Indiana to Nebraska: master electrician license reciprocity
Indiana does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Nebraska'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 without a reciprocity agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master electrician or electrical contractor from a state outside Nebraska's contractor agreements applies for the Electrical Contractor exam on the standard Application for State Electrical License, documenting at least one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician (or an electrical engineering degree plus one year, or five years of planning, laying out, supervising and installing electrical wiring) with employer verification letters, pays the $180 application fee, and must pass the Nebraska contractor exam through PSI. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120(1) also lets the Board license without examination, in the same grade and class, an electrician licensed for at least one year by a state that provides similar treatment and whose qualifications equal Nebraska's, but the Division's pages do not describe using that authority outside the listed agreements. After passing, the applicant pays the license fee and must keep the public liability insurance required by the Board. There is no separate business or law exam; State Electrical Act questions are part of the trade exam.
The PSI exam fee and the Board's required liability insurance limits are not published on the Division's pages fetched for this file. Whether an out-of-state journeyman license satisfies the 'licensed journeyman electrician' experience requirement was not confirmed from an official page, although the application form accepts any listed current license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- At least one year of experience acceptable to the Board as a licensed journeyman electrician, or a four-year electrical engineering degree plus one year as a journeyman, or five years planning, laying out, supervising and installing electrical wiring (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2107; 2026 application)
What you'll do to get licensed in Nebraska
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($180). Electrical Contractor application fee, non-refundable once processed.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Nebraska Electrical Contractor exam administered by PSI: 2023 NEC (open book), basic electrical theory, Nebraska State Electrical Act, emergency and fire alarm circuits.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($187.50). License fee when issued in an even-numbered year (2026); $375 when issued in an odd-numbered year, covering the remainder of the two-year term.
- 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Public liability insurance policy as required by the State Electrical Board (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2104(6)(c)); limits not published on the Division's pages.
Published fees on this path total $367.50, 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
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How Nebraska licenses master electricians
Nebraska master electrician · “Electrical Contractor”
Statewide license
Issued by Nebraska State Electrical Division (State Electrical Board)
Nebraska's highest person-held electrical license is the Electrical Contractor license, issued by the State Electrical Division to an individual who has at least one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician (or a four-year electrical engineering degree plus one year as a journeyman) and passes the PSI-administered contractor exam. Nebraska stopped issuing new Class A Master Electrician licenses in 1993; the master, Class B contractor and Class B journeyman fees in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118(4) apply only to renewals of licenses issued before September 9, 1993, so this site maps the Electrical Contractor license to the master level. The application fee is $180 and the license fee is $187.50 per year of the two-year term ($187.50 when issued in an even-numbered year, $375 in an odd-numbered year); licenses expire December 31 of even-numbered years. Contractors must keep in force the public liability insurance required by the Board. The Board has reciprocal Electrical Contractor agreements with Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas, and its Electrical Contractor page also names Iowa.
Why Indiana has nothing to transfer
Indiana master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Indiana has no statewide master electrician or electrical contractor license and no state electrical board; the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's list of regulated professions contains no electrical trade. The master-level credential exists only at the local level and under varying names: Indianapolis/Marion County licenses Electrical Contractors whose craft license holder has passed the city's exam, Allen County (Fort Wayne) issues an Electrical Supervisors License that it expressly treats as a master electrician license, Evansville and Bloomington license Master Electricians by local examination, and South Bend and Terre Haute license electrical contractors on proof of a passing ICC National Master Electrician (or Experior/master) exam score. An out-of-state master electrician license carries no state-level recognition in Indiana and none of the major jurisdictions publish a formal reciprocity path for other states' licenses; a master must apply in each city or county where they will pull permits, which in practice means holding an ICC national master exam score or passing the local exam, then meeting that jurisdiction's bond and insurance requirements.
How local licensing works in Indiana
How local licensing works. Indiana regulates plumbers at the state level but has never created a state electrician or electrical contractor license. Each city or county building department decides whether and how to license electrical contractors and master-level electricians, and there is no statewide portability rule. Several jurisdictions accept the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam as the qualifying test, which makes an ICC score the most portable credential inside the state.
