Moving to Wyoming as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule
Wyoming has reciprocity agreements with 17 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
Wyoming journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Wyoming issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety (the State Fire Marshal's Office); the governor-appointed Electrical Board adopts the licensing rules. To sit for the exam an applicant documents four years (8,000 hours) of work in the electrical wiring industry under a qualifying electrician for a licensed contractor, spread across residential, commercial and industrial work with no more than 75% in one category, plus 576 hours of approved apprenticeship classroom instruction (or 20,000 hours as a licensed electrician in lieu of schooling). The open-book exam is based on the current edition of the NEC (Wyoming now applies the 2026 NEC) and requires 70%. The initial license fee is $100; the license runs three years, expiring January 1, and renews for $50 with 16 hours of board-approved continuing education. Wyoming has journeyman reciprocity agreements with seventeen states and waives its exam for their licensees.
States Wyoming reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Alaska | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Arkansas | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| California | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Colorado | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Georgia | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Idaho | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Iowa | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Louisiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maine | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Minnesota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Montana | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Nebraska | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Hampshire | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| New Jersey | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New Mexico | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Dakota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Oklahoma | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Oregon | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| South Dakota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Texas | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Utah | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Washington | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 |
Getting licensed in Wyoming from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Wyoming issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyman Electrician license by examination
Wyoming issues the Journeyman Electrician license to an applicant who documents at least 8,000 hours of electrical work over no less than four years plus 576 hours of electrically related classroom instruction from an approved apprenticeship training program, and then passes the journeyman exam with a score of 70% or better. The work must have been done under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyman or master electrician and must cover residential, commercial and industrial installations, with no more than 75% in any one category. Apprentices working in Wyoming register with the department each year and attend the classroom program while they build their hours. Applications are filed in the department's eLicense portal; once approved, the applicant schedules the open-book exam, which the International Code Council (ICC) gives at Pearson VUE test centers. After passing, the applicant uploads the pass letter to the portal and pays the $100 license fee.
Work experience is documented with notarized letters or the department's Journeyman and Master Work Verification Form from each employer, notarized letters from a union local, or official letters from other licensing boards; classroom hours are documented with official transcripts. Electrical experience gained in the military is considered when the applicant uploads a DD-214, optionally with a Joint Service Transcript. Hours of study at an accredited electrical school beyond the required 576 can be credited for up to 4,000 hours (two years) of the work requirement. The ICC exam has 80 multiple-choice questions with a 4-hour limit and is based on the National Electrical Code; Ugly's Electrical Reference, Ferm's Fast Finder Index, Tom Henry's Key Word Index and the NEC Handbook may also be used. ICC's August 2025 bulletin lists the 2023 NEC as the reference, while Wyoming now applies the 2026 NEC and bases its exams on the current edition, so confirm the edition in ICC's exam catalog before buying a code book. A failed exam can be retaken after 10 days. There is no separate law or business exam. The department says each processing step can take up to five business days.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- ICC (Pearson VUE)
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 3 years
- Continuing education
- 16 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Obtained over no less than four years under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyman or master electrician, in residential, commercial and industrial work with no more than 75% in any one category (Electrical Board rule 5-3(a)).
- Complete at least 576 hours of classroom or related instruction.144 hours per year over a four-year apprenticeship.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
10 years (20,000 hours) as a licensed electrician instead of classroom instruction
An applicant who cannot document the 576 classroom hours may qualify for the exam with evidence of 10 years and 20,000 hours of on-the-job experience as a licensed journeyman or master electrician, if the Chief Electrical Inspector approves it.
- You must document at least 20,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Over at least 10 years; subject to approval by the Chief Electrical Inspector.
Current license from another jurisdiction as proof of hours
An applicant who holds a current journeyman or master electrician license in good standing from a city, county or state whose requirements are equal to or greater than Wyoming's may use that license as proof of the on-the-job hours needed to take the exam. The 576 classroom hours are still required.
- Holds a current journeyman or master electrician license in good standing from a city, county or state whose requirements are equal to or greater than Wyoming's
- Complete at least 576 hours of classroom or related instruction.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wyoming Journeyman Electrician exam (ICC exam 385) at a Pearson VUE test center: 80 questions, 4 hours, open book; 70% required to pass.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($115). Pearson VUE examination fee, paid when scheduling the ICC exam.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Initial Journeyman Electrician license fee, paid in the eLicense portal after uploading the exam pass letter; card payments carry a 2.5% processing fee (minimum $1).
- 4Other. eLicense portal account with a verified government-issued photo ID; the license is issued in your legal name.
Published fees on this path total $215, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 3 years with 16 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $50 renewal fee.
16 hours of Electrical Board-approved update training earned between the date the license is issued and the date it expires, at least 8 of them from a course that specifically covers the National Electrical Code.
The journeyman license expires on January 1 in the third year after the year it was issued. Renewing within 45 days after expiration costs an additional $50.
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 · $115
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- ICC Wyoming Electrical Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin (published August 19, 2025) · International Code Council · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Wyoming Electrical Board Rules, Chapter 5 - Electrical Licensing · 041-0001-5 Wyo. Code R. §§ 5-3, 5-5, 5-6 · Wyoming Electrical Board (text as reproduced by the Legal Information Institute) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Wyoming Statutes Title 35, Chapter 9, Article 1 - Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · W.S. 35-9-126(a), 35-9-126(b), 35-9-126(d), 35-9-127, 35-9-129 · Wyoming Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office - Electrical Safety Home Page · Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety - Electrical Licensing · W.S. 35-9-101 et seq. · Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Electrical Safety Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- State of Wyoming Employment Verification Form (Journeyman and Master Work Verification Form) · Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026