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Tennessee to South Carolina: master electrician license reciprocity

Reciprocity· Exam waivedVerified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

South Carolina has a reciprocity agreement with Tennessee: a Tennessee master electrician can get a South Carolina license without retaking the trade exam.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Technical-exam waiver for Tennessee CE (electrical) licensees

A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.

The Board's Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements list accepts the Tennessee CE electrical contractor exam for the South Carolina Electrical (EL) classification. A Tennessee CE licensee who passed that exam and holds a current license in good standing (not grandfathered or waived in) has the South Carolina technical exam waived but must still pass the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam through PSI, have the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors complete the SC Examination Waiver form, document 2 years of experience within the past 5, and file the Qualifying Party application; the business then pays the $350 licensure fee and files its financial statement or bond.

At a glance

Trade exam
Waived
Law / code exam
Required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility
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.
  • At least 2 years of full-time electrical work experience within the past 5 years

What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina

  1. 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI).
  2. 2Other. SC Examination Waiver form completed by the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee.
  4. 4Other. Financial statement or surety bond for the license group applied for.

Published fees on this path total $350, 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

How South Carolina licenses master electricians

South Carolina master electrician · “Mechanical Contractor, Electrical (EL) classification - Qualifying Party certification”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (LLR); Residential Builders Commission for residential-only work

South Carolina has no 'master electrician' license. The highest person-held electrical credential is the Contractor's Licensing Board's Qualifying Party certification in the Electrical (EL) classification of the Mechanical Contractor license: the individual passes the South Carolina electrical technical exam (or the NASCLA Accredited Electrical exam) and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, documents two years of experience within the past five, and is certified as the primary qualifying party for a licensed entity (which may be a sole proprietorship); the certification stays with the person and can be transferred to another licensee. The license itself is issued to the business, with a $350 licensure fee and a financial statement or surety bond sized by license group (Mechanical Group 2, jobs to $50,000: working capital $10,000 or net worth $15,000, or a $15,000 bond). A residential-only alternative is the Residential Builders Commission's Residential Electrician license ($135 application, $220 license), issued to the individual after one year of residential experience and the residential technical plus Business Management and Law exams. South Carolina has technical-exam waiver agreements, listed in the Board's Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements document, that cover the electrical classification for Alabama, Georgia (Un-Restricted), Mississippi, North Carolina (Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited with matching group limits), Ohio, Reading (Pennsylvania), Tennessee (CE) and Utah (S200), plus the MASC/CAGC Master Electrician card; every waiver applicant must still pass the South Carolina Business Management & Law exam. Licensees from other states take the South Carolina (or NASCLA) technical exam.

