Idaho to Montana: master electrician license reciprocity
Montana has a specific endorsement rule for Idaho master electricians.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Licensure by endorsement for Idaho (master) - substantially equivalent state
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 Montana State Electrical Board's published Substantial Equivalency Determinations list Idaho as 'Yes' for the Master Electrician license, meaning Idaho's licensing standard requires passage of an electrical exam and either an electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours or 8,000 hours of journeyman-level experience. A Idaho licensee whose license is active, unrestricted and in good standing therefore applies by endorsement under MCA 37-1-304 and ARM 24.141.504 and is not required to take the Montana exam. The applicant files the online application with the $190 fee (which includes the original license), attaches online verifications for every professional license ever held (including expired ones), and submits documentation of any discipline or convictions. Licenses issued by a city, county or municipality are not considered.
ARM 24.141.504(1) limits formal reciprocity agreements to residential and journeyman licenses, so master licensure for SE states proceeds as licensure by endorsement under MCA 37-1-304. The verification form states Montana requires an exam score of 75% or greater.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Idaho license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Your Idaho license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($190). Application by endorsement or reciprocity, includes the original license fee (ARM 24.141.405); nonrefundable.
- 2Other. License verifications for every professional license ever held (online verification copies accepted) and discipline/conviction documents if applicable.
Published fees on this path total $190, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Montana licenses master electricians
Montana master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)
Montana issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the State Electrical Board. Under MCA 37-68-304 an applicant needs either an electrical engineering degree from an accredited college plus 2,000 hours of practical experience, or at least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience in planning, laying out or supervising electrical installations (no more than 50% residential), and must pass the PSI open-book exam on the 2020 NEC (at least 80 questions) with 75%. The $190 application fee includes the original license; renewal is $140 every two years with 16 CE hours. Out-of-state masters are reviewed for substantial equivalency: the board's published determinations mark only Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming as 'Yes', and their licensees are licensed by endorsement without the exam; masters from all other states must take the Montana exam. The board does not sign formal master-level reciprocity agreements (ARM 24.141.504(1) limits those to residential and journeyman licenses).
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Montana master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Idaho?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Idaho.
- What does it cost to get a Montana master electrician license from Idaho?
- Published fees on this path total $190, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- Montana State Electrical Board Laws and Rules Booklet (MCA Title 37 Chapter 68 and ARM Title 24 Chapter 141) · ARM 24.141.405, 24.141.502, 24.141.503, 24.141.504, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202624.141.405 fee schedule: application for license by examination $190 (includes original license), application by endorsement or reciprocity $190 (includes original license), temporary permit $50, renewal (two years) master $140 / journeyman $140, exam fees set by the testing agency; fees nonrefundable. 24.141.503: passing grade 70% for residential and journeyman exams, 75% for master; exams open book. 24.141.504: the board may enter reciprocity agreements case by case for residential or journeyman licenses with states whose requirements are substantially equivalent or greater; may issue a license by endorsement to an applicant who files a completed application with fees and holds a current, valid license in good standing in the category applied for; licenses issued by a city, county or municipality are not considered. 24.141.502: temporary practice permit valid 90 days or until exam results. 24.141.515: no more than 50% of experience may be residential.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Master Electrician Licensing Requirements, Application Checklist and Application (Rev. 07/22/2024) · MCA 37-68-304; ARM 24.141.502, 24.141.515(2) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026Same SE structure as the journeyman checklist: an active, unrestricted, good-standing master license from a state that requires an electrical exam and either an EE degree plus 2,000 hours or 8,000 hours of journeyman-level experience is licensed without the Montana exam; otherwise the exam is required. By examination: EE degree plus 2,000 hours, or 8,000 hours of journeyman-level experience with not more than 50% residential. Fees $190 application (includes license) and optional $50 journeyman temporary practice permit; applicants failing the master exam with 69% or less are ineligible for a permit.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Master Electrician license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Links the Master Electrician application, checklist, online application and the Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations document; exams on the 2020 NEC; 16 CE hours per renewal cycle; fees nonrefundable.
- MCA 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement -- reciprocity · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026An applicant for licensure by endorsement must have an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose qualifications, measured at the time of application, are substantially equivalent to Montana's; where they are not, the board may evaluate whether the applicant's actual work experience and credentials cure the deficiency; reciprocity agreements may not license applicants who have not met substantially equivalent standards.
- MCA 37-68-304 - Master electricians -- application -- qualifications -- contents of examination -- fees · MCA 37-68-304 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Master applicants furnish written evidence of an electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours of practical experience, or at least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience in planning, laying out or supervising installation and repair of wiring; must pass a board-prescribed exam of at least 80 questions on the NEC and Montana rules.
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations - State Electrical Board tables (Residential, Journeyman and Master Electrician) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026State-by-state Yes/No tables linked from the board's license pages. Journeyman Electrician 'Yes': Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming (all other states No, including Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Maine). Master Electrician 'Yes': Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming. The document carries no publication date.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.