District of Columbia to Arkansas: master electrician license reciprocity
Arkansas has no reciprocity agreement with District of Columbia. Your District of Columbia experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Arkansas exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Examination with credited out-of-state experience (states without a master agreement)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
A master electrician from a state without a master-level agreement gets no exam waiver at the master level; if the origin state is on the journeyman reciprocity list, the Board will reciprocate the master license only as an Arkansas journeyman license. To obtain the master license the applicant files the Board's electrician application and documents six years of construction-industry experience in residential and commercial work, including two years as a licensed journeyman, or an electrical engineering degree plus two years of construction experience, or a combination of apprenticeship, on-the-job training and experience the Board approves as equivalent; experience is verified by notarized employer affidavits and prior licenses are listed with their exam details. The applicant then passes the Arkansas master exam ($80) and pays the $50 license fee. A holder of a current master license from any state may also obtain a six-month temporary master license ($50) restricted to a specific industrial project while qualifying.
Rule 17 CAR §210-404(d) requires 'two (2) years' experience as a licensed journeyman electrician' without saying whether an out-of-state journeyman license satisfies it; the Board's general power to approve equivalent combinations of training and experience suggests case-by-case review, but no official page confirms this.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Six years of construction-industry experience (residential and commercial) including two years as a licensed journeyman electrician, or an electrical engineering degree plus two years of construction-related experience, or a Board-approved equivalent (17 CAR §210-404(d))
What you'll do to get licensed in Arkansas
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Master electrician examination fee (17 CAR §210-403(c)).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Arkansas master electrician examination on the NEC edition adopted by the Board.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Master electrician license fee on passing the exam (Ark. Code §17-28-301); annual renewal $50.
- 4Other. Notarized Electrician Employment Verification form from each employer, signed by the contracting master electrician, photocopies of licenses held, and transcripts or certificates for any education credit.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Eight hours of continuing education per NEC code cycle to renew (Ark. Code §17-28-311).
Published fees on this path total $130, 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 · $80
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Arkansas licenses master electricians
Arkansas master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing)
Arkansas issues a statewide Master Electrician license, an unlimited classification that authorizes the holder to plan, lay out and supervise electrical work; a journeyman who wants to contract with the public must employ at least one full-time master. A new applicant needs six years of construction-industry experience (residential and commercial) including two years as a licensed journeyman, or an electrical engineering degree plus two years of construction experience, or a Board-approved equivalent, then passes the master exam ($80) and pays the $50 license fee; the license renews annually for $50 with eight hours of continuing education per NEC cycle. Master-level reciprocity is limited: the Board's page lists Iowa, Oregon and Texas under its Master Reciprocal Agreement (and its explanatory text also names North Dakota). A master from any other journeyman-partner state can only be reciprocated into an Arkansas journeyman license, and the Board only reciprocates an original license, never one the partner state itself granted by reciprocity.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas master electrician exam if I'm licensed in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Arkansas master electrician license from District of Columbia?
- Published fees on this path total $130, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my District of Columbia work hours count in Arkansas?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Arkansas's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Arkansas to District of Columbia?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to District of Columbia, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing - Electrical Inspection and Licensing (Board of Electrical Examiners; Reciprocal Agreements) · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners - Electrician Application (examination, reciprocal, temporary) · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · Form · verified September 15, 2026
- Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners - Electrician Employment Verification (form ABOEE 1-2025) · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Rules of the Board of Electrical Examiners of the State of Arkansas, 17 CAR Part 210 · 17 CAR §§ 210-403, 210-404, 210-508, 210-509 · Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners / Department of Labor and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Board of Electrical Examiner Statutes, Ark. Code Ann. Title 17, Chapter 28 (2025 compilation) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-28-203, 17-28-301, 17-28-304, 17-28-306, 17-28-311 · Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing · 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.