Louisiana to Oklahoma: master electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oklahoma'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.
Out-of-state master or electrical contractor (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
No state has a published contractor-level reciprocity agreement with Oklahoma, so every out-of-state master electrician or electrical contractor uses the same route. Under OAC 158:40-9-2.4 an applicant from a state without a reciprocal agreement may request exam equivalency; if the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam, the technical trade portion of the Oklahoma contractor exam is waived on a certified letter showing current good standing, the license category, a 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline, but the Business and Law portion must still be passed. Otherwise the applicant files the standard application with work history and employer affidavits, documents 12,000 hours (out-of-state residents attach copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses), pays $330, and passes both portions of the Unlimited Electrical Contractor exam through PSI. Before the license is activated the contractor files the $5,000 bond, $50,000 general liability certificate naming CIB as certificate holder, and workers' compensation proof, and must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm.
OAC 158:40-7-5(e) provides that where a written contractor reciprocity agreement exists the applicant receives a journeyman license by reciprocity and the contractor license after passing Business and Law and meeting bond/insurance requirements, but no such agreement is named on any CIB page. Whether the 4,000 hours / two years as a licensed unlimited journeyman must be under an Oklahoma license was not confirmed from an official page. The list of jurisdictions approved for exam equivalency is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Verifiable on-the-job hours in electrical construction while employed by a licensed electrical contractor; 6,000 in commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 by formal electrical education.
- Proof of 4,000 hours and two years of experience as a licensed unlimited electrical journeyman employed by a licensed electrical contractor
What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Contractor application (processing) fee, non-refundable (OAC 158:40-9-3(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($300). Initial contractor license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $200.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Technical trade portion of the Unlimited Electrical Contractor exam (PSI), 70% to pass; waived only under approved exam equivalency.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Oklahoma Electrical Contractor Business and Law portion of the contractor exam (PSI), 70% to pass; never waived.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($184). PSI fee of $92 per examination portion (two portions), non-refundable.
- 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($5,000). Continuous $5,000 license bond filed with the CIB Bonds and Insurance Unit before activation (OAC 158:40-5-5(a)).
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($50,000). Comprehensive general liability insurance, $50,000 combined single limit, with CIB named as certificate holder (OAC 158:40-5-5(b)).
- 8Other. Proof of workers' compensation coverage or exemption; the contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm to activate the license.
Published fees on this path total $514, 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
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $184
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $5,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $50,000
How Oklahoma licenses master electricians
Oklahoma master electrician · “Unlimited Electrical Contractor”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Electrical Licensing Unit
Oklahoma has no 'master electrician' license; its highest person-held electrical credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Unlimited, Residential or Limited), which CIB issues to an individual who passes the two-portion contractor exam (technical trade and Business and Law, 70% each). This site maps the Unlimited Electrical Contractor license to the master level. An Unlimited applicant needs 12,000 verifiable hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, including 4,000 hours and two years as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman and 6,000 hours of commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 hours may be formal education. The fee is $330 ($30 application plus $300 initial license) and PSI charges $92 per exam portion. To activate the license the contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm and file a $5,000 license bond, $50,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation proof; an inactive contractor license may be used to work as a journeyman. CIB publishes no contractor-level reciprocity agreements; its rules allow them, but its reciprocity page describes journeyman agreements only.
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 Oklahoma master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma master electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $514, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Oklahoma?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Reciprocity requires a written agreement between the states, a current license in good standing for at least one year, and current CEU compliance. Journeymen and contractors complete 12 hours of continuing education every three years (six on code changes). Contractor activation requires general liability insurance with CIB as certificate holder, a bond, and workers' compensation proof. Links the Electrical License Act (Title 59, effective 11-1-2025).
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Application Information and Application for Electrical Licensure (revised June 2024) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fees that must accompany the application: Electrical Contractor $330 (license $300 / processing $30); Electrical Journeyman, reciprocal or otherwise, $75 (license $50 / processing $25). Unlimited contractor: 12,000 hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, proof of 4,000 hours and 2 years as a licensed unlimited journeyman, 6,000 commercial/industrial hours; must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm to activate. Out-of-state residents must have completed similar experience and include copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses; utility work is not counted. 'All applicants are required to pass the Oklahoma electrical exam to gain licensure - exception: reciprocal applicants.' Reciprocal licenses cannot be grandfathered and must have been held at least one year.
- Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Contractor · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Unlimited Electrical Contractor: 12,000 verifiable hours, including 4,000 hours as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman and 6,000 hours of commercial/industrial work under a licensed electrical contractor; up to 2,000 hours by education. Residential Electrical Contractor: 8,000 hours. Limited Electrical Contractor: EE degree plus 8,000 hours, or 16,000 hours. The page mentions no contractor reciprocity.
- Oklahoma Electrical License Act, 59 O.S. §§ 1680-1690 (effective 11-1-2025) · 59 O.S. §§ 1684, 1685, 1685.1 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§1684(B): passing score is 70% on each part; a failing applicant waits 30 days. §1685(A): CIB issues a journeyman electrician or electrical contractor license to any person certified by the Committee of Electrical Examiners as having passed the exam or holding a valid license from another governmental entity with similar requirements, who pays the fee and completes a national criminal history check when required. §1685.1: temporary one-year journeyman licenses for out-of-state journeymen after a declared disaster. The Act contains no section headed reciprocity; agreements are handled under the CIB rules.
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 40 - Electrical Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 07/11/2026) · OAC 158:40-5-5, 158:40-7-5, 158:40-9-2.4, 158:40-9-3 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026158:40-7-5: journeyman and contractor licenses by reciprocity require a written reciprocity agreement; the applicant pays the application fee plus the initial license fee; conditions include substantially equivalent requirements, one year of lawful practice in the origin state immediately before application, no pending discipline (certified statement), and a license obtained by examination; a contractor applicant under a written contractor agreement is issued a journeyman license by reciprocity and receives the contractor license after passing the Business and Law portion of the contractor exam and meeting bond and insurance requirements. 158:40-9-2.4: exam equivalency for licensees of states without an agreement, only where the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam; waives the journeyman exam or the technical trade portion of the contractor exam but not the Business and Law portion; requires a certified letter showing current good standing, category, 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline. 158:40-9-3(b): contractor application $30, initial contractor license $300, renewal $200; journeyman application $25, initial license $50, renewal $75. 158:40-5-5: $5,000 license bond and $50,000 combined single limit general liability insurance for active contractors, plus workers' compensation compliance.
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, effective 12/18/2025) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Other · verified September 15, 2026Eligibility is determined by CIB; PSI fee is $92 per examination portion, non-refundable. Content outlines cover the Unlimited Electrical Contractor, Limited Electrical Contractor, Residential Electrical Contractor, Unlimited Electrical Journeyman, Residential Electrical Journeyman and Refinery Electrical Journeyman exams.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.