LicensebyState

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

Vermont has reciprocity agreements with 2 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Vermont journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Vermont Electricians' Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety)

Vermont issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Electricians' Licensing Board within the Division of Fire Safety. A new applicant must show completion of a Vermont registered electrical apprenticeship or equivalent training and experience acceptable to the board (an apprenticeship served in another state may be recognized under 26 V.S.A. s. 907), then pass the Prov-administered exam ($80); the license costs $115 for a three-year term and renewal requires 15 hours of NEC instruction. Out-of-state journeymen have three routes without examination: a reciprocal license for residents of Maine and New Hampshire, a 'Universal' license under 26 V.S.A. s. 906(b)(2) for any journeyman licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years, and, under the 2025 Safety Rules, recognition of a license from a National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) member state held in good standing for one year. Vermont also licenses Type-S specialty journeymen and 12R military electricians, which are outside this level.

States Vermont reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 2Endorsement 32No credit 16
Every state's path into Vermont
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-15
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasEndorsement2026-09-15
CaliforniaEndorsement2026-09-15
ColoradoEndorsement2026-09-15
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
IdahoEndorsement2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaEndorsement2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-15
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-15
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-15
MinnesotaEndorsement2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-15
NebraskaEndorsement2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-15
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-15
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-15
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 DakotaEndorsement2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasEndorsement2026-09-15
UtahEndorsement2026-09-15
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-15
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-15
WyomingEndorsement2026-09-15

Getting licensed in Vermont from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 7 sources

Journeyman Electrician license by examination

Vermont issues the Journeyman Electrician license to an applicant who has completed a Vermont registered electrical apprenticeship, or has equivalent training and experience inside or outside Vermont that the Electricians' Licensing Board accepts, and then passes the state journeyman exam. Registered apprenticeships are run through the Vermont Department of Labor and combine supervised on-the-job training with at least 144 hours of related classroom instruction for each year of the program. The board may let an apprentice who has finished the classroom portion take the exam early, but the license is not issued until the on-the-job portion is complete. The exam is given by Prov on computer, open book with approved references, and you need 70% to pass. There is no separate law or business exam; Vermont law and the Vermont Electrical Safety Rules are covered within the journeyman exam.

File the notarized all-classifications application with the Division of Fire Safety in Waterbury, with employer affidavits of experience, three references unrelated to you, and the license fee; if you completed the Vermont apprenticeship within the past two years, a copy of the completion certificate replaces the affidavits. The board reviews applications at its meetings every two months, and documents must arrive two weeks before a meeting. Once approved, you receive a candidate ID and schedule the exam with Prov; approval to test is valid for three years. The journeyman exam has 90 questions in 4 hours, and allowed references include the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2025 Vermont Electrical Safety Rules, 26 V.S.A. chapter 15 and handwritten NEC notes. You may retake a failed exam twice; after a third failure you must reapply and complete at least 8 hours of NEC, fire alarm code or exam prep education before testing again. Separate routes exist for military 12R electricians and for licensed out-of-state journeymen. For questions, contact the licensing office at 802-479-7564.

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

Who can apply

  • Complete a registered apprenticeship: Completion of a Vermont registered apprenticeship in electrical wiring, including both classroom instruction and practice in work processes, verified by the Vermont registered apprenticeship program.Vermont registered apprenticeships require at least 144 hours of related technical instruction for each year of the program (21 V.S.A. s. 1117). Apprentices must be at least 16 (21 V.S.A. s. 1111).

Other ways to qualify

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

Equivalent training and experience accepted by the board

Under 26 V.S.A. s. 903(a)(2), an applicant who did not complete a Vermont apprenticeship may qualify with equivalent training and experience, earned inside or outside Vermont, that the board accepts. The board may recognize an apprenticeship served in another state or other experience and prior qualifications (26 V.S.A. s. 907). Document the experience with signed employer affidavits listing dates, total hours and duties, and list your schooling; the board decides case by case and has not published a fixed hour figure for this route. The journeyman exam still applies.

  • Training and experience inside or outside Vermont, such as an out-of-state apprenticeship, that the Electricians' Licensing Board finds equivalent to a Vermont electrical apprenticeship

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($115). Journeyman three-year license fee, sent with the application by check payable to the Division of Fire Safety. No separate application fee is listed..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Vermont Journeyman Electrician exam administered by Prov: 90 questions in 4 hours, computer-based, open book with approved references, 70% to pass.
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Prov examination fee, paid to Prov when you schedule; each retake costs the same.
  4. 4Other. Vermont Energy Goals education module (free, on the Division of Fire Safety website); include the completion certificate with the application.

Published fees on this path total $195, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 15 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $115 renewal fee.

15 hours of board-approved instruction on the National Electrical Code during the 36 months before renewal, plus the Vermont Energy Goals module.

A license that lapses may be renewed within one year with a $25 late fee; after one year you must apply for a new license.

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 · $80

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. Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' License Application and Instructions, All Classifications (June 2026) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board (meetings and submission deadline) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians (electrical licensing home page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Vermont Electrical Safety Rules, 2025 edition - section 3.3 Type-S specialty electrician licenses · Vermont Electrical Safety Rules 2025, s. 3.3 · Vermont Electricians' Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
  5. Prov - Vermont Division of Fire Safety Trade Licensing and Certifications Candidate Information Bulletin (2026.01.21) · Prov, Inc. for the Vermont Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. 21 V.S.A. Chapter 13 - Apprenticeship (Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program) · 21 V.S.A. ss. 1111, 1117 · Vermont General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. 26 V.S.A. Chapter 15 - Electrical Installations (ss. 902-907: master and journeyman qualifications, fees, examinations not required, recognition of experience) · 26 V.S.A. ss. 902, 903, 905, 906, 907 · Vermont General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026

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