LicensebyState

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

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

New Mexico master electrician · “EE-98 Electrical Contractor (qualifying party certificate of qualification)”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID)

New Mexico has no license called 'master electrician'. Its highest electrical credential is the EE-98 electrical contractor classification (all electrical systems and wiring methods at 5,000 volts nominal or less), which is issued by CID in two parts: the contractor's license goes to the contracting entity, and a personal, non-transferable certificate of qualification goes to the qualifying party, the individual who passed the EE-98 three-part trade exam and the Contractor's Business and Law exam and is responsible for the licensee's code compliance. Because the certificate of qualification is held by a person and earned by examination, this site maps it to the master level. A qualifying party needs four years of experience in the classification within the ten years before application. CID publishes reciprocity only for EE-98J journeymen; no reciprocal agreement covers qualifying parties or EE-98 contractors, although NMSA 60-13-14(C) allows the division to enter into such agreements. The only published exam relief is a NASCLA waiver: CID may waive the EE-98 trade exam (not the Business and Law exam) for an applicant who passed the NASCLA-accredited electrical exam and has held a license in another state based on it for at least one year.

Every origin state

Experience credit 39No credit 11
Every state's path into New Mexico
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
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-23
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 YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-23
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-23
OhioExperience credit2026-09-23
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
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-23
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-23
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-23
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-23
WyomingExperience credit2026-09-23

Getting licensed in New Mexico from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

EE-98 qualifying party certificate by examination

New Mexico's top electrical credential, the EE-98 qualifying party certificate, is earned by examination and does not require holding the EE-98J journeyman certificate first. An applicant at least 18 years old documents four years (8,000 hours) of experience in EE-98 work within the ten years before applying, on a notarized QP application with notarized Electrical Work Verification Forms, and pays $36 to PSI. Once approved, the applicant passes the three-part EE-98 trade exam and the Contractor's Business and Law exam, both open book with 75% required (an approved Business and Law course may replace that exam). The certificate takes effect when it qualifies a contractor's license, which the business, or the qualifying party as a sole proprietor, obtains with a $10,000 code bond, New Mexico tax registration, workers' compensation coverage and the license fees.

EE-98 Part 1 (commercial and industrial) has 80 questions in 200 minutes, Part 2 (residential) 40 questions in 100 minutes and Part 3 (specialties such as low voltage, signs and telecommunications) 50 questions in 135 minutes; references include the 2020 NEC and the New Mexico Electrical Code. Business and Law has 50 questions in 130 minutes. A failed part is retaken on its own, the trade exam and Business and Law must both be passed within one year, and all requirements must be met within six months of approval. Experience counts only if it was gained with a contractor licensed in the trade or was legal work where it was performed. CID may waive the trade exam, but not Business and Law, for an applicant who passed the NASCLA-accredited electrical exam and has held a license based on it in another state for at least one year. A new certificate expires if it does not qualify a license within 12 months of the exam score being reported.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
None required

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years of practical or related trade experience in EE-98 work within the ten years immediately before application (NMSA 60-13-14(B)(8); 14.6.6.10(B)(1)(a) NMAC). Holding the EE-98J journeyman certificate is not required.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Other ways to qualify

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

Accredited technical training plus experience

Technical training from an accredited college, university, technical-vocational institute, manufacturer's program or apprenticeship program counts at half a year of experience per year of training, up to half of the four-year requirement, so at least 4,000 hours must be work experience.

  • Accredited technical training in the electrical trade, credited at half a year of experience per year of training, up to half of the four-year requirement
  • You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.EE-98 work within the ten years before application.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Qualifying party application fee paid to PSI with the notarized application and work verification forms.
  2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($6). Qualifying party certificate fee for the EE-98 classification.
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. EE-98 exam by PSI in three parts (commercial and industrial, residential, specialties), open book, 75% required on each part.
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($269.06). PSI fee for the three-part EE-98 exam; a single failed part is retaken for $89.69.
  5. 5Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Contractor's Business and Law exam (50 questions, open book, 75% to pass), or a commission-approved Business and Law course instead.
  6. 6Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the Business and Law exam.
  7. 7Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license ($30). EE-98 contractor's license application fee, non-refundable, plus a $6 certificate fee.
  8. 8License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($300). EE-98 contractor's license fee for the three-year license term (PSI fee schedule).
  9. 9Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($10,000). $10,000 contractor license code bond from a corporate surety authorized in New Mexico, covering the full license term.
  10. 10Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Workers' compensation coverage is required for all licensed entities.
  11. 11Other. New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department registration certificate issued within the last 12 months, and Secretary of State registration for a corporation, LLC or partnership.

Published fees on this path total $673.94, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with no continuing education required and a $300 renewal fee.

New Mexico's electrical continuing education requirement applies to EE-98J journeyman certificates, and the statute states that it does not apply to EE-98. A qualifying party who also holds the EE-98J certificate still owes 16 hours per cycle to renew that certificate.

The qualifying party certificate has no renewal of its own: it stays valid while it qualifies an active license and is cancelled if it goes two consecutive years without qualifying one. The EE-98 contractor's license is renewed every three years with the renewal fee and a new bond or continuation certificate; late fees are $1 per day for the first 30 days and one year's fee for 30 to 90 days, and the license is cancelled after 90 days.

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 · $269.06
  • Law / code exam
  • Exam fee · $68.88

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 · $10,000

Liability insurance

Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.

  • Insurance

Sources for this section

  1. Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13 · NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-2(E), 60-13-14, 60-13-16, 60-13-38 · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  2. 14.6.3 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Contractor's License Requirements · 14.6.3.8 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  3. 14.6.6 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Classifications and Scopes of Work · 14.6.6.8 and 14.6.6.9 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  4. NM CID - How to Obtain a Contractor License and Contractor License Application (updated October 2023) · PSI Services for the New Mexico Construction Industries Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  5. State of New Mexico Contractor (Qualifying Party) Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  6. NM CID / PSI - How to Renew a Contractor License (June 2025) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. New Mexico Licensing Fees (CID contractor, qualifying party and journeyman fee schedule) · PSI Services for the New Mexico Construction Industries Division · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  8. NM CID Qualifying Party Certificate Application and Instructions (instructions updated May 2025, form updated August 2025) · PSI Services for the New Mexico Construction Industries Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  9. NM Regulation and Licensing Department - Apply for a Construction Industries License · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  10. NM Regulation and Licensing Department - CID Continuing Education · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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