Tennessee to Rhode Island: master electrician license reciprocity
Tennessee does not issue a statewide master electrician license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 or contractor: journeyperson exam first, contractor exam after two years as a Rhode Island journeyperson (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master electrician or electrical contractor cannot sit the Rhode Island contractor (Certificate A) exam directly. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D the out-of-state contractor's license admits the applicant to the Rhode Island journeyperson exam; only after holding the Rhode Island Certificate B for two years, and with at least 12,000 hours (six years) of experience, may the applicant take the contractor exam. Out-of-state experience counts toward the 12,000 hours and is documented by notarized employer statements, but the two-year Rhode Island journeyperson tenure cannot be substituted with time licensed elsewhere. Each application carries the $75 non-refundable fee, requires a copy of the out-of-state license with an official verification, and the contractor exam must be passed at 70%; the $240 two-year Certificate A license fee is invoiced after passing. Applicants must be at least 21.
DLT does not publish a separate business or law exam for the Certificate A; the contractor exam is a single DLT-administered examination. The practical effect for an out-of-state master is a minimum two-year wait after obtaining the Rhode Island Certificate B. Processing time is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- 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.
- Hold a Rhode Island Certificate B journeyperson license for at least two years before applying for the contractor examination
- You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least six years (12,000 hours) of trade experience, verified by notarized employer statements; out-of-state experience is documented the same way.
- At least 21 years of age
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Non-refundable application processing fee for the electrical contractor examination (a separate $75 fee applies to the earlier journeyperson exam application).
- 2Other. Notarized application, copy of government-issued ID, notarized employer experience letters, copy of the out-of-state license and official license verification.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Electrical Contractor (Certificate A) examination administered by DLT; 70% required to pass (preceded by the Journeyperson Certificate B exam).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($240). Two-year Electrical Contractor Class A license fee, invoiced after a passing score (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16).
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.
- Trade exam
How Rhode Island licenses master electricians
Rhode Island master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (Certificate A, Class A)”
Statewide license
Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'; the master-level credential is the Electrical Contractor license (Certificate A), issued by DLT to an individual (or, for firms, the AC corporate certificate) after passing the contractor examination. Under 260-RICR-30-15-7 § 7.7.D and the DLT application instructions, a Certificate A applicant must be at least 21, have at least 12,000 hours (six years) of trade experience, and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B journeyperson license for at least two years; holding a Certificate A does not by itself authorize the holder to perform the work, which still requires the Certificate B. Rhode Island has no reciprocity agreements for this license and no statutory waiver of the exam. Fees are a $75 application fee and a $240 two-year license fee; Class A holders must complete 15 hours of continuing education each renewal.
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 Rhode Island master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island master electrician license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Electrician Application Instructions and Application for Examination · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulations Unit · Form · verified September 15, 2026Non-refundable $75 application processing fee. All electrical contractor tests require verification of at least six years of trade experience and possession of a Rhode Island journeyperson's license held at least two years before applying for the contractor exam. All electrical journeyperson tests require verification of at least four years of trade experience and 576 hours of DLT-approved related instruction. Out-of-state applicants must attach a valid copy of the out-of-state electrician trade license and an official license verification from that state (computer printouts not accepted). Fee table: Electrical Contractor A, $75 application, $240 two-year license; Journeyperson Electrician B, $75, $72; a separate 'Out-of-State Applicants: Journeyperson Electrician B' application code (29, $75). Individuals scoring 70 or greater are invoiced for the license fee.
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation: Electricians · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Confirms that the DLT Professional Regulation unit licenses, tests and disciplines electricians itself (exams are given by DLT, not a vendor) and links to exam information, applications and the Board of Examiners of Electricians. Contact: Chief Investigator of Electrical, (401) 462-8571.
- 260-RICR-30-15-7 - Board of Examiners of Electricians (DLT regulation, effective January 4, 2022) · 260-RICR-30-15-7 §§ 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.14 · Rhode Island Department of State (Code of Rhode Island Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026§7.5: exams are written and may include practical demonstrations; 70% required to obtain a license. §7.6: Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license. §7.7.C: Certificate B applicants must show at least 8,000 hours (4 years) of experience as a registered apprentice. §7.7.D: Certificate A applicants must have at least 12,000 hours (6 years) of experience and have held a Rhode Island Certificate B for two years; 'Out-of-state applicants who hold a contractor's license or journeyperson's license will be allowed to take the Rhode Island journeyperson's exam', and out-of-state contractors who have held a Rhode Island journeyperson's license for two years and have 12,000 hours may take the contractor exam. Applicants for Certificate A must be at least 21; others at least 18. §7.14: 15 hours of continuing education per renewal for Certificate A and B holders.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 - License fees · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor's license Class A $240; journeyperson electrician's license Class B $72. Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years and renew on payment of the biennial fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 - Application for examination; fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Examination application on the state form with a $75 fee.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-20.1 - Mandatory continuing education · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-20.1 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026At least 15 clock hours of continuing education per renewal, limited to Class A and Class B electricians.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 - Forms of licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-7 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is the electrical contractor's license and Certificate B the journeyperson electrician's license; Rhode Island has no license titled 'master electrician'. Also lists Certificates C, D, M, E, F, AF, BF, SCF, CF, LPC, LPI and SRL.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-8 - Contractor's certificates/licenses · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-8 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Certificate A is issued to a person, firm or corporation qualified under the chapter to engage in the business of installing, maintaining, servicing and testing electrical wires, conduits and apparatus. Holding a Certificate A does not by itself entitle the holder to perform the actual work; that requires a Certificate B.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.