LicensebyState

Moving to Kentucky as a master electrician: every state's rule

Kentucky has reciprocity agreements with 3 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Kentucky master electrician · “Master Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 7 sources

Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Licensing Branch

Kentucky issues a statewide Master Electrician license to individuals through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under KRS 227A.060(2). A separate Electrical Contractor license (Form EL-2, $400 biennial, Business and Law exam, $1,000,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation compliance) is the business credential and must always have a licensed master electrician associated with it. A new master applicant needs 16,000 hours of verifiable electrical experience since age 16 (an approved training course or two years of teaching substitutes for 4,000 hours; an associate degree in electrical technology for 6,000), must pass the open-book, 100-question Master Electrician exam through Prov ($80, 4 hours), Pearson VUE ($100, 5 hours) or NASCLA with at least 70%, and pays a $200 biennial application fee prorated by birth month. DHBC's published reciprocity list names Ohio (electrical contractor licensees receive both the Kentucky master and contractor licenses), West Virginia and Virginia (master electricians); applicants from all other states document their hours and take the Kentucky exam.

States Kentucky reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 3Experience credit 36No credit 11
Every state's path into Kentucky
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-23
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-23
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-23
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-23
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-23
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-23
FloridaExperience credit2026-09-23
GeorgiaExperience credit2026-09-23
HawaiiExperience credit2026-09-23
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-23
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IowaExperience credit2026-09-23
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MaineExperience credit2026-09-23
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-23
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-23
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-23
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-23
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MissouriExperience credit2026-09-23
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-23
NebraskaExperience credit2026-09-23
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
New HampshireExperience credit2026-09-23
New JerseyExperience credit2026-09-23
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-23
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-23
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-23
OhioReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-23
OregonExperience credit2026-09-23
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-23
South CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-23
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-23
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
TexasExperience credit2026-09-23
UtahExperience credit2026-09-23
VermontExperience credit2026-09-23
VirginiaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-23
West VirginiaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-23
WyomingExperience credit2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Kentucky from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Kentucky issues a master electrician license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 12 sources

Master Electrician license by examination

Kentucky issues the Master Electrician license to an applicant who documents 16,000 hours of verifiable electrical work since age 16 and passes the Master Electrician exam with at least 70%. Kentucky does not require you to hold its Electrician (journeyman) license first: the master license is earned directly on experience plus the exam. An approved training program or two years of teaching can replace 4,000 of the hours, and an associate degree in electrical technology can replace 6,000. The open-book exam is taken with Prov or, as an ICC exam, at Pearson VUE; you then send DHBC your passing results with Form EL-3, the application fee and a passport-sized color photo. The master license does not by itself let you contract; that takes the separate Electrical Contractor license.

The Prov exam has 100 questions with a 4-hour limit and accepts the 2017, 2020 or 2023 NEC; the ICC version at Pearson VUE (exam 701) has 100 questions with a 5-hour limit and references the 2023 NEC. Prov allows retakes with no waiting period, while ICC requires 10 days between attempts. DHBC's checklist also lists NASCLA as an exam source. A passing score stays valid for three years, and an application stays open for one year. There is no law exam for the master license; the Business and Law exam belongs to the Electrical Contractor license. The application asks about felony and misdemeanor convictions, and DHBC says a yes answer may prevent licensure, so contact the Licensing Branch (502-573-2002) first.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Prov or Pearson VUE (ICC)
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 2 years

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 16,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Verifiable electrical work within the scope of the National Electrical Code since your sixteenth birthday (KRS 227A.060(2)(b)). No Kentucky Electrician license is required.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Approved training program plus 12,000 hours

Completing an electrical training program accepted by DHBC, either a course of at least 288 classroom hours or a registered electrical apprenticeship, substitutes for 4,000 hours.

  • Complete at least 288 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Associate degree plus 10,000 hours

An associate degree or diploma in electrical technology or a related field from a Kentucky Community and Technical College System college or another accredited college substitutes for 6,000 hours.

  • Associate degree or diploma in electrical technology or a related field from a KCTCS college or an accredited college or university
  • You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Two years of teaching plus 12,000 hours

Two years of teaching electrical technology or a related field at an accredited college or university substitutes for 4,000 hours.

  • Two years of teaching electrical technology or a related field at an accredited college or university
  • You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Military occupational specialty experience

Supervised military occupational specialty experience in the U.S. Armed Forces (for example electrical power production, electrical repair or maintenance, utilities, electronic systems or aircraft electrician work) can satisfy all or part of the experience requirement. Attach Form ELM-1 with a DD-214 showing the specialty or a signed statement from your commanding officer.

  • You must document at least 16,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($200). Master Electrician license application fee for a two-year license (Form EL-3), prorated by birth month to between 13 and 24 months ($108 to $200); non-refundable.
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Kentucky Master Electrician exam: 100 questions, open book, 70% to pass (4 hours with Prov, 5 hours with ICC at Pearson VUE).
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Prov exam fee per attempt; the ICC version at Pearson VUE costs $100.
  4. 4Other. Copy of your passing exam results, proof of experience, and a passport-sized color photo taken within the last six months.

Published fees on this path total $280, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years and a $200 renewal fee.

KRS 227A.100(7) requires at least six hours of approved continuing education per year, and proof of continuing education under 815 KAR 2:010 must accompany each renewal. Courses must cover job safety, electrical codes or other electrical-trade subjects, and no more than two hours of safety per 12-month period count. No continuing education is due at the first renewal if the license was issued within 12 months of it, and up to 12 excess hours carry forward. DHBC does not publish a per-renewal hour total for two-year licenses; confirm with the Licensing Branch (502-573-2002).

Licenses renew every two years by the last day of your birth month on Form DHBC L-1. There is a 60-day grace period with a $50 late fee; after that the license terminates and reinstatement costs a further $200.

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
  • Exam fee · $80

Sources for this section

  1. DHBC Form EL-3 - Electrical License Application (Master Electrician / Electrician), October 2024, with fee schedule · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. DHBC Form ELM-1 - Military Experience for Electrical Licensure (October 2024) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. DHBC notice to electrical licensees - 2024 RS House Bill 444, biennial electrical licenses (May 3, 2024) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. DHBC Form L-1 - License Renewal Application (April 2023) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  5. DHBC - Electrical New Application Checklists (KRS 227A.060 & 815 KAR 35:060; 080; 090), Feb. 4, 2025 · KRS 227A.060; 815 KAR 35:060 · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. ICC Kentucky Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin (January 17, 2026) · International Code Council · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. 815 KAR 2:010 - Continuing education requirements (master and journeyman plumbers) · 815 KAR 2:010 Sections 1-2; KRS 318.054 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  8. 815 KAR 35:060 - Licensing of electrical contractors, master electricians, and electricians · 815 KAR 35:060 Sections 1-4, 6, 8, 9 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  9. 815 KAR 35:090 - Electrical Training Program standards · 815 KAR 35:090 Section 2 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  10. KRS 227A.060 - Qualifications for licensure; provisional license · KRS 227A.060(1)-(5) · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  11. KRS 227A.100 - Fees; application for renewal or reinstatement of license · KRS 227A.100(1)-(4), (7) · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  12. Commonwealth of Kentucky Electrical Licensing - Prov Candidate Information Bulletin (May 31, 2024) · Prov, Inc. for the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026

Related