Do I have to take the Alaska master electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path.

What does it cost to get a Alaska master electrician license from New York?

Published fees on this path total $320, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in Alaska?

Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.

Does it work the other way, from Alaska to New York?

Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

New York to Alaska: master electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

New York does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alaska'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.

Electrical Administrator license by credentials (all states)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

Alaska publishes no state-by-state reciprocity list for electrical administrators; every out-of-state applicant uses licensure by credentials under AS 08.40.120(b) and 12 AAC 32.025. The department waives the examination if the applicant holds a current, active electrical administrator (or equivalent) license in another state, has that state send verification of licensure directly to the division, has the state verify on form 08-4899b that the applicant passed an exam equivalent to Alaska's (with the exam content outline), and meets the experience qualifications for the category applied for. CBPL warns that passing an exam in another state does not guarantee qualification, and transcripts must come directly from the school if education is used to qualify. The fee is $150 (nonrefundable application) plus $170 (license), $320 in total. An applicant who cannot document an equivalent exam applies by examination instead (form 08-4898) and must score at least 70% on the PSI electrical administrator exam within the 12 months before licensure.

The division does not publish which states' administrator, master or contractor exams it accepts as equivalent; each is reviewed with the exam content outline. The PSI exam fee for the by-examination route is not published on the application form. A journeyman-level trade license alone is not an electrical administrator equivalent.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Out-of-state hours: Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
You must have passed a licensing exam in New York that the destination considers comparable.
Meets the category qualifications in 12 AAC 32.055-32.075 (e.g. Unlimited Commercial Wiring: journeyman electrician in inside commercial wiring for four of the last six years, or an EE degree plus one year, or other listed combinations)

What you'll do to get licensed in Alaska

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($150). Nonrefundable application fee (12 AAC 02.210).
2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($170). Biennial license fee; licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years.
3Other. Verification of licensure sent directly by every jurisdiction where an electrical administrator license is or was held, including any disciplinary history.
4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). PSI Electrical Administrator examination (70% minimum, results valid one year) - required only if an equivalent out-of-state exam cannot be verified.

Published fees on this path total $320, 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 · if applicable

How Alaska licenses master electricians

Alaska master electrician · “Electrical Administrator”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development - Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Electrical Administrators)

Alaska has no master electrician license. Its highest person-held electrical credential is the Electrical Administrator license issued under AS 08.40 by the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (CBPL), which is treated here as the master level; CBPL describes it as a supervisory license required for at least one employee of every Alaska contractor doing NEC or NESC work, and it does not by itself allow the holder to perform that work (a journeyman certificate of fitness from the Department of Labor is needed for hands-on work). An electrical administrator is an individual who passes the PSI-administered administrator exam (70%) and meets category experience rules, for example four of the last six years as a journeyman electrician in inside commercial wiring for the Unlimited Commercial Wiring category (12 AAC 32.145); the license is issued in categories (Unlimited Linework Outside, Outside Communications, Unlimited Commercial Wiring, Inside Communications, Residential Wiring, Controls) and the holder may be assigned to only one registered contractor. The administrator license does not by itself allow the holder to perform code work; administrators who also hold a journeyman COF from the Department of Labor function like a master electrician in other states. Fees are $150 to apply plus $170 for the biennial license, which expires December 31 of odd-numbered years.

Moving to Alaska Leaving Alaska

Why New York has nothing to transfer

New York master electrician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 18 sources

New York issues no statewide master electrician license; the Department of State's Division of Licensing Services licenses no electricians, and master electrician licenses are issued by city and county examining boards under local ordinances. The largest is New York City's Department of Buildings Master Electrician license (with a companion Special Electrician license for in-house work), which requires seven years of experience within the last ten working with tools under a licensed master or special electrician in the United States, at least two of them in New York City, a $585 written and $530 practical exam, a background investigation, and a New York City business with general liability, workers' compensation and disability insurance; the license costs $310 and is renewed yearly for $60. Buffalo requires 11 years (22,000 hours) of experience and a 75 percent ICC G-16 score; Rochester requires four years (6,000 hours of three-phase work) and an ICC-based exam; Westchester County licenses master and special electricians by examination ($500 license) and its license is what Yonkers permits require; Suffolk County licenses master and restricted electricians; Syracuse and Albany run their own boards. None of these jurisdictions publishes a reciprocity or endorsement path for a master license from another state, although Westchester's fee schedule lists a 'Reciprocal Electrician' license category. A master electrician arriving from another state must qualify with each local board where they intend to work, and in New York City must first accumulate two years of supervised experience inside the city.

