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

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

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

Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in South Carolina?

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

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

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

New York to South Carolina: 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 South Carolina'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.

Licensure by examination with credit for out-of-state experience (states without a waiver agreement)

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

A contractor from a state (or classification) not on the Board's waiver list is told plainly: 'you are not eligible for waiver/reciprocity. You will be required to take the SC exams.' The applicant passes the South Carolina Electrical technical exam through PSI, or the NASCLA Accredited Trade Examination for Electrical Contractors (accepted for the EL classification), and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, then files the Qualifying Party application (Doc. 168) with proof of at least 2 years of full-time work experience performed within the past 5 years in the electrical classification, which may have been earned in any state and should primarily reflect commercial work. The business files the Mechanical Contractor license application with the $350 licensure fee and a financial statement (or surety bond) meeting the group limit it wants. Section 40-11-290 separately allows the Board to exempt the technical exam for an applicant who verifies passing an 'essentially the same' exam in another state even without a reciprocal agreement, but the Board's published waiver list and instructions do not describe a process for invoking it outside the listed states. A licensee who only wants residential work can instead apply to the Residential Builders Commission for the Residential Electrician license (one year of residential experience, residential technical and Business Management and Law exams, $135 application and $220 license fees, $10,000 bond for work over $5,000).

PSI exam fees are paid directly to PSI and are not published on LLR's pages. The Board's licensure page shows a $350 licensure fee but no separate qualifying-party application fee. The current Mechanical Group financial thresholds on the licensure page (Group 2: $10,000 working capital or $15,000 net worth, $15,000 bond) differ from the 2019 waiver document's table ($10,000 net worth, $20,000 bond); the web page is treated as current.

At a glance

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

What you must already have

At least 2 years of full-time work experience in the electrical classification performed within the past 5 years, documented on Work Experience Affidavits (Doc. 167); out-of-state experience is accepted

What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina

1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Carolina Electrical technical examination (PSI), or the NASCLA Accredited Trade Examination for Electrical Contractors with the transcript sent by NASCLA to the Board.
2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI), required of all applicants.
3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fees paid directly to PSI at registration (amounts not published by LLR).
4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee (license issued to the entity the qualifying party certifies).
5Other. Financial statement dated within 12 months showing working capital of $10,000 or net worth of $15,000 for Mechanical Group 2 (higher groups require more), or a surety bond in lieu.
6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($15,000) (if applicable). Surety bond accepted in lieu of the financial statement for Mechanical Group 2 (larger bonds for higher groups).
7Other. Qualifying Party initial application (Doc. 168) with exam score sheets, Work Experience Affidavits, ID, Social Security card and notarized Verification of Lawful Presence.

Published fees on this path total $350, 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

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 · $15,000 · if applicable

How South Carolina licenses master electricians

South Carolina master electrician · “Mechanical Contractor, Electrical (EL) classification - Qualifying Party certification”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (LLR); Residential Builders Commission for residential-only work

South Carolina has no 'master electrician' license. The highest person-held electrical credential is the Contractor's Licensing Board's Qualifying Party certification in the Electrical (EL) classification of the Mechanical Contractor license: the individual passes the South Carolina electrical technical exam (or the NASCLA Accredited Electrical exam) and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, documents two years of experience within the past five, and is certified as the primary qualifying party for a licensed entity (which may be a sole proprietorship); the certification stays with the person and can be transferred to another licensee. The license itself is issued to the business, with a $350 licensure fee and a financial statement or surety bond sized by license group (Mechanical Group 2, jobs to $50,000: working capital $10,000 or net worth $15,000, or a $15,000 bond). A residential-only alternative is the Residential Builders Commission's Residential Electrician license ($135 application, $220 license), issued to the individual after one year of residential experience and the residential technical plus Business Management and Law exams. South Carolina has technical-exam waiver agreements, listed in the Board's Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements document, that cover the electrical classification for Alabama, Georgia (Un-Restricted), Mississippi, North Carolina (Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited with matching group limits), Ohio, Reading (Pennsylvania), Tennessee (CE) and Utah (S200), plus the MASC/CAGC Master Electrician card; every waiver applicant must still pass the South Carolina Business Management & Law exam. Licensees from other states take the South Carolina (or NASCLA) technical exam.

