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Michigan to Maine: master electrician license reciprocity

Endorsement· Board reviewVerified September 15, 2026· 10 sources

Maine has no reciprocity agreement with Michigan. A Michigan master electrician applies by endorsement.

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)

The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.

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 Michigan 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

  1. 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Master Electrician license fee, two-year term (02-041 CMR ch. 10 s. 5(15)).
  2. 2Background check. Complete a background check ($21). State Bureau of Identification criminal history record report required of all applicants.
  3. 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

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 MaineLeaving Maine

Common questions

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

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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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