Louisiana to Colorado: master electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 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 Colorado master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- Do my Louisiana 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 Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Colorado to Louisiana, 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.