Nevada to Alabama: master electrician license reciprocity
Nevada does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alabama'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.
Examination with documented out-of-state experience (states without an agreement)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master electrician or electrical contractor from a state outside the Board's reciprocal list has no endorsement path: §34-36-7(b) and rule 303-X-3-.02(10) limit recognition to states on the Board's approved reciprocal list. The applicant instead files the Electrical Contractor Examination Application (ECE-1) and documents a minimum of four years or 8,000 hours of supervisory electrical construction experience (design, planning, lay-out and direct supervision) by notarized affidavits from a licensed electrical contractor, electrical or building inspector, or electrical project manager, with corresponding W-2 or 1099 forms; the forms do not require the experience to be in Alabama. Up to 2,000 hours may be substituted with approved education or apprenticeship. The applicant then passes the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam or the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam via Prov ($165) and applies for the license with forms EC-1 and EC-2 and the $150 license fee. One exception: because the Board 'also accepts the NASCLA Electrical Contractors Exam to qualify for reciprocal licensing', an applicant from any state who already passed the NASCLA electrical exam may instead use the reciprocity route (Business and Law exam, notarized reciprocal application, $315 fee, NASCLA exam waiver form).
The Business and Law exam is required only on the reciprocity route; the examination route pages list only the trade exam. Exam approvals expire one year after approval if the exam has not been passed (303-X-3-.02(7)). An applicant holding an Alabama-registered professional electrical engineer license also qualifies to sit for the exam (303-X-3-.02(11)). Georgia licensees follow this default path: the Board's forms page states it 'no longer shares reciprocity with Georgia' and that outstanding Georgia reciprocal applications no longer qualify; no termination date is published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years of supervisory electrical construction experience (design, planning, lay-out and direct supervision), or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs; up to 2,000 hours from approved education or apprenticeship (303-X-3-.02).
What you'll do to get licensed in Alabama
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($165). Electrical Contractor examination fee (Alabama exam or NASCLA Portable EC exam via Prov), non-refundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Alabama Electrical Contractor exam or NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam administered by Prov (2023 NEC; 2026 NEC from January 1, 2027).
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Electrical Contractor license fee (forms EC-1 and EC-2); annual renewal $150.
- 4Other. Notarized Affidavit of Supervisor or Work Experience from each employer with corresponding W-2 or 1099 forms.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 14 hours of continuing education every two years to keep the license (303-X-3-.04(5)).
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.
- Exam fee · $165
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Alabama licenses master electricians
Alabama master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (master-electrician equivalent)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
Alabama's highest person-held electrical credential is the statewide Electrical Contractor license, which the Board's own page says 'may also be interchanged with Master Electrician'. Under Ala. Code §34-36-7(c) it is issued only to a person (never to a firm), and the licensee then qualifies a business through the EC-2 business information form, so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must document 8,000 hours (four years) of experience designing, planning, laying out and directly supervising electrical construction, or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs, and pass the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam or the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam through Prov ($165); the license fee is $150, renewal is $150 per year, the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount, and 14 hours of continuing education are required every two years. The Board has electrical contractor reciprocity with Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas, accepts the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam as a basis for reciprocal licensing, and ended reciprocity with Georgia. Counties and municipalities may also license electrical contractors for work within their boundaries, but a statewide license is deemed qualifying everywhere in the state.
How local licensing works in Alabama
Ala. Code §34-36-13(a) lets a person engage in electrical contracting under a license 'from the board or from the county or municipality where the electrical contracting work is being performed', and §34-36-13(b)(2) preserves local examinations, while a valid statewide license is deemed qualifying in every county and municipality on proof of the license plus the local permit and business license. The former provisional electrical contractor license, which converted a county or municipal license into a geographically limited state credential, can no longer be issued since May 15, 2024 (§34-36-7(d)); existing holders may only renew ($75). The Board's reciprocity covers state boards only, and no Alabama city or county reciprocity rule was verified from an official page.
Why Nevada has nothing to transfer
Nevada master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Nevada does not issue a master electrician license. The state-level electrical credential is a classification C-2 Electrical Contracting license from the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB), which is a business license issued to a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation or LLC and qualified by a named individual, not a license held by the electrician personally. A master-level personal card exists only at the local level: Clark County, the City of Las Vegas and the City of Reno recognize a 'Master Electrician' category, obtained by passing the ICC G16 Master Electrician exam at 75% and holding an ESP-issued Nevada Electrical Qualifications Card, and Clark County code allows a master electrician or electrical qualified individual to satisfy the contractor's on-site supervision duty. None of these jurisdictions publish reciprocity for an out-of-state master license. To contract independently, an arriving master electrician must obtain a C-2 license: the qualifying individual needs four years of experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor within the past 15 years, must pass the PSI-administered Nevada Business and Law exam and the C-2 trade exam, and the business must pay the $300 application fee and $600 biennial license fee, submit a financial statement and background check, and post a bond of $1,000 to $500,000 set by the Board. Under licensure by endorsement (NAC 624.600 and 624.615) the C-2 trade exam and experience certification are waived for a qualified individual who has held an active electrical contractor license with no discipline for the past four years in Arizona (CR-11), California (C-10), Connecticut (E1), Louisiana (9 Electrical Work), North Carolina (Unlimited Electrical) or Tennessee (CE Electrical), while Florida (EC) and West Virginia (A Electrical) licensees get experience credit but must take the Nevada trade exam; the Business and Law exam is never waived.
