Nevada to Rhode Island: master electrician license reciprocity
Nevada 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 Nevada 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 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 Rhode Island master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island 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 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 Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to Nevada, 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.