Tennessee to Idaho: master electrician license reciprocity
Tennessee does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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.
Out-of-state master electricians (reciprocal application with license verification)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master electrician files the master application as a 'Reciprocal' application type ($80 processing fee, which is the $15 application fee plus the $65 original license fee) with a License Verification Form completed by the state of licensure; a copy of the license is not accepted. The verification must show that the license was obtained by examination, that the applicant held a journeyman license for at least four years, that the master license is active, and the date it was originally issued. The application's examination section applies to initial applicants only, but the instructions state that 'a passing examination score may be required prior to the issuance of a license', so DOPL may still require the Idaho master exam (PSI) case by case. An applicant who cannot document four years as a journeyman does not qualify; an applicant with four years as a licensed journeyman in any jurisdiction may instead apply as an initial applicant and take the Idaho master exam.
Exam flags reflect the reciprocal application type, which does not include the examination section; DOPL reserves the right to require a passing exam score before issuing the license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Tennessee license must be active and in good standing.
- Your Tennessee license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have held your Tennessee license for at least 4 years.Journeyman license held for a minimum of four years, consistent with Idaho Code 54-1007(3).
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($15). DOPL application fee (the application form shows the combined $80 processing fee, which includes the license fee).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($65). Original Master Electrician license fee, three-year term (renewal $45); a journeyman license is issued with it at no additional cost.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Idaho State Master Electrician exam administered by PSI; required for initial (experience-pathway) applicants and may be required of reciprocal applicants before issuance.
- 4Other. License Verification Form completed by the state of licensure.
Published fees on this path total $80, 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 · if applicable
How Idaho licenses master electricians
Idaho master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho Electrical Board)
Idaho issues a statewide Master Electrician license through DOPL on behalf of the Idaho Electrical Board. Idaho Code 54-1007(3) qualifies anyone who has worked as a licensed journeyman for at least four years to apply for a master license, and since House Bill 153 a master licensee is automatically issued a journeyman license at no extra cost. The only signed master-level reciprocity agreement is the 2006 bilateral agreement with Wyoming; the multi-state NERA agreement covers journeymen only. For other states, the master application offers a 'Reciprocity Pathway' based on a License Verification Form from the origin state showing licensure by examination, at least four years as a journeyman, and an active master license, but the instructions warn that a passing exam score may still be required before issuance. Applicants who do not qualify that way use the experience pathway (four years as a licensed journeyman) and pass the Idaho master exam administered by PSI.
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 Idaho master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Tennessee license?
- At least 4 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho master electrician license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $80, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Idaho Code 54-1007 - Issuance of licenses - Reciprocity · Idaho Code 54-1007 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026Subsection (3): a person who has worked as a licensed journeyman at least four years is qualified to apply for a master license. Subsection (6): 'To the extent that other states that provide for the licensing of electricians require qualifications at least equal to those contained in this chapter, the administrator may enter reciprocal agreements with such other states to grant licenses to electricians licensed by such other states.'
- Idaho Electrical Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Fee table: application fee $15; Journeyman original license $55 (3-year term, renewal $45); Master original license $65 (3-year term, renewal $45).
- Idaho Electrical Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Exams are administered by PSI (registration at test-takers.psiexams.com/idcon/test).
- Idaho Master Electrician License Application and Instructions (revised June 15, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 14, 2026Two pathways: Experience (journeyman license held at least 4 years, then exam) and Reciprocity (License Verification Form from the state of licensure showing licensure by examination, journeyman license held at least 4 years, active master license, and original issue date). $80.00 processing fee. Examination section is marked 'Initial Applicants Only', but the instructions state 'A passing examination score may be required prior to the issuance of a license.'
- Idaho Electrical Board draft meeting minutes, August 12, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026'DOPL staff are reviewing the current reciprocal agreements as well as changes in other states' legislation that may affect those agreements. A revaluation of the reciprocal agreements will be conducted later this year.' Also notes House Bill 153 amended 54-1007 so a master licensee is automatically issued a journeyman license at no additional cost.
- Idaho Electrical Board meeting minutes, October 29, 2025 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 14, 2026Idaho State Journeyman and Master Electrician exams developed with PSI went live December 1, 2025, replacing the NASCLA exams. Idaho hosted the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) conference; staff to report on reciprocal status with surrounding states and the list of participating states.
- Reciprocal Agreement - Wyoming and Idaho Journeyman and Master Electrician Licenses (with the November 9, 1999 Multi-State Electrician Reciprocal Agreement and 2006 amendment adding Idaho) · Idaho Code 54-1007 · Idaho Division of Building Safety / Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety · Agreement Document · verified September 14, 2026Bilateral agreement signed 9/21/2006 (Wyoming) and 11/14/2006 (Idaho) covering journeyman and master licenses obtained by examination, current, active, in good standing; journeyman qualified by 8,000 hours plus 576 classroom hours; master qualified by 4 years (8,000 hours) as a licensed journeyman. The same file contains the 1999 Multi-State Electrician Reciprocal Agreement (journeyman only): four-year apprenticeship or 8,000 hours, license current, active and in good standing, and the receiving state may require the license to have been held at least one year.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.