Tennessee to Alabama: master electrician license reciprocity
Alabama has a reciprocity agreement with Tennessee: a Tennessee master electrician can get a Alabama license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Tennessee (electrical contractor)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Alabama Board accepts a current, valid electrical contractor license from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors that was obtained by passing an equivalent exam. The applicant must pass the Alabama Business and Law exam through Prov before applying, then send the notarized Reciprocal Application for Licensure (ERC-1) with the EC-2 form, the $315 reciprocal fee, and a Verification of License form completed by the Tennessee board showing the license date, status, exam date, passing score and disciplinary status; Tennessee must also send a letter of good standing and a copy of its rules directly to the Alabama Board. No Alabama trade exam is required, and there must be no previous or pending disciplinary action.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Tennessee license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your Tennessee 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 Alabama
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($315). Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License fee effective February 14, 2026, non-refundable.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Alabama Electrical Contractors Board Business and Law exam (Prov).
- 3Other. Notarized Reciprocal Application (ERC-1), EC-2 form, Verification of License form (EVL-1) completed by the origin board, letter of good standing and copy of the origin state's rules sent directly by that board.
- 4Business license. Obtain a business license (if applicable). Foreign corporation registration with the Alabama Secretary of State if the business entity was formed outside Alabama.
Published fees on this path total $315, 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
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license · if applicable
How Alabama licenses master electricians
Alabama master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (master-electrician equivalent)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
Alabama's highest person-held electrical credential is the statewide Electrical Contractor license, which the Board's own page says 'may also be interchanged with Master Electrician'. Under Ala. Code §34-36-7(c) it is issued only to a person (never to a firm), and the licensee then qualifies a business through the EC-2 business information form, so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must document 8,000 hours (four years) of experience designing, planning, laying out and directly supervising electrical construction, or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs, and pass the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam or the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam through Prov ($165); the license fee is $150, renewal is $150 per year, the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount, and 14 hours of continuing education are required every two years. The Board has electrical contractor reciprocity with Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas, accepts the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam as a basis for reciprocal licensing, and ended reciprocity with Georgia. Counties and municipalities may also license electrical contractors for work within their boundaries, but a statewide license is deemed qualifying everywhere in the state.
How local licensing works in Alabama
Ala. Code §34-36-13(a) lets a person engage in electrical contracting under a license 'from the board or from the county or municipality where the electrical contracting work is being performed', and §34-36-13(b)(2) preserves local examinations, while a valid statewide license is deemed qualifying in every county and municipality on proof of the license plus the local permit and business license. The former provisional electrical contractor license, which converted a county or municipal license into a geographically limited state credential, can no longer be issued since May 15, 2024 (§34-36-7(d)); existing holders may only renew ($75). The Board's reciprocity covers state boards only, and no Alabama city or county reciprocity rule was verified from an official page.
Why Tennessee has nothing to transfer
Tennessee master electrician
Licensed by cities and counties
Tennessee does not issue a master electrician license. The state-level credential for electrical contracting is a contractor license with the CE (electrical) classification from the Board for Licensing Contractors, which is issued to a business (sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC or corporation) that names a qualifying agent, and which is required for any electrical project of $25,000 or more. To obtain it the qualifying agent passes the Tennessee Business & Law exam and the CE trade exam (Prov), and the business files a reviewed or audited CPA financial statement (or, from July 1, 2026, a surety bond) that sets its monetary limit, proves general liability and workers' compensation insurance, and pays a $250 application fee ($200 biennial renewal). The Board has trade-exam-waiver agreements under which a contractor licensed in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina or West Virginia, or one who passed the NASCLA electrical exam, skips the CE trade exam but still takes the Business & Law exam and meets every other requirement; the Board stresses that these 'do NOT allow using another state's license in Tennessee'. Master electrician licenses proper exist only at the local level in the jurisdictions that run their own inspection programs: Nashville (Metro Master Electrician, six years of experience), Memphis/Shelby County (Master Electrician, four years as a journeyman), Chattanooga (Class I electrical contractor, three years as a journeyman) and other exempt jurisdictions, each with its own exam and fees and none publishing reciprocity for out-of-state masters. An out-of-state master electrician who only wants to work for an employer needs no state license; to pull permits for small jobs they need the local master license or an LLE where accepted, and to contract for work of $25,000 or more they need the state CE contractor license.