Moving to South CarolinaLeaving South Carolina

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 South Carolina master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
The trade exam is waived, but South Carolina requires a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a South Carolina master electrician license from Tennessee?
Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Tennessee work hours count in South Carolina?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from South Carolina to Tennessee?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Carolina to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. §§ 40-11-30, 40-11-290, 40-11-410(5)(a)-(c), (h) · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§ 40-11-30: no entity or individual may practice mechanical contracting where the cost of the work exceeds $10,000 without a license. § 40-11-290: the Board may license an applicant holding a license in good standing in another state with requirements 'equal to or greater than those required by this chapter' where it has authorized an exam waiver agreement, and may exempt the technical exam for an essentially identical exam passed elsewhere; such applicants may be required to pass the 'South Carolina Commercial Contractors Business, Law and Project Management examination'. § 40-11-410(5) defines the mechanical subclassifications: (a) Air Conditioning ('installation, replacement, alteration, and repair of air conditioning equipment and systems'), (b) Heating (steam, vapor and hot water systems), (c) Packaged Equipment (combined air conditioning, ventilation and duct work limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating per unit), (h) Refrigeration. The chapter has no journeyman license.
  2. General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application, Doc. 168 (12/31/2025 v2.3) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 15, 2026Text extracted from the PDF. Methods: PSI technical exam or NASCLA transcript, exam waiver/reciprocity, or CAGC/MASC trades certification; all require the SC Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam and 'at least 2 years of full-time work experience, performed within the past 5 years in the license classification(s)' (primarily commercial), or a PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate (Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing). 'A current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification that was issued by examination between September 7, 2013, and December 2025, from MASC, or issued after January 1, 2026, by Carolinas AGC (CAGC). Corresponding licensure classifications: Air Conditioning and Heating.' Waiver applicants have the SC Examination Waiver form completed by the origin board ('Copies of your license or exam results are not accepted'); licenses obtained by waiver or grandfathering are not eligible; 'If your state is listed but your trade/classification is not listed, you are not eligible.' The certified qualifying party 'is not a licensed contractor'; the entity holds the license. Classifications on the form include Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration and Packaged Equipment.
  3. SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Licensure (classifications, exams, waiver/reciprocity, fees) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Mechanical Contractor classifications with a PSI technical exam include Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration, Packaged Equipment, Lightning Protection, Electrical and Process Piping (register at test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon). 'All individuals must pass the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam' regardless of how they qualify. Accepted trades certification: 'A current HARV (Master Mechanical) Certification ... from MASC, or issued after January 1, 2026, by Carolinas AGC (CAGC)' for the Air Conditioning and Heating classifications. Exam waiver applicants must hold 'a license in good standing in a jurisdiction' on the Technical Exam Waiver Agreement list. 'At least 2 years of work experience performed within the past 5 years' in the classification. Licensure fee $350. Mechanical group limits: Group 1 $35,000 per job (working capital $3,500 / net worth $7,000 / bond $7,000), Group 2 $100,000 ($10,000 / $15,000 / $15,000), Group 3 $200,000 ($20,000 / $30,000 / $30,000), Group 4 $400,000 ($40,000 / $60,000 / $60,000), Group 5 unlimited ($200,000 / $300,000 / $300,000).
  4. SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements (Rev. 02/2019) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 15, 2026Text extracted from the PDF. 'THE SOUTH CAROLINA RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS ONLY WAIVE THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE EXAM.' Reciprocal states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Reading Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, plus MASC. HVAC-relevant exams accepted and the SC classifications issued: Georgia 'Un-Restricted Conditioned Air (if exam passed after 6/30/80)' = AC, HT; Louisiana 'Statewide Mechanical' = AC, HT; Ohio 'HVAC' = PK; Tennessee 'CMC' = AC, RG, PB and 'CMC-C' = AC, RG; Texas 'Class A Air Conditioning/Refrigeration, or, Class A Air Conditioning' = AC, HT, 'Class B Air Conditioning, or, Class B Air Conditioning/Refrigeration' = PK, 'Class A Air Refrigeration' = RG; Utah 'S350 HVAC' = AC, 'S353 Warm Air Heating' = HT, 'S351 Refrigerated Air Conditioning' = PK, 'S360 Refrigeration' = RG; MASC 'Master HVAC (if exam passed after 1/1/1990)' = AC, HT, PK, RG (page 1 says 'Master Mechanical/HVAC (if exam passed after 9/6/2013)'). Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Reading PA have no HVAC exam listed. Grandfathered or waived-in licensees do not qualify; 'If your state is not listed, or if your state is listed but the exam you took is not listed, you are not eligible for waiver/reciprocity. You will be required to take the SC exams.' Every waiver applicant must pass the SC Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam and obtain a license verification showing the exam was taken. Page 3 defines AC = Air Conditioning, HT = Heating, PK = Packaged Equipment, RG = Refrigeration, and gives 2019 mechanical group limits (Group 2: $50,000 per job, $10,000 net worth, $20,000 bond).
  5. SC Residential Builders Commission - Residential Electrician license · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fees: application $135, license $220, renewal $220, late renewal $50, reinstatement $480. Technical exam waived for a current SC Mechanical Contractor (EL) licensed by exam for 1+ year, a current North Carolina or Mississippi license obtained by exam and held 1+ year, a NASCLA Residential Electrical Contractors exam passed within 3 years, or a Master (Residential) Electrician certification from MASC/CAGC. Business Management and Law portion always required.

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

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