Mississippi to Colorado: master electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Colorado'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 (all states; no master reciprocity)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Every out-of-state master electrician applies to Colorado by endorsement, because Board Rule 1.7 does not allow a master license by reciprocity. The applicant must hold or have held an active, state-issued Master Electrician license (or equivalent) issued after passing a state exam based on the NEC edition currently in use in Colorado (the 2023 NEC as of this verification); licenses issued without an exam, on a different NEC edition, or through continuing education are not eligible. The applicant must also document 10,000 hours of electrical experience earned over no fewer than five years, including 2,000 hours of commercial/industrial work, some planning and layout, and supervision performed while holding a journeyman or equivalent license, and must submit a Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board. Qualifying applicants are licensed without taking the Colorado master exam; anyone who does not meet the endorsement criteria must qualify by examination.
The Board held a rulemaking hearing on May 27, 2026 to adopt the 2026 NEC; the DPO application preview still names the 2023 NEC as the edition in use. Application and exam fee amounts are shown only inside DPO Online Services and were not published on the public pages reviewed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Hold or have held an active, state-issued Master Electrician license (or equivalent) in another state
- Your Mississippi license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Earned in no less than 5 years, including 2,000 hours commercial/industrial, some planning and layout, and supervision while licensed as a journeyman or equivalent. Documented on Affidavit of Experience forms; experience may be accumulated in other states.
What you'll do to get licensed in Colorado
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee paid in DPO Online Services (amount not published on the public pages; non-refundable).
- 2Other. Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board.
- 3Other. Affidavit(s) of Experience completed by each supervising electrical contractor.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Colorado Master Electrician exam (PSI) - only if the origin license does not meet the endorsement criteria.
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 · if applicable
How Colorado licenses master electricians
Colorado master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)
Colorado issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. A master license can be obtained only by examination or by endorsement; Board Rule 1.7 states that a Colorado master electrician's license may not be granted by reciprocity, so there are no master-level reciprocity agreements. By examination an applicant needs 10,000 hours of experience over at least five years (or a qualifying degree with fewer hours) and must pass the PSI-administered Colorado master exam. By endorsement an applicant who holds or has held an active state-issued master license obtained by exam on the NEC edition Colorado currently uses, and who documents 10,000 hours over five years, is licensed without the Colorado exam. Licenses expire September 30 every three years.
Why Mississippi has nothing to transfer
Mississippi master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Mississippi does not issue a personal master electrician license. The state-level electrical credential is the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) contractor license in the Electrical classification (commercial, required on projects over $50,000; application $400, renewal $400) or the Residential Electrical classification (application $50), issued to the business through a Certificate of Responsibility with a named qualifying party who passes the open-book PSI electrical trade exam (or the NASCLA Master Electrical exam) and the mandatory Mississippi Law and Business Management exam. Because it is a business license, a master electrician who only wants to work for an employer has nothing to transfer to at the state level; the master-level personal credential exists only in cities such as Southaven (Master Electrician, $100, which itself requires an active MSBOC license, $10,000 bond and liability insurance) and Hattiesburg (Master Electrical Contractor License, five years of experience and the SBCCI exam). MSBOC does waive its electrical trade exam, for $50 per exam, for qualifying parties licensed at least one year by the Alabama Electrical Board, the North Carolina Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, the South Carolina Contractors Licensing Board or Residential Builders Commission, and the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, and its Universal Recognition form (Miss. Code 73-50-2) waives the trade exam for new Mississippi residents licensed elsewhere for a year; the Law and Business exam is never waived.
How local licensing works in Mississippi
State contractor license (business level). MSBOC's Electrical major classification covers installation, repair, alteration and design of electrical wiring, fixtures, raceways and conduit and includes nine specialties; the qualifying party passes the PSI electrical trade exam or the NASCLA-accredited Master Electrical exam, and every applicant passes the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam. Fees (schedule effective January 1, 2016): commercial application $400, renewal $400, additional classification $100, reciprocity/verification of license $25, request for waiver of exam $50; residential application $50, renewal $100. Reciprocity (revised 07/2025) waives the trade exam only, $50 per exam waived, for a qualifying party who has held the reciprocal license one year with no discipline in the agreement's look-back period: Alabama Electrical Board (Alabama exam taken), North Carolina Electrical Contractors Board (electrical and alarm systems; one year), Ohio CILB (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration; no discipline in the last year), South Carolina Contractors Licensing Board (building and electrical; exam by PSI, Experior, Block or NAI), South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (residential electrical; no discipline in 3 years) and Tennessee (all exams; no discipline in the last year). Arkansas and Louisiana agreements exclude electrical work. Form UROL additionally waives the trade exam for an individual who has established Mississippi residency and held a similar license in any other state for at least one year (or worked three years in a state without construction licensing).
Southaven. Master Electrician license $100: application, photo ID of the license qualifier, certificate of liability insurance, a $10,000 general surety bond in favor of the city, an active MSBOC contractor's license certificate and the company EIN. An out-of-state applicant without an MSBOC license must provide a letter of good standing from a municipality where their license is active and may not take residential projects or commercial projects over $50,000; the city applies MSBOC's reciprocity standards.
Hattiesburg. The Electrical Examining Review Board issues the Master Electrical Contractor License: age 21, five years of proven experience attested by affidavits from licensed master electrical contractors (an electrical engineering degree substitutes for three years, a trade-school certificate for two), three character letters, and the SBCCI examination with a 70% minimum, given four times a year. Insurance and bond requirements of the city code and MSBOC regulations also apply. The ordinance allows a license for a person who holds a valid license from another city meeting the requirements of House Bill 359; no interstate reciprocity is described.
Jackson. Trade-license requirements could not be verified on the city's website.
Out-of-state masters. The realistic route is the MSBOC license: use the reciprocity verification form (AL, NC, OH, SC, TN electrical boards) or Form UROL to waive the trade exam, pass the Law and Business exam, then obtain any city master license that the local ordinance requires, which in Southaven is granted on the strength of the MSBOC license plus bond and insurance.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Colorado master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Colorado?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Colorado's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Colorado to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Colorado to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 3 CCR 710-1 - State Electrical Board Rules and Regulations · 3 CCR 710-1, Rule 1.7 (Application for Licensure) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026Current version effective 2026-07-15. Rule 1.7 sets 8,000 hours / 4 years for journeyman and 10,000 hours / 5 years for master by examination, the endorsement conditions (active license in another state, apprenticeship or required experience, comparable written state exam on the current NEC), journeyman reciprocity for NERA member states or states with a Board agreement, and states that a Colorado master electrician's license may not be granted by reciprocity.
- Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12, Article 115 - Electricians · C.R.S. §§ 12-115-107(2)(i), 12-115-113 · Colorado General Assembly · Statute · verified September 14, 2026§12-115-113(1): the Board shall issue a license by endorsement to a person licensed in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent credentials and qualifications; (2): by reciprocity where a reciprocal agreement exists; (3): the Board may define substantial equivalence by rule. §12-115-107(2)(i) authorizes reciprocal agreements with other states' electrical boards.
- Colorado Electrical Applications and Forms - Licensure Requirements (Examination, Endorsement, Reciprocity) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists experience hours by license type, the endorsement conditions, and the NERA journeyman reciprocity states. Fees are not shown; the page says fees are in the online application.
- Colorado Electrical Homepage - State Electrical Board · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Board rulemaking hearing May 27, 2026 on adopting the 2026 NEC; licenses expire September 30 every three years.
- DPO Master Electrician (ME) Initial Application Preview · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Form · verified September 14, 2026Linked from dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical/Applications. Master has two methods only: examination and endorsement.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.