Louisiana to Maine: master electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Maine'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 (states without a reciprocity agreement)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Under 10 M.R.S. §8003-H, 32 M.R.S. §1201-B and board rule Chapter 180 (effective July 22, 2024), a master electrician licensed in any other U.S. jurisdiction may be licensed by endorsement if that jurisdiction's initial-licensure pathway is substantially equivalent to Maine's: it must require an accredited electrical program or an approved course of at least 576 hours (at either the journeyman or master level), a passing score on an approved master examination, and at least 10,000 hours of electrical work under a licensee holding a higher-level license. The applicant must hold a valid, active license, be in good standing in every jurisdiction where licensed, file the application and pay the Chapter 10 fee. No Maine trade or law examination is prescribed for endorsement. If the home state's requirements fall short, the applicant applies by examination under 32 M.R.S. §1202-B, where the board may accept comparable experience toward the 12,000-hour (or 4,000 journeyman-hour) requirement.
Chapter 180 does not state a separate endorsement fee; the Chapter 10 master license fee ($150, two years) and the $21 SBI report shown on the board's master page are the published amounts. Whether the 45-hour NEC course is required of endorsement applicants is not stated on any official page. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Louisiana license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Origin jurisdiction's master pathway must require an accredited electrical program or a 576-hour approved course, a passing score on an approved master exam, and 10,000 hours of electrical work supervised by a higher-level licensee (02-318 CMR ch. 180 s. 2)
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Required by the origin jurisdiction's pathway under Chapter 180; for the examination route Maine requires 12,000 hours as a helper/apprentice or 4,000 hours as a journeyman (32 M.R.S. §1202-B).
What you'll do to get licensed in Maine
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Master Electrician license fee, two-year term (02-041 CMR ch. 10 s. 5(15)).
- 2Background check. Complete a background check ($21). State Bureau of Identification criminal history record report required of all applicants.
- 3Other. Completed application with proof of the valid, active out-of-state license (license verification from the issuing board).
Published fees on this path total $150, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Maine licenses master electricians
Maine master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)
Maine issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the Electricians' Examining Board within OPOR. A new applicant qualifies with 4,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, 12,000 hours as a licensed helper or apprentice, or 6,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training, plus 576 hours of approved study, completes a 45-hour NEC course, and passes the Prov-administered master exam ($90). The license costs $150 for a two-year term plus a $21 State Bureau of Identification report. Out-of-state masters may be licensed by reciprocity without examination if their state has a formal agreement with the board (New Hampshire and Vermont on the licensing page and application form; the board's FAQ now also names Massachusetts and Rhode Island), or by endorsement under board rule Chapter 180 (effective July 2024) if their state's master requirements are substantially equivalent to Maine's.
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 Maine master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maine master electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Maine?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maine's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maine to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maine to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Electricians' Examining Board - Examinations (Prov, Inc.) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Maine contracts with Prov, Inc. to administer licensing exams; applicants must receive board approval before sitting for an exam; links to the Candidate Information Bulletin.
- Electricians' Examining Board - Frequently Asked Questions (reciprocity answers by license type) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Faq · verified September 15, 2026Master: 'Maine has an agreement with New Hampshire, Massachussets, Rhode Island and Vermont.' Journeyman: 'Maine has an agreement with New Hampshire, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota and Vermont'; reciprocity application fee $171.00; proof of licensure must be mailed with the application. Limited, helper and apprentice: no reciprocity. Archived copies of this page from January 2024 through January 2026 listed only NH/VT (master) and NH/OR/ID/WY/ND/VT (journeyman), so the additional states were added during 2026.
- Electricians' Examining Board - Master Electrician licensing requirements, fees and reciprocity · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Master qualification: 4,000 hours as a journeyman or 12,000 hours of electrical installation experience plus 576 hours of study; license $150, SBI report $21, two-year term. States 'The State of Maine presently has reciprocity agreements with New Hampshire and Vermont' at the master level, with the six-year active-work condition.
- 02-041 CMR Chapter 10 - OPOR Establishment of License Fees, section 5(15) Electricians' Examining Board · 02-041 CMR ch. 10 s. 5(15) · Maine Secretary of State / Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Fee table for the Electricians' Examining Board: Master $150 (2 years), Journeyman $150 (2 years), Limited $150, Journeyman-in-training $150, Helper $25, Apprentice $25, individuals 70 or older $20; examination fee paid to the third-party vendor; late renewal more than 90 days $50.
- State of Maine OPOR Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov, MOPOR-2025.05.14) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation / Prov, Inc. · Other · verified September 15, 2026Examination categories and cost: Master Electrician $90, Journeyman Electrician $90, Limited Electrician categories $65. Journeyman exam is 100 questions in 4 hours.
- 02-318 CMR Chapter 180 - Electricians' Examining Board: Licensure by Endorsement · 02-318 CMR ch. 180 (eff. July 22, 2024) · Maine Secretary of State / Electricians' Examining Board · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Effective July 22, 2024 (filing 2024-166). Applicant must hold a valid, active electrician license from a U.S. jurisdiction with 'substantially equivalent license requirements', file the application and pay the Chapter 10 fee. Substantially equivalent means the origin jurisdiction's initial-licensure pathway requires, for journeyman: an accredited electrical program or a 576-hour approved course, a passing score on an approved journeyman exam, and 8,000 hours under a licensed master or journeyman; for master: the same education, an approved master exam, and 10,000 hours under a higher-level licensee. Good standing in all jurisdictions required. No Maine examination is listed.
- 10 M.R.S. s. 8003-H - Licensure by endorsement (OPOR general provision) · 10 M.R.S. s. 8003-H · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026An applicant licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction with substantially equivalent license requirements who is in good standing everywhere licensed (no pending complaint, suspension or revocation) and pays the fee may be licensed by endorsement; a jurisprudence exam may be required. This is the framework a fuel technician arriving from another state would use; it does not create any HVAC license.
- 32 MRSA §1201-B - Licensure by endorsement · 32 M.R.S. §1201-B · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Directs the board to establish a licensure-by-endorsement process under 10 M.R.S. §8003-H for each license it determines appropriate; applicants may use the endorsement process or any other licensure process in the chapter. Enacted PL 2021, c. 642.
- 32 MRSA §1202-B - Issuance and scope of licenses (journeyman and master qualifications) · 32 M.R.S. §1202-B · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Journeyman: 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice or helper plus a 576-hour course (or listed school/college pathways), or comparable experience acceptable to the board; pass a board-approved exam; 45-hour NEC course within 2 years of application. Master: 12,000 hours as a licensed helper/apprentice, 4,000 hours as a journeyman, or 6,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training, plus 576 hours of study, or comparable experience; exam; 45-hour NEC course.
- 32 MRSA §1206 - Reciprocity · 32 M.R.S. §1206 · Maine Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026The board shall issue a license to a person licensed under the laws of another state who has been licensed and actively engaged in an electrician's work for a minimum of 8,000 hours, as long as that state has licensing standards and experience requirements at least equivalent to Maine's and grants similar privileges to Maine licensees. Reciprocal licenses may not be denied on the basis of residency; the board may waive the 576-hour study requirement. Last amended PL 2023, c. 327.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.