Illinois to New Jersey: master electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Jersey's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state electrician or contractor without a recognized reciprocal jurisdiction: qualify and sit the New Jersey electrical contractor exam
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An applicant from a state the Board has not recognized under N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 receives no exam waiver. They file the Application for Examination with the $100 non-refundable fee, a photo, disclosure of every license held in any jurisdiction, and Work Experience Certifications from each employer proving five years of hands-on electrical construction and installation work in compliance with the NEC; the employer certification asks in what state the employer is licensed, so out-of-state experience is accepted as proof. The five years must be a completed four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship (DOL certificate) plus at least one year (2,000 hours) as a journeyman, or an alternative the Board accepts such as a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology (credited for three years) plus two years of hands-on work. After the Board approves eligibility the applicant must pass all three written sections of the Board exam (electrical contractor, business and law, alarm systems), then pay the prorated license fee ($225 in the first year of the triennial period). To actually contract, the licensee's business must then obtain a business permit ($150 prorated) with a $1,000 surety bond, $300,000 general liability coverage or bank letter of credit, a federal tax ID and a pressure seal. Reciprocity without examination is available only where the Board finds equal reciprocity and substantial equivalence (2,000 supervised hours count as one apprenticeship year), the applicant has practiced as a contractor for two of the last five years, and completes an eight-hour New Jersey business-law course; no qualifying states are published.
The Board's exam vendor fee is not stated on any page that could be opened and is omitted. Whether the Board has determined that any state satisfies the 'equal reciprocity' test of N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 / N.J.S.A. 45:5A-11.8 could not be confirmed because the Board's FAQ page could not be opened; no agreements are listed for that reason. Older Board documents quote a $150 initial license fee and $90 renewal; the current N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 schedule (effective June 2, 2025) sets $225.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Five years in electrical construction and installation immediately preceding the application: a completed four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship plus at least one year (2,000 hours) of hands-on work as a journeyman, or a Board-accepted alternative (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9(b); N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3)
- Over 21 years of age with a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1)
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in New Jersey
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable Application for Examination filing fee (N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board electrical contractor examination: electrical contractor section and alarm systems section (all sections must be passed; retakes after six months).
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and law section of the Board electrical contractor examination.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($225). Initial electrical contractor license fee when paid in the first year of the triennial period ($150 second year, $75 third year); triennial renewal $225.
- 5Business license. Obtain a business license ($150). Initial business permit fee when issued in the first year of the triennial period ($100 second year, $50 third year); required to contract, one licensee may qualify only one permit.
- 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($1,000). Surety bond in favor of the State of New Jersey for a 36-month term (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19), filed with the business permit application.
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($300,000). General liability insurance (or bank letter of credit) of at least $300,000 naming the Board as certificate holder, with 10-day cancellation notice (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9.1).
- 8Other. Work Experience Certification from each employer covering the five years claimed, U.S. DOL apprenticeship Certificate of Completion or diploma, and a 2x2 photograph.
Published fees on this path total $325, 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
- Law / code exam
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license · $150
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $1,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $300,000
How New Jersey licenses master electricians
New Jersey master electrician · “Licensed Electrical Contractor”
Statewide license
Issued by New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (Division of Consumer Affairs)
New Jersey has no license called 'master electrician'; its highest person-held electrical credential is the Electrical Contractor license, issued by the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors to an individual who establishes five years of qualifying experience and passes the Board's three-part written examination (electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems). This file treats that license as the master level. Under N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9 as amended by P.L. 2021, c.479, the five years must consist of a completed four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship followed by at least one year (2,000 hours) as a journeyman; the Board's overview also describes alternatives such as a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering plus two years of hands-on work, and the exam application lets a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology count for three of the five years. The individual license alone does not permit contracting: the licensee's business must also hold a Board business permit backed by a $1,000 surety bond and $300,000 of general liability insurance, and every licensee must be over 21 with a high school diploma or equivalent. Licenses and permits run on a three-year cycle. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 allows licensure without examination for electrical contractors from jurisdictions that give New Jersey equal reciprocity and have substantially equivalent requirements, but the Board publishes no list of such states.
