LicensebyState

Moving to Massachusetts as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule

Massachusetts has reciprocity agreements with 1 state. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Massachusetts journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)

Massachusetts issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians under M.G.L. c. 141. A new journeyman must document 4 years and 8,000 hours of supervised work experience plus a 600-hour Board-approved journeyman curriculum, submit a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate, and pass a two-part open-book exam administered by PSI (Part 1: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70%) based on the NEC with Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00). Application and exam fees total $226 and the license fee is $104. M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B and 237 CMR 15.00 let the Board license without examination an electrician from a state with substantially the same standards, but only where that state has a written agreement giving Massachusetts licensees the same privilege; the Board states that its only such agreement is with New Hampshire, and it accepts New Hampshire journeyman and master licenses only if they were obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam ($208 journeyman reciprocity fee). Every other out-of-state electrician qualifies by having out-of-state education and experience credited toward the Massachusetts exam.

States Massachusetts reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 1Experience credit 33No credit 16
Every state's path into Massachusetts
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-15
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-15
CaliforniaExperience credit2026-09-15
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-15
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-15
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-15
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
HawaiiExperience credit2026-09-15
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaExperience credit2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineExperience credit2026-09-15
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-15
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-15
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-15
NebraskaExperience credit2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
New JerseyExperience credit2026-09-15
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-15
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-15
OregonExperience credit2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-15
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasExperience credit2026-09-15
UtahExperience credit2026-09-15
VermontExperience credit2026-09-15
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-15
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-15
WyomingExperience credit2026-09-15

Getting licensed in Massachusetts from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Massachusetts issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 8 sources

Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) by examination

Massachusetts issues the Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) to an applicant who passes the two-part exam of the Board of State Examiners of Electricians, which PSI administers. To qualify for the exam you need at least 8,000 hours of electrical work over no less than four years as an apprentice under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts-licensed journeyman, 600 hours of classroom instruction in a Board-approved program, a high school diploma or equivalent, and a 15-hour code-update course. You apply online with PSI, uploading your education and work forms and a notarized CORI (criminal record) authorization. Both parts of the exam are open book and each must be passed with at least 70%; if you have already paid the license fee, the license is issued at the test center the day you pass.

Part 1 has 80 questions in 180 minutes on the National Electrical Code as amended by the Massachusetts Electrical Code (527 CMR 12.00); Part II is a 30-question, 60-minute applied portion covering circuit calculations, schematics, materials, troubleshooting, the Massachusetts amendments and licensing law. You may take the parts on the same day or separately, and any failed part must be passed within 12 months of your application approval. After three failed attempts you must complete additional education before retesting, and after six you must repeat the full education requirement. Up to 300 of the 600 classroom hours may come from a public vocational school program, and systems work supervised by a systems technician counts for at most 4,000 hours. Education expires 20 years after the program begins, and experience more than 20 years old does not count. Veterans receive a 5% credit on each exam part, and the Massachusetts $31 application processing fee is waived for veterans, active military and their spouses. Military electrical training and experience can be credited within limits set in 237 CMR 13.10 to 13.12. The Board itself does not register apprentices.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
21 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.In no less than four years, as an apprentice under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts-licensed journeyman electrician (237 CMR 13.03; M.G.L. c. 141, § 8), documented on Employment Certification Form 272.
  • Complete at least 600 hours of classroom or related instruction.Offered by public vocational schools, licensed private occupational schools, colleges and Board-approved trade organizations (237 CMR 13.03, 22.01).
  • High school diploma or equivalent

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Education and experience gained outside Massachusetts

An applicant with no electrician license who trained or worked in another state or country asks the Board, with the exam application, to credit those hours toward the same 600-hour and 8,000-hour requirements. Schooling goes on the Out-of-State Education Program Form with certificates of completion, a letter of accreditation and a description of the code taught; work goes on the Out-of-State Practical Experience Certification Form, signed by the applicant, a licensed verifying agent and an unrelated professional witness. Only education and experience based on the National Electrical Code, an International Electrical Code or standards the Board accepts can count, and the Board may give full, partial or no credit. Board staff do not pre-review documents before you apply.

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
  • Complete at least 600 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • High school diploma or equivalent

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($60). PSI application processing fee, paid with the online application.
  2. 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($31). Massachusetts exam application processing fee (non-refundable); waived for veterans, active military and their spouses.
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Trade portion (Part 1) examination administration fee, paid to PSI (non-refundable).
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($55). Applied portion (Part II) examination administration fee, paid to PSI (non-refundable); retaking both parts costs $135 in total.
  5. 5Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician exam (PSI), open book: Part 1 (80 questions, 180 minutes) and the Part II applied portion (30 questions, 60 minutes), 70% required on each part.
  6. 6Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. 15-hour code-update course on the Massachusetts Electrical Code (527 CMR 12.00) from a Board-approved provider; the completion certificate is uploaded with the application.
  7. 7Background check. Complete a background check. Notarized CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) authorization; the Board checks every applicant's record before approving the application and may call an applicant to a hearing about it.
  8. 8Other. Passport-style photo uploaded with the online application.
  9. 9License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($104). Journeyman license fee, paid at the test center after passing (non-refundable).

Published fees on this path total $330, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 21 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $78 renewal fee.

21 hours in the three years before renewal: 15 hours on the Massachusetts Electrical Code (527 CMR 12.00) and related laws and regulations from a Board-approved provider, and 6 hours of professional development of your choice (code, business, law, first aid, safety or building code). A journeyman licensed in the 90 days before the renewal date is exempt for that cycle.

Licenses expire on July 31 every third year and are renewed online.

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 · $80
  • Exam fee · $55
  • Trade exam

Pre-license education

Where a board mandates a course before the exam, it publishes a list of approved schools. Confirm a provider is on that list before enrolling.

  • Pre-license course

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. 237 CMR 13.00 - Eligibility criteria for initial licensure · 237 CMR 13.01, 13.03, 13.05, 13.07-13.12 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. 237 CMR 14.00 - Examinations for licensure · 237 CMR 14.02 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  3. 237 CMR 17.00 - Mandatory continuing education · 237 CMR 17.01 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Mass.gov - Apply for an individual electrical or systems license · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Mass.gov - Electricians FAQs for applications · 237 CMR 13.00, 13.05, 13.09 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
  6. MGL Chapter 141, Section 3 - Forms of examinations, licenses and certificates · M.G.L. c. 141, § 3 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Board of State Examiners of Electricians - Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 11/1/2024) · 237 CMR 13.00, 18.01 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Mass.gov - Renew your electrician, systems technician, or systems contractor license · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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