How local licensing works in Tennessee
State CE contractor license (business level). Required statewide for electrical projects of $25,000 and up and accepted by every local jurisdiction for permits, but it is a business license, not a personal master credential. Requirements: qualifying agent (owner, officer or full-time employee) passes the Tennessee Business & Law exam and the Electrical (CE) trade exam administered by Prov; reviewed or audited financial statement less than 12 months old (or a contractors' surety bond at 50% of the requested limit from July 1, 2026) setting a monetary limit of 10 times the lesser of working capital or net worth ($300,000 of each for an unlimited limit); general liability insurance scaled to the limit; workers' compensation or exemption; $250 initial fee, $200 renewal every two years; exam scores valid about two years. Trade exam waiver (the only state reciprocity): a contractor licensed in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina or West Virginia whose board verifies a comparable electrical exam on the Request for Contractor License Verification form, or who passed the NASCLA Electrical exam, files that verification in place of the CE trade exam score. The Business & Law exam is never waived, applicants with discipline, open complaints or felonies are ineligible, and the waiver cannot be used for the LLE. Arkansas's agreement covers only building classifications, not electrical.
Nashville (Metro Codes and Building Safety). The Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical Examiners and Appeals Board issues the Metropolitan Master Electrician certificate. Applicants need six years of experience (an electrical engineering degree may substitute), employer verification letters, a character letter and approval by the Chief Electrical Inspector, then pass the Prov-administered Metro master exam with 70%. The application asks whether the applicant holds a master license in another city or state and how long, but no exam waiver is described. Nashville registers state CE contractors separately.
Memphis / Shelby County (Office of Construction Code Enforcement). The Master Electrician license (Sec. 1305 of the joint electrical code) requires age 24 and either an electrical engineering degree plus two years of installation experience or four certified years as a journeyman; application in person with three industry recommendations, 30-day investigation, exam before the Electrical Code Advisory Board on theory, installation, the NEC and local codes. Fees: exam $150, initial license $100, active renewal $150. A separate Electrical Contractor license ($150 exam, $150 license, $150 registration) must be held by or employ a master; state-certified CE contractors register for $150 instead of testing. No reciprocity provision appears in the code.
Chattanooga (Land Development Office). The Class I electrical license is the contractor/master credential: three or more years as a journeyman or plant electrician (or three years as a Class II residential contractor, a prior Class I license, a Tennessee PE license, or equivalent), city examination, $415 per two-year term. A Board of Electrical Examiners oversees testing; no reciprocity is mentioned.
Knoxville (Plans Review & Inspections). Knoxville is on the state's exempt list and requires a city registration to pull permits; a state CE contractor registers directly. Details of Knoxville's own electrical contractor/master exam and fees are not published on the pages found (865-215-4311).
Out-of-state holders. No Tennessee city or the state endorses another state's master license as such. The realistic paths are: (1) obtain the state CE contractor license, using the trade-exam waiver if licensed in AL, LA, MS, NC, OH, SC or WV or NASCLA-tested, which every jurisdiction accepts; or (2) apply for the local master license in each exempt jurisdiction where you will work, documenting the experience required there and passing the local exam.
