Illinois to West Virginia: master electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is West Virginia'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.
Licensure without written examination for out-of-state master electricians (all other jurisdictions)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master electrician licensed by another state, county or city does not take the West Virginia master exam. W. Va. Code 29-3B-4 directs the State Fire Marshal, for jurisdictions licensing electricians, to grant the same or equivalent classification of license without written examination upon satisfactory proof that the applicant can perform electrical work safely and competently and is in good standing with all other jurisdictions where licensed, after payment of the fee. The 2024 electrician rule adds the RECAP Act route (103CSR5 section 6.3, W. Va. Code 29-33-3): the SFM shall issue the license when the applicant has held a similar out-of-state license for at least one year, met that state's education and exam requirements, is in good standing with no revocation, surrender or pending complaint, has no disqualifying criminal record, and has established West Virginia residency; section 6.4 covers people with two or more years of experience in a state that does not license electricians. The applicant submits the SFM application with a written certification of current licensure from the home jurisdiction, evidence of at least two years of experience as a journeyman (West Virginia's master minimum), and the $50 annual license fee; the license expires June 30. Applicants who failed a West Virginia exam or let a West Virginia license lapse are excluded from reciprocal licensing. Where the out-of-state credential is an electrical contractor license rather than a personal master license, the SFM decides whether it is an 'equivalent classification'; that determination is not described on any official page.
103CSR5 section 6.5 permits a West Virginia jurisprudence exam but the SFM's pages do not show one being given, so examLawRequired is false. No reciprocity application form or fee sheet is posted online; the $50 figure is the annual license fee in 103CSR5 sections 7.2 and 9.1.1.e. Third-party sources report SFM agreements with Kentucky and Ohio and a 'two years or 4,000 hours' experience minimum for reciprocal masters; these could not be confirmed on an official page. Residency is a condition of the RECAP route only.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- 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.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- You must have held your Illinois license for at least 1 year.Required under the RECAP route (103CSR5 section 6.3.2); the statutory 29-3B-4 route states no minimum holding period.
- Your Illinois license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.West Virginia's master class requires at least two years of experience as a journeyman electrician (103CSR5 section 4.1; W. Va. Code 29-3B-2 says two years in all phases). 4,000 hours is the two-year equivalent; the rule is expressed in years.
- Has never failed a West Virginia electrician examination and has not let a West Virginia electrician license expire without renewal (103CSR5 section 9.6)
- West Virginia residency (W. Va. Code 11-21-7(a)) is required for the RECAP universal-recognition route
What you'll do to get licensed in West Virginia
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Annual master electrician license fee (103CSR5 sections 7.2 and 9.1.1.e); licenses expire June 30 each year.
- 2Other. Written statement from the origin jurisdiction certifying a current electrician license, submitted with the SFM application (paper or the sfm-permit-public.wvoasis.gov portal).
Published fees on this path total $50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How West Virginia licenses master electricians
West Virginia master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal, Regulatory and Licensing Division
West Virginia issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the Office of the State Fire Marshal (SFM). It is a personal license: W. Va. Code 29-3B-2 defines a master electrician as a person with at least two years of experience in all phases of electrical work who is competent to design systems and supervise journeymen, and 103CSR5 section 4.1 requires two years of experience as a journeyman electrician to sit for the master exam ($25 application review fee, 70% passing score, NEC-based, 2023 NEC from January 1, 2026). Electrical contracting businesses are licensed separately by the WV Division of Labor, but the electrician license itself belongs to the individual and 29-3B-9 prevents cities and counties from requiring any additional electrician license. Licenses expire June 30 every year and renew for $50. Out-of-state master electricians are licensed without the written exam under W. Va. Code 29-3B-4 (same or equivalent classification on proof of competency and good standing) or under the RECAP universal-recognition rule in 103CSR5 section 6.3 (similar license held at least one year plus West Virginia residency). The SFM may sign formal reciprocal agreements; Virginia lists a master-level agreement with West Virginia, and North Carolina's electrical board accepts WV masters with three consecutive years of licensure under a WV agreement.
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 West Virginia master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Illinois license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a West Virginia master electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in West Virginia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward West Virginia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from West Virginia to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from West Virginia to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 103CSR5 - State Fire Marshal Legislative Rule, Series 5, Electrician Licensing Rules (effective May 1, 2024) · W. Va. Code R. 103-5-4, 103-5-5, 103-5-6, 103-5-7, 103-5-9 · West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Section 4: journeyman needs 1 year as an assistant/helper, a registered apprenticeship, or a 1,080-hour WV vocational program; master needs 2 years as a journeyman. Section 5: $25 application review fee, 70% passing grade, exams from the NEC, exam fees paid to the testing agent. Section 6.3: universal recognition (RECAP) - the board shall license a person who holds a similar out-of-state license for at least one year, met that state's exam requirements, is in good standing and has established WV residency; 6.5 allows a jurisprudence exam. Section 7: licenses expire June 30, renewal $50 per year. Section 9: formal reciprocal agreements let nonresident licensees obtain a WV license without written examination on proof of current licensure and payment of the annual license fee; persons who failed a WV exam or let a WV license lapse are ineligible.
- W. Va. Code 29-33-3 - Review and Credential Acknowledgement Procedures (RECAP) Act: issuance of occupational licenses to persons licensed in another state · W. Va. Code 29-33-3 · West Virginia Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Boards shall issue a license to an applicant who holds a valid license in another state with a similar scope of practice and similar education, experience and exam requirements, has held it at least one year, met that state's exam requirements, is in good standing, has established WV residency, has no disqualifying record, revocation, surrender or pending complaint, and pays the fees.
- W. Va. Code 29-3B-2 - Necessity of license; definitions · W. Va. Code 29-3B-2 · West Virginia Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026No electrical work for compensation without a State Fire Marshal license. Defines journeyman electrician (at least one year of experience, may not design systems) and master electrician (at least two years of experience in all phases, competent to design and supervise).
- W. Va. Code 29-3B-4 - License classes; issuance; qualifications; expiration; renewal; reciprocity · W. Va. Code 29-3B-4 · West Virginia Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Classes: master, journeyman, temporary and specialty electrician. For jurisdictions licensing electricians, the Marshal shall grant the same or equivalent classification of license without written examination upon satisfactory proof that the person can perform work safely and competently and is in good standing with every jurisdiction where licensed, after payment of the fee.
- W. Va. Code 29-3B-9 - Nonapplicability of local ordinances; exclusive license · W. Va. Code 29-3B-9 · West Virginia Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026No municipality or county may require any license or other evidence of competence as an electrician from a person who holds a valid State Fire Marshal license.
- WV Office of the State Fire Marshal - Regulatory and Licensing Division (electrician licensing) · West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026The division administers electrician licensing statewide. States that as of January 1, 2026 all WV electrical examinations are based on the 2023 NEC and that the master, journeyman and single family dwelling exams contain 50 multiple-choice questions worth two points each. Links the 2026 exam dates/locations sheet and the online license portal (sfm-permit-public.wvoasis.gov). The page does not list reciprocity partner states or fee amounts.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.