Louisiana to Alabama: master electrician license reciprocity
Alabama has a reciprocity agreement with Louisiana: a Louisiana master electrician can get a Alabama 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 Louisiana (electrical contractor)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Alabama Board accepts a current, valid electrical license from the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors that was obtained by passing an equivalent exam. Because Louisiana licenses the contracting entity and records the qualifying party who passed the trade exam, the Alabama applicant is the individual who passed Louisiana's electrical exam. The applicant must pass the Alabama Business and Law exam through Prov before applying, then send the notarized Reciprocal Application for Licensure (ERC-1) with the EC-2 form, the $315 reciprocal fee, and a Verification of License form completed by the Louisiana board showing the license date, status, exam date, passing score and disciplinary status; Louisiana must also send a letter of good standing and a copy of its rules directly to the Alabama Board. No Alabama trade exam is required, and there must be no previous or pending disciplinary action.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Louisiana license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your Louisiana license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Alabama
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($315). Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License fee effective February 14, 2026, non-refundable.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Alabama Electrical Contractors Board Business and Law exam (Prov).
- 3Other. Notarized Reciprocal Application (ERC-1), EC-2 form, Verification of License form (EVL-1) completed by the origin board, letter of good standing and copy of the origin state's rules sent directly by that board.
- 4Business license. Obtain a business license (if applicable). Foreign corporation registration with the Alabama Secretary of State if the business entity was formed outside Alabama.
Published fees on this path total $315, 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.
- Law / code exam
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license · if applicable
How Alabama licenses master electricians
Alabama master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (master-electrician equivalent)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
Alabama's highest person-held electrical credential is the statewide Electrical Contractor license, which the Board's own page says 'may also be interchanged with Master Electrician'. Under Ala. Code §34-36-7(c) it is issued only to a person (never to a firm), and the licensee then qualifies a business through the EC-2 business information form, so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must document 8,000 hours (four years) of experience designing, planning, laying out and directly supervising electrical construction, or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs, and pass the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam or the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam through Prov ($165); the license fee is $150, renewal is $150 per year, the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount, and 14 hours of continuing education are required every two years. The Board has electrical contractor reciprocity with Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas, accepts the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam as a basis for reciprocal licensing, and ended reciprocity with Georgia. Counties and municipalities may also license electrical contractors for work within their boundaries, but a statewide license is deemed qualifying everywhere in the state.
How local licensing works in Alabama
Ala. Code §34-36-13(a) lets a person engage in electrical contracting under a license 'from the board or from the county or municipality where the electrical contracting work is being performed', and §34-36-13(b)(2) preserves local examinations, while a valid statewide license is deemed qualifying in every county and municipality on proof of the license plus the local permit and business license. The former provisional electrical contractor license, which converted a county or municipal license into a geographically limited state credential, can no longer be issued since May 15, 2024 (§34-36-7(d)); existing holders may only renew ($75). The Board's reciprocity covers state boards only, and no Alabama city or county reciprocity rule was verified from an official page.
Why Louisiana has nothing to transfer
Louisiana master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Louisiana does not issue a statewide master electrician license. The state-level credential for electrical work is the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) commercial license with the Electrical classification, mandatory for any electrical project of $10,000 or more; it is a contractor license issued to the business (or to a sole proprietor) and qualified by a natural person, the qualifying party, who passed the Electrical trade exam through PSI, so it is treated here as a business license rather than a person-held master credential, even though Texas recognizes the Louisiana statewide license as master-equivalent. Master electrician licenses exist only at the local level: New Orleans issues a Class 'A' Master Electrical License ($125 per year) to an applicant who passed the ICC F49 Electrical Contractor exam or holds the LSLBC statewide license as its qualifying party, carries $500,000 of general liability insurance, and is the only Class 'A' holder for the company; Jefferson Parish issues a parish trade contractor license ($200) built on the state license. For the state contractor license the LSLBC waives the trade exam for any applicant who passed a comparable classification exam in any other state, with no partner-state list since October 23, 2024, but the Business and Law course/exam, the financial statement and the other licensing requirements are never waived. No parish or city page reviewed publishes reciprocity for out-of-state master licenses.
How local licensing works in Louisiana
State contractor license (not a master license). Under La. R.S. 37:2150.1 an electrical contractor is anyone contracting for electrical work of $10,000 or more, and the LSLBC issues the commercial license to that person or business with an Electrical classification qualified by a designated qualifying party. Applicants file the online application with a financial statement (required of all applicants), Secretary of State registration for any business entity including out-of-state companies, the online Business and Law course/exam, and the PSI trade exam for the classification; statutory fee caps are $50 per examination, $100 license and $100 renewal, plus a surcharge of up to $400 that the board may assess on a contractor not domiciled in Louisiana. Reciprocity for the state license: R.S. 37:2153(F)(5) directs the board to waive the trade portion of the exam for an applicant licensed in a comparable classification in another state on written certification that the applicant passed that classification's exam and is in good standing, and the Executive Director's October 23, 2024 letter extends this to any state: a classification exam passed in any other state 'with no waivers, exemptions, or grandfathering in effect' is accepted for the equivalent Louisiana classification, and all previous state-to-state agreements were declared null and void. The applicant has the origin board complete the Reciprocity Request form (license status, disciplinary history, and the name, exam developer, date and score of each person who passed the trade exam) and uploads it with the application; the exam/administrative fee is still charged, and the business law requirement 'shall not be waived'.
