Colorado to Florida: master electrician license reciprocity
Florida has a specific endorsement rule for Colorado master electricians.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Partial endorsement of the Colorado Master Electrician exam (technical portion only)
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 ECLB Endorsement List (determination November 2019) recognizes the Colorado Master Electrical technical exam as equivalent to the Florida Unlimited EC technical exam, but notes that 'Applicants must take Florida Business Exam for Licensure'. A Colorado master electrician who passed the Colorado exam therefore files Form ECLB 2 ($492) with a Verification of Licensure from DORA, proof of Florida's experience requirement (with at least 40% 3-phase work), credit reports, a $10,000 net-worth financial statement and insurance, and must pass only the Florida business exam through Pearson VUE.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Colorado license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your Colorado license must be active and in good standing.
- Florida experience requirement under s. 489.511(1)(b), documented with W-2/1099s, job lists and three letters
What you'll do to get licensed in Florida
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($492). Form ECLB 2 Certification by Endorsement application fee.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Florida business examination (Pearson VUE).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($123.75). Certified computer-based exam fee.
- 4Other. Personal and business credit reports and a financial statement showing $10,000 net worth.
- 5Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Public liability and workers' compensation coverage for an active license.
Published fees on this path total $615.75, 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.
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $123.75
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How Florida licenses master electricians
Florida master electrician · “Certified Electrical Contractor (EC)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Florida Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (Department of Business and Professional Regulation)
Florida has no license called 'master electrician'. The highest person-held electrical credential is the certificate of competency as a Certified Electrical Contractor (license prefix EC), issued by the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board within DBPR to an individual who meets the experience requirements of s. 489.511(1)(b), F.S. (for example 4 years as a foreman, supervisor or contractor, with at least 40% of the work on 3-phase services) and passes the Pearson VUE technical/safety and business examinations; the certificate holder then qualifies a business, but the certificate itself belongs to the person and is valid statewide. Alongside the state certificate, counties and municipalities issue their own master electrician or electrical contractor certificates of competency (Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board and Broward's Central Examining Boards, for example); their holders register with DBPR as Registered Electrical Contractors (ER) and may work only in the jurisdictions that issued the local card, which is why this level is marked Hybrid. Florida has no reciprocity agreement with any state. Out-of-state contractors are handled by endorsement under s. 489.511(5): the Board waives the Florida exam(s) only for exams it has found substantially equivalent (currently full recognition for California C-10, Georgia Class II with Low Voltage Unlimited, and North Carolina Unlimited; partial recognition for several others), or waives everything for a contractor licensed in another state for at least 10 years. Everyone else must pass the Florida exams. Certified licenses cost $296 to issue and renew, expire August 31 of even years, and require 11 hours of continuing education per biennium.
How local licensing works in Florida
Local contractor cards and state registration. Under s. 489.505, a Registered Electrical Contractor is one who registered with DBPR after 'fulfilling the competency requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued'; DBPR's FAQ explains that registered licensees can work only in the counties or municipalities where they hold the local license, while certified licensees can work anywhere in Florida. Initial registration costs $151 (active) plus $25 for each additional county. Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board and Broward County's Central Examining Boards examine and certify master electricians and electrical contractors locally (Broward: trade and Business & Law exams, 75% passing, $450 contractor application from January 1, 2025); Miami-Dade reciprocates its local cards only with Broward and Palm Beach counties. None of the county pages reviewed describes accepting an out-of-state master electrician license toward a local contractor card.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Florida master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Colorado?
- The trade exam is waived, but Florida requires a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Florida master electrician license from Colorado?
- Published fees on this path total $615.75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Colorado work hours count in Florida?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Florida's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- Broward County Building Code Division - Contractor Licensing packet (journeyman and mechanical contractor certificate of competency instructions) · Broward County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9 - Contractors · Broward County Public Works and Environmental Services, Building Code Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026
- DBPR - Electrical Contractors FAQs · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- DBPR - Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB) home page · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Form DBPR ECLB 2 - Application for Certification by Endorsement (Eff. July 2021) · Fla. Stat. § 489.511(5)(a); Rule 61-35.012, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 15, 2026
- ECLB Exam Endorsement/Reciprocity List · Fla. Stat. § 489.511(5)(a) · Florida Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Miami-Dade County - Contractors & Building Trades (Construction Trades Qualifying Board) · Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.505 - Definitions (Part II, Electrical and Alarm System Contracting) · Fla. Stat. § 489.505 · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.511 - Certification; application; examinations; endorsement · Fla. Stat. § 489.511(1)(b), (5) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.517 - Renewal of certificate or registration; continuing education · Fla. Stat. § 489.517 · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.