Indianapolis / Marion County. The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services issues an Electrical Contractor license to a business that has at least one electrical craft license holder who has passed the required examination (contact the Trade Board & Licensing Coordinator for the exam); a license holder may be connected to only one partnership, LLC or corporation. The packet requires proof of business registration, a certificate of insurance ($500,000 per occurrence bodily injury and $100,000 property damage, or $500,000 combined) naming the Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County as additional insured, workers' compensation coverage or an Indiana exemption certificate (Ohio-based companies need an Indiana Certificate of Compliance), and a $10,000 license or permit surety bond expiring 12/31/2027. 2026 fees: new license holder $377 (applied for January-June 2026), $283 (July-December 2026) or $189 (2027); new business license $247, $185 or $124; business and license-holder renewals $247 each; more than five authorized agents $63 each. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years.
Fort Wayne / Allen County. The Building Department's Electrical Supervisors License requires four years and 7,000 hours as a journeyman (or eight years and 14,000 hours of documented OJT plus 30 days as a licensed journeyman) and a passing examination; the holder 'shall be considered a master electrician' and may qualify a business for the Electrical Contractors Business Registration ($90; supervisor license $25). Section H of the rules grants licensing reciprocity subject to the trade's reciprocity guidelines and the minimum qualifications, and allows the Building Commissioner to grant reciprocity at his discretion to applicants who present the necessary credentials.
Evansville. The Building Commission licenses Master Electricians (persons, firms or corporations installing or contracting to install electrical wiring and equipment). Applicants submit three notarized letters on letterhead proving at least four years of experience, are approved by the trade board to test, sit the exam through Ivy Tech and must score 75% or higher on each part, then receive a provisional license on paying the $300 fee and providing insurance and a surety bond; the Licensing and Disciplinary Board gives final approval. Renewal is $225 with a $25 late fee after January 31.
South Bend. The Building Department licenses electrical contractors after review of an application showing at least 21 years of age, four years of experience verified by employer letters (or business tax records), and a passing score of at least 70% on the ICC National Master Electrician exam (F16-N) via Pearson Vue or Prometric or a comparable nationally recognized exam approved by the Board of Examiners; a $5,000 surety bond naming the City of South Bend/St. Joseph County, workers' compensation proof, a $50 application review fee and $125 annual registration are required. South Bend issues reciprocal letters ($70) only to municipalities that accept the ICC master exams and cannot guarantee acceptance elsewhere.
Terre Haute. Commercial and residential electrical contractor licenses are issued to businesses; a full-time employee must have passed the Experior Assessment master electrician exam or equivalent for the commercial license (master, journeyman or residential exam for the residential license), proven by a letter from the testing agency. General contractor registration requirements also apply: a $10,000 bond on the city's form and $500,000/$100,000 insurance naming the city; a non-owner master signs a letter accepting responsibility as designated supervisor.
Bloomington. A city ordinance makes it unlawful to engage in electrical contracting without a city license and creates a Board for the Examination and Registration of Electricians that examines and licenses master electricians; current fees were not confirmed from the archived ordinance.
Out-of-state holders. No jurisdiction reviewed publishes reciprocity for another state's master or contractor license. Allen County has a discretionary reciprocity clause; South Bend and Terre Haute accept ICC/Experior national exam scores regardless of where they were earned; Indianapolis and Evansville require their own examinations. Expect to license separately in each jurisdiction and to meet each one's bond and insurance rules.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Nebraska master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Indiana?
- Yes. Nebraska requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Nebraska master electrician license from Indiana?
- Published fees on this path total $367.50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Indiana work hours count in Nebraska?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Nebraska's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Nebraska to Indiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Nebraska to Indiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Application for State Electrical License (updated 3/2026) · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026One form for Electrical Contractor, Journeyman Electrician, Residential Journeyman, Fire Alarm Installer, Special Installer and Apprentice; applicants tick 'Application for License By: PSI Examination / Reciprocity with Other States / Having Passed an Approved Municipal Examination' and list current licenses with whether each was obtained by written exam. Application fees: Electrical Contractor $180; Journeyman $90; Residential Journeyman $90; Fire Alarm Installer $90. License fees issued in even years: Contractor $187.50, Journeyman $37.50; odd years: Contractor $375, Journeyman $75. 'Applicants for reciprocal licenses are required to submit a registration fee equal to the application fee plus license fee.' Experience: contractor needs an EE degree plus one year as a journeyman, one year as a licensed journeyman, or five years planning, laying out, supervising and installing electrical wiring; journeyman needs four years verifiable experience or three years plus an electrical technology degree.
