Indiana to Wisconsin: master electrician license reciprocity
Indiana does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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 without a reciprocity agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master electrician licensed in any state other than Iowa gets no exam waiver in Wisconsin and applies under Category A of Form 3107 like a first-time candidate. The out-of-state license itself is not credited, but experience is: the applicant documents 60 months with at least 10,000 hours installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring (or 1,000 hours per year for seven years) on the Experience Table (Form 3107T), or uploads a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering. The 12-months-as-a-licensed-journeyman route asks for a copy of the journeyman license and the form does not say whether an out-of-state journeyman license qualifies. The application and fees are submitted in LicensE ($35 application, $30 examination and $200 license fee under Table 305.02), DSPS makes the applicant eligible to test, and the applicant must pass the Wisconsin master electrician exam. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.
DSPS publishes no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states. Whether an out-of-state journeyman license satisfies the 12-month journeyman route was not confirmed from an official page; the 10,000-hour route is available regardless. Fee amounts are from Table 305.02 of the administrative code; the forms say fees are calculated in LicensE.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 10,000 hours over at least 60 months installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring (or 1,000 hours per year for seven years); up to 3,000 hours and three years may come from full-time electrical schooling. Alternatives: 12 months of experience while licensed as a journeyman electrician, or an electrical engineering degree.
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Master Electrician license application fee (Table 305.02 line 25g), paid in LicensE.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($30). Master Electrician examination fee (Table 305.02 line 25g); paid again for each retake.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Master Electrician examination (open book on SPS 305, SPS 316 and the NEC).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Master Electrician initial license fee (Table 305.02 line 25g); two-year credential.
- 5Other. Experience Table (Form 3107T) with witness signatures, journeyman license copy, or engineering transcripts, uploaded to LicensE.
Published fees on this path total $265, 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.
- Exam fee · $30
- Trade exam
How Wisconsin licenses master electricians
Wisconsin master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide, person-held Master Electrician license through DSPS; the separate Electrical Contractor license is a business credential that must designate a master electrician and is not covered here. A new applicant under Wis. Stat. 101.868 qualifies with 12 months of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician, or 60 months with at least 10,000 hours of experience, or a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, applies in the LicensE portal, and passes the DSPS master electrician exam. Under Wis. Stat. 101.874 DSPS may enter into reciprocal agreements; Form 3107 currently waives the exam only for Iowa Master A Electricians. The license is renewed every two years for $40.
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 Wisconsin master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Indiana?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin master electrician license from Indiana?
- Published fees on this path total $265, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Indiana work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to Indiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to Indiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS Form 3107 - Master Electrician License Application Information (Rev. 12/04/2025) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 15, 2026Category A (experience/degree and examination): 12 months of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician, or 60 months with at least 10,000 hours of experience (or 1,000 hours per year for seven years; up to 3,000 hours / three years of schooling credit), or a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering. Category C (reciprocity): a valid, unexpired Master Electrician license acquired through a state examination in Iowa (Master A), held continuously for at least one year immediately before applying, licenses without the Wisconsin exam. Fees are calculated in LicensE.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Master Electrician · Wis. Stat. 101.862; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.43 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program page: applications (Form 3107) are filed in LicensE; exams reflect SPS 316 and the NEC; links to the Trades Renewal Dates and Fees document. Does not itself list reciprocity states.
- DSPS - Trades Renewal Dates and Fees · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026HVAC Qualifier: 4-year credential renewing from date of issuance, renewal fee $100, no CE, reinstatement $200. HVAC Contractor: 4-year registration from date of issuance, renewal $40, reinstatement $200. (SPS 305 Table 305.07 still lists a 2-year term for these credentials; DSPS's current schedule is used here.) Read with pdftotext after download.
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Credentialing Examination Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Trades exams are given at DSPS locations or, at a marginally higher fee, at Pearson test centers selected in the LicensE application; exam reviews are $15.
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Register August 2025) · SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.70; SPS 305.71 · Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Table 305.02: HVAC Contractor registration $15 application fee and $160 registration fee; HVAC Qualifier certification $15 application fee, $25 examination fee, $60 certification fee. SPS 305.70: HVAC contractor registration is mandatory for any person, entity or business installing or servicing HVAC equipment and is applied for by the owner, partner or chief executive; a note reminds that federal Section 608 technician certification is required for refrigerant work. SPS 305.71: an individual may obtain an HVAC qualifier certification by meeting the 4-year experience/education standard, passing the exam under SPS 305.09 and paying the certification fee; a business that uses a qualifier is a 'certified HVAC business' that cannot be required to obtain local approval. The chapter contains no reciprocity or credential-by-endorsement provision for HVAC. Read with pdftotext after download.
- Wis. Stat. 101.868 - Master electrician license · Wis. Stat. 101.868 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Master electrician qualifications: a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, or 12 months of experience while licensed as a journeyman electrician, or 60 months with at least 10,000 hours of experience installing, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring; each followed by passage of the department's examination.
- Wis. Stat. 101.874 - Reciprocal agreements (electrical credentials) · Wis. Stat. 101.874 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026DSPS may enter into a reciprocal agreement with another state recognizing electrician credentials as comparable only if the other state's education, experience and examination requirements are at least equivalent to Wisconsin's; under an agreement DSPS issues a credential to an applicant who submits an application, pays the fee under s. 101.82(4), and holds a valid comparable credential from the other state.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.