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

Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.

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

Published fees on this path total $514, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in Oklahoma?

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

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

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

New York to Oklahoma: 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 Oklahoma'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 electrical contractor (all states)

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

No state has a published contractor-level reciprocity agreement with Oklahoma, so every out-of-state master electrician or electrical contractor uses the same route. Under OAC 158:40-9-2.4 an applicant from a state without a reciprocal agreement may request exam equivalency; if the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam, the technical trade portion of the Oklahoma contractor exam is waived on a certified letter showing current good standing, the license category, a 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline, but the Business and Law portion must still be passed. Otherwise the applicant files the standard application with work history and employer affidavits, documents 12,000 hours (out-of-state residents attach copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses), pays $330, and passes both portions of the Unlimited Electrical Contractor exam through PSI. Before the license is activated the contractor files the $5,000 bond, $50,000 general liability certificate naming CIB as certificate holder, and workers' compensation proof, and must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm.

OAC 158:40-7-5(e) provides that where a written contractor reciprocity agreement exists the applicant receives a journeyman license by reciprocity and the contractor license after passing Business and Law and meeting bond/insurance requirements, but no such agreement is named on any CIB page. Whether the 4,000 hours / two years as a licensed unlimited journeyman must be under an Oklahoma license was not confirmed from an official page. The list of jurisdictions approved for exam equivalency is not published.

At a glance

Trade exam: Required
Law / code exam: Required
Out-of-state hours: Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Verifiable on-the-job hours in electrical construction while employed by a licensed electrical contractor; 6,000 in commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 by formal electrical education.
Proof of 4,000 hours and two years of experience as a licensed unlimited electrical journeyman employed by a licensed electrical contractor

What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Contractor application (processing) fee, non-refundable (OAC 158:40-9-3(b)).
2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($300). Initial contractor license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $200.
3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Technical trade portion of the Unlimited Electrical Contractor exam (PSI), 70% to pass; waived only under approved exam equivalency.
4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Oklahoma Electrical Contractor Business and Law portion of the contractor exam (PSI), 70% to pass; never waived.
5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($184). PSI fee of $92 per examination portion (two portions), non-refundable.
6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($5,000). Continuous $5,000 license bond filed with the CIB Bonds and Insurance Unit before activation (OAC 158:40-5-5(a)).
7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($50,000). Comprehensive general liability insurance, $50,000 combined single limit, with CIB named as certificate holder (OAC 158:40-5-5(b)).
8Other. Proof of workers' compensation coverage or exemption; the contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm to activate the license.

Published fees on this path total $514, 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
Law / code exam
Exam fee · $184

Surety bond

A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.

Surety bond · $5,000

Liability insurance

Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.

Insurance · $50,000

How Oklahoma licenses master electricians

Oklahoma master electrician · “Unlimited Electrical Contractor”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Electrical Licensing Unit

Oklahoma has no 'master electrician' license; its highest person-held electrical credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Unlimited, Residential or Limited), which CIB issues to an individual who passes the two-portion contractor exam (technical trade and Business and Law, 70% each). This site maps the Unlimited Electrical Contractor license to the master level. An Unlimited applicant needs 12,000 verifiable hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, including 4,000 hours and two years as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman and 6,000 hours of commercial/industrial work; up to 2,000 hours may be formal education. The fee is $330 ($30 application plus $300 initial license) and PSI charges $92 per exam portion. To activate the license the contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm and file a $5,000 license bond, $50,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation proof; an inactive contractor license may be used to work as a journeyman. CIB publishes no contractor-level reciprocity agreements; its rules allow them, but its reciprocity page describes journeyman agreements only.

Moving to Oklahoma Leaving Oklahoma

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 Oklahoma master electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a Oklahoma master electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $514, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in Oklahoma?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Reciprocity requires a written agreement between the states, a current license in good standing for at least one year, and current CEU compliance. Journeymen and contractors complete 12 hours of continuing education every three years (six on code changes). Contractor activation requires general liability insurance with CIB as certificate holder, a bond, and workers' compensation proof. Links the Electrical License Act (Title 59, effective 11-1-2025).
Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Application Information and Application for Electrical Licensure (revised June 2024) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fees that must accompany the application: Electrical Contractor $330 (license $300 / processing $30); Electrical Journeyman, reciprocal or otherwise, $75 (license $50 / processing $25). Unlimited contractor: 12,000 hours while employed by a licensed electrical contractor, proof of 4,000 hours and 2 years as a licensed unlimited journeyman, 6,000 commercial/industrial hours; must be an owner, partner or officer of the firm to activate. Out-of-state residents must have completed similar experience and include copies of apprenticeship registrations or government-issued licenses; utility work is not counted. 'All applicants are required to pass the Oklahoma electrical exam to gain licensure - exception: reciprocal applicants.' Reciprocal licenses cannot be grandfathered and must have been held at least one year.
Oklahoma CIB - Electrical Contractor · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Unlimited Electrical Contractor: 12,000 verifiable hours, including 4,000 hours as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman and 6,000 hours of commercial/industrial work under a licensed electrical contractor; up to 2,000 hours by education. Residential Electrical Contractor: 8,000 hours. Limited Electrical Contractor: EE degree plus 8,000 hours, or 16,000 hours. The page mentions no contractor reciprocity.
Oklahoma Electrical License Act, 59 O.S. §§ 1680-1690 (effective 11-1-2025) · 59 O.S. §§ 1684, 1685, 1685.1 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§1684(B): passing score is 70% on each part; a failing applicant waits 30 days. §1685(A): CIB issues a journeyman electrician or electrical contractor license to any person certified by the Committee of Electrical Examiners as having passed the exam or holding a valid license from another governmental entity with similar requirements, who pays the fee and completes a national criminal history check when required. §1685.1: temporary one-year journeyman licenses for out-of-state journeymen after a declared disaster. The Act contains no section headed reciprocity; agreements are handled under the CIB rules.
OAC Title 158, Chapter 40 - Electrical Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 07/11/2026) · OAC 158:40-5-5, 158:40-7-5, 158:40-9-2.4, 158:40-9-3 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026158:40-7-5: journeyman and contractor licenses by reciprocity require a written reciprocity agreement; the applicant pays the application fee plus the initial license fee; conditions include substantially equivalent requirements, one year of lawful practice in the origin state immediately before application, no pending discipline (certified statement), and a license obtained by examination; a contractor applicant under a written contractor agreement is issued a journeyman license by reciprocity and receives the contractor license after passing the Business and Law portion of the contractor exam and meeting bond and insurance requirements. 158:40-9-2.4: exam equivalency for licensees of states without an agreement, only where the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam; waives the journeyman exam or the technical trade portion of the contractor exam but not the Business and Law portion; requires a certified letter showing current good standing, category, 70%+ exam score and no pending discipline. 158:40-9-3(b): contractor application $30, initial contractor license $300, renewal $200; journeyman application $25, initial license $50, renewal $75. 158:40-5-5: $5,000 license bond and $50,000 combined single limit general liability insurance for active contractors, plus workers' compensation compliance.
State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, effective 12/18/2025) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Other · verified September 15, 2026Eligibility is determined by CIB; PSI fee is $92 per examination portion, non-refundable. Content outlines cover the Unlimited Electrical Contractor, Limited Electrical Contractor, Residential Electrical Contractor, Unlimited Electrical Journeyman, Residential Electrical Journeyman and Refinery Electrical Journeyman exams.

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

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