Why Illinois has nothing to transfer
Illinois master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Illinois does not issue a statewide master electrician license and has no state electrical board; the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation does not license electricians. The master-level credential exists only at the municipal level, under names that vary by city: Chicago issues a Supervising Electrician license (2 years of experience plus a written exam) and separately licenses Electrical Contractors, Springfield issues an Electrical License based on 5 years of experience and the ICC Master Electrician exam, and Peoria, Aurora, Naperville and Elgin accept ICC Master/Residential Electrician certificates or licenses from Illinois testing municipalities. An out-of-state master electrician license carries no state-level recognition in Illinois and none of the major jurisdictions publish a reciprocity or endorsement path for it. A master electrician from another state must apply with each municipality where they will work, which typically means passing the ICC or local exam once and then registering as an electrical contractor in each additional city.
How local licensing works in Illinois
How local licensing works. Illinois has no state electrician license and no state electrical board. The Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/11-33-1) allows each municipality to require registration of electrical contractors, with an annual fee of $25, and provides that a contractor registered in one municipality cannot be required to register or pay a fee in another. Anything beyond registration (examinations, experience requirements, supervising or master licenses) comes from each city's or county's own ordinance.
Chicago. The Department of Buildings licenses Supervising Electricians (individuals) and Electrical Contractors (businesses); the supervising electrician is Chicago's equivalent of a master electrician. Eligibility for the supervising electrician exam is age 21 and at least 2 years of experience installing, altering, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring under a supervising electrician or equivalent, verified by supervisor letters. General and low-voltage exams are administered by Continental Testing Services (2026 fees: $150 per exam, $150 initial license, $150 annual renewal). An electrical contractor license ($150 initial, $150 renewal) is issued to a business, including a sole proprietorship, that is owned by or employs at least one licensed supervising electrician, who must perform or supervise all of the contractor's electrical work and may be the primary supervising electrician for only one contractor. Chicago's pages do not describe any reciprocity or endorsement for out-of-state licenses.
Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department issues an Electrical License to individuals who document 5 years of practical electrical experience with at least 2 years overseeing and directing electrical work and pass the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam (W16). Applications go before the Springfield Electrical Commission; the fee is $25 and licenses expire December 31. A grandfather clause allows applicants licensed in another Illinois or out-of-state municipality with reciprocal testing to substitute proof of that exam only if the license was originally issued before 10/10/2007 and has not lapsed more than two years; otherwise the ICC exam is required.
Peoria. Electrical licenses are issued to individuals ($150 annual). Holders of Normal or Pekin licenses may register without testing; all others submit an ICC contractor exam certificate from the 2017 code cycle or newer.
Rockford. Registration only ($25 per calendar year, or free with proof of registration or license in another Illinois municipality); no exam.
Naperville and Aurora. Both accept current ICC certifications (Standard Master Electrician for commercial, Standard Residential Electrician for residential) or a license from a listed testing municipality (Naperville lists Chicago, Elgin, Libertyville, Orland Park, Ottawa, Peoria and Woodstock) in lieu of local testing. Naperville no longer renews or issues its own electrical licenses as of December 31, 2022 and registers electrical contractors through its Civic Access portal; Aurora requires a certificate of insurance naming the city.
Elgin. Requires a contractor's license from any Illinois city that gives a written NEC-based examination, or Elgin's own exam administered monthly through CLEC Enterprises.
Unincorporated Cook County. Electrical contractors must register with the Department of Building and Zoning ($150 initial, $75 annual renewal per trade), provide $1,000,000 general liability insurance naming the department, and submit a current supervising electrician's license from an Illinois city, town or village that has an electrical commission administering an examination.
Out-of-state holders. No reciprocity or endorsement path for other states' master licenses was found in any of these jurisdictions. The practical route is to pass the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam (accepted by Springfield, Peoria, Aurora and Naperville) or a testing city's exam such as Chicago's, then register as an electrical contractor in each municipality where work will be performed.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the New Jersey master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. New Jersey requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a New Jersey master electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $325, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in New Jersey?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Jersey's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Jersey to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Jersey to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application for Examination (electrical contractor) · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $100 application filing fee. Applicants must document practical experience working with tools in compliance with the NEC with a Work Experience Certification from each employer (the certification asks whether the employer is a licensed electrical contractor and in what state, so out-of-state employment is contemplated), must disclose licenses held in any other state, and may use a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology for three of the five years, with the remaining two years hands-on.
- Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application Process Overview · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Other · verified September 15, 2026Board slide deck summarizing the journeyman qualification (8,000 hours with 576 classroom hours, 4,000 hours within five years) and the electrical contractor exam eligibility (over 21, high school diploma, five years hands-on experience, or a four-year federally approved apprenticeship plus one year, or a qualified journeyman plus one year, or a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering plus two years). It lists application fees of $40 (journeyman) and $100 (electrical contractor) and a three-year license term; the $40 figure predates the 2025 fee schedule.
- Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application for an Initial Business Permit · N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9.1, 45:5A-19; N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026A licensed electrical contractor who wants to contract must obtain a business permit: $1,000 surety bond in favor of the State for a 36-month term (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19), certificate of general liability insurance or bank letter of credit of at least $300,000 naming the Board as certificate holder, federal tax ID, pressure seal, and the prorated permit fee ($150 in the first year of the April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2027 triennial, $100 in the second, $50 in the third).
- N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 - Fee schedule (Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Current fee schedule (effective June 2, 2025): non-refundable application fee for all licenses $100; initial electrical contractor license $225/$150/$75 depending on the year of the triennial period (renewal $225); initial business permit $150/$100/$50 (renewal $150); initial Class A journeyman electrician license $150/$100/$50 (renewal $150); Class B wireman $75/$50/$25; temporary courtesy license $75; 30-day temporary license $75; late renewal $50; reinstatement $100.
- N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1 - Qualifications of applicants for the electrical contractor examination · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Exam applicants must be over 21, hold a high school diploma or equivalency, meet the experience requirements of 13:31-2.3, pay the application fee before testing and the license fee after passing.
- N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.2 - Board licensing examination (electrical contractor) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.2 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026The electrical contractor examination has three written sections: electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems. All three must be passed; failed sections may be retaken after six months, three consecutive failures require restarting, and all sections must be passed within five years. Exams are held at least four times a year.
- N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 - Experience requirements for the electrical contractor examination · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Requires five years immediately preceding the application in electrical construction and installation, consisting of a completed four-year U.S. DOL-accredited apprenticeship (DOL Certificate of Completion) followed by at least one year (2,000 hours) of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman electrician. Supervising, engineering, estimating and managerial time does not count.
- N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 - Electrical contractor licensure by reciprocity · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026The Board may license an out-of-state electrical contractor without examination only if that jurisdiction provides equal reciprocity to New Jersey electrical contractors and the Board finds its qualifications and examination substantially equivalent (2,000 supervised hours count as one apprenticeship year). The applicant must have actively practiced as an electrical contractor for two of the last five years, have no discipline or pending complaints, be current on continuing education, complete an eight-hour Board-approved course in New Jersey business law and Board statutes and rules, and have the origin board send verification directly. No list of qualifying states is published.
- Electrical Contractors Licensing Act of 1962, N.J.S.A. 45:5A-1 et seq., with Board regulations (compilation) · N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9, 45:5A-9.1, 45:5A-19 · State of New Jersey (nj.gov) · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Older compilation hosted on nj.gov; used for 45:5A-9(a) (a business permit plus a licensed electrical contractor is required to engage in electrical contracting), 45:5A-9.1 (every business permit holder must file a $300,000 general liability certificate or bank letter of credit) and 45:5A-19 (the $1,000 surety bond). Its fee schedule predates the 2025 amendments and is not used.
- P.L. 2021, c.479 - An Act concerning the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (Class A journeyman, Class A apprentice and Class B wireman licenses) · N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9, 45:5A-11.1, 45:5A-11.7, 45:5A-11.8, 45:5A-11.9 · New Jersey Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Converts the former 'qualified journeyman electrician' registration into a mandatory Class A journeyman electrician license and creates Class A electrical apprentice and Class B wireman licenses (registrants had 13 months after enactment to exchange registrations). Amends 45:5A-9(b): an electrical contractor exam applicant needs five years in the trade, spent as one year as a Class A journeyman and four years in a U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship. C.45:5A-11.7: the Board may issue a temporary license without examination to an out-of-state Class A journeyman, apprentice or wireman for up to 30 days (one per triennial period). C.45:5A-11.8: the Board 'may in its discretion grant licenses without examination to applicants so licensed in another state ... provided that equal reciprocity is provided' to New Jersey electrical contractors, Class A journeymen, Class A apprentices and Class B wiremen.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.