- Nashville / Davidson County (Metro Codes and Building Safety)
- Memphis / Shelby County (Office of Construction Code Enforcement)
- Knoxville (Plans Review & Inspections)
- Chattanooga (Land Development Office)
- Hamilton County
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Jackson
- Kingsport
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alabama master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- The trade exam is waived, but Alabama requires a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Alabama master electrician license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Does it work the other way, from Alabama to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alabama to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 303-X-3 - Licensing (certified rules effective February 14, 2026) · Ala. Admin. Code 303-X-3-.02, -.03, -.06, -.10 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026303-X-3-.02: electrical contractor applicants must document 8,000 hours of design, planning, lay-out and direct supervision of electrical construction (or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs); the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount; (10) the Board may recognize a license from a reciprocating state with equal or greater standards, the list of approved reciprocal states is kept at the Board office and the Executive Director approves or denies reciprocal applicants. 303-X-3-.03: journeyman applicants must document 8,000 hours; (6) same reciprocity language. 303-X-3-.06(2): an electrical contractor by reciprocity must hold a current and valid license in a qualifying reciprocal state with no previous or pending disciplinary action. 303-X-3-.10 (effective January 17, 2026): EC exam $165, journeyman exam $115, EC license $150, journeyman license $35, renewals $150/$35, Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License $315.
- Form ECE-1 - Electrical Contractor Examination Application · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Requires a minimum of four years or 8,000 hours of supervisory electrical construction experience (designed, planned, laid out and directly supervised electrical construction) documented by notarized affidavits from a licensed electrical contractor, inspector or project manager, with W-2/1099 forms; education substitutes up to 2,000 hours; exam choices are the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam (Prov, $165) or the NASCLA Portable EC exam ($165).
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Fees · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fee table: EC exam $165; journeyman exam $115; EC license $150; journeyman license $35; EC renewal $150; journeyman renewal $35; EC late renewal $50 per year up to 5 years; inactive EC certificate $75; inactive journeyman certificate $15; replacement card $25; Reciprocal License Application Fee $315.
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Forms and Testing Information (How to Get Licensed; Reciprocal Applications) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Defines the Electrical Contractor (interchangeable with 'Master Electrician') and Journeyman Electrician licenses; exam fees $165 (EC) and $115 (journeyman), license fees $150 (EC) and $35 (journeyman); exams by Prov on the 2023 NEC (2026 NEC from January 1, 2027); NASCLA exams offered. Lists the reciprocal boards: Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Louisiana (EC only) and Texas (EC or Journeyman); states the Board no longer shares reciprocity with Georgia; gives the five reciprocity steps (Alabama Business and Law exam, notarized reciprocity application, $315 fee effective February 14, 2026, Verification of License form, foreign-corporation registration) and that the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam also qualifies for reciprocal licensing.
- Form ERC-1 - Reciprocal Application for Licensure (Alabama Electrical Contractors Board) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Active Electrical Contractor by reciprocity: $315 effective February 14, 2026. Active contractors must submit corporation documents or certificate of foreign authority, the passing score sheet for the Alabama Business and Law Examination, the EC-2 business information form, and a Verification of License form or NASCLA exam waiver form. A letter of good standing and a copy of the state's rules must be sent directly from each listed jurisdiction's board to the Alabama Board. Only certified/cashier's checks, money orders or cards are accepted.
- Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 36 - Electrical Contractors and Journeyman Electricians · Ala. Code §§ 34-36-3, 34-36-7, 34-36-13 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (compilation of the Code of Alabama) · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§34-36-3 defines Electrical Contractor (a person qualified to plan, lay out and supervise electrical installations with four years as a journeyman in charge of jobs or four years in design and construction) and Journeyman Electrician. §34-36-7(b): the Board may recognize a license issued by any other state with standards equal to or higher than Alabama's and shall actively seek to reciprocate; §34-36-7(c): licenses are issued only to a person, never to a firm; §34-36-7(d): no new provisional (local-license-based) contractor licenses after May 15, 2024. §34-36-13(a): no person may perform work as a master or journeyman electrician without a license from the Board or from the county or municipality where the work is performed; §34-36-13(b)(2): local governments may examine electricians but a holder of a valid statewide Board license is deemed qualified in every county and municipality.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.