Louisiana to Washington: master electrician license reciprocity
Louisiana does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Washington'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.
No out-of-state credit toward the master certificate
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master or journeyman license gives no advantage toward the Washington Master Electrician (01) certificate. RCW 19.28.191(1)(a) requires four years holding a valid journey level certificate, L&I's master electrician page requires four years certified as a general journey level electrician with L&I, and WAC 296-46B-945 states that no credit may be applied from out-of-state toward qualifying for the master examination. The applicant must first obtain the Washington journey level (01) certificate (by exam, or by reciprocity from Oregon), hold it for four years, and then apply for and pass the master exam, which is scheduled with PSI after L&I approval.
Fees listed are what the applicant pays once eligible after four years as a Washington journey level electrician. The $106.70 first-time master exam fee applies when the department administers the exam; PSI-administered exams are paid to PSI at PSI's rate.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Do not count
What you must already have
- You must have held your Louisiana license for at least 4 years.
What you'll do to get licensed in Washington
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($204.60). Master electrician exam application fee (includes original certificate and application processing).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Washington Master Electrician (01) exam, open book, minimum score 70 percent; scheduled with PSI after L&I approval.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($106.70). Master electrician first-time examination fee when administered by the department (retest $125.00); PSI-administered exams are paid to PSI.
Published fees on this path total $311.30, 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
- Exam fee · $106.70
How Washington licenses master electricians
Washington master electrician · “Master Electrician (01)”
Statewide license
Issued by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Electrical Program
Washington issues a statewide Master Electrician (01) certificate through the Department of Labor & Industries. To sit the master exam an applicant must have held a valid journey level electrician certificate for four years, and L&I applies this as four years certified as a general journey level electrician with L&I; WAC 296-46B-945 states that no out-of-state credit may be applied toward qualifying for the master exam. Master certificates cannot be obtained through reciprocity, and Washington has no master-level agreement with any state. An out-of-state master electrician therefore first obtains the Washington journey level (01) certificate, holds it for four years, and then takes the master exam. Certificates renew every three years with 24 hours of continuing education.
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 Washington master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Louisiana?
- Yes. Washington requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Louisiana license?
- At least 4 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Washington master electrician license from Louisiana?
- Published fees on this path total $311.30, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Louisiana work hours count in Washington?
- No. Washington does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
- Does it work the other way, from Washington to Louisiana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Washington to Louisiana, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- L&I - Master Electrician Certificate · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Requires at least 4 years certified as a general journey level electrician with L&I (2 years for specialties); master exam taken through PSI; renewal every three years with 24 CE hours.
- Application for a Reciprocal (01) General Journey Level Electrician Certificate (F500-148-000) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Form · verified September 14, 2026States that Washington is party to a reciprocal agreement with Oregon and no other states, that a license not obtained through Oregon examination cannot be reciprocated, and that Washington master certificates cannot be obtained through reciprocity. PDF text was read through the search index; the file itself did not extract in this session.
- RCW 19.28.191 - Application for certificate of competency - Qualifications - Examination · RCW 19.28.191 · Washington State Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026(1)(a): to take the master journey level exam the applicant must have possessed a valid journey level electrician certificate of competency for four years. (1)(c): journey level exam eligibility via 8,000-hour apprenticeship, an out-of-state journey level certificate obtained through examination in a jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 supervised hours, 16,000 hours of out-of-state experience, or 8,000 hours in armed forces construction battalions.
- WAC 296-46B-909 - Electrical/telecommunications fees · WAC 296-46B-909 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Fee table filed 5/5/26, effective 7/1/26. Journey level, specialty, or reciprocal electrician application (includes original certificate and processing) $114.60; journey level exam fee when administered by the department $80.30; master electrician exam application $204.60; master first-time exam fee $106.70, retest $125.00.
- WAC 296-46B-945 - Qualifying for master, journey level, specialty electrician examinations · WAC 296-46B-945 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Journey level exam pathways include an out-of-state journey level certificate obtained by examination in a jurisdiction requiring 8,000 supervised hours (4,000 in new commercial/industrial), or 16,000 hours of out-of-state experience; documentation by notarized letters from licensed contractors, apprenticeship directors or employers. States: 'No credit may be applied from out-of-state toward qualifying for a master electrician certificate of competency examination.'
- WAC 296-46B-960 - Administrator and electrician certificate of competency examinations · WAC 296-46B-960 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Open-book exam; minimum passing score 70 percent on any exam or section; two-week wait after a failure, three-month wait after three failures in a year; exam must be completed within one year of approval.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.