Kansas to Montana: master electrician license reciprocity
Kansas does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Montana'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 examination for states not determined substantially equivalent
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master electrician from any state other than the five marked 'Yes' in the board's Substantial Equivalency Determinations must take the Montana master exam. Out-of-state journeyman-level experience counts: the applicant submits third-party experience verification of 8,000 hours of journeyman-level work in planning, laying out or supervising installations (or EE transcripts sent directly by the school plus 2,000 hours), together with verifications for every license ever held and any discipline records. MCA 37-1-304 lets the board weigh actual experience and credentials against any deficiency in the origin state's standards. After approval the applicant pays PSI $85 for the open-book 2020 NEC master exam (75% to pass); a $50 journeyman-level temporary practice permit is available while waiting to test.
Applicants who fail the master exam with 69% or less are not eligible for a temporary practice permit. No processing timeline is published.
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 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Legally obtained journeyman-level experience in planning, laying out or supervising installation and repair of wiring, apparatus or equipment; no more than 50% residential (ARM 24.141.515(2)). Alternative: electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours of practical experience
- Official license verification from every state or jurisdiction in which the applicant holds or has ever held a professional license of any type
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($190). Application for license by examination, includes the original license fee (ARM 24.141.405); nonrefundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Montana Master Electrician examination administered by PSI, open book on the 2020 NEC, at least 80 questions, 75% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($85). PSI examination fee, paid to PSI after board approval; nonrefundable, valid one year.
- 4Other. Optional journeyman temporary practice permit for master exam candidates (90 days or until exam results) ($50) (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $275, 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
- Exam fee · $85
How Montana licenses master electricians
Montana master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)
Montana issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the State Electrical Board. Under MCA 37-68-304 an applicant needs either an electrical engineering degree from an accredited college plus 2,000 hours of practical experience, or at least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience in planning, laying out or supervising electrical installations (no more than 50% residential), and must pass the PSI open-book exam on the 2020 NEC (at least 80 questions) with 75%. The $190 application fee includes the original license; renewal is $140 every two years with 16 CE hours. Out-of-state masters are reviewed for substantial equivalency: the board's published determinations mark only Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming as 'Yes', and their licensees are licensed by endorsement without the exam; masters from all other states must take the Montana exam. The board does not sign formal master-level reciprocity agreements (ARM 24.141.504(1) limits those to residential and journeyman licenses).
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 Montana master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
- Yes. Montana requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Montana master electrician license from Kansas?
- Published fees on this path total $275, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kansas work hours count in Montana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Montana's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Montana to Kansas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Montana to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Montana State Electrical Board - Exam Information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026PSI is the exam vendor; exams are based on the 2020 NEC as of June 10, 2022; only board-approved applicants may register and may sit within about a week of the admission letter; PSI test centers nationwide.
- Montana State Electrical Board / PSI Examination Information Sheet (3/27/2025) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry / PSI Services · Other · verified September 15, 2026PSI examination fees: Master Electrician $85, Journeyman Electrician $75, Residential Electrician $75; fees nonrefundable and valid one year; Montana test sites in Billings, Helena, Missoula, Great Falls and other locations.
- Montana State Electrical Board Laws and Rules Booklet (MCA Title 37 Chapter 68 and ARM Title 24 Chapter 141) · ARM 24.141.405, 24.141.502, 24.141.503, 24.141.504, 24.141.515 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202624.141.405 fee schedule: application for license by examination $190 (includes original license), application by endorsement or reciprocity $190 (includes original license), temporary permit $50, renewal (two years) master $140 / journeyman $140, exam fees set by the testing agency; fees nonrefundable. 24.141.503: passing grade 70% for residential and journeyman exams, 75% for master; exams open book. 24.141.504: the board may enter reciprocity agreements case by case for residential or journeyman licenses with states whose requirements are substantially equivalent or greater; may issue a license by endorsement to an applicant who files a completed application with fees and holds a current, valid license in good standing in the category applied for; licenses issued by a city, county or municipality are not considered. 24.141.502: temporary practice permit valid 90 days or until exam results. 24.141.515: no more than 50% of experience may be residential.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Master Electrician Licensing Requirements, Application Checklist and Application (Rev. 07/22/2024) · MCA 37-68-304; ARM 24.141.502, 24.141.515(2) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 15, 2026Same SE structure as the journeyman checklist: an active, unrestricted, good-standing master license from a state that requires an electrical exam and either an EE degree plus 2,000 hours or 8,000 hours of journeyman-level experience is licensed without the Montana exam; otherwise the exam is required. By examination: EE degree plus 2,000 hours, or 8,000 hours of journeyman-level experience with not more than 50% residential. Fees $190 application (includes license) and optional $50 journeyman temporary practice permit; applicants failing the master exam with 69% or less are ineligible for a permit.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Master Electrician license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Links the Master Electrician application, checklist, online application and the Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations document; exams on the 2020 NEC; 16 CE hours per renewal cycle; fees nonrefundable.
- MCA 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement -- reciprocity · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026An applicant for licensure by endorsement must have an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose qualifications, measured at the time of application, are substantially equivalent to Montana's; where they are not, the board may evaluate whether the applicant's actual work experience and credentials cure the deficiency; reciprocity agreements may not license applicants who have not met substantially equivalent standards.
- MCA 37-68-304 - Master electricians -- application -- qualifications -- contents of examination -- fees · MCA 37-68-304 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Master applicants furnish written evidence of an electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours of practical experience, or at least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience in planning, laying out or supervising installation and repair of wiring; must pass a board-prescribed exam of at least 80 questions on the NEC and Montana rules.
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations - State Electrical Board tables (Residential, Journeyman and Master Electrician) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026State-by-state Yes/No tables linked from the board's license pages. Journeyman Electrician 'Yes': Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming (all other states No, including Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Maine). Master Electrician 'Yes': Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming. The document carries no publication date.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.