How local licensing works in New York

How local licensing works. New York has no state electrical board. Licensing authority rests with individual cities and counties, each with its own examining board, ordinance, exam and fee schedule; a license is valid only in the issuing jurisdiction.

New York City. The Department of Buildings issues the Master Electrician license (independent contracting anywhere in the city) and the Special Electrician license (work as an employee in or on specific buildings). Qualifications (NYC Admin. Code 28-430.3; 1 RCNY 104-01): age 18, read and write English, fitness and good moral character, and one of: seven years within the last ten working with tools on wiring and appliances for light, heat and power under the direct and continuing supervision of a licensed master or special electrician in the United States, at least two years of it in NYC; a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or engineering technology plus three years within five (two in NYC); a New York State DOL-registered apprenticeship plus five years within ten (two in NYC); or electrical-inspection employment credited at 50 percent up to 2.5 years. Candidates pay $585 for the closed-book written exam on the 2025 NYC Electrical Code (70 percent to pass) and $530 for the practical, which must be passed within 24 months of the written result; the background application (experience verification signed by supervisors, Social Security earnings history, physical exam) is filed through DOB NOW within one year. License fee $310, seal $50, annual renewal $60 with continuing education, late renewal $310. The licensee must be an officer, partner or sole proprietor of a business with a NYC location carrying general liability, workers' compensation and disability insurance. The exam can be waived only for city-agency applicants (28-430.6); no out-of-state waiver exists, and the two-years-in-NYC rule means an out-of-state master cannot qualify immediately.

Buffalo. The Electrical Examining Board's Master Electrician License requires 11 years (22,000 hours) of experience in electrical construction within the last 11 years, structured as four years (8,000 hours) as an apprentice plus seven years (14,000 hours) as a journeyman working for a licensed master, documented by notarized employer and master electrician affidavits; a passing (75 percent or higher) ICC G-16 Master Electrician exam taken within one year; a $100 application fee; and general liability and workers' compensation certificates before issuance. The master electrician affidavit asks in which city the supervising master is licensed, so experience under masters licensed elsewhere is accepted as documentation.

Rochester. The Electrical Examining Board issues a Master (three-phase) license requiring four years of applicable experience, interpreted as at least 6,000 hours of three-phase experience within the past ten years (at least half in the field with tools; up to 3,000 hours may be course work, estimating, design, supervision or single-phase work), and an ICC-based exam with a 70 percent passing grade. Applications are filed online; the Board's rules contain no reciprocity clause.

Westchester County and Yonkers. The Department of Consumer Protection's Electrical Board licenses Master and Special Electricians by examination: exam application $50, master license $500 with $500 annual renewal, special electrician $350. The fee schedule also lists a 'Master and Reciprocal Electrician' license at the same $500, but the conditions for a reciprocal license are not published on the pages that could be opened. Yonkers does not license electricians; its electrical permits are issued to master electricians licensed by Westchester County.

Suffolk County. The Department of Consumer Affairs issues Master Electrician and Restricted Electrical licenses (codes ME and RE). Experience, exam and fee details are in the county code and were not available on the pages that could be opened.

Syracuse and Albany. Syracuse licenses electricians through its Division of Code Enforcement (2026 applications were due June 26 with in-person consideration July 28). Albany's Electrical Examining Board, under General Code Chapter 171, Article III, examines every applicant and includes master electricians licensed by the city for at least five years. Neither city publishes reciprocity rules on the pages reviewed.

