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Tennessee to New Jersey: master electrician license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 15, 2026· 10 sources

Tennessee does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Jersey'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 electrician or contractor without a recognized reciprocal jurisdiction: qualify and sit the New Jersey electrical contractor exam

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

An applicant from a state the Board has not recognized under N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 receives no exam waiver. They file the Application for Examination with the $100 non-refundable fee, a photo, disclosure of every license held in any jurisdiction, and Work Experience Certifications from each employer proving five years of hands-on electrical construction and installation work in compliance with the NEC; the employer certification asks in what state the employer is licensed, so out-of-state experience is accepted as proof. The five years must be a completed four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship (DOL certificate) plus at least one year (2,000 hours) as a journeyman, or an alternative the Board accepts such as a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology (credited for three years) plus two years of hands-on work. After the Board approves eligibility the applicant must pass all three written sections of the Board exam (electrical contractor, business and law, alarm systems), then pay the prorated license fee ($225 in the first year of the triennial period). To actually contract, the licensee's business must then obtain a business permit ($150 prorated) with a $1,000 surety bond, $300,000 general liability coverage or bank letter of credit, a federal tax ID and a pressure seal. Reciprocity without examination is available only where the Board finds equal reciprocity and substantial equivalence (2,000 supervised hours count as one apprenticeship year), the applicant has practiced as a contractor for two of the last five years, and completes an eight-hour New Jersey business-law course; no qualifying states are published.

The Board's exam vendor fee is not stated on any page that could be opened and is omitted. Whether the Board has determined that any state satisfies the 'equal reciprocity' test of N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 / N.J.S.A. 45:5A-11.8 could not be confirmed because the Board's FAQ page could not be opened; no agreements are listed for that reason. Older Board documents quote a $150 initial license fee and $90 renewal; the current N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 schedule (effective June 2, 2025) sets $225.

At a glance

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

  • Five years in electrical construction and installation immediately preceding the application: a completed four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship plus at least one year (2,000 hours) of hands-on work as a journeyman, or a Board-accepted alternative (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9(b); N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3)
  • Over 21 years of age with a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1)
  • You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.

What you'll do to get licensed in New Jersey

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable Application for Examination filing fee (N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6).
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board electrical contractor examination: electrical contractor section and alarm systems section (all sections must be passed; retakes after six months).
  3. 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and law section of the Board electrical contractor examination.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($225). Initial electrical contractor license fee when paid in the first year of the triennial period ($150 second year, $75 third year); triennial renewal $225.
  5. 5Business license. Obtain a business license ($150). Initial business permit fee when issued in the first year of the triennial period ($100 second year, $50 third year); required to contract, one licensee may qualify only one permit.
  6. 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($1,000). Surety bond in favor of the State of New Jersey for a 36-month term (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19), filed with the business permit application.
  7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($300,000). General liability insurance (or bank letter of credit) of at least $300,000 naming the Board as certificate holder, with 10-day cancellation notice (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9.1).
  8. 8Other. Work Experience Certification from each employer covering the five years claimed, U.S. DOL apprenticeship Certificate of Completion or diploma, and a 2x2 photograph.

Published fees on this path total $325, 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
  • 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 · $150

Surety bond

A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.

  • Surety bond · $1,000

Liability insurance

Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.

  • Insurance · $300,000

How New Jersey licenses master electricians

New Jersey master electrician · “Licensed Electrical Contractor”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 8 sources

Issued by New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (Division of Consumer Affairs)

New Jersey has no license called 'master electrician'; its highest person-held electrical credential is the Electrical Contractor license, issued by the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors to an individual who establishes five years of qualifying experience and passes the Board's three-part written examination (electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems). This file treats that license as the master level. Under N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9 as amended by P.L. 2021, c.479, the five years must consist of a completed four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship followed by at least one year (2,000 hours) as a journeyman; the Board's overview also describes alternatives such as a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering plus two years of hands-on work, and the exam application lets a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology count for three of the five years. The individual license alone does not permit contracting: the licensee's business must also hold a Board business permit backed by a $1,000 surety bond and $300,000 of general liability insurance, and every licensee must be over 21 with a high school diploma or equivalent. Licenses and permits run on a three-year cycle. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 allows licensure without examination for electrical contractors from jurisdictions that give New Jersey equal reciprocity and have substantially equivalent requirements, but the Board publishes no list of such states.

Moving to New JerseyLeaving New Jersey

Why Tennessee has nothing to transfer

Tennessee master electrician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 13 sources

Issued by Local code enforcement offices (Nashville, Memphis/Shelby County, Knoxville, Chattanooga and other exempt jurisdictions); state issues only the CE contractor license

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.

