Arizona to District of Columbia: master electrician license reciprocity
Arizona does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is District of Columbia's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master from a state other than Maryland or Virginia
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Board of Industrial Trades publishes reciprocity only for Maryland and Virginia. A master electrician from any other state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant with employment verification letters, a letter of good standing and a copy of the state-issued license, pays the $65 application fee, must document the journeyman-level prerequisites plus at least 4 years of work as a journeyman electrician, and schedules the master exam with PSI. D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for anyone licensed in good standing in a state with equivalent standards that reciprocates with the District, and § 47-2853.08 lets the Board find another state's standards substantially equivalent and license by reciprocity or endorsement, so an applicant may ask the Board to apply those provisions case by case; the Board's pages describe no such process beyond Maryland and Virginia. The national-certification substitute in § 47-2853.92(b-1) is written for the journeyman license only. No District-law exam is published for master electricians.
The Board's fee page refers exam fees to '§ 3500.3' without stating an amount; the PSI exam fee for the DC master exam could not be confirmed from an official page. Whether journeyman years worked under an out-of-state license count toward the 4-year journeyman requirement 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 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Journeyman-level prerequisite: at least 8,000 apprentice hours over at least 4 years, or an electrical engineering degree plus 2 certified years, or equivalent (D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(b)).
- Worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years (D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(c))
- Completed a class on Title 12C DCMR (DC Electrical Code) or an equivalent code within the 2 years before applying
What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Master Electrician examination administered by PSI (schedule at psiexams.com after Board pre-approval).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee, amount set by 17 DCMR § 3500.3 (not stated on the Board page).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Master electrician license fee, 2-year term (renewal $155).
Published fees on this path total $185, 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
How District of Columbia licenses master electricians
District of Columbia master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
The District of Columbia issues a person-held Master Electrician license through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP). It is the District's highest individual electrician credential; the Board also issues a Master Electrician Limited (low voltage) specialty license with journeyman-level qualifications, and a separate Electrical Contractor business license that requires an electrical bond. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(c) a master applicant must meet the journeyman requirements (a DC Electrical Code class within 2 years and 8,000 apprentice hours over 4 years or equivalent) and in addition have worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years, then pass the PSI-administered master exam. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $120 license fee for a 2-year term ($155 on renewal). Maryland and Virginia master electricians licensed by examination are licensed by reciprocity without the DC exam under a program the Board opened on February 8, 2021.
Why Arizona has nothing to transfer
Arizona master electrician
No individual license at this level
Issued by Arizona Registrar of Contractors (contractor licensing only)
Arizona does not issue a master electrician license. The state-level credential for electrical work is a contractor license from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) in the R-11 Electrical (residential), C-11 Electrical (commercial, under 600 volts) or CR-11 Electrical (dual) classification; the license is issued to a business (sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC or corporation) and is qualified by a named qualifying party rather than to the electrician personally. A master electrician arriving from another state who only wants to work for an employer needs no Arizona license at all. To run their own electrical business they must apply for an ROC license: the qualifying party must show 4 years of practical or management trade experience (at least 2 within the last 10 years, with up to 2 years creditable from accredited technical training), pass the open-book Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE, $61 via Gmetrix) and the classification trade exam with at least 70% ($66 via PSI, or the NASCLA Electrical exam for $116, accepted for R-11, C-11 and CR-11), complete a background check, register the entity with the Arizona Corporation Commission if an LLC or corporation, post a continuous license bond sized by classification and annual volume (commercial specialty $2,500 to $50,000, residential specialty $4,250 to $7,500, dual licenses combine both), and pay application and license fees plus the residential recovery fund assessment ($720 total for R-11, $580 for C-11, $850 for CR-11, before exam fees). Arizona has no direct reciprocity agreement with any state; under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) the Registrar may waive the trade exam and experience documentation when the qualifying party held a comparable contractor license in another state within the preceding 5 years and obtained it by trade examination (Out-of-State Waiver Request Form RC-L-200G submitted with the application), but the SRE cannot be waived.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Arizona?
- Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a District of Columbia master electrician license from Arizona?
- Published fees on this path total $185, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Arizona work hours count in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to Arizona?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Arizona, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Each board may determine whether another jurisdiction's licensure standards, or a national certifying organization's certification, are substantially equivalent and authorize licensure by reciprocity or endorsement for an applicant licensed and in good standing in a state whose requirements were substantially equivalent at the time of licensure and which admits District licensees in a like manner.
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(b) a board 'shall waive the requirements for passage of an examination or other proof of fitness' for a person licensed in good standing in a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits District licensees in a like manner, or who holds an acceptable national certification. (c)(4) an applicant for licensure as a journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic under § 47-2853.202 is exempt from any District-law examination. (d)-(d-1) each board must keep a list of states and national certifying organizations whose standards qualify, and the Board of Industrial Trades must update its list of national certifying organizations annually.
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.91 - Scope of practice for electricians · D.C. Code § 47-2853.91 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Defines an electrician as any person who designs, installs, maintains, alters, repairs, removes or inspects electrical wiring, equipment, conductors or systems; excludes elevator and conveyance work covered by the elevator licensing part.
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 - Electricians: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(a) apprentices are registered without examination and work under a licensed master. (b) journeyman electrician and master electrician limited (low voltage) applicants must have completed a class on Title 12C DCMR (the DC Electrical Code) or equivalent within 2 years and have worked as an apprentice at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years, or hold an electrical engineering degree plus 2 years certified practical experience, or comparable experience/education the Board deems equivalent. (b-1) the Board shall accept, in lieu of examination and the (b) requirements, a certificate from a national certifying organization (including a nationally recognized trade organization or labor union) that the applicant passed its exam, is designated a journeyman electrician, and has not been disciplined. (c) master electrician applicants must meet (b) and have worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years.
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (fees, renewal dates, board members) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy. Fee table for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics: application $65; license Mechanic $110 (up to 2 years), Contractor $120; renewal Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; late renewal $50; examination/re-examination 'See §3500.3'; reinstated or inactive Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; duplicate license $30; verification of records $30. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning licenses expire September 30 in even-numbered years. Board members include two Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics.
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades landing page (apply, items needed, examination, reciprocity) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy because dlcp.dc.gov returns 403 to direct fetches. Lists the items needed for a Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning application (certificate of completion, 'CFC Certification (Master ONLY)', employment verification letter, passport photo, government ID, card for fees), the online application portal (govservices.dcra.dc.gov/oplanewlicense), PSI exam scheduling (psiexams.com, 855-557-0616), the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning bond form for trade contractors, and a Reciprocity section that names only Maryland and Virginia electricians (and, via a linked bulletin, Maryland plumbers); no refrigeration or air conditioning reciprocity is published.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.