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West Virginia to Maryland: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

Experience credit· Hours transferVerified September 15, 2026· 12 sources

Maryland has no reciprocity agreement with West Virginia. Your West Virginia experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Maryland exam.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Out-of-state journeyperson without a reciprocal agreement

Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.

A journeyperson licensed in a state that has no reciprocal agreement with Maryland must apply for an original license by examination. The Board's FAQ states that reciprocal licensing is only available where the other state and the Board have entered into an agreement, and the Board lists only Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The applicant documents at least 4 years of regular, principal employment providing electrical services under the direction and supervision of a master electrician or a similarly qualified governmental employee (the statute does not limit this to Maryland-licensed masters), registers with PSI, passes the 70-question open-book journeyperson exam with 70%, and then pays the $18.50 license fee. Business Occupations and Professions §6-308 does allow the Board, by majority vote, to waive the exam for any state that waives its exam for Maryland licensees to a similar extent, provided the applicant was licensed by examination and has 4 years' experience with at least 2 years before out-of-state licensure; the Board has not published a process for invoking that waiver outside its four agreements.

Whether the Board credits experience gained under an out-of-state master electrician was not confirmed from an official page; the statute and application page say only 'a master electrician'. The PSI bulletin says the Board may allow up to 3 years of credit for formal study toward the journeyperson requirement, and the exam bulletin still references the 2020 NEC.

At a glance

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

  • You must document at least 4 years of qualifying work experience.At least 4 years engaged regularly and principally in providing electrical services under the direction and supervision of a master electrician or a similarly qualified employee of a governmental unit (Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-304); an approved apprenticeship with 576 classroom hours and 8,000 work hours substitutes.

What you'll do to get licensed in Maryland

  1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Maryland Journeyperson Electrician exam administered by PSI: 70 questions, 49 correct (70%) to pass, 210 minutes, open book on NFPA 70.
  2. 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($65). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI, valid for one exam attempt.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($18.50). Original journeyperson license fee (non-refundable), effective July 1, 2025.

Published fees on this path total $83.50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

What you'll need to buy or arrange

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 · $65

How Maryland licenses journeyman electricians

Maryland journeyman electrician · “Journeyperson Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 7 sources

Issued by Maryland State Board of Electricians (Department of Labor)

Maryland issues a statewide Journeyperson Electrician license through the State Board of Electricians in the Department of Labor. Statewide journeyperson and apprentice licensing began July 1, 2021 under the Maryland Electricians Act; before that the State licensed only master electricians and each county or Baltimore City licensed journeypersons, and those local bodies now issue registrations rather than licenses. A new applicant qualifies with 4 years of electrical work under the direction and supervision of a master electrician (or a similarly qualified employee of a governmental unit) or by completing a MATC- or federally-approved apprenticeship with 576 classroom hours and 8,000 work hours, then passes the PSI-administered journeyperson exam (70 questions, 70% to pass, open book on the NEC, $65). The original license fee is $18.50. The Board has reciprocal agreements with Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia; its application pages list Virginia, Delaware and D.C. as origins for journeyperson reciprocity. Licensed journeypersons work under the direction and control of a master electrician.

Moving to MarylandLeaving Maryland

Common questions

Do I have to take the Maryland journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in West Virginia?
Yes. Maryland requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Maryland journeyman electrician license from West Virginia?
Published fees on this path total $83.50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my West Virginia work hours count in Maryland?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maryland's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Maryland to West Virginia?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to West Virginia, the mechanism is endorsement.

