Mississippi to Rhode Island: master electrician license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 contractor: journeyperson exam first, contractor exam after two years as a Rhode Island journeyperson (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master electrician or electrical contractor cannot sit the Rhode Island contractor (Certificate A) exam directly. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D the out-of-state contractor's license admits the applicant to the Rhode Island journeyperson exam; only after holding the Rhode Island Certificate B for two years, and with at least 12,000 hours (six years) of experience, may the applicant take the contractor exam. Out-of-state experience counts toward the 12,000 hours and is documented by notarized employer statements, but the two-year Rhode Island journeyperson tenure cannot be substituted with time licensed elsewhere. Each application carries the $75 non-refundable fee, requires a copy of the out-of-state license with an official verification, and the contractor exam must be passed at 70%; the $240 two-year Certificate A license fee is invoiced after passing. Applicants must be at least 21.
DLT does not publish a separate business or law exam for the Certificate A; the contractor exam is a single DLT-administered examination. The practical effect for an out-of-state master is a minimum two-year wait after obtaining the Rhode Island Certificate B. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Mississippi license must be active and in good standing.
- Hold a Rhode Island Certificate B journeyperson license for at least two years before applying for the contractor examination
- You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least six years (12,000 hours) of trade experience, verified by notarized employer statements; out-of-state experience is documented the same way.
- At least 21 years of age
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable application processing fee for the electrical contractor examination (a separate $75 fee applies to the earlier journeyperson exam application).
- 2Other. Notarized application, copy of government-issued ID, notarized employer experience letters, copy of the out-of-state license and official license verification.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Electrical Contractor (Certificate A) examination administered by DLT; 70% required to pass (preceded by the Journeyperson Certificate B exam).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($240). Two-year Electrical Contractor Class A license fee, invoiced after a passing score (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16).
Published fees on this path total $315, 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
How Rhode Island licenses master electricians
Rhode Island master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (Certificate A, Class A)”
Statewide license
Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'; the master-level credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Certificate A), issued by DLT to an individual (or, for firms, the AC corporate certificate) after passing the contractor examination. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D and the DLT application instructions, a Certificate A applicant must be at least 21, have at least 12,000 hours (six years) of trade experience, and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B journeyperson license for at least two years; holding a Certificate A does not by itself authorize the holder to perform the work, which still requires the Certificate B. Rhode Island has no reciprocity agreements for this license and no statutory waiver of the exam. Fees are a $75 application fee and a $240 two-year license fee; Class A holders must complete 15 hours of continuing education each renewal.
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 Rhode Island master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island master electrician license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Electrician Application Instructions and Application for Examination · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulations Unit · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $75 application processing fee. All electrical contractor tests require verification of at least six years of trade experience and possession of a Rhode Island journeyperson's license held at least two years before applying for the contractor exam. All electrical journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction. Out-of-state applicants must attach a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts not accepted). Fee table: Electrical Contractor A, $75 application, $240 two-year license; Journeyperson Electrician B, $75, $72; a separate 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' application code (29, $75). Individuals scoring 70 or greater are invoiced for the license fee.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation: Electricians · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Confirms that the DLT Professional Regulation unit licenses, tests and disciplines electricians itself (exams are given by DLT, not a vendor) and links to exam information, applications and the Board of Examiners of Electricians. Contact: Chief Investigator of Electrical, (401) 462-8571.
- 260-RICR-30-15-7 - Board of Examiners of Electricians (DLT regulation, effective January 4, 2022) · 260-RICR-30-15-7 §§ 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.14 · Rhode Island Department of State (Code of Rhode Island Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§7.5: exams are written and may include practical demonstrations; 70% required to obtain a license. §7.6: Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license. §7.7.C: Certificate B applicants must show at least 8,000 hours (4 years) of experience as a registered apprentice. §7.7.D: Certificate A applicants must have at least 12,000 hours (6 years) of experience and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B for two years; 'Out-of-state applicants who hold a contractor's license or journeyperson's license will be allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson's exam', and out-of-state contractors who have held a Rhode Island journeyperson's license for two years and have 12,000 hours may take the contractor exam. Applicants for Certificate A must be at least 21; others at least 18. §7.14: 15 hours of continuing education per renewal for Certificate A and B holders.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 - License fees · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor's license Class A $240; journeyperson electrician's license Class B $72. Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years and renew on payment of the biennial fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 - Application for examination; fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Examination application on the state form with a $75 fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-20.1 - Mandatory continuing education · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-20.1 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026At least 15 clock hours of continuing education per renewal, limited to Class A and Class B electricians.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 - Forms of licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license; Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'. Also lists Certificates C, D, M, E, F, AF, BF, SCF, CF, LPC, LPI and SRL.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-8 - Contractor's certificates/licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-8 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is issued to a person, firm or corporation qualified under the chapter to engage in the business of installing, maintaining, servicing and testing electrical wires, conduits and apparatus. Holding a Certificate A does not by itself entitle the holder to perform the actual work; that requires a Certificate B.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.