Iowa to Wyoming: master electrician license reciprocity
Wyoming has a reciprocity agreement with Iowa: a Iowa master electrician can get a Wyoming license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Iowa (master)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Wyoming's Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety lists Iowa as a state with which it has a reciprocal Master Electrician license agreement. Reciprocation exempts the applicant from the Wyoming exam only, not from Wyoming's licensure requirements. The applicant must have obtained the Iowa master license by examination with a score of 75% or greater, held it for at least one year from the exam date, be in good standing with no violations, and meet Wyoming's master requirements: four years as a licensed journeyman with 8,000 journeyman hours, 8,000 apprentice hours and 576 hours of approved apprenticeship schooling, verified through NERA. The applicant also uploads proof of 16 hours of CEUs (8 code-related) completed within the last three years, and pays the $200 license fee at checkout after approval. A license may be reciprocated into Wyoming only once, anyone who failed a Wyoming exam must wait three years, and grandfathered licenses are not eligible.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Typical processing
- About 15 days
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Iowa license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have held your Iowa license for at least 1 year.Held for a minimum of one year from the date of examination
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Held a journeyman electrician license for four years
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.8,000 hours of on-the-job training as a journeyman electrician, plus 8,000 apprentice hours verified through NERA
- Four years (576 hours) of apprenticeship schooling from a Department of Labor approved school (transcript uploaded with the application)
- May reciprocate into Wyoming only once; if the reciprocated Wyoming license lapses the applicant must qualify by examination
- An applicant who failed a Wyoming master or journeyman exam must have held the origin license for three years before reciprocating
What you'll do to get licensed in Wyoming
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Initial Master Electrician license fee paid at checkout in the eLicense portal after approval (plus a 2.5% card processing fee since April 1, 2025).
- 2Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Proof of 16 hours of CEUs completed within the last three years, at least 8 hours from a code-related course.
- 3Other. Copy of government-issued ID, copy of the current origin license card and apprenticeship schooling documentation uploaded in the eLicense portal.
Published fees on this path total $200, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
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.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Wyoming master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Iowa?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Iowa.
- How long do I need to have held my Iowa license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Wyoming master electrician license from Iowa?
- Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 15 days.
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.