New Orleans. The Class 'A' Master Electrical License doubles as the city's electrical contractor license: the applicant submits a passing ICC Official Results Report for exam F49 Electrical Contractor, or a copy of the LSLBC statewide license with the qualifying party letter, plus certificates of general liability insurance of at least $500,000 and workers' compensation naming the City as certificate holder; the license costs $125 per year active or $30 inactive, with a $10 per month delinquent fee, and only one Class 'A' holder is allowed per company. The city page states no experience requirement and no reciprocity.
Jefferson Parish. A parish trade contractor license ($200 new) is issued to a license holder/qualifying party and lists the state license, occupational license, sales tax registration, liability insurance and workers' compensation on its checklist; the parish also administers its own electrical exam.
Shreveport. Requires city contractor registration for anyone performing electrical work and the state license for work over $10,000; master testing is referred to the ICC or the LSLBC.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette. No official page describing a master electrician license was located for East Baton Rouge Parish or Lafayette Consolidated Government.
Out-of-state holders. A master electrician from another state who wants to contract in Louisiana applies for the LSLBC commercial license and, if the master license was earned by a trade exam, requests the trade-exam waiver by reciprocity; the Business and Law course and financial statement are still required. City licenses such as New Orleans Class 'A' can then be obtained on the state license or the ICC F49 exam.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alabama master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- The trade exam is waived, but Alabama requires a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Alabama master electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Alabama to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alabama to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 303-X-3 - Licensing (certified rules effective February 14, 2026) · Ala. Admin. Code 303-X-3-.02, -.03, -.06, -.10 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026303-X-3-.02: electrical contractor applicants must document 8,000 hours of design, planning, lay-out and direct supervision of electrical construction (or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs); the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount; (10) the Board may recognize a license from a reciprocating state with equal or greater standards, the list of approved reciprocal states is kept at the Board office and the Executive Director approves or denies reciprocal applicants. 303-X-3-.03: journeyman applicants must document 8,000 hours; (6) same reciprocity language. 303-X-3-.06(2): an electrical contractor by reciprocity must hold a current and valid license in a qualifying reciprocal state with no previous or pending disciplinary action. 303-X-3-.10 (effective January 17, 2026): EC exam $165, journeyman exam $115, EC license $150, journeyman license $35, renewals $150/$35, Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License $315.
- Form ECE-1 - Electrical Contractor Examination Application · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Requires a minimum of four years or 8,000 hours of supervisory electrical construction experience (designed, planned, laid out and directly supervised electrical construction) documented by notarized affidavits from a licensed electrical contractor, inspector or project manager, with W-2/1099 forms; education substitutes up to 2,000 hours; exam choices are the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam (Prov, $165) or the NASCLA Portable EC exam ($165).
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Fees · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fee table: EC exam $165; journeyman exam $115; EC license $150; journeyman license $35; EC renewal $150; journeyman renewal $35; EC late renewal $50 per year up to 5 years; inactive EC certificate $75; inactive journeyman certificate $15; replacement card $25; Reciprocal License Application Fee $315.
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Forms and Testing Information (How to Get Licensed; Reciprocal Applications) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Defines the Electrical Contractor (interchangeable with 'Master Electrician') and Journeyman Electrician licenses; exam fees $165 (EC) and $115 (journeyman), license fees $150 (EC) and $35 (journeyman); exams by Prov on the 2023 NEC (2026 NEC from January 1, 2027); NASCLA exams offered. Lists the reciprocal boards: Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Louisiana (EC only) and Texas (EC or Journeyman); states the Board no longer shares reciprocity with Georgia; gives the five reciprocity steps (Alabama Business and Law exam, notarized reciprocity application, $315 fee effective February 14, 2026, Verification of License form, foreign-corporation registration) and that the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam also qualifies for reciprocal licensing.
- Form ERC-1 - Reciprocal Application for Licensure (Alabama Electrical Contractors Board) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Active Electrical Contractor by reciprocity: $315 effective February 14, 2026. Active contractors must submit corporation documents or certificate of foreign authority, the passing score sheet for the Alabama Business and Law Examination, the EC-2 business information form, and a Verification of License form or NASCLA exam waiver form. A letter of good standing and a copy of the state's rules must be sent directly from each listed jurisdiction's board to the Alabama Board. Only certified/cashier's checks, money orders or cards are accepted.
- Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 36 - Electrical Contractors and Journeyman Electricians · Ala. Code §§ 34-36-3, 34-36-7, 34-36-13 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (compilation of the Code of Alabama) · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§34-36-3 defines Electrical Contractor (a person qualified to plan, lay out and supervise electrical installations with four years as a journeyman in charge of jobs or four years in design and construction) and Journeyman Electrician. §34-36-7(b): the Board may recognize a license issued by any other state with standards equal to or higher than Alabama's and shall actively seek to reciprocate; §34-36-7(c): licenses are issued only to a person, never to a firm; §34-36-7(d): no new provisional (local-license-based) contractor licenses after May 15, 2024. §34-36-13(a): no person may perform work as a master or journeyman electrician without a license from the Board or from the county or municipality where the work is performed; §34-36-13(b)(2): local governments may examine electricians but a holder of a valid statewide Board license is deemed qualified in every county and municipality.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.