Utah to District of Columbia: master electrician license reciprocity
District of Columbia has no reciprocity agreement with Utah. A Utah master electrician applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master from a state other than Maryland or Virginia
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
The Board of Industrial Trades publishes reciprocity only for Maryland and Virginia. A master electrician from any other state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant with employment verification letters, a letter of good standing and a copy of the state-issued license, pays the $65 application fee, must document the journeyman-level prerequisites plus at least 4 years of work as a journeyman electrician, and schedules the master exam with PSI. D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for anyone licensed in good standing in a state with equivalent standards that reciprocates with the District, and § 47-2853.08 lets the Board find another state's standards substantially equivalent and license by reciprocity or endorsement, so an applicant may ask the Board to apply those provisions case by case; the Board's pages describe no such process beyond Maryland and Virginia. The national-certification substitute in § 47-2853.92(b-1) is written for the journeyman license only. No District-law exam is published for master electricians.
The Board's fee table refers exam fees to 17 DCMR § 3500.3, which charges national exams at actual cost; PSI's candidate bulletin for District of Columbia exams lists the master exam fee as $52. DLCP's application instructions state the master experience requirement as 8 years and 16,000 work hours, and ask an applicant who is already a master electrician in another state to submit a copy of that license with the employment verification letters. The Board does not publish whether journeyman years worked under an out-of-state license count toward the 4-year journeyman requirement.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Journeyman-level prerequisite: at least 8,000 apprentice hours over at least 4 years, or an electrical engineering degree plus 2 certified years, or equivalent (D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(b)).
- Worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years (D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(c))
- Completed a class on Title 12C DCMR (DC Electrical Code) or an equivalent code within the 2 years before applying
What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Master Electrician examination administered by PSI, open book (schedule directly at psiexams.com or 1-855-557-0616 under the Board's test-first process).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($52). PSI examination fee as listed in PSI's District of Columbia candidate bulletin (17 DCMR § 3500.3 charges national exams at actual cost).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Master electrician license fee, 2-year term (renewal $155).
Published fees on this path total $237, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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 · $52
How District of Columbia licenses master electricians
District of Columbia master electrician · “Master Electrician”
Statewide license
Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
The District of Columbia issues a person-held Master Electrician license through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP). It is the District's highest individual electrician credential; the Board also issues a Master Electrician Limited (low voltage) specialty license with journeyman-level qualifications, and a separate Electrical Contractor business license that requires an electrical bond. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.92(c) a master applicant must meet the journeyman requirements (a DC Electrical Code class within 2 years and 8,000 apprentice hours over 4 years or equivalent) and in addition have worked as a journeyman electrician for at least 4 years, then pass the PSI-administered master exam. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $120 license fee for a 2-year term ($155 on renewal). Maryland and Virginia master electricians licensed by examination are licensed by reciprocity without the DC exam under a program the Board opened on February 8, 2021.
Compare: getting a District of Columbia license from scratch
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Utah?
- Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a District of Columbia master electrician license from Utah?
- Published fees on this path total $237, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Utah work hours count in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to Utah?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Utah, the mechanism is experience credit.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d), (l) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.91 - Scope of practice for electricians · D.C. Code § 47-2853.91 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 15, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 - Electricians: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 17 DCMR § 3500 - Licensing fees · 17 DCMR § 3500.2(o), 3500.3 · District of Columbia Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- DLCP Board of Industrial Trades - Electrician License (Low and Regular Voltage) Application Instructions · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades landing page (apply, items needed, examination, reciprocity) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DC Board of Industrial Trades - Test First Examination Process Notice · District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Washington D.C. Contractor/Trades Examinations · PSI Services LLC for the District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades · Form · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.