Kansas to Colorado: master electrician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Colorado'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 endorsement (all states; no master reciprocity)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Every out-of-state master electrician applies to Colorado by endorsement, because Board Rule 1.7 does not allow a master license by reciprocity. The applicant must hold or have held an active, state-issued Master Electrician license (or equivalent) issued after passing a state exam based on the NEC edition currently in use in Colorado (the 2023 NEC as of this verification); licenses issued without an exam, on a different NEC edition, or through continuing education are not eligible. The applicant must also document 10,000 hours of electrical experience earned over no fewer than five years, including 2,000 hours of commercial/industrial work, some planning and layout, and supervision performed while holding a journeyman or equivalent license, and must submit a Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board. Qualifying applicants are licensed without taking the Colorado master exam; anyone who does not meet the endorsement criteria must qualify by examination.
The Board held a rulemaking hearing on May 27, 2026 to adopt the 2026 NEC; the DPO application preview still names the 2023 NEC as the edition in use. Application and exam fee amounts are shown only inside DPO Online Services and were not published on the public pages reviewed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Hold or have held an active, state-issued Master Electrician license (or equivalent) in another state
- Your Kansas license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Earned in no less than 5 years, including 2,000 hours commercial/industrial, some planning and layout, and supervision while licensed as a journeyman or equivalent. Documented on Affidavit of Experience forms; experience may be accumulated in other states.
What you'll do to get licensed in Colorado
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee paid in DPO Online Services (amount not published on the public pages; non-refundable).
- 2Other. Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board.
- 3Other. Affidavit(s) of Experience completed by each supervising electrical contractor.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Colorado Master Electrician exam (PSI) - only if the origin license does not meet the endorsement criteria.
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 · if applicable
How Colorado licenses master electricians
Colorado master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)
Colorado issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. A master license can be obtained only by examination or by endorsement; Board Rule 1.7 states that a Colorado master electrician's license may not be granted by reciprocity, so there are no master-level reciprocity agreements. By examination an applicant needs 10,000 hours of experience over at least five years (or a qualifying degree with fewer hours) and must pass the PSI-administered Colorado master exam. By endorsement an applicant who holds or has held an active state-issued master license obtained by exam on the NEC edition Colorado currently uses, and who documents 10,000 hours over five years, is licensed without the Colorado exam. Licenses expire September 30 every three years.
Why Kansas has nothing to transfer
Kansas master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Kansas does not issue a master electrician license; the master credential exists only at the county and city level under the framework in K.S.A. 12-1525 to 12-1527. State law requires a master certificate of competency to rest on a valid journeyman certificate held for at least two years plus a passing score of 75% on an ICC, IAPMO or Prometric standard master exam, and makes that certificate valid proof of competency in every Kansas jurisdiction that licenses electricians. Sedgwick County/Wichita (MABCD) issues master electrician certificates ($35) to certified journeymen with two more years of field experience who pass ICC 554/KGD/F16/G16/T16; Kansas City, Kansas licenses master electricians after four years of experience including two years of commercial or industrial work; Lawrence certifies masters with four years of field experience or two years as a journeyman ($20); and Johnson County uses the ICC Standard Master Electrician exam (554/KGD) to qualify the individual behind a Class DE electrical contractor license ($325 for a new license). None of these jurisdictions has a reciprocity agreement with another state - MABCD states it does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions - so an out-of-state master's advantage is limited to submitting an already-passed ICC master exam score (Johnson County and MABCD accept the ICC national master exams) and documented experience in place of retesting.
How local licensing works in Kansas
How local licensing works. Kansas has no state master electrician license. K.S.A. 12-1526(f) requires applicants for a master certificate to have held a valid journeyman certificate for at least two years, and 12-1525 designates the ICC, IAPMO and Prometric master exams (75% minimum). A master certificate of competency earned on a standard exam is accepted for licensure in any other Kansas county or city without re-examination; a license based on a local alternative exam is valid only in that jurisdiction unless a reciprocal agreement exists (12-1527).
