroom hours and 8,000 hours of work experience. The applicant files the Board's waiver application online, pays the fee and uploads a copy of the MATC or federal completion certificate; the Board accepts only those certificates. The Board's application page adds that the certificate must have been received within two years of applying.
- Complete a registered apprenticeship: Electrician apprenticeship program approved by the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council or the federal Office of Apprenticeship.
- Complete at least 576 hours of classroom or related instruction.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Maryland Journeyperson Electrician exam administered by PSI: 70 questions, 49 correct (70%) to pass, 210 minutes, open book on NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($65). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI; covers one exam attempt, non-refundable and valid for one year.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($18.50). Original journeyperson license fee (non-refundable), paid to the Board with the online license application after passing the exam.
- 4Background check. Complete a background check. The application asks about criminal convictions. If you answer yes, upload a written explanation in your own words and a certified true test copy of the court record; the Board reviews each case, and a conviction is not an automatic bar..
Published fees on this path total $83.50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years with 5 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $18.50 renewal fee.
Five hours of qualifying continuing education completed during the 24 months before renewal, covering the National Electrical Code, NFPA codes and standards related to electrical services, or other subjects allowed by Business Occupations and Professions §6-205(b). Hours from before the preceding license term do not count. The Board publishes a list of continuing education providers.
Licenses are valid for two years from issue and expire on a staggered basis; the Board mails renewal instructions about 60 days before expiration.
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
- Exam fee · $65
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Taking the Exam (PSI) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Licensing FAQs · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Fees (effective July 1, 2025) · COMAR 09.09 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Home · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-604 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Licensing Applications (how to apply) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Renew a License · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-304 - Qualifications of applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-304 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-305 - Applications · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-305 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-306 - Examinations · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-306 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-307.1 - Waiver of experience and examination for journeyperson applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-307.1 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-309 - Issuance of State license · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-309 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-310 - Term and renewal of State licenses · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-310 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-604 - Insurance · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-604 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- COMAR 09.09.02 - State Board of Electricians: Continuing Education · COMAR 09.09.02.01-.03 · Maryland Division of State Documents · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI - Maryland Master and Journeyperson Electrician Qualification Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Maryland State Board of Electricians · Other · verified September 23, 2026