LicensebyState

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

Nebraska has reciprocity agreements with 13 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Nebraska journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Nebraska State Electrical Division (State Electrical Board)

Nebraska issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Division under the State Electrical Act. A new applicant needs four years (8,000 hours) of verifiable experience acceptable to the State Electrical Board (apprentice registration counts, and an associate degree in electrical technology earns one year of credit), pays a $90 application fee, and passes the PSI-administered exam covering the 2023 NEC (open book), electrical theory, the State Electrical Act and emergency circuits. The license fee is $37.50 when issued in an even-numbered year or $75 in an odd-numbered year; all licenses expire December 31 of even-numbered years and renewal requires 12 hours of continuing education. The Board has reciprocal journeyman agreements with thirteen states, and reciprocal applicants are licensed without the Nebraska exam. A Residential Journeyman (RW) license with a three-year requirement also exists.

States Nebraska reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 13Endorsement 21No credit 16
Every state's path into Nebraska
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-15
AlaskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
CaliforniaEndorsement2026-09-15
ColoradoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-15
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-15
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-15
IdahoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineEndorsement2026-09-15
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-15
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-15
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-15
MinnesotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-15
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-15
New MexicoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OklahomaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
OregonEndorsement2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-15
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
South DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
UtahEndorsement2026-09-15
VermontEndorsement2026-09-15
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-15
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-15
WyomingReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15

Getting licensed in Nebraska from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 18 sources

Journeyman Electrician license by examination

Nebraska issues the Journeyman Electrician license to an applicant who documents four years (8,000 hours) of verifiable electrical experience acceptable to the State Electrical Board and passes the state exam. The experience is normally gained as an apprentice electrician registered with the Board and employed by an electrical contractor, working under the direct supervision of a licensee. You file an exam application with the $90 application fee; once the Division approves it, PSI emails you a link to schedule and pay for the exam at a PSI test center. The exam covers the 2023 National Electrical Code (open book), basic electrical theory, the Nebraska State Electrical Act and emergency and fire alarm circuits, and the passing grade is 75 percent. There is no separate law exam.

Apply online through the Division's licensing portal or on the mail-in Application for State Electrical License, listing every employer with a complete mailing address; employer verification letters must be on company letterhead. The application includes a U.S. citizenship or lawful-presence attestation. After approval you have 90 days to test; a failed candidate must submit a new exam application, the re-examination fee is the same as the original, and after a third attempt you must wait 90 days, so no more than three attempts a year. PSI's own exam fee is shown when you schedule and is not published on the Division's site; call the Division at 402-471-1058 for the current amount. The Board may credit electrical experience gained in military service. Experience from outside Nebraska is accepted, but a license earned with fewer than 4,000 hours of Nebraska experience is issued as a restricted, non-reciprocal license that other states will not reciprocate. Passing the exam earns six hours of continuing education credit.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
12 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years of verifiable experience acceptable to the Board, employed by an electrical contractor (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2109; Division Policy 36).
  • Registered with the State Electrical Board as an apprentice electrician while gaining the experienceApprentice registration costs $35 in an even-numbered year or $70 in an odd-numbered year and requires no exam. An apprentice who does not show 12 hours of continuing education when renewing the registration may have up to six months added to the experience needed for the exam.

Other ways to qualify

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

Associate degree in electrical technology plus three years of experience

The Board gives one year of experience credit for a two-year post-high-school electrical course with an Associate degree in electrical technology (Board Rule 8 counts 700 contact hours as one year of instruction), so three years of verifiable experience plus the degree qualifies. Enclose a copy of the degree with the application.

  • Associate degree in electrical technology from a two-year post-high-school electrical course acceptable to the Board
  • You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.

Passed an approved Nebraska municipal journeyman exam

Under Board Rule 11, a person who passed a State Electrical Board-approved municipal journeyman exam with a score of at least 75 percent, holds a current journeyman license from the municipality that gave the exam, and meets the state experience requirement is issued the state license without taking the PSI exam. These applicants pay only the license fee.

  • Passed a State Electrical Board-approved municipal journeyman exam with 75 percent or more and holds a current license from that municipality
  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.The state experience requirement still applies.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($90). Journeyman Electrician application fee, paid with each exam application; not refunded once processed, even if the application is rejected.
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Nebraska Journeyman Electrician exam given by PSI at a PSI test center: 2023 NEC (open book), basic electrical theory, Nebraska State Electrical Act, emergency and fire alarm circuits; 75 percent to pass.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($37.50). License fee when issued in an even-numbered year; $75 when issued in an odd-numbered year. Covers the rest of the two-year term ending December 31 of the even year..

Published fees on this path total $127.50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 12 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $75 renewal fee.

Twelve contact hours of State Electrical Board-approved continuing education per two-year license period, at least six of them on the National Electrical Code; the rest may cover electrical theory, blueprint reading, motors and transformers, controls or other approved electrical topics. A contact hour is 50 minutes of classroom attendance. Passing a license exam counts for six hours.

All licenses expire December 31 of each even-numbered year. Renew from October 1 through November 30 of the even year at $37.50 for each year of the two-year period; renewals from December 1 to December 31 add a 10 percent late fee. An expired license cannot be renewed and requires passing the exam again.

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

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. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Application for State Electrical License (updated 3/2026) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Apprentice Electrician · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. State Electrical Board Rules (April 2024) · Nebraska State Electrical Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Continuing Education · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Information and Licensing Applications · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Scheduling · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Nebraska State Electrical Division - 2025-2026 License and Registration Fees · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Journeyman Electrician · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  9. Nebraska State Electrical Division - License Renewal · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  10. State Electrical Division Policy 36 - Exam applications approval requirements (November 8, 2019) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  11. State Electrical Division Policy 37 - Exam testing requirements (July 11, 2025) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  12. Nebraska State Electrical Division - PSI Exams · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  13. Nebraska State Electrical Division - Reciprocal Information · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  14. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2109 - Journeyman electrician license; qualifications · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2109 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  15. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2113 - Apprentice electrician; registration; supervision; renewal; continuing education · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2113 (as amended by Laws 2024, LB144) · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  16. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2115 - License; written examination; when given; examination required to renew license; when · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2115 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  17. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2117.01 - License renewal; continuing education required · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2117.01 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  18. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 - Licenses and registrations; expiration; fees · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026

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