Sedgwick County and Wichita (MABCD). Master electrician certificate: current electrical journeyman certificate plus two years of field experience as a certified journeyman, and a 75% score on ICC 554, KGD, F16, G16 or T16 Master Electrician. New certificate $35, two-year term, renewal $35 with six trade and six general CEUs. An electrical contractor license additionally needs a qualified person holding the master certificate, $300,000 general liability insurance naming MABCD, and 12 hours of CE per renewal; trade contractor licenses expire December 31 of odd years. MABCD states it does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions or with state testing.
Johnson County. The county licenses electrical contractors (Class DE, electrical services only) rather than individual masters. The company's Qualifying Individual must show a passing score on the ICC Standard Master Electrician exam (554 or KGD, Pearson VUE); the county accepts equivalent ICC, Prometric, ETS-subsidiary and IAPMO exams and may recognize ICC National exams with a verified score of 75% or higher. Fees: $100 application plus $225 per license type ($325 for one new license), $225 renewal, $75 late fee; eight hours of CE per classification per year for the Qualifying Individual.
Kansas City, Kansas (Unified Government). Code sec. 8-158: no one may work as a master electrician without a Unified Government master electrician's license. Applicants must be 21 and document one year of experience planning, laying out and supervising electrical installations plus three additional years under a licensed electrical contractor or master electrician, at least two of them in commercial or industrial work; an approved post-high-school electrical course earns up to two years' credit. Testing is through Prometric via the Building Inspection division; fees and reciprocity are not published.
Lawrence. Master electrician certification requires four years of practical field experience or two years as a journeyman, verified by notarized employer statements, and a 75% score on the K.S.A. standard exam ($50 exam application); license $20, renewal $10, six hours of CE per year. Certificates of competency from other Kansas jurisdictions are accepted.
Out-of-state masters. No interstate reciprocity is published anywhere in Kansas. A master who already passed an ICC master exam elsewhere should present the score (Sedgwick County lists the national ICC 554/F16/G16/T16 exams; Johnson County will consider ICC National scores of 75%+) with experience documentation; otherwise the ICC or Prometric master exam must be taken through a sponsoring Kansas jurisdiction, after which the certificate is portable statewide.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Colorado master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Colorado?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Colorado's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Colorado to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Colorado to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 3 CCR 710-1 - State Electrical Board Rules and Regulations · 3 CCR 710-1, Rule 1.7 (Application for Licensure) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Current version effective 2026-07-15. Rule 1.7 sets 8,000 hours / 4 years for journeyman and 10,000 hours / 5 years for master by examination, the endorsement conditions (active license in another state, apprenticeship or required experience, comparable written state exam on the current NEC), journeyman reciprocity for NERA member states or states with a Board agreement, and states that a Colorado master electrician's license may not be granted by reciprocity.
- Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12, Article 115 - Electricians · C.R.S. §§ 12-115-107(2)(i), 12-115-113 · Colorado General Assembly · Statute · verified September 14, 2026§12-115-113(1): the Board shall issue a license by endorsement to a person licensed in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent credentials and qualifications; (2): by reciprocity where a reciprocal agreement exists; (3): the Board may define substantial equivalence by rule. §12-115-107(2)(i) authorizes reciprocal agreements with other states' electrical boards.
- Colorado Electrical Applications and Forms - Licensure Requirements (Examination, Endorsement, Reciprocity) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists experience hours by license type, the endorsement conditions, and the NERA journeyman reciprocity states. Fees are not shown; the page says fees are in the online application.
- Colorado Electrical Homepage - State Electrical Board · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Board rulemaking hearing May 27, 2026 on adopting the 2026 NEC; licenses expire September 30 every three years.
- DPO Master Electrician (ME) Initial Application Preview · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Form · verified September 14, 2026Linked from dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical/Applications. Master has two methods only: examination and endorsement.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.