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

No. The trade exam is waived on this path.

How long do I need to have held my New York license?

At least 3 years before applying.

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

Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

Do my New York work hours count in Vermont?

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

How long does the application take?

The board's published or typical processing time is about 60 days.

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

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

New York to Vermont: 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 Vermont'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.

Universal license by endorsement (all other states, license held 3 years)

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

Under 26 V.S.A. s. 906(b)(2) and Safety Rule 3.4(f), the board shall issue a master license without examination to an applicant whose master electrician license from any other U.S. jurisdiction has been held in good standing for at least three years, regardless of whether that state reciprocates. The applicant files the notarized all-classifications application checking 'Universal license - Master', attaches a certified letter of licensure from the issuing state, a photocopy of the license, the original issue date, how the license was obtained and documentation of that state's requirements, lists three references, and pays the $150 three-year fee; applications are reviewed at the board's bi-monthly meetings and must arrive two weeks beforehand. The Commissioner may waive the three-year practice requirement. A master licensed for less than three years applies through the standard route, where the board may recognize licensed journeyman experience earned in another state toward the two-year prerequisite but must pass the Vermont master exam. Under the 2025 rules a license from a NERA member state need only be held in good standing for one year.

Timeline reflects the board's every-other-month meeting cycle and two-week document deadline; no processing time is published. The NERA member list is not published on a Vermont page (Rule 3.4(f) refers to nerastates.org, whose map is dated February 2025 and does not yet show Vermont), so NERA one-year eligibility is described rather than mapped to individual origin states, and whether NERA recognition extends to the master level is not stated. The $80 Prov exam fee applies only to the examination route.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Out-of-state hours: Count toward eligibility
Typical processing: About 60 days

What you must already have

You must have held your New York license for at least 3 years.Master license held in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (26 V.S.A. s. 906(b)(2)(A); Rule 3.4(f)); one year if from a NERA member state per the 2025 rules.
Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.

What you'll do to get licensed in Vermont

1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Master three-year license fee (26 V.S.A. s. 905(d)).
2Other. Notarized all-classifications application with certified letter of licensure from the issuing state, photocopy of the license, date and means of obtaining it, documentation of that state's requirements, and three references.

Published fees on this path total $150, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

How Vermont licenses master electricians

Vermont master electrician · “Master Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Vermont Electricians' Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety)

Vermont issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the Electricians' Licensing Board within the Division of Fire Safety; a master may design, install and maintain electrical installations as a business and employ other licensees. A new applicant must have been licensed and working as a Vermont journeyman for at least two years or have comparable experience and training within or outside Vermont acceptable to the board (the board may credit journeyman experience in another state under 26 V.S.A. s. 907), then pass the Prov-administered master exam ($80), which also covers the Type-S specialty fields; the license costs $150 for a three-year term with 15 hours of NEC continuing education per term. Out-of-state masters have the same non-examination routes as journeymen: a reciprocal license for Maine and New Hampshire residents, a 'Universal' license for a master license held in good standing in any other U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years, and one-year recognition for NERA member-state licenses under the 2025 rules.

Moving to Vermont Leaving Vermont

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 Vermont master electrician exam if I'm licensed in New York?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
How long do I need to have held my New York license?: At least 3 years before applying.
What does it cost to get a Vermont master electrician license from New York?: Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my New York work hours count in Vermont?: Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Vermont's eligibility requirements.
How long does the application take?: The board's published or typical processing time is about 60 days.
Does it work the other way, from Vermont to New York?: Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Vermont to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' License Application and Instructions, All Classifications (June 2026) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fees: Master $150.00 three-year license; Journeyman $115.00; Type-S Specialist $115.00 per field; exam fees not included. 'If Reciprocal, Maine or New Hampshire (Residents only) check which state/s and include a certified letter/s from reciprocating state/s, and include a photocopy of license/s.' 'If Universal license be sure to include a certified letter/s from issuing state/s and include a photocopy of license/s... Include original date/s of issuance, and the means of obtaining the license'; the Universal license box says '3 Year Minimum' and 'Reciprocating a license from any other state'. Section 6 asks for a certified letter, license copy and documentation of the requirements to obtain the origin license. Applications must be notarized, list three references, and reach the Division two weeks before a board meeting.
Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board (meetings and submission deadline) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Board meets every two months (2026 dates February 3, April 7, June 2, August 4, October 6, December 1) and 'all documents must be received at the Central Office two weeks prior to the meeting' for an application to be reviewed.
Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians (electrical licensing home page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Licensing landing page: links the Vermont Electrical Statute (26 V.S.A. chapter 15), the Vermont Electrical Safety Rules 2025 Edition (effective 11/05/2025), the 'Electrical Application and Instructions - All Classifications' form, online renewal, and the licensed-electrician lookup; licensing office at 45 State Drive, Waterbury, 802-479-7564, [email protected].
Vermont Electrical Safety Rules, 2025 edition - section 3.3 Type-S specialty electrician licenses · Vermont Electrical Safety Rules 2025, s. 3.3 · Vermont Electricians' Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Opened through the r.jina.ai text proxy. Section 3.3 lists the Type-S specialty fields including A1 'Automatic gas or oil heating, including geo-thermal, ground source heat pumps' and C3 'Refrigeration or air conditioning, air to air heat pumps'. A Type-S licensee may 'design, install, repair, maintain and replace electrical installations as an employee or an independent contractor only in connection with the specialty field designated on the person's license, and may only install branch circuits from the existing electrical service'. Qualification: complete an accredited training and experience program recognized by the board or equivalent training and experience acceptable to the board, then pass the specialty exam ($80). The reciprocity provision in 3.4(f) applies to master and journeyman electricians only.
26 V.S.A. Chapter 15 - Electrical Installations (ss. 902-907: master and journeyman qualifications, fees, examinations not required, recognition of experience) · 26 V.S.A. ss. 902, 903, 905, 906, 907 · Vermont General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026s. 902: master applicant must have been a licensed journeyman under the chapter for at least two years or have comparable experience and training within or without the state acceptable to the board, and pass an exam. s. 903: journeyman applicant must show Vermont Apprenticeship Council completion or equivalent training and experience within or outside the state, and pass an exam. s. 905(d): three-year fees master $150, journeyman $115, type-S $115 per field; late renewal within one year $25 extra. s. 906(a): a license for an individual licensed by another state shall be issued without examination as provided in the section; s. 906(b)(1) reciprocity for licenses from states with equivalent standards that grant Vermont licensees a similar privilege; s. 906(b)(2)(A) uniform endorsement: the board shall license masters and journeymen licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years regardless of reciprocity; (C) the Commissioner may waive the practice requirement. s. 907: the board may credit journeyman experience or an apprenticeship served in another state.

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

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