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Electrical Contractor · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Qualifications: a four-year electrical engineering degree plus one year as a licensed journeyman electrician, or at least one year of experience acceptable to the Board as a licensed journeyman electrician. Application fee $180; license fee $187.50 (even-numbered year) or $375 (odd-numbered year). States that the Board has a reciprocal Electrical Contractor agreement with Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas; the Reciprocal Information page lists only Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas.
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Information and Licensing Applications · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exams for all license types except apprentice registration cover the 2023 National Electrical Code, basic electricity theory, the Nebraska State Electrical Act and emergency circuits including fire alarm circuits. Links the 2026 mail-in licensing application, the online application portal, and Policy 37 on the retest waiting period (effective July 11, 2025).
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Exam Scheduling · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Applicants submit an Exam Application to the Division, and after approval receive an email from PSI (the third-party testing provider) with a link to schedule and pay for the exam. The page does not state the PSI exam fee.
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - 2025-2026 License and Registration Fees · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Per year of the two-year license period: Electrical Contractor $187.50; Class A Master $187.50; Class B Electrical Contractor $187.50; Class B Master $187.50; Journeyman Electrician $37.50; Class B Journeyman $37.50; Residential Wireman $37.50; Fire Alarm Installer $37.50; Apprentice Registration $35. Licenses expire December 31, 2026.
- Nebraska State Electrical Division - Reciprocal Information · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Journeyman Electrician reciprocity with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming; Electrical Contractor reciprocity with Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas. Conditions: the applicant must have passed a state examination with 75% or greater for the license to be reciprocated and must have held that license in good standing for at least one year. One-time reciprocation policy: a reciprocal licensee who lets the Nebraska license lapse must take an exam to get it back. Refunds are not made for processed applications. Applications are filed through the online portal or the mail-in form.
- State Electrical Act and State Electrical Board Rules (March 2026 booklet) · Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 81-2104(6), 81-2107, 81-2108, 81-2109, 81-2115, 81-2118, 81-2120 · Nebraska State Electrical Division · Statute · verified September 15, 2026'Important Facts' section: all state electrical licenses expire December 31 of each even-numbered year; 12 hours of continuing education (six on the NEC) per two-year period; reciprocal journeyman agreements with the thirteen listed states and reciprocal Electrical Contractor agreements with Minnesota and South Dakota. §81-2108: wiring for others requires licensure as a Class B electrical contractor, electrical contractor, Class A master electrician or fire alarm installer; journeymen must be employed by one of those. §81-2118(4): Class B electrical contractor, Class A master electrician and Class B journeyman fees apply only to renewal of licenses issued before September 9, 1993. §81-2104(6)(c): the board may revoke the license of an electrical contractor or master electrician who fails to keep in force a public liability insurance policy as required by the board. §81-2115: the written exam covers the current NEC and electrical theory; the NEC portion is open book.
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2107 - Electrical contractor license; applicant; qualifications · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2107 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026An applicant for an electrical contractor license shall (a) be a graduate of a four-year electrical course in an accredited college or university or (b) have at least one year's experience, acceptable to the board, as a journeyman electrician. Class B electrical contractor licenses are limited to residential systems of 400 amperes or less in municipalities under 100,000 population.
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 - Licenses and registrations; expiration; fees · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2118 · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026All licenses expire December 31 of each even-numbered year; the board sets examination, issuance and renewal fees by unanimous vote; expired licenses may be renewed for three months with a 10% per month penalty, after which a new application is required.
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120 - Licenses; issued without examination based on reciprocity; qualifications; reciprocal credentialing agreement, military occupational specialty, or apprenticeship training program · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-2120 (as amended by Laws 2024, LB16) · Nebraska Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(1) To the extent another state provides for similar action, the board may grant licenses without examination, of the same grade and class, to an electrician licensed by that state for at least one year, on payment of the fee and proof that the applicant's qualifications equal those of Nebraska licensees. (2) The board shall issue a license to an applicant who holds a credential in a state with a reciprocal credentialing agreement, a qualifying military occupational specialty, or a license whose prerequisite was completion of a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship, if the credential has been held at least one year, was obtained by exam or education/training/experience standards, and the applicant has no disqualifying criminal record, revocation, surrender or pending complaint, and pays the fees; the board acts within 60 days or five business days after its next meeting.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.