Virginia to Kentucky: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Kentucky has a reciprocity agreement with Virginia: a Virginia journeyman electrician can get a Kentucky license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocity with Virginia (journeyman electrician)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
DHBC's electrical application checklist lists the Commonwealth of Virginia as a reciprocity state for both master electrician and journeyman electrician licenses. A Virginia journeyman electrician submits a copy of the active Virginia license, a completed Form EL-3 marked 'Reciprocity', the $100 biennial application fee (prorated by birth month), a passport-style color photo, and a letter of good standing from the Virginia Board for Contractors, and receives the Kentucky Electrician license without taking the Kentucky exam. Under 815 KAR 35:060 Section 2 the applicant must also meet any conditions in the Kentucky-Virginia agreement itself.
The text of the Kentucky-Virginia agreement is not published on dhbc.ky.gov; only the checklist requirements are confirmed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Virginia license must be active and in good standing.
- Compliance with the requirements of the Kentucky-Virginia reciprocity agreement (815 KAR 35:060 Section 2)
What you'll do to get licensed in Kentucky
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Electrician license application fee for a two-year license (Form EL-3), prorated by birth month; non-refundable.
- 2Other. Copy of the active Virginia license, letter of good standing, and passport-sized color photo.
Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Kentucky licenses journeyman electricians
Kentucky journeyman electrician · “Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Licensing Branch
Kentucky's journeyman-level credential is the statewide Electrician license issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS Chapter 227A; Kentucky does not use the word 'journeyman' in the license title, though the exam is called the Journeyman Electrician exam. A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course, two years of a four-year apprenticeship, an associate degree in electrical technology, or two years of teaching each substitute for 4,000 hours), must pass the open-book Journeyman Electrician exam (80 questions, 3 hours, $80) offered through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70%, and pays a $100 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. Licenses run two years and renew with continuing education. DHBC's published reciprocity list covers only West Virginia and Virginia at this level; electricians from every other state document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Kentucky journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Virginia?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Virginia.
- What does it cost to get a Kentucky journeyman electrician license from Virginia?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- DHBC Form EL-3 - Electrical License Application (Master Electrician / Electrician), October 2024, with fee schedule · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 15, 2026One form for Master Electrician and Electrician licenses; applicant marks 'Test results' or 'Reciprocity' and attaches proof; passport photo required. Fee schedule: Electrical Contractor $400, Master Electrician $200, Electrician $100 for a two-year (24-month) period, prorated by birth month for initial licenses (13 to 24 months).
- DHBC - Forms and Documents (Electrical License Forms) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the electrical license forms: ELM-1 military experience, EL-2 Electrical Contractor License Application, EL-3 Electrician License Application, EL-14 Provisional Electrician License Application, DHBC L-1 renewal, and the New Electrical Application Checklist.
- Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - home · Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026States that HBC licenses/certifies plumbers, electricians, boiler contractors, sprinkler and fire alarm contractors and building inspectors statewide; links to the licensing portal and forms pages.
- DHBC - Electrical New Application Checklists (KRS 227A.060 & 815 KAR 35:060; 080; 090), Feb. 4, 2025 · KRS 227A.060; 815 KAR 35:060 · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 15, 2026Master electrician: pass the Master Electrician's Exam with Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue, 16,000 hours of experience. Electrician: pass the Journeyman's Electrical Exam with Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue, 8,000 hours. Contractor: Business and Law exam, insurance certificate. RECIPROCITY LICENSES section: State of Ohio electrical contractor is issued a Kentucky Contractor Electrician and Master Electrician license (copy of active Ohio license, insurance certificate, contractor and electrical license applications, fees, photo, good standing letter); State of West Virginia or Commonwealth of Virginia master electrician or journeyman electrician (copy of active license, electrical license application, fee, photo, good standing letter). No other states are listed.
- Kentucky Electrical Licensing Examinations - Prov Candidate Information Bulletin (July 2020) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction / Prov · Other · verified September 15, 2026Exams cost $80 each, computer-based, open book and timed. Journeyman Electrician: 80 questions, 3 hours. Master Electrician: 100 questions, 4 hours. Business and Law (contractor): 40 questions, 1.5 hours.
- 815 KAR 35:060 - Licensing of electrical contractors, master electricians, and electricians · 815 KAR 35:060 Sections 1-4, 6, 8, 9 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section 1: application fees $400 (contractor), $200 (master), $100 (electrician) for a biennial license, prorated to not less than 13 months, expiring on the last day of the birth month; passport photo; application void after one year. Section 2 (Reciprocity): comply with the reciprocity agreement between Kentucky and the licensing state and the Section 1 requirements; provide a copy of the license and a letter of good standing; contractors also provide proof of insurance. Section 3: proof of experience by tax documents, business license, sworn affidavit from a union, licensed contractor/master electrician, industrial facility or approved training program, or military form ELM-1; one year of experience equals at least 1,600 hours. Section 4: pass an examination administered by an approved provider with at least 70%; passing score valid three years; the department may recognize another examination as equivalent. Section 8: two-year licenses, renewal fees $400/$200/$100 with continuing education. Section 9: late fee $50; fees non-refundable.
- KRS 227A.060 - Qualifications for licensure; provisional license · KRS 227A.060(1)-(5) · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor: application fee up to $200, pass the exam, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance compliance and $1,000,000 general liability policy. Master electrician: application fee up to $100, 16,000 hours of verifiable experience since age 16 (training course or two years teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours; associate degree substitutes for 6,000), pass the exam. Electrician: application fee up to $50, 8,000 hours (training course, two years of a four-year program, associate degree or two years teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours), pass the exam. Military experience may count. Nonrenewable one-year provisional electrician license for six years of experience at 2,080 hours per year.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.