Montana to Vermont: master electrician license reciprocity
Vermont has no reciprocity agreement with Montana. A Montana master electrician applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Universal license by endorsement (all other states, license held 3 years)
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 26 V.S.A. s. 906(b)(2) and Safety Rule 3.4(f), the board shall issue a master license without examination to an applicant whose master electrician license from any other U.S. jurisdiction has been held in good standing for at least three years, regardless of whether that state reciprocates. The applicant files the notarized all-classifications application checking 'Universal license - Master', attaches a certified letter of licensure from the issuing state, a photocopy of the license, the original issue date, how the license was obtained and documentation of that state's requirements, lists three references, and pays the $150 three-year fee; applications are reviewed at the board's bi-monthly meetings and must arrive two weeks beforehand. The Commissioner may waive the three-year practice requirement. A master licensed for less than three years applies through the standard route, where the board may recognize licensed journeyman experience earned in another state toward the two-year prerequisite but must pass the Vermont master exam. Under the 2025 rules a license from a NERA member state need only be held in good standing for one year.
Timeline reflects the board's every-other-month meeting cycle and two-week document deadline; no processing time is published. The NERA member list is not published on a Vermont page (Rule 3.4(f) refers to nerastates.org, whose map is dated February 2025 and does not yet show Vermont), so NERA one-year eligibility is described rather than mapped to individual origin states, and whether NERA recognition extends to the master level is not stated. The $80 Prov exam fee applies only to the examination route.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must have held your Montana license for at least 3 years.Master license held in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (26 V.S.A. s. 906(b)(2)(A); Rule 3.4(f)); one year if from a NERA member state per the 2025 rules.
- Your Montana license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Vermont
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Master three-year license fee (26 V.S.A. s. 905(d)).
- 2Other. Notarized all-classifications application with certified letter of licensure from the issuing state, photocopy of the license, date and means of obtaining it, documentation of that state's requirements, and three references.
Published fees on this path total $150, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Vermont licenses master electricians
Vermont master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Vermont Electricians' Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety)
Vermont issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the Electricians' Licensing Board within the Division of Fire Safety; a master may design, install and maintain electrical installations as a business and employ other licensees. A new applicant must have been licensed and working as a Vermont journeyman for at least two years or have comparable experience and training within or outside Vermont acceptable to the board (the board may credit journeyman experience in another state under 26 V.S.A. s. 907), then pass the Prov-administered master exam ($80), which also covers the Type-S specialty fields; the license costs $150 for a three-year term with 15 hours of NEC continuing education per term. Out-of-state masters have the same non-examination routes as journeymen: a reciprocal license for Maine and New Hampshire residents, a 'Universal' license for a master license held in good standing in any other U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years, and one-year recognition for NERA member-state licenses under the 2025 rules.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Vermont master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Montana?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Montana license?
- At least 3 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Vermont master electrician license from Montana?
- Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Montana work hours count in Vermont?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Vermont's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Vermont to Montana?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Vermont to Montana, the mechanism is experience credit.
Sources
- Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' License Application and Instructions, All Classifications (June 2026) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board (meetings and submission deadline) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians (electrical licensing home page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Electrical Safety Rules, 2025 edition - section 3.3 Type-S specialty electrician licenses · Vermont Electrical Safety Rules 2025, s. 3.3 · Vermont Electricians' Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026
- 26 V.S.A. Chapter 15 - Electrical Installations (ss. 902-907: master and journeyman qualifications, fees, examinations not required, recognition of experience) · 26 V.S.A. ss. 902, 903, 905, 906, 907 · Vermont General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.