Moving to New Hampshire as a master electrician: every state's rule
New Hampshire has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
New Hampshire master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by New Hampshire Electricians' Board, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
New Hampshire issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the Electricians' Board within OPLC; a master may employ other electricians and is the qualifying individual for an electrical business entity. RSA 319-C:7 sets the same statutory qualifications for master and journeyman (8,000 apprentice hours, 600 hours of education and a board-approved exam), and OPLC's endorsement rule Plc 313.24 measures other states' master pathways against 2,000 hours (one year) as a licensed journeyman plus a state master exam. The Prov master exam costs $90 and the license $198 for two years. Since May 3, 2024 masters from jurisdictions OPLC has found substantially similar (Connecticut electrical contractors, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington) are licensed by endorsement without examination after one year of experience as a licensed master; other out-of-state masters apply through the traditional application and exam, for which the Board's form counts experience as a licensed master in another state toward the 2,000-hour journeyman requirement.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Connecticut | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Delaware | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Florida | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Georgia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Idaho | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Louisiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Maine | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Missouri | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Montana | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Nebraska | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| New Jersey | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| North Carolina | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| North Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Ohio | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Oregon | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| South Carolina | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-15 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Vermont | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Washington | Endorsement | explicit agreement | 2026-09-15 |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 | |
| Wyoming | Experience credit | 2026-09-15 |
Getting licensed in New Hampshire from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how New Hampshire issues a master electrician license to a first-time applicant.
Master electrician by examination
A New Hampshire master electrician must first pass the journeyman exam and then work 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman performing electrical installations before being allowed to take the master exam. The applicant files the same two paper forms used for the journeyman license, documenting the 2,000 hours with a certification from each employer signed by a licensed electrician. Once OPLC approves the application, the candidate schedules the open-book master exam with Prov and needs 70 percent to pass. A licensed master must be in charge of any corporation or partnership that holds a New Hampshire electrical business license.
The master exam has 125 questions with a 5-hour limit, including 25 questions on RSA 319-C and the board's rules, so there is no separate law exam. A failed exam may be retaken up to two more times within the 180-day eligibility period, at least two days apart; after three failures or once that period ends, the Board must approve the candidate again.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Prov
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
Who can apply
- Hold a New Hampshire journeyman electrician license, earned by passing the journeyman exam first.
- You must document at least 2,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Certified by each employer and signed by a licensed electrician. The application form also counts hours worked as a licensed master electrician in another state.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($198). Master application processing and licensing fee, which covers the first two-year license (Plc 1002.13). Paid by personal check, money order or cashier's check to the State of NH - Treasurer with the paper application; nonrefundable..
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($90). Master exam fee, paid to Prov when scheduling (Plc 1004.07). The same fee applies to each retake..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Hampshire Master Electrician exam (Prov): 125 questions, 5 hours, open book, 70 percent to pass.
- 4Other. Three references unrelated to the applicant, a color photograph taken within the last six months, and disclosure of any felony conviction that has not been annulled and any suspension, revocation or sanction of an electrician's license in any jurisdiction (Elec 302.02). No fingerprint criminal records check is listed for electricians..
Published fees on this path total $288, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years and a $198 renewal fee.
15 hours of instruction on the changes in each new edition of the National Electrical Code, including at least 1 hour on changes to RSA 319-C, the board's rules and installation concerns. The hours are owed once per code cycle rather than at every renewal: they are due within 12 months after January 1 following publication of the new edition. Approved course providers report completion to OPLC through CE Broker.
Licenses renew online two years from the date of issue.
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
Sources for this section
- N.H. Code of Administrative Rules Elec 100-400 - Electricians' Board (Elec 302.02 application forms, Elec 304.01 qualifications, Elec 305 examinations, Elec 401 renewal, Elec 403 continuing education) · Elec 302.02, Elec 304.01, Elec 304.02, Elec 305.01, Elec 305.02, Elec 401.01, Elec 403.01 · New Hampshire Electricians' Board / General Court · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- OPLC - Electricians' Applications (new license, reciprocity, renewal) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification - Electricians' Board · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- OPLC Electricians' Board - Initial Application Checklist (rev. 05/2026) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- OPLC Electricians' Board - Application for Journeyman, Master or High/Medium Voltage Electrician (exam or reciprocal), rev. 2024-09 · Elec 302.02 · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Form · verified September 15, 2026
- N.H. Code of Administrative Rules Plc 1000 - Fees (Table 1002.13 Electricians Board; Plc 1004.07 examination fees) · Plc 1002.13; Plc 1004.07 · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification / General Court · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Prov - State of New Hampshire Electrician Board Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (NH Electrician CIB 2025.06.23) · Prov, Inc. for the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- RSA Chapter 319-C - Electricians · RSA 319-C:7, 319-C:8 · New Hampshire General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026