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

Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.

What does it cost to get a District of Columbia master electrician license from New York?

Published fees on this path total $185, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in District of Columbia?

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

Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to New York?

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

New York to District of Columbia: master electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

New York does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is District of Columbia'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 from a state other than Maryland or Virginia

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

The Board of Industrial Trades publishes reciprocity only for Maryland and Virginia. A master electrician from any other state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant with employment verification letters, a letter of good standing and a copy of the state-issued license, pays the $65 application fee, must document the journeyman-level prerequisites plus at least 4 years of work as a journeyman electrician, and schedules the master exam with PSI. D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for anyone licensed in good standing in a state with equivalent standards that reciprocates with the District, and § 47-2853.08 lets the Board find another state's standards substantially equivalent and license by reciprocity or endorsement, so an applicant may ask the Board to apply those provisions case by case; the Board's pages describe no such process beyond Maryland and Virginia. The national-certification substitute in § 47-2853.92(b-1) is written for the journeyman license only. No District-law exam is published for master electricians.

The Board's fee page refers exam fees to '§ 3500.3' without stating an amount; the PSI exam fee for the DC master exam could not be confirmed from an official page. Whether journeyman years worked under an out-of-state license count toward the 4-year journeyman requirement was not confirmed from an official page.

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.Journeyman-level prerequisite: at least 8,000 apprentice hours over at least 4 years, or an electrical engineering degree plus 2 certified years, or equivalent (D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(b)).
Worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years (D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(c))
Completed a class on Title 12C DCMR (DC Electrical Code) or an equivalent code within the 2 years before applying

What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable).
2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Master Electrician examination administered by PSI (schedule at psiexams.com after Board pre-approval).
3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee, amount set by 17 DCMR § 3500.3 (not stated on the Board page).
4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Master electrician license fee, 2-year term (renewal $155).

Published fees on this path total $185, 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
Exam fee

How District of Columbia licenses master electricians

District of Columbia master electrician · “Master Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)

The District of Columbia issues a person-held Master Electrician license through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP). It is the District's highest individual electrician credential; the Board also issues a Master Electrician Limited (low voltage) specialty license with journeyman-level qualifications, and a separate Electrical Contractor business license that requires an electrical bond. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(c) a master applicant must meet the journeyman requirements (a DC Electrical Code class within 2 years and 8,000 apprentice hours over 4 years or equivalent) and in addition have worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years, then pass the PSI-administered master exam. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $120 license fee for a 2-year term ($155 on renewal). Maryland and Virginia master electricians licensed by examination are licensed by reciprocity without the DC exam under a program the Board opened on February 8, 2021.

Moving to District of Columbia Leaving District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia master electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a District of Columbia master electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $185, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in District of Columbia?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Each board may determine whether another jurisdiction's licensure standards, or a national certifying organization's certification, are substantially equivalent and authorize licensure by reciprocity or endorsement for an applicant licensed and in good standing in a state whose requirements were substantially equivalent at the time of licensure and which admits District licensees in a like manner.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(b) a board 'shall waive the requirements for passage of an examination or other proof of fitness' for a person licensed in good standing in a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits District licensees in a like manner, or who holds an acceptable national certification. (c)(4) an applicant for licensure as a journeyman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic under § 47-2853.202 is exempt from any District-law examination. (d)-(d-1) each board must keep a list of states and national certifying organizations whose standards qualify, and the Board of Industrial Trades must update its list of national certifying organizations annually.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.91 - Scope of practice for electricians · D.C. Code § 47-2853.91 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Defines an electrician as any person who designs, installs, maintains, alters, repairs, removes or inspects electrical wiring, equipment, conductors or systems; excludes elevator and conveyance work covered by the elevator licensing part.
D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 - Electricians: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026(a) apprentices are registered without examination and work under a licensed master. (b) journeyman electrician and master electrician limited (low voltage) applicants must have completed a class on Title 12C DCMR (the DC Electrical Code) or equivalent within 2 years and have worked as an apprentice at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years, or hold an electrical engineering degree plus 2 years certified practical experience, or comparable experience/education the Board deems equivalent. (b-1) the Board shall accept, in lieu of examination and the (b) requirements, a certificate from a national certifying organization (including a nationally recognized trade organization or labor union) that the applicant passed its exam, is designated a journeyman electrician, and has not been disciplined. (c) master electrician applicants must meet (b) and have worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years.
DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (fees, renewal dates, board members) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy. Fee table for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics: application $65; license Mechanic $110 (up to 2 years), Contractor $120; renewal Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; late renewal $50; examination/re-examination 'See §3500.3'; reinstated or inactive Mechanic $155, Contractor $180; duplicate license $30; verification of records $30. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning licenses expire September 30 in even-numbered years. Board members include two Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics.
DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades landing page (apply, items needed, examination, reciprocity) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fetched through the r.jina.ai text proxy because dlcp.dc.gov returns 403 to direct fetches. Lists the items needed for a Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning application (certificate of completion, 'CFC Certification (Master ONLY)', employment verification letter, passport photo, government ID, card for fees), the online application portal (govservices.dcra.dc.gov/oplanewlicense), PSI exam scheduling (psiexams.com, 855-557-0616), the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning bond form for trade contractors, and a Reciprocity section that names only Maryland and Virginia electricians (and, via a linked bulletin, Maryland plumbers); no refrigeration or air conditioning reciprocity is published.

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

Report an error on this page