Wyoming to Montana: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Montana has a specific endorsement rule for Wyoming journeyman electricians.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Licensure by endorsement for Wyoming (journeyman) - substantially equivalent state
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
The Montana State Electrical Board's published Substantial Equivalency Determinations list Wyoming as 'Yes' for the Journeyman Electrician license, meaning Wyoming's licensing standard requires passage of an electrical exam and one of an approved apprenticeship, a union or trade-association training program, 8,000 hours of practical experience, or 20,000 maintenance hours. A Wyoming licensee whose license is active, unrestricted and in good standing therefore applies by endorsement under MCA 37-1-304 and ARM 24.141.504 and is not required to take the Montana exam. The applicant files the online application with the $190 fee (which includes the original license), attaches online verifications for every professional license ever held (including expired ones), and submits documentation of any discipline or convictions. Licenses issued by a city, county or municipality are not considered.
Montana's verification-of-licensure form asks the origin board for the exam score and states that Montana requires 75% or greater, although ARM 24.141.503 sets the journeyman passing grade at 70%; how the board treats a lower origin score is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Wyoming license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Your Wyoming license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($190). Application by endorsement or reciprocity, includes the original license fee (ARM 24.141.405); nonrefundable.
- 2Other. License verifications for every professional license ever held (online verification copies accepted) and discipline/conviction documents if applicable.
Published fees on this path total $190, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Montana licenses journeyman electricians
Montana journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)
Montana issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within the Department of Labor & Industry. A new applicant qualifies under MCA 37-68-305 by completing an approved apprenticeship (a Montana registered program or a substantially equivalent one), 8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience (no more than half residential), or 20,000 hours of electrical maintenance work, and then passes the PSI-administered open-book exam on the 2020 NEC with 70%. The $190 application fee includes the original license; a $50 temporary practice permit lets exam candidates work for a licensed contractor for 90 days. Licenses renew every two years for $140 with 16 hours of continuing education. Out-of-state journeymen are handled through substantial equivalency (SE): the board publishes a state-by-state determination table, and licensees from the twenty 'Yes' states are licensed by endorsement without the exam, while everyone else must test. Licenses issued by cities or counties are not considered.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Montana journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Wyoming?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Wyoming.
- What does it cost to get a Montana journeyman electrician license from Wyoming?
- Published fees on this path total $190, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Montana to Wyoming?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Montana to Wyoming, the mechanism is reciprocity.
Sources
- Montana State Electrical Board - Home · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician Licensing Requirements, Application Checklist and Application (Rev. 07/22/2024) · MCA 37-68-305; ARM 24.141.502, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana State Electrical Board Laws and Rules Booklet (MCA Title 37 Chapter 68 and ARM Title 24 Chapter 141) · ARM 24.141.405, 24.141.502, 24.141.503, 24.141.504, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Mont. Code Ann. sec. 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement; reciprocity · Mont. Code Ann. sec. 37-1-304 · Montana Legislative Services Division · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- MCA 37-68-305 - Journeyman and residential electricians -- application -- qualifications -- contents of examination · MCA 37-68-305 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations (all boards and programs) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.