Illinois to Rhode Island: master electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 contractor: journeyperson exam first, contractor exam after two years as a Rhode Island journeyperson (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master electrician or electrical contractor cannot sit the Rhode Island contractor (Certificate A) exam directly. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D the out-of-state contractor's license admits the applicant to the Rhode Island journeyperson exam; only after holding the Rhode Island Certificate B for two years, and with at least 12,000 hours (six years) of experience, may the applicant take the contractor exam. Out-of-state experience counts toward the 12,000 hours and is documented by notarized employer statements, but the two-year Rhode Island journeyperson tenure cannot be substituted with time licensed elsewhere. Each application carries the $75 non-refundable fee, requires a copy of the out-of-state license with an official verification, and the contractor exam must be passed at 70%; the $240 two-year Certificate A license fee is invoiced after passing. Applicants must be at least 21.
DLT does not publish a separate business or law exam for the Certificate A; the contractor exam is a single DLT-administered examination. The practical effect for an out-of-state master is a minimum two-year wait after obtaining the Rhode Island Certificate B. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Illinois license must be active and in good standing.
- Hold a Rhode Island Certificate B journeyperson license for at least two years before applying for the contractor examination
- You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least six years (12,000 hours) of trade experience, verified by notarized employer statements; out-of-state experience is documented the same way.
- At least 21 years of age
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable application processing fee for the electrical contractor examination (a separate $75 fee applies to the earlier journeyperson exam application).
- 2Other. Notarized application, copy of government-issued ID, notarized employer experience letters, copy of the out-of-state license and official license verification.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Electrical Contractor (Certificate A) examination administered by DLT; 70% required to pass (preceded by the Journeyperson Certificate B exam).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($240). Two-year Electrical Contractor Class A license fee, invoiced after a passing score (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16).
Published fees on this path total $315, 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
How Rhode Island licenses master electricians
Rhode Island master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (Certificate A, Class A)”
Statewide license
Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'; the master-level credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Certificate A), issued by DLT to an individual (or, for firms, the AC corporate certificate) after passing the contractor examination. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D and the DLT application instructions, a Certificate A applicant must be at least 21, have at least 12,000 hours (six years) of trade experience, and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B journeyperson license for at least two years; holding a Certificate A does not by itself authorize the holder to perform the work, which still requires the Certificate B. Rhode Island has no reciprocity agreements for this license and no statutory waiver of the exam. Fees are a $75 application fee and a $240 two-year license fee; Class A holders must complete 15 hours of continuing education each renewal.
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 Rhode Island master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island master electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Electrician Application Instructions and Application for Examination · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulations Unit · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $75 application processing fee. All electrical contractor tests require verification of at least six years of trade experience and possession of a Rhode Island journeyperson's license held at least two years before applying for the contractor exam. All electrical journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction. Out-of-state applicants must attach a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts not accepted). Fee table: Electrical Contractor A, $75 application, $240 two-year license; Journeyperson Electrician B, $75, $72; a separate 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' application code (29, $75). Individuals scoring 70 or greater are invoiced for the license fee.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation: Electricians · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Confirms that the DLT Professional Regulation unit licenses, tests and disciplines electricians itself (exams are given by DLT, not a vendor) and links to exam information, applications and the Board of Examiners of Electricians. Contact: Chief Investigator of Electrical, (401) 462-8571.
- 260-RICR-30-15-7 - Board of Examiners of Electricians (DLT regulation, effective January 4, 2022) · 260-RICR-30-15-7 §§ 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.14 · Rhode Island Department of State (Code of Rhode Island Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§7.5: exams are written and may include practical demonstrations; 70% required to obtain a license. §7.6: Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license. §7.7.C: Certificate B applicants must show at least 8,000 hours (4 years) of experience as a registered apprentice. §7.7.D: Certificate A applicants must have at least 12,000 hours (6 years) of experience and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B for two years; 'Out-of-state applicants who hold a contractor's license or journeyperson's license will be allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson's exam', and out-of-state contractors who have held a Rhode Island journeyperson's license for two years and have 12,000 hours may take the contractor exam. Applicants for Certificate A must be at least 21; others at least 18. §7.14: 15 hours of continuing education per renewal for Certificate A and B holders.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 - License fees · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor's license Class A $240; journeyperson electrician's license Class B $72. Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years and renew on payment of the biennial fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 - Application for examination; fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Examination application on the state form with a $75 fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-20.1 - Mandatory continuing education · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-20.1 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026At least 15 clock hours of continuing education per renewal, limited to Class A and Class B electricians.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 - Forms of licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license; Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'. Also lists Certificates C, D, M, E, F, AF, BF, SCF, CF, LPC, LPI and SRL.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-8 - Contractor's certificates/licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-8 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is issued to a person, firm or corporation qualified under the chapter to engage in the business of installing, maintaining, servicing and testing electrical wires, conduits and apparatus. Holding a Certificate A does not by itself entitle the holder to perform the actual work; that requires a Certificate B.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.