Illinois to Wyoming: master electrician license reciprocity
Illinois does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wyoming'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 by examination with out-of-state experience (states without a master reciprocal agreement)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Only Idaho, South Dakota and Iowa masters can reciprocate; a master electrician from any other state (including the fourteen journeyman-only reciprocal states) applies for the Wyoming master exam. Out-of-state experience counts toward the 16,000-hour requirement when documented by notarized employer letters or the Work Verification Form, notarized union letters, or official letters from other licensing boards, and the department may accept a current license from a state board with equal or stricter work-history requirements as proof of hours; 8,000 of the hours must have been as a licensed journeyman. The applicant must also show 576 hours of approved classroom instruction (or the 20,000-hour exemption), pass the exam with 75%, and pay the $200 license fee. W.S. 35-9-126(d) permits a discretionary reciprocal license for any out-of-state license earned by an equal or greater exam, but the department applies reciprocity only to its listed agreement states.
Exam vendor and exam fee are not published on the licensing page (fees are paid to the testing facility; statutory cap $300).
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 15 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 16,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Eight years in the electrical wiring industry across residential, commercial and industrial work, of which 8,000 hours were as a licensed journeyman electrician
- Held a journeyman electrician license for four years (8,000 hours)
- 576 hours of electrically related classroom instruction from an approved apprenticeship program, or 10 years / 20,000 hours as a licensed journeyman or master approved by the Chief Electrical Inspector
What you'll do to get licensed in Wyoming
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wyoming Master Electrician examination, open book on the current NEC, 75% to pass.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid to the testing facility (amount not published on the licensing page; statutory cap $300).
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Initial Master Electrician license fee paid after uploading the exam pass letter (plus 2.5% card processing fee).
- 4Other. Government-issued ID verification in the eLicense portal, work verification documents and apprenticeship education transcripts.
Published fees on this path total $200, 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
- Exam fee
How Wyoming licenses master electricians
Wyoming master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Wyoming issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety. To sit for the master exam an applicant documents eight years (16,000 hours) of work in the electrical wiring industry, of which four years (8,000 hours) were as a licensed journeyman, plus 576 hours of approved classroom instruction (or the 20,000-hour exemption), and must score 75% on the open-book NEC exam. The initial license fee is $200; the license runs three years, expiring July 1, and renews for $100 with 16 hours of approved continuing education, 8 of them on the NEC. A master electrician may serve as master of record for only one electrical contractor (W.S. 35-9-126). Wyoming has master-level reciprocity agreements with Idaho, South Dakota and Iowa 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 Wyoming master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Illinois?
- Yes. Wyoming requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wyoming master electrician license from Illinois?
- Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Illinois work hours count in Wyoming?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wyoming's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 15 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Wyoming to Illinois?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wyoming to Illinois, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wyoming Statutes Title 35, Chapter 9, Article 1 - Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · W.S. 35-9-126(a), 35-9-126(d), 35-9-129 · Wyoming Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 202635-9-126(a): applicants for master and journeyman licenses apply to the chief electrical inspector, pass the examination and pay the license fee; a master license expires July 1 and a journeyman license January 1 in the third year after issue; up to 4,000 hours of electrical school credit toward work experience. 35-9-126(d): the department may issue a reciprocal license to an applicant who obtained an out-of-state or foreign license through an examination equal to or exceeding Wyoming's. 35-9-129: fee caps - master $200, journeyman $100, temporary permit $50, examination $300.
- Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office - Fire Council and Electrical Board · Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026The five-member Electrical Board appointed by the governor adopts the rules for licensing master and journeyman electricians, technicians, apprentices, temporary permits and reciprocal licenses.
- Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office - Electrical Safety Home Page · Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Effective April 1, 2025 a 2.5% processing fee (minimum $1) is added to card payments; Wyoming currently enforces the 2023 NEC with the 2026 NEC effective July 1, 2026; links the licensing portal and the statutes and rules.
- Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety - Licensing · W.S. 35-9-101 et seq. · Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Electrical Safety Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026The only statewide construction-trade licensing program in Wyoming; the page lists apprentice, low-voltage/limited technician, journeyman and master electrician licenses and electrical/low-voltage contractor licenses. It contains no HVAC, mechanical or refrigeration license. The one HVAC-related state credential is the LM-H Limited Technician license, which covers the electrical wiring of HVAC systems only.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.