Kansas to Idaho: master electrician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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 electricians (reciprocal application with license verification)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master electrician files the master application as a 'Reciprocal' application type ($80 processing fee, which is the $15 application fee plus the $65 original license fee) with a License Verification Form completed by the state of licensure; a copy of the license is not accepted. The verification must show that the license was obtained by examination, that the applicant held a journeyman license for at least four years, that the master license is active, and the date it was originally issued. The application's examination section applies to initial applicants only, but the instructions state that 'a passing examination score may be required prior to the issuance of a license', so DOPL may still require the Idaho master exam (PSI) case by case. An applicant who cannot document four years as a journeyman does not qualify; an applicant with four years as a licensed journeyman in any jurisdiction may instead apply as an initial applicant and take the Idaho master exam.
Exam flags reflect the reciprocal application type, which does not include the examination section; DOPL reserves the right to require a passing exam score before issuing the license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Kansas license must be active and in good standing.
- Your Kansas license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have held your Kansas license for at least 4 years.Journeyman license held for a minimum of four years, consistent with Idaho Code 54-1007(3).
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($15). DOPL application fee (the application form shows the combined $80 processing fee, which includes the license fee).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($65). Original Master Electrician license fee, three-year term (renewal $45); a journeyman license is issued with it at no additional cost.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Idaho State Master Electrician exam administered by PSI; required for initial (experience-pathway) applicants and may be required of reciprocal applicants before issuance.
- 4Other. License Verification Form completed by the state of licensure.
Published fees on this path total $80, 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 · if applicable
How Idaho licenses master electricians
Idaho master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho Electrical Board)
Idaho issues a statewide Master Electrician license through DOPL on behalf of the Idaho Electrical Board. Idaho Code 54-1007(3) qualifies anyone who has worked as a licensed journeyman for at least four years to apply for a master license, and since House Bill 153 a master licensee is automatically issued a journeyman license at no extra cost. The only signed master-level reciprocity agreement is the 2006 bilateral agreement with Wyoming; the multi-state NERA agreement covers journeymen only. For other states, the master application offers a 'Reciprocity Pathway' based on a License Verification Form from the origin state showing licensure by examination, at least four years as a journeyman, and an active master license, but the instructions warn that a passing exam score may still be required before issuance. Applicants who do not qualify that way use the experience pathway (four years as a licensed journeyman) and pass the Idaho master exam administered by PSI.
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 Idaho master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Kansas license?
- At least 4 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho master electrician license from Kansas?
- Published fees on this path total $80, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Idaho Code 54-1007 - Issuance of licenses - Reciprocity · Idaho Code 54-1007 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026Subsection (3): a person who has worked as a licensed journeyman at least four years is qualified to apply for a master license. Subsection (6): 'To the extent that other states that provide for the licensing of electricians require qualifications at least equal to those contained in this chapter, the administrator may enter reciprocal agreements with such other states to grant licenses to electricians licensed by such other states.'
- Idaho Electrical Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Fee table: application fee $15; Journeyman original license $55 (3-year term, renewal $45); Master original license $65 (3-year term, renewal $45).
- Idaho Electrical Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Exams are administered by PSI (registration at test-takers.psiexams.com/idcon/test).
- Idaho Master Electrician License Application and Instructions (revised June 15, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 14, 2026Two pathways: Experience (journeyman license held at least 4 years, then exam) and Reciprocity (License Verification Form from the state of licensure showing licensure by examination, journeyman license held at least 4 years, active master license, and original issue date). $80.00 processing fee. Examination section is marked 'Initial Applicants Only', but the instructions state 'A passing examination score may be required prior to the issuance of a license.'
- Idaho Electrical Board draft meeting minutes, August 12, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026'DOPL staff are reviewing the current reciprocal agreements as well as changes in other states' legislation that may affect those agreements. A revaluation of the reciprocal agreements will be conducted later this year.' Also notes House Bill 153 amended 54-1007 so a master licensee is automatically issued a journeyman license at no additional cost.
- Idaho Electrical Board meeting minutes, October 29, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026Idaho State Journeyman and Master Electrician exams developed with PSI went live December 1, 2025, replacing the NASCLA exams. Idaho hosted the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) conference; staff to report on reciprocal status with surrounding states and the list of participating states.
- Reciprocal Agreement - Wyoming and Idaho Journeyman and Master Electrician Licenses (with the November 9, 1999 Multi-State Electrician Reciprocal Agreement and 2006 amendment adding Idaho) · Idaho Code 54-1007 · Idaho Division of Building Safety / Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · Agreement Document · verified September 14, 2026Bilateral agreement signed 9/21/2006 (Wyoming) and 11/14/2006 (Idaho) covering journeyman and master licenses obtained by examination, current, active, in good standing; journeyman qualified by 8,000 hours plus 576 classroom hours; master qualified by 4 years (8,000 hours) as a licensed journeyman. The same file contains the 1999 Multi-State Electrician Reciprocal Agreement (journeyman only): four-year apprenticeship or 8,000 hours, license current, active and in good standing, and the receiving state may require the license to have been held at least one year.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.