Louisiana to Florida: master electrician license reciprocity

Local contractor cards and state registration. Under s. 489.505, a Registered Electrical Contractor is one who registered with DBPR after 'fulfilling the competency requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued'; DBPR's FAQ explains that registered licensees can work only in the counties or municipalities where they hold the local license, while certified licensees can work anywhere in Florida. Initial registration costs $151 (active) plus $25 for each additional county. Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board and Broward County's Central Examining Boards examine and certify master electricians and electrical contractors locally (Broward: trade and Business & Law exams, 75% passing, $450 contractor application from January 1, 2025); Miami-Dade reciprocates its local cards only with Broward and Palm Beach counties. None of the county pages reviewed describes accepting an out-of-state master electrician license toward a local contractor card.

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.