Sources

  1. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Maryland Electricians Act (2021 statewide licensing) · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. Title 6 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Legislation signed May 30, 2021, effective July 1, 2021, renamed the State Board of Master Electricians to the State Board of Electricians and created State apprentice, journeyperson and master electrician licenses. Local jurisdictions lost authority to license electricians (they may issue registrations); individuals holding only local licenses had to obtain a State license by July 1, 2022, with an exam-waiver application deadline of December 31, 2022.
  2. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Taking the Exam (PSI) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026PSI Examination Services administers the master and journeyperson exams at Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham and Salisbury; the examination fee is $65.00; register at test-takers.psiexams.com/mdelec.
  3. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Licensing FAQs · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 15, 2026Q11-12: the Board 'currently has reciprocal agreements with Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia'. West Virginia (State Fire Marshal) licensees who passed the West Virginia exam and have held the license at least two years in good standing, Virginia and D.C. licensees who passed those jurisdictions' written exams, and Delaware licensees in good standing for at least five years who passed the Delaware exam may apply without taking the Maryland written exam. Also: 30 days before an exam retake, 60 days between later attempts; a Maryland license obtained by local-jurisdiction reciprocity cannot be used to reciprocate to another state or D.C.
  4. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Fees (effective July 1, 2025) · COMAR 09.09 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Original license: master $25.00, journeyperson $18.50, apprentice $12.00. Renewal: master $31.50, journeyperson $18.50, apprentice $12.00. Reinstatement $28/$63/$126 by lateness; letter of good standing $50; status change $63. Examination and re-examination fees are paid directly to the testing service.
  5. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Home · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-604 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026States that all electrical work in Maryland must be performed by a licensed master, journeyperson or apprentice electrician, and that licensees must carry general liability insurance of at least $300,000 and property damage insurance of at least $100,000 with the State Board named as certificate holder.
  6. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Licensing Applications (how to apply) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Describes each application path: journeyperson by examination (4 years under a master electrician), by MATC/FOA apprenticeship (576 classroom hours and 8,000 work hours), by local-jurisdiction reciprocity, and out-of-state reciprocity, which this page says is 'currently only' with Virginia (license obtained by examination or a Virginia apprenticeship program, held at least 1 year, must state it is journeyperson level). Master by examination (7 years, up to 3 years education credit) and master by reciprocity from 'a local jurisdiction, or the states of Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia or the District of Columbia' with a letter of verification and certificate of insurance. All Board fees are non-refundable.
  7. Maryland State Board of Electricians - Other Electrical Licenses in Maryland · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Before July 1, 2021 the Board issued only master licenses and local jurisdictions licensed apprentices and journeypersons; since then the State issues all three and local jurisdictions issue registrations. Lesser local categories (limited, low voltage) are still issued by local jurisdictions.
  8. Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-304 - Qualifications of applicants · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-304 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Master: at least 7 years providing electrical services under a master electrician or similarly qualified governmental employee, with up to 3 years credit for formal education/training and full credit for an approved apprenticeship. Journeyperson: at least 4 years under the same supervision, or an approved apprenticeship. All applicants must pass the State Board examination.
  9. Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-306 - Examinations · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-306 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Exams are objective and written, based on applicable electrical codes, with a passing score of 70%; the exam fee may not exceed the actual cost.
  10. Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-307 - Waiver of examination for local registrants · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-307 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026The Board waives the exam for a holder of an active Maryland local registration who was licensed in the local jurisdiction before December 31, 2022 after passing an equivalent local exam and meeting equivalent requirements, with a good-standing statement from the local jurisdiction.
  11. Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §6-308 - Waiver of examination for out-of-state licensees (reciprocity) · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-308 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026On a majority vote the Board may waive the exam for a master or journeyperson electrician licensed in another state who pays the application fee, meets Maryland's qualifications, holds an active equivalent license in good standing, was licensed there by examination after substantially equivalent requirements, and has 7 years' experience (at least 4 before out-of-state licensure) for master or 4 years (at least 2 before licensure) for journeyperson. Waivers are granted only if the other state waives its exam for Maryland licensees to a similar extent; not available to applicants licensed solely outside the United States. The Board 'shall pursue a policy of reciprocal recognition'.
  12. PSI - Maryland Master and Journeyperson Electrician Qualification Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Maryland State Board of Electricians · Other · verified September 15, 2026Master exam: 90 questions, 70% to pass, 240 minutes; journeyperson exam: 70 questions, 49 correct (70%), 210 minutes; both open book on NFPA 70 NEC 2020; exam fee $65, valid for one exam. Restates the §6-308 out-of-state waiver conditions and the West Virginia/Virginia/D.C./Delaware master agreement terms. Its journeyperson section still says out-of-state waivers are 'coming soon' and none are in place, which the Board's newer application pages supersede.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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