North Carolina to South Carolina: master electrician license reciprocity
South Carolina has a reciprocity agreement with North Carolina: a North Carolina master electrician can get a South Carolina license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Technical-exam waiver for North Carolina Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited electrical licensees
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board's Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements list accepts all three North Carolina electrical contractor exams for the South Carolina Electrical (EL) classification, with the South Carolina license capped to match: Limited qualifies for Group limits 1 and 2 only, Intermediate for Groups 1-3, and Unlimited for Groups 1-5. A North Carolina licensee who passed the exam and holds a current license in good standing (not grandfathered or waived in) has the South Carolina technical exam waived but must still pass the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam through PSI, have the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors complete the SC Examination Waiver form, document 2 years of experience within the past 5, and file the Qualifying Party application; the business then pays the $350 licensure fee and files a financial statement or bond for its group. North Carolina is also one of only two states (with Mississippi) whose electrical license, obtained by exam and held at least one year, waives the technical exam for the Residential Builders Commission's Residential Electrician license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your North Carolina license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your North Carolina license must be active and in good standing.
- At least 2 years of full-time electrical work experience within the past 5 years
What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina
- 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI).
- 2Other. SC Examination Waiver form completed by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee.
- 4Other. Financial statement or surety bond for the license group applied for (Limited: Groups 1-2; Intermediate: Groups 1-3; Unlimited: Groups 1-5).
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.
- Law / code exam
How South Carolina licenses master electricians
South Carolina master electrician · “Mechanical Contractor, Electrical (EL) classification - Qualifying Party certification”
Statewide license
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 (Master Electrician exams passed before May 2017), plus the MASC/CAGC Master Electrician card and the NASCLA Accredited Electrical exam; 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.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the South Carolina master electrician exam if I'm licensed in North Carolina?
- The trade exam is waived, but South Carolina requires a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a South Carolina master electrician license from North Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my North Carolina work hours count in South Carolina?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. Sections 40-11-30, 40-11-230, 40-11-260, 40-11-262, 40-11-290, 40-11-410 · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application (Doc. 168, 12/19/2025 v2.1) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Contractor’s Licensing Board - Licensure with the Board (application, qualifying parties, exams, group limits, financial statements, bonds) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Contractor’s Licensing Board - Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (as of May 2026, Revised 5/2026) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (as of May 2026) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Residential Builders Commission - Residential Electrician license · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
- SC Residential Builders Commission - Examinations and exam waivers · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.