West Virginia to Massachusetts: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Massachusetts has no reciprocity agreement with West Virginia. Your West Virginia experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Massachusetts exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Journeyman by examination with out-of-state education and experience credit
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
A journeyman licensed in any state other than New Hampshire (the Board's only written reciprocity agreement) applies online through PSI for the Massachusetts journeyman examination and must meet the same eligibility as a new applicant: 4 years with 8,000 hours of work experience and a 600-hour journeyman curriculum (plus a high-school diploma). Out-of-state work is documented on the Out of State Practical Experience Certification Form, signed by the applicant, a licensed verifying agent and an unrelated professional witness, with enough detail for the Board to conclude the work meets Massachusetts requirements; out-of-state schooling goes on the Out of State Education Program Form with transcripts, a letter of accreditation and a description of the code taught, and the Board may award full, partial or no credit. The applicant must also submit an official board-certified verification of the current out-of-state license, a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate. The $226 application and exam fee is paid to PSI; after passing both parts of the exam (70% each) the $104 license fee is paid at the test center. The Board notes that out-of-state credentials can lengthen the application review beyond the usual 30 days.
The Board's reciprocity page and 237 CMR 15.00 confirm that licensure without examination is limited to states with a written reciprocal agreement, currently New Hampshire only, so every other state's journeyman takes the Massachusetts exam. The second part of the journeyman exam is a 30-question, 60-minute applied portion, also passed at 70%.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.4 years with 8,000 hours of work experience; out-of-state hours documented on the Out of State Practical Experience Certification Form. Experience more than 20 years old is treated as expired.
- 600-hour journeyman curriculum (high-school diploma required); out-of-state schooling is reviewed for substantial equivalence and may receive full or partial creditEducation is treated as expired 20 years from its commencement.
- Your West Virginia license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Massachusetts
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($226). Journeyman application and examination fee paid to PSI with the online application (excludes the license fee); re-exam for both parts $135.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician examination (PSI), two parts, open book, 70% on each part; Part 1 is 80 questions in 180 minutes on the NEC as amended by 527 CMR 12.00.
- 3Background check. Complete a background check. CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) authorization form; the Board requests CORIs on all applicants.
- 4Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Certificate of completion of a 15-hour code update course from a Board-approved provider, submitted with the application.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($104). Journeyman license fee paid at the test center after passing.
Published fees on this path total $330, 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.
- Application fee · $226
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Massachusetts licenses journeyman electricians
Massachusetts journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician (Certificate B, Class B)”
Statewide license
Issued by Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)
Massachusetts issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license (Certificate B) through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians under M.G.L. c. 141. A new journeyman must document 4 years and 8,000 hours of supervised work experience plus a 600-hour Board-approved journeyman curriculum, submit a CORI authorization and a 15-hour code-update certificate, and pass a two-part open-book exam administered by PSI (Part 1: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70%) based on the NEC with Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00). Application and exam fees total $226 and the license fee is $104. M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B and 237 CMR 15.00 let the Board license without examination an electrician from a state with substantially the same standards, but only where that state has a written agreement giving Massachusetts licensees the same privilege; the Board states that its only such agreement is with New Hampshire, and it accepts New Hampshire journeyman and master licenses only if they were obtained by passing the New Hampshire exam ($208 journeyman reciprocity fee). Every other out-of-state electrician qualifies by having out-of-state education and experience credited toward the Massachusetts exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in West Virginia?
- Yes. Massachusetts requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Massachusetts journeyman electrician license from West Virginia?
- Published fees on this path total $330, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my West Virginia work hours count in Massachusetts?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Massachusetts's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to West Virginia?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to West Virginia, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- 237 CMR 15.00 - Licensure without examination (by reciprocity), Mass. Register #1561, 11/21/2025 · 237 CMR 15.01, 15.02 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
- Mass.gov - Electricians FAQs for applications · 237 CMR 13.00, 13.05, 13.09 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- MGL Chapter 141, Section 2B - Electricians licensed in other states; reciprocal licensure without examination; fees · M.G.L. c. 141, § 2B · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- MGL Chapter 141, Section 3 - Forms of examinations, licenses and certificates · M.G.L. c. 141, § 3 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Board of State Examiners of Electricians - Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 11/1/2024) · 237 CMR 13.00, 18.01 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Mass.gov - Apply for reciprocity for an out-of-state electricians license · 237 CMR 15.00 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.