Nassau County. The county FAQ treats electricians as a trade licensed under a 'standard of competency', but no Nassau page describing the master electrician license, its requirements or fees could be opened, so Nassau's rules are unverified here.

Out-of-state holders. No New York jurisdiction reviewed publishes an agreement with another state. The practical route is to meet each local board's experience threshold (documented under licensed masters, wherever they were licensed, where the board allows), pass that board's exam, which in Buffalo, Rochester and several other boards is an ICC exam that may already have been taken elsewhere, and pay the local fees; in New York City the two years of supervised experience inside the city must be earned first.

Moving to New York Leaving New York

Common questions

Do I have to take the Alaska master electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
What does it cost to get a Alaska master electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $320, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in Alaska?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Alaska to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Electrical Administrator License by Credentials Application (Form 08-4899, Rev. 06/25/2025) · Alaska DCCED, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 15, 2026Categories: Unlimited Linework Outside, Outside Communications, Unlimited Commercial Wiring, Inside Communications, Residential Wiring, Controls and Control Wiring. Fees: $150 nonrefundable application fee plus $170 license fee ($320 total). Requires verification of licensure from every jurisdiction where the applicant holds or held an electrical administrator license and verification of an equivalent exam (form 08-4899b with content outline) sent directly by that state. Warns that passing an exam in another state does not guarantee qualification. Licenses are biennial, expiring December 31 of odd-numbered years.
Electrical Administrator License by Examination Application (Form 08-4898, Rev. 06/25/2025) · Alaska DCCED, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 15, 2026By-examination path: $150 application fee plus $170 license fee ($320 total); applicant must score at least 70% on the electrical administrator examination administered by PSI Services; results are valid for one year. The PSI exam fee is not stated on the form.
Alaska CBPL - Electrical Administrators program page · Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (CBPL) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Program page: CBPL staffs the electrical administrator program and the Department of Commerce adopts its regulations and makes licensing decisions, while electricians are regulated by the Department of Labor's Mechanical Inspection Section. Verbatim: 'The Electrical Administrator license is required for at least one employee of a valid Alaskan Contractor that performs work that is covered by the National Electric (NEC) or National Electric Safety (NESC) codes. It is a supervisory license only and does not allow the license holder to perform work covered by the NEC or the NESC.' Lists the six categories (Controls and Control Wiring, Inside Communication, Residential Wiring, Outside Communications, Unlimited Commercial Wiring, Unlimited Line Work), online renewal, and $20 license-verification requests (up to 10 business days). The live page is behind DataDome bot protection and returns HTTP 403 to automated clients; the text was read from the Internet Archive capture of February 5, 2026 on 2026-09-15.
Statutes and Regulations - Electrical Administrators (AS 08.40 and 12 AAC 32) · AS 08.40.090, AS 08.40.120(b), AS 08.40.130; 12 AAC 32.015, 12 AAC 32.025, 12 AAC 32.145 · Alaska DCCED, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing · Statute · verified September 15, 2026AS 08.40.090: a person may not act as an electrical administrator without a license. AS 08.40.120(b): the department shall waive the examination for an applicant licensed as an electrical administrator or the equivalent by another state who meets the category qualifications and passed an equivalent examination. 12 AAC 32.025: licensure by credentials requires verification of a current active license and of the equivalent exam, both sent directly by the other state. 12 AAC 32.015: licensure by examination requires a score of at least 70% within the preceding 12 months. 12 AAC 32.145: unlimited commercial wiring category requires e.g. four of the last six years as a journeyman electrician in inside commercial wiring, or an EE degree plus one year, or other listed combinations.
Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Frequently Asked Questions · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Faq · verified September 15, 2026Covers only electrician and plumber certificates; says 'Alaska also has Mechanical Administrator and Electrical Administrator licenses which cover supervision and sign-off of code work. Refer to DCCED for details on these licenses.' Also notes that provisional plumber certificates do not allow fuel gas work because many states exclude gas from their plumber license.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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