Arkansas to Wisconsin: master electrician license reciprocity
Wisconsin has no reciprocity agreement with Arkansas. Your Arkansas experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Wisconsin exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master without a reciprocity agreement
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
A master electrician licensed in any state other than Iowa gets no exam waiver in Wisconsin and applies under Category A of Form 3107 like a first-time candidate. The out-of-state license itself is not credited, but experience is: the applicant documents 60 months with at least 10,000 hours installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring (or 1,000 hours per year for seven years) on the Experience Table (Form 3107T), or uploads a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering. The 12-months-as-a-licensed-journeyman route asks for a copy of the journeyman license and the form does not say whether an out-of-state journeyman license qualifies. The application and fees are submitted in LicensE ($35 application, $30 examination and $200 license fee under Table 305.02), DSPS makes the applicant eligible to test, and the applicant must pass the Wisconsin master electrician exam. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
DSPS publishes no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states. Whether an out-of-state journeyman license satisfies the 12-month journeyman route was not confirmed from an official page; the 10,000-hour route is available regardless. Fee amounts are from Table 305.02 of the administrative code; the forms say fees are calculated in LicensE.
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 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 10,000 hours over at least 60 months installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring (or 1,000 hours per year for seven years); up to 3,000 hours and three years may come from full-time electrical schooling. Alternatives: 12 months of experience while licensed as a journeyman electrician, or an electrical engineering degree.
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Master Electrician license application fee (Table 305.02 line 25g), paid in LicensE.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($30). Master Electrician examination fee (Table 305.02 line 25g); paid again for each retake.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Master Electrician examination (open book on SPS 305, SPS 316 and the NEC).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Master Electrician initial license fee (Table 305.02 line 25g); two-year credential.
- 5Other. Experience Table (Form 3107T) with witness signatures, journeyman license copy, or engineering transcripts, uploaded to LicensE.
Published fees on this path total $265, 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.
- Exam fee · $30
- Trade exam
How Wisconsin licenses master electricians
Wisconsin master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide, person-held Master Electrician license through DSPS; the separate Electrical Contractor license is a business credential that must designate a master electrician and is not covered here. A new applicant under Wis. Stat. 101.868 qualifies with 12 months of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician, or 60 months with at least 10,000 hours of experience, or a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, applies in the LicensE portal, and passes the DSPS master electrician exam. Under Wis. Stat. 101.874 DSPS may enter into reciprocal agreements; Form 3107 currently waives the exam only for Iowa Master A Electricians. The license is renewed every two years for $40.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Wisconsin master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Arkansas?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin master electrician license from Arkansas?
- Published fees on this path total $265, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Arkansas work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS Form 3107 - Master Electrician License Application Information (Rev. 12/04/2025) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 15, 2026Category A (experience/degree and examination): 12 months of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician, or 60 months with at least 10,000 hours of experience (or 1,000 hours per year for seven years; up to 3,000 hours / three years of schooling credit), or a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering. Category C (reciprocity): a valid, unexpired Master Electrician license acquired through a state examination in Iowa (Master A), held continuously for at least one year immediately before applying, licenses without the Wisconsin exam. Fees are calculated in LicensE.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Master Electrician · Wis. Stat. 101.862; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.43 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program page: applications (Form 3107) are filed in LicensE; exams reflect SPS 316 and the NEC; links to the Trades Renewal Dates and Fees document. Does not itself list reciprocity states.
- DSPS - Trades Renewal Dates and Fees · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026HVAC Qualifier: 4-year credential renewing from date of issuance, renewal fee $100, no CE, reinstatement $200. HVAC Contractor: 4-year registration from date of issuance, renewal $40, reinstatement $200. (SPS 305 Table 305.07 still lists a 2-year term for these credentials; DSPS's current schedule is used here.) Read with pdftotext after download.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Credentialing Examination Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Trades exams are given at DSPS locations or, at a marginally higher fee, at Pearson test centers selected in the LicensE application; exam reviews are $15.
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Register August 2025) · SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.70; SPS 305.71 · Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Table 305.02: HVAC Contractor registration $15 application fee and $160 registration fee; HVAC Qualifier certification $15 application fee, $25 examination fee, $60 certification fee. SPS 305.70: HVAC contractor registration is mandatory for any person, entity or business installing or servicing HVAC equipment and is applied for by the owner, partner or chief executive; a note reminds that federal Section 608 technician certification is required for refrigerant work. SPS 305.71: an individual may obtain an HVAC qualifier certification by meeting the 4-year experience/education standard, passing the exam under SPS 305.09 and paying the certification fee; a business that uses a qualifier is a 'certified HVAC business' that cannot be required to obtain local approval. The chapter contains no reciprocity or credential-by-endorsement provision for HVAC. Read with pdftotext after download.
- Wis. Stat. 101.868 - Master electrician license · Wis. Stat. 101.868 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Master electrician qualifications: a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, or 12 months of experience while licensed as a journeyman electrician, or 60 months with at least 10,000 hours of experience installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring; each followed by passage of the department's examination.
- Wis. Stat. 101.874 - Reciprocal agreements (electrical credentials) · Wis. Stat. 101.874 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026DSPS may enter into a reciprocal agreement with another state recognizing electrician credentials as comparable only if the other state's education, experience and examination requirements are at least equivalent to Wisconsin's; under an agreement DSPS issues a credential to an applicant who submits an application, pays the fee under s. 101.82(4), and holds a valid comparable credential from the other state.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.