LicensebyState

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

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

North Dakota master electrician · “Master Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB)

North Dakota issues a statewide Master Electrician license through the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB). The license is held by the individual and is issued in one of three categories: contracting master (self-employed, must show liability insurance), master of record (responsible for a company's compliance, covered by the company's insurance) and non-contracting master (works under a contracting master or master of record). A new applicant must have one year of experience and at least 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman under a contracting master or master of record; the exam application requires a minimum of 10,000 total hours (one year and 2,000 hours if the applicant is a North Dakota journeyman). The board-administered master exam has a one-hour closed-book and a 3.5-hour open-book section and requires 70%. The application fee is $50 and the license fee is $50 per year; master licenses expire April 30. Master-level reciprocity exists only with Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota.

States North Dakota reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 3Experience credit 36No credit 11
Every state's path into North Dakota
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
IowaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
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
MinnesotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
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 JerseyExperience credit2026-09-15
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaExperience 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 DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
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 North Dakota from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Master Electrician by examination

A North Dakota journeyman becomes a Master Electrician by examination after at least one year as a licensed journeyman, including at least 2,000 hours of work as a licensed journeyman under a contracting master or master of record. The applicant files the Application for Electrician's License by Exam (SFN 11858) with the $50 application fee and a notarized Employment Verification (SFN 11845) showing only the hours worked as a journeyman, then takes the board's master exam within six months of the invitation and needs 70 percent to pass. On passing, the new master chooses a license category (contracting master, master of record, or non-contracting master) and pays the $50 annual license fee.

The master exam has a one-hour closed-book section and a 3.5-hour open-book section on fundamental electricity, the current National Electrical Code and the North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards; there is no separate law exam, and the same retake waiting periods apply as for the journeyman exam. The application form lists no separate exam fee. A contracting master or master of record must also register the business and obtain a contractor license from the North Dakota Secretary of State, then file an Application for Electrical Contracting, an E-Cert application and a certificate of liability insurance with policy limits of at least $500,000, and complete the board's contractor orientation. A non-contracting master works under a contracting master or master of record.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
North Dakota State Electrical Board
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
8 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Hold a North Dakota Journeyman Electrician license for at least 1 year first.
  • You must document at least 2,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Other ways to qualify

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

10,000 hours including one year as a licensed journeyman (no North Dakota journeyman license)

An applicant who does not hold the North Dakota journeyman license must document at least 10,000 hours of experience on the exam application. The statute still requires one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician.

  • You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
  • One year of experience and at least 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman electrician under a contracting master or master of record

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Master application fee, paid with the Application for Electrician's License by Exam (SFN 11858).
  2. 2Other. Employment Verification (SFN 11845) from each employer, signed in front of a notary; a North Dakota journeyman lists only hours worked as a journeyman.
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. North Dakota master exam given by the board: one-hour closed-book and 3.5-hour open-book sections on the NEC and North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards; 70 percent to pass.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Annual master license fee, paid after passing the exam.
  5. 5Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). Certificate of liability insurance with limits of at least $500,000, required only for the contracting master or master of record category.

Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 8 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $50 renewal fee.

Eight hours of board-approved continuing education, at least four of them on the National Electrical Code, must be on file to renew. The provider reports attendance to the board within 15 days of the class, and credits can be held on deposit for up to two renewal periods.

Master licenses expire each year on April 30; renewal opens January 1. An expired license costs a reinstatement fee equal to the annual fee, and a license not renewed for three consecutive years requires re-examination.

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

Liability insurance

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

  • Insurance · if applicable

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. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-09 - Electricians · NDCC §§43-09-10, 43-09-11, 43-09-13, 43-09-15, 43-09-25 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  2. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Applying for an Electrical License · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Continuing Education Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Electrical Contracting & Non-Contracting Guidelines & Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. NDSEB Form SFN 11858 - Application for Electrician's License by Exam (11-2020) · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Exam Dates & Information · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. NDSEB 2026 Laws, Rules, Wiring and Conveyance Standards of North Dakota (effective 07/01/2026) · NDAC 24.1-03-01-01, 24.1-03-01-02, 24.1-03-01-03, 24.1-03-01-07 · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  8. NDSEB Connections newsletter, April 2024 · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  9. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Qualifications for Licensure · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  10. North Dakota State Electrical Board - Electrician's License Renewal & Requirements · North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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