LicensebyState

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

New Jersey has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

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.

Every origin state

Experience credit 39No credit 11
Every state's path into New Jersey
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-15
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-15
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-15
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-15
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-15
FloridaExperience credit2026-09-15
GeorgiaExperience credit2026-09-15
HawaiiExperience credit2026-09-15
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaExperience credit2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineExperience credit2026-09-15
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-15
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-15
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-15
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriExperience credit2026-09-15
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-15
NebraskaExperience credit2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireExperience credit2026-09-15
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-15
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-15
OhioExperience credit2026-09-15
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-15
OregonExperience credit2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-15
South CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-15
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasExperience credit2026-09-15
UtahExperience credit2026-09-15
VermontExperience credit2026-09-15
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-15
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-15
WyomingExperience credit2026-09-15

Getting licensed in New Jersey from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 11 sources

Electrical Contractor license by examination

New Jersey's master-level credential is the Electrical Contractor license, earned by examination. You qualify after five years in electrical construction and installation immediately before applying: a completed four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved electrical apprenticeship, followed by at least one year as a licensed Class A journeyman electrician. You must also be over 21 and hold a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. Once the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors approves your Application for Examination, it sends PSI's candidate information bulletin, and you must pass all three written sections of the exam: electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems. To contract, the licensee must also qualify a business permit backed by a surety bond and liability insurance.

Exams are computer-based and held at least four times a year. First-time candidates take all three sections; a failed section may be retaken after six months, a third failure of the same section forfeits all passed sections, and the application is closed if you do not sit within two years of approval or pass every section within five years. PSI's examination fee, content outlines and references are in the candidate information bulletin the Board sends on approval; the Board does not publish the fee or a passing score. The application must be notarized, include a 2x2 photograph and your apprenticeship Certificate of Completion, and disclose any arrests, convictions, pending charges and licensing actions in any jurisdiction; the Board does not list a fingerprint background check. The Board's Application for Examination still states that a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or technology can count for three of the five years, a route that N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9 and N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 no longer describe; ask the Board at (973) 504-6410 before relying on it.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Required
Exam given by
PSI
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
34 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Hold a New Jersey Class A Journeyman Electrician license for at least 1 year first.At least one year (2,000 hours) of practical hands-on experience as a Class A journeyman, after completing the apprenticeship (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9(b); N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3).
  • Complete a registered apprenticeship (4 years): Completed four-year electrical apprenticeship registered with or approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, shown by its Certificate of Completion.Completed while employed as a Class A electrical apprentice, within the five years of electrical construction and installation immediately preceding the application.
  • Be at least 21 years old.The rule requires applicants to be over the age of 21.
  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable Application for Examination filing fee, paid by check or money order to the State of New Jersey.
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board electrical contractor examination administered by PSI: electrical contractor and alarm systems sections.
  3. 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and law section of the Board electrical contractor examination, administered by PSI.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($225). Initial electrical contractor license fee, paid after passing: $225 in the first year of the triennial period, $150 in the second, $75 in the third.
  5. 5Business license. Obtain a business license ($150). Business permit required to engage in electrical contracting: $150 in the first year of the triennial period, $100 in the second, $50 in the third; a 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, filed with the business permit application (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-19).
  7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($300,000). General liability insurance or a bank letter of credit of at least $300,000 naming the Board as certificate holder, filed with the business permit application (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9.1).
  8. 8Other. Work Experience Certification from each employer covering the five years claimed, the U.S. DOL apprenticeship Certificate of Completion, a copy of your high school diploma or equivalency, and a notarized application with a 2x2 photograph.

Published fees on this path total $325, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 34 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $225 renewal fee.

34 credit hours per triennial period, including a 10-hour in-person course on the most recent National Electrical Code (9 hours of code, 1 hour of New Jersey statutes and rules; webinars and online courses do not count). The balance may cover installation, energy transmission and use, estimating and business practices, and supervisory duties. No continuing education is due for the triennial period in which you are first licensed, and up to 8 extra credits carry forward.

The business permit renews separately every three years for $150.

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

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Instructions to Applicants · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Application for Examination (electrical contractor) · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  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, 2026
  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 23, 2026
  5. N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.7 - Continuing education requirements for licensed electrical contractors · N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.7 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  6. 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 23, 2026
  7. 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 23, 2026
  8. 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 23, 2026
  9. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.4 - Licensed electrical contractor license renewal · N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.4 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  10. 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, 2026
  11. 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 23, 2026

Related