Moving to South Carolina Leaving South Carolina

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 South Carolina master electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: Yes. South Carolina requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a South Carolina master electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in South Carolina?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from South Carolina to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Carolina to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. §§ 40-11-30, 40-11-290, 40-11-410(5)(a)-(c), (h) · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§ 40-11-30: no entity or individual may practice mechanical contracting where the cost of the work exceeds $10,000 without a license. § 40-11-290: the Board may license an applicant holding a license in good standing in another state with requirements 'equal to or greater than those required by this chapter' where it has authorized an exam waiver agreement, and may exempt the technical exam for an essentially identical exam passed elsewhere; such applicants may be required to pass the 'South Carolina Commercial Contractors Business, Law and Project Management examination'. § 40-11-410(5) defines the mechanical subclassifications: (a) Air Conditioning ('installation, replacement, alteration, and repair of air conditioning equipment and systems'), (b) Heating (steam, vapor and hot water systems), (c) Packaged Equipment (combined air conditioning, ventilation and duct work limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating per unit), (h) Refrigeration. The chapter has no journeyman license.
General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application, Doc. 168 (12/31/2025 v2.3) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 15, 2026Text extracted from the PDF. Methods: PSI technical exam or NASCLA transcript, exam waiver/reciprocity, or CAGC/MASC trades certification; all require the SC Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam and 'at least 2 years of full-time work experience, performed within the past 5 years in the license classification(s)' (primarily commercial), or a PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate (Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing). 'A current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification that was issued by examination between September 7, 2013, and December 2025, from MASC, or issued after January 1, 2026, by Carolinas AGC (CAGC). Corresponding licensure classifications: Air Conditioning and Heating.' Waiver applicants have the SC Examination Waiver form completed by the origin board ('Copies of your license or exam results are not accepted'); licenses obtained by waiver or grandfathering are not eligible; 'If your state is listed but your trade/classification is not listed, you are not eligible.' The certified qualifying party 'is not a licensed contractor'; the entity holds the license. Classifications on the form include Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration and Packaged Equipment.
SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Licensure (classifications, exams, waiver/reciprocity, fees) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Mechanical Contractor classifications with a PSI technical exam include Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration, Packaged Equipment, Lightning Protection, Electrical and Process Piping (register at test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon). 'All individuals must pass the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam' regardless of how they qualify. Accepted trades certification: 'A current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification ... from MASC, or issued after January 1, 2026, by Carolinas AGC (CAGC)' for the Air Conditioning and Heating classifications. Exam waiver applicants must hold 'a license in good standing in a jurisdiction' on the Technical Exam Waiver Agreement list. 'At least 2 years of work experience performed within the past 5 years' in the classification. Licensure fee $350. Mechanical group limits: Group 1 $35,000 per job (working capital $3,500 / net worth $7,000 / bond $7,000), Group 2 $100,000 ($10,000 / $15,000 / $15,000), Group 3 $200,000 ($20,000 / $30,000 / $30,000), Group 4 $400,000 ($40,000 / $60,000 / $60,000), Group 5 unlimited ($200,000 / $300,000 / $300,000).
SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements (Rev. 02/2019) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 15, 2026Text extracted from the PDF. 'THE SOUTH CAROLINA RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS ONLY WAIVE THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE EXAM.' Reciprocal states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Reading Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, plus MASC. HVAC-relevant exams accepted and the SC classifications issued: Georgia 'Un-Restricted Conditioned Air (if exam passed after 6/30/80)' = AC, HT; Louisiana 'Statewide Mechanical' = AC, HT; Ohio 'HVAC' = PK; Tennessee 'CMC' = AC, RG, PB and 'CMC-C' = AC, RG; Texas 'Class A Air Conditioning/Refrigeration, or, Class A Air Conditioning' = AC, HT, 'Class B Air Conditioning, or, Class B Air Conditioning/Refrigeration' = PK, 'Class A Air Refrigeration' = RG; Utah 'S350 HVAC' = AC, 'S353 Warm Air Heating' = HT, 'S351 Refrigerated Air Conditioning' = PK, 'S360 Refrigeration' = RG; MASC 'Master HVAC (if exam passed after 1/1/1990)' = AC, HT, PK, RG (page 1 says 'Master Mechanical/HVAC (if exam passed after 9/6/2013)'). Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Reading PA have no HVAC exam listed. Grandfathered or waived-in licensees do not qualify; 'If your state is not listed, or if your state is listed but the exam you took is not listed, you are not eligible for waiver/reciprocity. You will be required to take the SC exams.' Every waiver applicant must pass the SC Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam and obtain a license verification showing the exam was taken. Page 3 defines AC = Air Conditioning, HT = Heating, PK = Packaged Equipment, RG = Refrigeration, and gives 2019 mechanical group limits (Group 2: $50,000 per job, $10,000 net worth, $20,000 bond).
SC Residential Builders Commission - Residential Electrician license · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fees: application $135, license $220, renewal $220, late renewal $50, reinstatement $480. Technical exam waived for a current SC Mechanical Contractor (EL) licensed by exam for 1+ year, a current North Carolina or Mississippi license obtained by exam and held 1+ year, a NASCLA Residential Electrical Contractors exam passed within 3 years, or a Master (Residential) Electrician certification from MASC/CAGC. Business Management and Law portion always required.
Residential Electrician License Application - Requirements and Instructions (Rev. 01/2026 v1.5) · S.C. Code Ann. § 40-59-250 (credit report) · South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (LLR) · Form · verified September 15, 2026Licensure by exam requires a minimum of one year of residential electrical experience within the past 5 years; exam waiver for NC and MS licensees (by exam, 1+ year), NASCLA Accredited Electrical exam within 3 years, or MASC/CAGC Master Electrician certification, with the Business Management and Law portion still required; $135 application fee; credit report within 30 days; $10,000 surety bond in the individual's name before doing work over $5,000.

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

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