Moving to TennesseeLeaving Tennessee

Common questions

Do I have to take the New Jersey master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
Yes. New Jersey requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a New Jersey master electrician license from Tennessee?
Published fees on this path total $325, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Tennessee work hours count in New Jersey?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Jersey's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from New Jersey to Tennessee?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Jersey to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application for Examination (electrical contractor) · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $100 application filing fee. Applicants must document practical experience working with tools in compliance with the NEC with a Work Experience Certification from each employer (the certification asks whether the employer is a licensed electrical contractor and in what state, so out-of-state employment is contemplated), must disclose licenses held in any other state, and may use a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology for three of the five years, with the remaining two years hands-on.
  2. Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application Process Overview · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Other · verified September 15, 2026Board slide deck summarizing the journeyman qualification (8,000 hours with 576 classroom hours, 4,000 hours within five years) and the electrical contractor exam eligibility (over 21, high school diploma, five years hands-on experience, or a four-year federally approved apprenticeship plus one year, or a qualified journeyman plus one year, or a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering plus two years). It lists application fees of $40 (journeyman) and $100 (electrical contractor) and a three-year license term; the $40 figure predates the 2025 fee schedule.
  3. Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application for an Initial Business Permit · N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9.1, 45:5A-19; N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 15, 2026A licensed electrical contractor who wants to contract must obtain a business permit: $1,000 surety bond in favor of the State for a 36-month term (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19), certificate of general liability insurance or bank letter of credit of at least $300,000 naming the Board as certificate holder, federal tax ID, pressure seal, and the prorated permit fee ($150 in the first year of the April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2027 triennial, $100 in the second, $50 in the third).
  4. N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 - Fee schedule (Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Current fee schedule (effective June 2, 2025): non-refundable application fee for all licenses $100; initial electrical contractor license $225/$150/$75 depending on the year of the triennial period (renewal $225); initial business permit $150/$100/$50 (renewal $150); initial Class A journeyman electrician license $150/$100/$50 (renewal $150); Class B wireman $75/$50/$25; temporary courtesy license $75; 30-day temporary license $75; late renewal $50; reinstatement $100.
  5. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1 - Qualifications of applicants for the electrical contractor examination · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Exam applicants must be over 21, hold a high school diploma or equivalency, meet the experience requirements of 13:31-2.3, pay the application fee before testing and the license fee after passing.
  6. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.2 - Board licensing examination (electrical contractor) · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.2 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026The electrical contractor examination has three written sections: electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems. All three must be passed; failed sections may be retaken after six months, three consecutive failures require restarting, and all sections must be passed within five years. Exams are held at least four times a year.
  7. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 - Experience requirements for the electrical contractor examination · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026Requires five years immediately preceding the application in electrical construction and installation, consisting of a completed four-year U.S. DOL-accredited apprenticeship (DOL Certificate of Completion) followed by at least one year (2,000 hours) of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman electrician. Supervising, engineering, estimating and managerial time does not count.
  8. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 - Electrical contractor licensure by reciprocity · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026The Board may license an out-of-state electrical contractor without examination only if that jurisdiction provides equal reciprocity to New Jersey electrical contractors and the Board finds its qualifications and examination substantially equivalent (2,000 supervised hours count as one apprenticeship year). The applicant must have actively practiced as an electrical contractor for two of the last five years, have no discipline or pending complaints, be current on continuing education, complete an eight-hour Board-approved course in New Jersey business law and Board statutes and rules, and have the origin board send verification directly. No list of qualifying states is published.
  9. Electrical Contractors Licensing Act of 1962, N.J.S.A. 45:5A-1 et seq., with Board regulations (compilation) · N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9, 45:5A-9.1, 45:5A-19 · State of New Jersey (nj.gov) · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Older compilation hosted on nj.gov; used for 45:5A-9(a) (a business permit plus a licensed electrical contractor is required to engage in electrical contracting), 45:5A-9.1 (every business permit holder must file a $300,000 general liability certificate or bank letter of credit) and 45:5A-19 (the $1,000 surety bond). Its fee schedule predates the 2025 amendments and is not used.
  10. P.L. 2021, c.479 - An Act concerning the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (Class A journeyman, Class A apprentice and Class B wireman licenses) · N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9, 45:5A-11.1, 45:5A-11.7, 45:5A-11.8, 45:5A-11.9 · New Jersey Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Converts the former 'qualified journeyman electrician' registration into a mandatory Class A journeyman electrician license and creates Class A electrical apprentice and Class B wireman licenses (registrants had 13 months after enactment to exchange registrations). Amends 45:5A-9(b): an electrical contractor exam applicant needs five years in the trade, spent as one year as a Class A journeyman and four years in a U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship. C.45:5A-11.7: the Board may issue a temporary license without examination to an out-of-state Class A journeyman, apprentice or wireman for up to 30 days (one per triennial period). C.45:5A-11.8: the Board 'may in its discretion grant licenses without examination to applicants so licensed in another state ... provided that equal reciprocity is provided' to New Jersey electrical contractors, Class A journeymen, Class A apprentices and Class B wiremen.

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

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