Illinois to Oklahoma: master electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oklahoma'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 master or electrical contractor (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
No state has a published contractor-level reciprocity agreement with Oklahoma, so every out-of-state master electrician or electrical contractor uses the same route. Under OAC 158:40-9-2.4 an applicant from a state without a reciprocal agreement may request exam equivalency; if the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam, the technical trade portion of the Oklahoma contractor exam is waived on a certified letter showing current good standing, the license category, a 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline, but the Business and Law portion must still be passed. Otherwise the applicant files the standard application with work history and employer affidavits, documents 12,000 hours (out-of-state residents attach copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses), pays $330, and passes both portions of the Unlimited Electrical Contractor exam through PSI. Before the license is activated the contractor files the $5,000 bond, $50,000 general liability certificate naming CIB as certificate holder, and workers' compensation proof, and must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm.
OAC 158:40-7-5(e) provides that where a written contractor reciprocity agreement exists the applicant receives a journeyman license by reciprocity and the contractor license after passing Business and Law and meeting bond/insurance requirements, but no such agreement is named on any CIB page. Whether the 4,000 hours / two years as a licensed unlimited journeyman must be under an Oklahoma license was not confirmed from an official page. The list of jurisdictions approved for exam equivalency is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Verifiable on-the-job hours in electrical construction while employed by a licensed electrical contractor; 6,000 in commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 by formal electrical education.
- Proof of 4,000 hours and two years of experience as a licensed unlimited electrical journeyman employed by a licensed electrical contractor
What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Contractor application (processing) fee, non-refundable (OAC 158:40-9-3(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($300). Initial contractor license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $200.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Technical trade portion of the Unlimited Electrical Contractor exam (PSI), 70% to pass; waived only under approved exam equivalency.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Oklahoma Electrical Contractor Business and Law portion of the contractor exam (PSI), 70% to pass; never waived.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($184). PSI fee of $92 per examination portion (two portions), non-refundable.
- 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($5,000). Continuous $5,000 license bond filed with the CIB Bonds and Insurance Unit before activation (OAC 158:40-5-5(a)).
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($50,000). Comprehensive general liability insurance, $50,000 combined single limit, with CIB named as certificate holder (OAC 158:40-5-5(b)).
- 8Other. Proof of workers' compensation coverage or exemption; the contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm to activate the license.
Published fees on this path total $514, 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
- Exam fee · $184
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 · $5,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $50,000
How Oklahoma licenses master electricians
Oklahoma master electrician · “Unlimited Electrical Contractor”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Electrical Licensing Unit
Oklahoma has no 'master electrician' license; its highest person-held electrical credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Unlimited, Residential or Limited), which CIB issues to an individual who passes the two-portion contractor exam (technical trade and Business and Law, 70% each). This site maps the Unlimited Electrical Contractor license to the master level. An Unlimited applicant needs 12,000 verifiable hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, including 4,000 hours and two years as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman and 6,000 hours of commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 hours may be formal education. The fee is $330 ($30 application plus $300 initial license) and PSI charges $92 per exam portion. To activate the license the contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm and file a $5,000 license bond, $50,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation proof; an inactive contractor license may be used to work as a journeyman. CIB publishes no contractor-level reciprocity agreements; its rules allow them, but its reciprocity page describes journeyman agreements only.
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 Oklahoma master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma master electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $514, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in Oklahoma?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Reciprocity requires a written agreement between the states, a current license in good standing for at least one year, and current CEU compliance. Journeymen and contractors complete 12 hours of continuing education every three years (six on code changes). Contractor activation requires general liability insurance with CIB as certificate holder, a bond, and workers' compensation proof. Links the Electrical License Act (Title 59, effective 11-1-2025).
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Application Information and Application for Electrical Licensure (revised June 2024) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fees that must accompany the application: Electrical Contractor $330 (license $300 / processing $30); Electrical Journeyman, reciprocal or otherwise, $75 (license $50 / processing $25). Unlimited contractor: 12,000 hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, proof of 4,000 hours and 2 years as a licensed unlimited journeyman, 6,000 commercial/industrial hours; must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm to activate. Out-of-state residents must have completed similar experience and include copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses; utility work is not counted. 'All applicants are required to pass the Oklahoma electrical exam to gain licensure - exception: reciprocal applicants.' Reciprocal licenses cannot be grandfathered and must have been held at least one year.
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Contractor · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Unlimited Electrical Contractor: 12,000 verifiable hours, including 4,000 hours as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman and 6,000 hours of commercial/industrial work under a licensed electrical contractor; up to 2,000 hours by education. Residential Electrical Contractor: 8,000 hours. Limited Electrical Contractor: EE degree plus 8,000 hours, or 16,000 hours. The page mentions no contractor reciprocity.
- Oklahoma Electrical License Act, 59 O.S. §§ 1680-1690 (effective 11-1-2025) · 59 O.S. §§ 1684, 1685, 1685.1 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§1684(B): passing score is 70% on each part; a failing applicant waits 30 days. §1685(A): CIB issues a journeyman electrician or electrical contractor license to any person certified by the Committee of Electrical Examiners as having passed the exam or holding a valid license from another governmental entity with similar requirements, who pays the fee and completes a national criminal history check when required. §1685.1: temporary one-year journeyman licenses for out-of-state journeymen after a declared disaster. The Act contains no section headed reciprocity; agreements are handled under the CIB rules.
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 40 - Electrical Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 07/11/2026) · OAC 158:40-5-5, 158:40-7-5, 158:40-9-2.4, 158:40-9-3 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026158:40-7-5: journeyman and contractor licenses by reciprocity require a written reciprocity agreement; the applicant pays the application fee plus the initial license fee; conditions include substantially equivalent requirements, one year of lawful practice in the origin state immediately before application, no pending discipline (certified statement), and a license obtained by examination; a contractor applicant under a written contractor agreement is issued a journeyman license by reciprocity and receives the contractor license after passing the Business and Law portion of the contractor exam and meeting bond and insurance requirements. 158:40-9-2.4: exam equivalency for licensees of states without an agreement, only where the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam; waives the journeyman exam or the technical trade portion of the contractor exam but not the Business and Law portion; requires a certified letter showing current good standing, category, 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline. 158:40-9-3(b): contractor application $30, initial contractor license $300, renewal $200; journeyman application $25, initial license $50, renewal $75. 158:40-5-5: $5,000 license bond and $50,000 combined single limit general liability insurance for active contractors, plus workers' compensation compliance.
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, effective 12/18/2025) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Other · verified September 15, 2026Eligibility is determined by CIB; PSI fee is $92 per examination portion, non-refundable. Content outlines cover the Unlimited Electrical Contractor, Limited Electrical Contractor, Residential Electrical Contractor, Unlimited Electrical Journeyman, Residential Electrical Journeyman and Refinery Electrical Journeyman exams.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.