Do I have to take the Maine master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Massachusetts?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Massachusetts.

What does it cost to get a Maine master electrician license from Massachusetts?

Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Does it work the other way, from Maine to Massachusetts?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maine to Massachusetts, the mechanism is experience credit.

Massachusetts to Maine: master electrician license reciprocity

Reciprocity· Exam waivedVerified September 15, 2026· 8 sources

Maine has a reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts: a Massachusetts master electrician can get a Maine license without retaking the trade exam.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Reciprocal agreement with Massachusetts (master)

A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.

The board's FAQ, updated during 2026, states that Maine has a master-level reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts. A Massachusetts master electrician who obtained the license by passing the Massachusetts examination and has been licensed and actively working as an electrician for the required period is issued a Maine Master Electrician license without taking the Maine exam, using the Reciprocity License Application with license verification, Work Experience Affidavits and the $171 fee.

Massachusetts appears only on the board's FAQ page (not in archived copies through January 2026); the master licensing page and the reciprocity application form (rev 01/2020) still list only New Hampshire and Vermont, and no signed agreement or effective date is published. Applicants should confirm with the board before filing.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Agreement: Active

What you must already have

Your Massachusetts license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
Your Massachusetts license must be active and in good standing.
You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Per the reciprocity application checklist; the board's pages also describe this as six years of active work.

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), part of the $171 reciprocity application fee.
2Background check. Complete a background check ($21). Criminal records check fee, part of the $171 reciprocity application fee.
3Other. License verification from Massachusetts and Work Experience Affidavit(s).

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

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

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.

Moving to Maine Leaving Maine

Common questions

Do I have to take the Maine master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Massachusetts?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Massachusetts.
What does it cost to get a Maine master electrician license from Massachusetts?: Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Does it work the other way, from Maine to Massachusetts?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maine to Massachusetts, the mechanism is experience credit.

Sources

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.
Electricians' Examining Board - Reciprocity License Application and Instructions (Journeyman and Master) · 02-318 CMR ch. 130 s. 1(D)(2) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Form · verified September 15, 2026Rev 01/2020. Lists reciprocity partners (Journeyman: New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming; Master: New Hampshire, Vermont). Checklist: completed application, fee, license verification from the reciprocating state showing license number, issue date, expiration, status and discipline, and Work Experience Affidavit(s) showing at least 8,000 hours (journeyman) or 12,000 hours (master) in the field of electrical installations. Required fee $171.00 including the criminal records check fee (office-use breakdown $150.00 + $21.00). Applicant states whether the origin license was obtained by examination or grandfathering.
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.
Electricians' Examining Board Rules (compiled December 2021) - Chapter 150 Reciprocity · 02-318 CMR ch. 150 · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Chapter 150: the board determines, at another state's request or on its own initiative, whether that state's standards qualify its electricians to work in Maine without the 32 M.R.S. §1203 examination; agreements specify which grades are covered. Reciprocity applicants submit the application, the Chapter 10 application and license fees, documentation of six years of licensed working experience, and license verification from the reciprocal state. Licensees by reciprocity must meet Maine continuing-education rules.
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.

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