LicensebyState

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

North Dakota has reciprocity agreements with 13 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

North Dakota journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB)

North Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB). A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of experience installing and repairing electrical wiring, earned over not less than three years while registered as an apprentice under a contracting master or master of record in a jurisdiction with licensing and inspection rules similar to North Dakota's, and must pass the board-administered journeyman exam (one-hour closed-book and 3.5-hour open-book sections, 70% to pass). An applicant whose experience was mostly earned in North Dakota must also have completed related apprenticeship training (two years of electrical school, 576 hours of classes or a recognized apprenticeship program). The application fee is $25 and the license fee is $25 per year; journeyman licenses expire March 31. North Dakota belongs to the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) and has journeyman reciprocity with 13 states, for which no written exam is required.

States North Dakota reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 13Experience credit 21No credit 16
Every state's path into North Dakota
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-15
AlaskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
CaliforniaExperience credit2026-09-15
ColoradoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
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
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
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-15
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-15
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-15
MinnesotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
NebraskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
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
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 DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasExperience credit2026-09-15
UtahReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
VermontExperience credit2026-09-15
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-15
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-15
WyomingReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15

Getting licensed in North Dakota from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 11 sources

Journeyman Electrician by examination

North Dakota issues the Journeyman Electrician license to applicants who document 8,000 hours of electrical experience, earned over at least three years as a registered apprentice under a contracting master or master of record, and then pass the board's journeyman exam. Apprentices registered after January 31, 2008 must also complete board-approved related training: 576 hours of approved training classes, a two-year electrical degree, or a Professional Electrician Apprenticeship Program (PEAP). Applicants file the Application for Electrician's License by Exam (SFN 11858) with the $25 application fee and a notarized Employment Verification (SFN 11845) from each employer. Once the board approves the application it sends an exam invitation listing test dates, and the exam must be taken within six months; 70 percent is required to pass, after which the $25 annual license fee is paid.

The board gives the exam itself, usually on two consecutive days each month. It has a one-hour closed-book section and a 3.5-hour open-book section covering fundamental electricity, the current National Electrical Code and the North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards, so there is no separate law exam; the board provides code books, calculators and pencils. A candidate scoring 60-69 may reapply right away, 50-59 must wait three months and below 50 must wait six months, and each retake needs a re-exam application and fee. A cancellation or no-show also requires a new application and fee. The application form lists no separate exam fee. Apprentices must register with the board within six months of starting work and renew each January 31; hours worked while unregistered do not count. Of the 8,000 hours, at least 4,000 must be in installing electrical wiring and equipment; up to 2,000 hours of equivalent military electrical experience may be credited. The application asks about felony convictions.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
North Dakota State Electrical Board
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
8 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Earned over not less than three years, in a jurisdiction with licensing and inspection rules similar to North Dakota's; at least 4,000 hours must be in wiring and installation, with capped credit for repair, fire alarm, process control and power limited work (NDAC 24.1-03-01-03).
  • Complete at least 576 hours of classroom or related instruction.The board's curriculum requires at least 475 hours in core subjects, including 140 hours of National Electrical Code, plus electives.

Other ways to qualify

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

Two-year electrical degree plus 6,000 hours

A graduate of a board-approved electrical program of at least two years receives 2,000 hours of credit, so 6,000 hours of practical experience are needed, still over not less than three years. A transcript is attached to the exam application.

  • At least two years of board-approved electrical college or school
  • You must document at least 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.May not be obtained in less than three years.

Professional Electrician Apprenticeship Program (PEAP)

An apprentice who already has at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience may enter a board-recognized PEAP, complete its 372 hours of related instruction, and work an additional 4,000 hours (two years) of on-the-job training while taking the classes.

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
  • Complete at least 372 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.About two years.

Experience gained mostly outside North Dakota

The related-training requirement applies only when the majority of the practical experience was obtained in North Dakota. An applicant whose experience was mostly earned in another jurisdiction with similar licensing and inspection rules, under a master electrician, qualifies on the 8,000 hours alone.

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.May not be obtained in less than three years.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application fee, paid with the Application for Electrician's License by Exam (SFN 11858).
  2. 2Other. Employment Verification (SFN 11845) from each employer, signed by the contracting master in front of a notary.
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. North Dakota journeyman exam given by the board: one-hour closed-book and 3.5-hour open-book sections on the NEC and North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards; 70 percent to pass.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Annual journeyman license fee, paid after passing the exam.

Published fees on this path total $50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 8 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $25 renewal fee.

Eight hours of board-approved continuing education, at least four of them on the National Electrical Code, must be on file to renew. The provider reports attendance to the board within 15 days of the class, and credits can be held on deposit for up to two renewal periods.

Journeyman licenses expire each year on March 31; renewal opens January 1. An expired license costs a reinstatement fee equal to the annual fee, and a license not renewed for three consecutive years requires re-examination.

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. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-09 - Electricians · NDCC §§43-09-10, 43-09-11, 43-09-13, 43-09-15, 43-09-25 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  2. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Applying for an Electrical License · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Apprentice Education Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Apprenticeship Information & Registration · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Continuing Education Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. NDSEB Form SFN 11858 - Application for Electrician's License by Exam (11-2020) · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Exam Dates & Information · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. NDSEB 2026 Laws, Rules, Wiring and Conveyance Standards of North Dakota (effective 07/01/2026) · NDAC 24.1-03-01-01, 24.1-03-01-02, 24.1-03-01-03, 24.1-03-01-07 · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  9. NDSEB Connections newsletter, April 2024 · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  10. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Qualifications for Licensure · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  11. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Electrician's License Renewal & Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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