LicensebyState

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

Oregon has reciprocity agreements with 2 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Oregon master electrician · “General Supervising Electrician (S)”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services)

Oregon does not use the title "master electrician"; its closest equivalent is the General Supervising Electrician (S) license, which authorizes the holder to design, plan and lay out electrical work, sign permits, and direct, supervise or control the installation or alteration of an electrical service. It is treated here as the master level. An applicant must hold or qualify for the Oregon General Journeyman license, document an additional 8,000 hours of journeyman-level experience, and pass the Oregon supervising exam. Oregon has signed supervising-level reciprocity agreements with Arkansas and Utah only; master electricians from other states go through the standard application and exam. Licenses renew every three years on October 1 with 24 hours of continuing education.

States Oregon reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 2Experience credit 37No credit 11
Every state's path into Oregon
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-23
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
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 MexicoExperience 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
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
UtahReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
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 Oregon from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 12 sources

General Supervising Electrician (S) by examination

Oregon's General Supervising Electrician (S) license, treated here as the master level, is earned by examination after four years of journeyman-level work. A licensed Oregon General Journeyman documents 8,000 additional hours of on-the-job journeyman experience, applies on the Electrical License Application (form 440-2570), and then passes the open-book supervising exam given by the Building Codes Division. There is no direct entry: an applicant without the Oregon journeyman license must show both the journeyman qualifications and the additional 8,000 hours.

The exam has two sections, code and calculations, and is taken at a state test site within 60 days of the letter of authorization; there is no separate law exam. The 300 percent rule applies to the experience categories, and the division credits no more than 2,000 hours per year. Proof of a high school diploma or GED is part of every exam application. The License Directory lists application processing of 2 to 3 weeks, and exam results are mailed in about two weeks.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Oregon Building Codes Division
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
24 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Hold a Oregon General Journeyman Electrician (J) license first.
  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.ORS 479.630 states this as at least four years of experience as a general journeyman electrician or its equivalent.

Other ways to qualify

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

Journeyman qualifications plus 8,000 additional hours (no Oregon journeyman license)

An applicant who is not licensed as an Oregon journeyman may qualify by documenting the experience needed for the General Journeyman license (at least 8,000 hours across the OAR 918-282-0170 categories) plus at least 8,000 additional hours of work equivalent to journeyman work.

  • Meets the Oregon General Journeyman qualifications, including at least 8,000 hours of qualifying experience in the required categories
  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Application and three-year General Supervising Electrician license fee, paid with the Electrical License Application (form 440-2570); nonrefundable. No separate exam fee is listed..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon General Supervising Electrician exam: 4 hours, 2 sections (52 code questions, 12 calculation questions), open book with approved references; 75 percent to pass.

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

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 24 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $100 renewal fee.

24 hours of approved continuing education per three-year cycle, including at least 12 hours of code-change courses and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course. New licensees owe fewer hours at their first renewal: none if licensed within 6 months of the expiration date, 8 hours if within 12 months, and 16 hours if within 24 months.

Licenses expire every three years on October 1.

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

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. Electrical License Application (form 440-2570), with Experience Verification (440-2570A) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Electrical License Application - Information and instructions (form 440-2570I) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Building Codes Division - Electrical continuing education · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Oregon Building Codes Division - Apply for an electrical license · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
  5. Building Codes Division - Exam information · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Electrical license exam guidelines (approved exam materials) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Building Codes Division - Licensing exams · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  9. OAR chapter 918, division 30 - Qualifying criteria, continuing education and renewal · OAR 918-030-0030, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0200 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  10. OAR chapter 918, division 282 - Electrical licensing · OAR 918-282-0140, 918-282-0170 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  11. ORS chapter 479 - Protection of Buildings from Fire and Electrical Hazards · ORS 479.630, 479.632, 479.840 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  12. Oregon License Directory - General Supervising Electrician (S) · Oregon Secretary of State / Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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