Tennessee to Georgia: master electrician license reciprocity
Georgia has a reciprocity agreement with Tennessee: a Tennessee master electrician can get a Georgia license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocity with Tennessee (Class II Non-Restricted)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Georgia's reciprocity application lists the State of Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors among the boards whose unrestricted electrical contractor examinations it has approved, and the online how-to guide invites reciprocity applications from contractors licensed by exam in Tennessee. A Tennessee electrical contractor who obtained the license by passing Tennessee's electrical exam, holds it current and active, and has no penalties or violations receives a Georgia Class II Non-Restricted license without taking the Georgia exam. The applicant files the Non-Restricted Reciprocity application in GOALS with a sealed Verification of Licensure from the Tennessee board, three notarized references (one from a licensed electrical contractor), a certified background check and the citizenship affidavit. Licenses obtained by grandfathering, endorsement, conversion or reciprocity do not qualify.
The reciprocity application fee is shown only in the GOALS fee schedule, which could not be opened; the retired 2022 paper form listed $40.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not 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 Georgia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Electrical Contractor Non-Restricted Reciprocity application fee paid in GOALS (amount not published on the pages opened).
- 2Other. Verification of Licensure with state seal from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors indicating a current license obtained by examination.
- 3Other. Three notarized Reference Forms, at least one from a licensed electrical contractor.
- 4Background check. Complete a background check. Certified criminal background check from local law enforcement.
How Georgia licenses master electricians
Georgia master electrician · “Electrical Contractor Class II (Non-Restricted)”
Statewide license
Georgia has no 'master electrician' license; its highest person-held electrical credential is the statewide Electrical Contractor license issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Electrical Contractors to an individual who documents experience and passes the PSI-administered exam. It comes in two classes: Class I (Restricted) covers single-phase installations up to 200 amperes, and Class II (Non-Restricted) is unrestricted, so Class II is the master-level equivalent used here. A new applicant needs at least 4 years (8,000 hours) of primary experience under a licensed electrical contractor covering all eight experience areas, including installations above single-phase 400 amperes under a Class II contractor, plus three notarized references and a certified background check; the exam application fee is $110 through the GOALS portal. Georgia has reciprocity agreements, for Class II only, with Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee: a contractor who obtained an unrestricted electrical license in one of those states by passing that state's exam is licensed without the Georgia exam. Everyone else applies by examination, with out-of-state experience under a licensed contractor counting toward the 4 years. Licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years; applications are generally processed within 20 business days.
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 Georgia master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Tennessee.
- Does it work the other way, from Georgia to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Georgia to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-2 - Applications and Examinations (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.03 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Chapter index lists Rule 121-2-.03 'Statewide License by Reciprocity' (formerly 121-2-.05): 'A person may be issued a Conditioned Air Contractor, Electrical Contractor, Low Voltage Contractor, Master Plumber, Journeyman Plumber, or Utility Manager license by submitting a completed application, fee, and evidence that they hold a current out-of-state license' from a board with which the Division has a formal written agreement. The list of reciprocity-eligible licenses contains no journeyman conditioned air credential. The full rule text page returned an access error on this verification date.
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-3 - Licensing (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.04 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Rule 121-3-.04 (Statewide Conditioned Air Contractor License): 'Class I Conditioned Air Contractor licenses are restricted to conditioned air contracting involving conditioned air systems or equipment not exceeding 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling'; 'Class II licenses are unrestricted' and applicants must document installations exceeding those sizes. Class I needs four years: 'two (2) years of residential installation experience as a lead mechanic, one year as a service technician, evidence of having an E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) certification, one year of residential supervisory experience, and a completion of a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course.' Class II needs five years: 'two (2) years of installation as a lead mechanic with at least one of the years being commercial only, one year as a service technician or service supervisor evidence of having an E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) certification, two years of commercial supervisory experience and a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course.' Both require 'a minimum score of seventy (70) on the appropriate examination' and three references. The chapter creates journeyman licenses only for plumbers (Rule 121-3-.02); there is no journeyman conditioned air classification.
- Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Electrical Contractors) · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Board home page. States that paper applications are no longer accepted and all applications go through the GOALS portal; licenses expire June 30, 2026 with a late period through August 15, 2026. The board's menu lists only electrical contractor licensing; there is no journeyman electrician license.
- Electrical Contractor License - Application for Licensure by Examination (Class 1 Restricted / Class 2 Non-Restricted), Revised 08/22 · Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026'You must document a minimum of 4 years (2,000 hours = 1 year) of qualifying experience ... gained working under a Licensed Electrical Contractor'; 'If the license holder is from out of state, notate on the application if their license is equivalent to a Restricted or Non-Restricted Georgia license.' Class I requires experience in at least six of the eight Primary Experience areas; Class II requires all eight plus installations in excess of single-phase 400-ampere systems under a Class II contractor. Three notarized references (one licensed electrical contractor), certified background check, PSI/AMP is the testing vendor and collects the exam fee. The 2022 paper form lists a $40 application fee; paper forms are no longer accepted and the online guide lists $110.
- How-To Guide: Electrical Contractors · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Lists the application types (Restricted, Non-Restricted, Non-Restricted Reciprocity, reinstatements, renewal). Restricted and Non-Restricted exam applications: 'Completed, signed, and notarized application with $110 fee', background check, work experience, three references, citizenship affidavit. Reciprocity: 'Apply for reciprocity if you have a current license with no violations and obtained by exam from Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee', with three references, background check and 'Verification of out of state License'. Applications are generally processed within 20 business days; licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years. The fee-schedule link goes to the GOALS portal, which could not be opened.
- Electrical Contractors - Reciprocity Application (Class 2 Non-Restricted), Revised 08/22 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.03 (cited on the form under its former number 121-2-.05) · Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026'The Board has approved the unrestricted electrical contractor examinations given by' the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board, Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board, and State of Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. The Board waives the exam when the applicant obtained the license by passing that state's equivalent exam, holds a current active license, has no penalties or violations, submits a sealed Verification of Licensure showing the exam was passed, and meets all other Georgia requirements; Louisiana licensees must have been licensed at least 3 years. Licenses obtained by grandfathering, endorsement, conversion or reciprocity are not eligible. Requires three notarized reference forms (one from a licensed electrical contractor) and a certified local law-enforcement background check. This 2022 paper form shows a $40 fee ($30 + $10 processing); paper forms are no longer accepted.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.