Alabama to Kentucky: master electrician license reciprocity
Kentucky has no reciprocity agreement with Alabama. Your Alabama experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Kentucky exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master electrician without a reciprocity agreement (examination with experience credit)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
A master electrician licensed in a state other than Ohio, West Virginia or Virginia applies on Form EL-3 as a new applicant. Out-of-state experience counts toward the 16,000-hour requirement when documented by tax records showing the occupation, a sworn affidavit on letterhead from a union, the licensed electrical contractor and master electrician who employed the applicant, an industrial facility or an approved apprenticeship program, or by military form ELM-1. The applicant must pass the Kentucky Master Electrician exam through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70% (an $80, open-book, 100-question exam); 815 KAR 35:060 Section 4(5) lets DHBC recognize another examination as equivalent on a showing that it covers the same material at the same level. The $200 biennial application fee is prorated by birth month and a passport-sized photo is required. A master who also wants to contract must separately obtain the Electrical Contractor license (Form EL-2, $400, Business and Law exam, $1,000,000 liability insurance and workers' compensation proof naming DHBC as certificate holder).
The Business and Law exam applies only to the Electrical Contractor license, not the Master Electrician license. DHBC publishes no endorsement path that waives the master exam for non-reciprocal states; acceptance of a previously passed NASCLA exam under Section 4(5) is at the department's discretion and was not confirmed from an official page.
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 16,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Verifiable electrical work under the scope of the NEC since the applicant's sixteenth birthday (KRS 227A.060(2)); education substitutes for 4,000 or 6,000 hours.
What you'll do to get licensed in Kentucky
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($200). Master Electrician license application fee for a two-year license (Form EL-3), prorated by birth month to between 13 and 24 months; non-refundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Kentucky Master Electrician examination (Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue), open book, 100 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Examination fee per attempt (Prov Candidate Information Bulletin).
- 4Other. Passport-sized color photograph taken within six months, plus notarized experience affidavit or tax documents.
- 5Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Optional Electrical Contractor license to operate a business: Form EL-2, $400 biennial fee, Business and Law exam ($80), $1,000,000 general liability policy and workers' compensation proof naming DHBC as certificate holder.
Published fees on this path total $280, 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 · $80
How Kentucky licenses master electricians
Kentucky master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Licensing Branch
Kentucky issues a statewide Master Electrician license to individuals through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS 227A.060(2). A separate Electrical Contractor license (Form EL-2, $400 biennial, Business and Law exam, $1,000,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation compliance) is the business credential and must always have a licensed master electrician associated with it. A new master applicant needs 16,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course or two years of teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours; an associate degree in electrical technology for 6,000), must pass the open-book Master Electrician exam (100 questions, 4 hours, $80) through Prov, NASCLA or Pearson Vue with at least 70%, and pays a $200 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. DHBC's published reciprocity list names Ohio (electrical contractor licensees receive both the Kentucky master and contractor licenses), West Virginia and Virginia (master electricians); applicants from all other states document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Kentucky master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Alabama?
- Yes. Kentucky requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Kentucky master electrician license from Alabama?
- Published fees on this path total $280, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Alabama work hours count in Kentucky?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Kentucky's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- DHBC Form EL-2 - Electrical Contractor's License Application, April 2023 · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 15, 2026Individual or business contractor license; applicant marks 'Test results' or 'Reciprocity'; requires an insurance certificate under KRS 227A.060(1)(c) and the name and license number of the associated Master Electrician (a contractor must have a master license holder associated at all times).
- 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).
- 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 - Licensing Information (forms and documents, eServices portal, Prov HVAC testing information, exam scheduling) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched with curl (the default fetcher returned only a summary). Licensing contact 502-573-2002; links the forms and documents page, the licensing portal, the 'Prov HVAC Testing Information' candidate bulletin, 'Schedule Exam' (Pearson Vue/ICC) and Pearson Vue exam information. No HVAC reciprocity partner list is published on this page.
- 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.