How local licensing works in Nevada
State level. NRS 624 and NAC 624 create only contractor licenses. NAC 624.200 defines classification C-2 Electrical Contracting (C-2a Electrical Wiring, C-2b Integrated Ceilings, C-2c Fire Detection, C-2d Low Voltage Systems, C-2e Lines to Transmit Electricity, C-2f Residential Wiring, C-2g Photovoltaics). The license belongs to the business; the individual who qualifies it must have four years of journeyman-or-higher experience within 15 years (NRS 624.260(6)) and pass the Business and Law and trade exams unless the trade exam is waived under NAC 624.600 for an endorsing-state exam approved under NAC 624.615. Fees: $300 application, $600 to issue or renew (NAC 624.130), PSI exam fees, bond $1,000-$500,000 (NRS 624.270).
Clark County. Clark County Code §22.02.260 recognizes a Master Electrician (all aspects of electrical work) alongside the journeyman categories; a master or the contractor's qualified individual is responsible for supervision, inspection and code conformance of the contractor's permitted work, and a master found not to meet the NSCB qualified-individual standard is not recognized until re-examined. The exam is the ICC G16 Master Electrician (75% under the ESP program) and the card is issued by ESP with 30 CEU hours per three-year renewal, including an 8-hour NEC update. The code's only equivalency is for certificates from the accepted testing agency or other Nevada political subdivisions within Clark County.
City of Las Vegas and City of Henderson. Las Vegas Administrative Code §306 uses the same master electrician / qualified individual / journeyman supervision rule and the ESP card; Henderson is listed by ESP as requiring the card but its ordinance was not verified.
City of Reno. Reno's published journeyman program covers the ICC G17/G18 exams; the ESP presentation lists Reno as a participating jurisdiction for master cards as well, but Reno's own page does not describe a separate master card.
Out-of-state holders. No local jurisdiction publishes a waiver of the ICC master exam for an out-of-state master license. The practical route is to pass the ICC G16 exam and obtain the ESP card, or, if contracting, to apply for a C-2 license through NSCB, where the endorsement charts above may waive the trade exam.
- Clark County (Department of Building and Fire Prevention)
- City of Las Vegas (Department of Building and Safety)
- City of Henderson (per ESP program notice; ordinance not verified)
- City of Reno (Development Services)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alabama master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- Yes. Alabama requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Alabama master electrician license from Nevada?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Nevada work hours count in Alabama?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alabama's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Alabama to Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alabama to Nevada, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 303-X-3 - Licensing (certified rules effective February 14, 2026) · Ala. Admin. Code 303-X-3-.02, -.03, -.06, -.10 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026303-X-3-.02: electrical contractor applicants must document 8,000 hours of design, planning, lay-out and direct supervision of electrical construction (or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs); the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount; (10) the Board may recognize a license from a reciprocating state with equal or greater standards, the list of approved reciprocal states is kept at the Board office and the Executive Director approves or denies reciprocal applicants. 303-X-3-.03: journeyman applicants must document 8,000 hours; (6) same reciprocity language. 303-X-3-.06(2): an electrical contractor by reciprocity must hold a current and valid license in a qualifying reciprocal state with no previous or pending disciplinary action. 303-X-3-.10 (effective January 17, 2026): EC exam $165, journeyman exam $115, EC license $150, journeyman license $35, renewals $150/$35, Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License $315.
- Form ECE-1 - Electrical Contractor Examination Application · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Requires a minimum of four years or 8,000 hours of supervisory electrical construction experience (designed, planned, laid out and directly supervised electrical construction) documented by notarized affidavits from a licensed electrical contractor, inspector or project manager, with W-2/1099 forms; education substitutes up to 2,000 hours; exam choices are the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam (Prov, $165) or the NASCLA Portable EC exam ($165).
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Fees · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fee table: EC exam $165; journeyman exam $115; EC license $150; journeyman license $35; EC renewal $150; journeyman renewal $35; EC late renewal $50 per year up to 5 years; inactive EC certificate $75; inactive journeyman certificate $15; replacement card $25; Reciprocal License Application Fee $315.
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Forms and Testing Information (How to Get Licensed; Reciprocal Applications) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Defines the Electrical Contractor (interchangeable with 'Master Electrician') and Journeyman Electrician licenses; exam fees $165 (EC) and $115 (journeyman), license fees $150 (EC) and $35 (journeyman); exams by Prov on the 2023 NEC (2026 NEC from January 1, 2027); NASCLA exams offered. Lists the reciprocal boards: Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Louisiana (EC only) and Texas (EC or Journeyman); states the Board no longer shares reciprocity with Georgia; gives the five reciprocity steps (Alabama Business and Law exam, notarized reciprocity application, $315 fee effective February 14, 2026, Verification of License form, foreign-corporation registration) and that the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam also qualifies for reciprocal licensing.
- Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 36 - Electrical Contractors and Journeyman Electricians · Ala. Code §§ 34-36-3, 34-36-7, 34-36-13 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (compilation of the Code of Alabama) · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§34-36-3 defines Electrical Contractor (a person qualified to plan, lay out and supervise electrical installations with four years as a journeyman in charge of jobs or four years in design and construction) and Journeyman Electrician. §34-36-7(b): the Board may recognize a license issued by any other state with standards equal to or higher than Alabama's and shall actively seek to reciprocate; §34-36-7(c): licenses are issued only to a person, never to a firm; §34-36-7(d): no new provisional (local-license-based) contractor licenses after May 15, 2024. §34-36-13(a): no person may perform work as a master or journeyman electrician without a license from the Board or from the county or municipality where the work is performed; §34-36-13(b)(2): local governments may examine electricians but a holder of a valid statewide Board license is deemed qualified in every county and municipality.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.