LicensebyState

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

Texas has reciprocity agreements with 7 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Texas master electrician · “Master Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)

Texas issues a statewide Master Electrician license through TDLR. A new applicant must have held a journeyman electrician license for at least two years, have 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician (TDLR's application page specifies a Texas-licensed master), and pass the PSI-administered master exam. An applicant who holds or has held a Texas municipal or regional master electrician license may verify their own on-the-job training for the years they held it. TDLR has master-level reciprocity agreements with seven states, four of them added between December 2025 and June 2026; qualifying licensees are licensed without the Texas exam. Licenses are valid for one year and renewed annually.

States Texas reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 7Endorsement 33No credit 10
Every state's path into Texas
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ColoradoEndorsement2026-09-23
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-23
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-23
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-23
FloridaEndorsement2026-09-23
GeorgiaEndorsement2026-09-23
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-23
IdahoEndorsement2026-09-23
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IowaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-23
LouisianaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
MaineEndorsement2026-09-23
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-23
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-23
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-23
MinnesotaEndorsement2026-09-23
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MissouriEndorsement2026-09-23
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-23
NebraskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-23
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-23
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-23
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North CarolinaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-23
OhioReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-23
OregonEndorsement2026-09-23
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-23
South CarolinaEndorsement2026-09-23
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-23
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
UtahEndorsement2026-09-23
VermontEndorsement2026-09-23
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-23
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-23
WyomingEndorsement2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Texas from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 8 sources

Master Electrician license by examination

A Texas journeyman electrician becomes a master by holding the journeyman license for at least two years, documenting 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas, and passing the master exam. All 12,000 hours must be documented before you may take the exam, and experience as a Journeyman Industrial Electrician does not count. The exam is given by PSI in two open-book portions, NEC knowledge and calculations, and you must score at least 70% on each. There is no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.

The application is filed by mail with an Experience Verification Form signed by each supervising master electrician. If you hold or have held a municipal or regional master electrician license, you may verify your own on-the-job training for the years you held it. The NEC knowledge portion has 75 questions in 150 minutes and the calculations portion 33 questions in 170 minutes; exams reference the 2026 NEC from September 1, 2026.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
4 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Hold a Texas Journeyman Electrician license for at least 2 years first.Held for at least two years (Tex. Occ. Code §1305.153).
  • You must document at least 12,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas; Journeyman Industrial Electrician experience does not qualify.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($45). Master Electrician license application fee (non-refundable), mailed with the paper application.
  2. 2Background check. Complete a background check. TDLR runs a criminal history background check on every applicant. If you have a conviction or deferred adjudication other than a minor traffic violation, attach a Criminal History Questionnaire for each offense..
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Texas Master Electrician exam administered by PSI: NEC knowledge and calculations portions, open book, 70% required on each portion.
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($78). PSI examination fee covering both portions; retaking one or both failed portions also costs $78.

Published fees on this path total $123, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 4 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $45 renewal fee.

Four hours before each annual renewal, taken during the license term being renewed and from a TDLR-registered provider. The coursework must cover the National Electrical Code, the Texas electrician law (Occupations Code Chapter 1305), the electrician rules (16 TAC Chapter 73) and electrical safety under NFPA 70E. A person holding both a master and a journeyman license needs only four hours in total.

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 · $78

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. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1305 - Electricians · Tex. Occ. Code §§1305.153, 1305.155, 1305.164 · Texas Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  2. PSI - Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Electricians Administrative Rules, 16 TAC Chapter 73 · 16 TAC §§73.20, 73.21, 73.24, 73.80 · Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026
  4. TDLR - Apply for a New Master Electrician License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. TDLR - Electrician Continuing Education · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. TDLR - Electrician Exam Information · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. TDLR Form ELC-LIC-007 - Master Electrician License Application · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  8. TDLR - Renew a Master Electrician License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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