Hawaii to Nebraska: master electrician license reciprocity
Nebraska has no reciprocity agreement with Hawaii. A Hawaii master electrician applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master or electrical contractor without a reciprocity agreement
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
A master electrician or electrical contractor from a state outside Nebraska's contractor agreements applies for the Electrical Contractor exam on the standard Application for State Electrical License, documenting at least one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician (or an electrical engineering degree plus one year, or five years of planning, laying out, supervising and installing electrical wiring) with employer verification letters, pays the $180 application fee, and must pass the Nebraska contractor exam through PSI. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120(1) also lets the Board license without examination, in the same grade and class, an electrician licensed for at least one year by a state that provides similar treatment and whose qualifications equal Nebraska's, but the Division's pages do not describe using that authority outside the listed agreements. After passing, the applicant pays the license fee and must keep the public liability insurance required by the Board. There is no separate business or law exam; State Electrical Act questions are part of the trade exam.
The PSI exam fee is paid to PSI when scheduling and is not published on the Division's pages, so no amount is listed. Division Policy 36 lets a holder of a license from a non-reciprocal jurisdiction apply to take the exam for the same type of license, and a Nebraska license obtained using out-of-state hours or licenses is issued as a non-reciprocal license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- At least one year of experience acceptable to the Board as a licensed journeyman electrician, or a four-year electrical engineering degree plus one year as a journeyman, or five years planning, laying out, supervising and installing electrical wiring (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2107; 2026 application)
What you'll do to get licensed in Nebraska
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($180). Electrical Contractor application fee, non-refundable once processed.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Nebraska Electrical Contractor exam administered by PSI: 2023 NEC (open book), basic electrical theory, Nebraska State Electrical Act, emergency and fire alarm circuits.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($187.50). License fee when issued in an even-numbered year (2026); $375 when issued in an odd-numbered year, covering the remainder of the two-year term.
- 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Liability insurance of at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $100,000 property damage, required of a license holder who owns and operates an electrical contracting firm (Board Rule 7; Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2104(6)(c)); only one license holder per firm must carry it.
Published fees on this path total $367.50, 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
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How Nebraska licenses master electricians
Nebraska master electrician · “Electrical Contractor”
Statewide license
Issued by Nebraska State Electrical Division (State Electrical Board)
Nebraska's highest person-held electrical license is the Electrical Contractor license, issued by the State Electrical Division to an individual who has at least one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician (or a four-year electrical engineering degree plus one year as a journeyman) and passes the PSI-administered contractor exam. Nebraska stopped issuing new Class A Master Electrician licenses in 1993; the master, Class B contractor and Class B journeyman fees in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118(4) apply only to renewals of licenses issued before September 9, 1993, so this site maps the Electrical Contractor license to the master level. The application fee is $180 and the license fee is $187.50 per year of the two-year term ($187.50 when issued in an even-numbered year, $375 in an odd-numbered year); licenses expire December 31 of even-numbered years. A contractor who owns and operates an electrical contracting firm must keep in force the liability insurance required by Board Rule 7 ($100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, $100,000 property damage). The Division's Electrical Contractor and Reciprocal Information pages list reciprocal Electrical Contractor agreements with Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Nebraska master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Hawaii?
- Yes. Nebraska requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Nebraska master electrician license from Hawaii?
- Published fees on this path total $367.50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Hawaii work hours count in Nebraska?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Nebraska's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Nebraska to Hawaii?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Nebraska to Hawaii, the mechanism is experience credit.
Sources
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Application for State Electrical License (updated 3/2026) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- State Electrical Board Rules (April 2024) · Nebraska State Electrical Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Electrical Contractor · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Information and Licensing Applications · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Scheduling · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - 2025-2026 License and Registration Fees · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- State Electrical Division Policy 36 - Exam applications approval requirements (November 8, 2019) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Reciprocal Information · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- State Electrical Act and State Electrical Board Rules (July 2026 booklet) · Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 81-2104(6), 81-2107, 81-2108, 81-2109, 81-2115, 81-2118, 81-2120 · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2107 - Electrical contractor license; applicant; qualifications · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2107 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 - Licenses and registrations; expiration; fees · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120 - Licenses; issued without examination based on reciprocity; qualifications; reciprocal credentialing agreement, military occupational specialty, or apprenticeship training program · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120 (as amended by Laws 2024, LB16) · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.