Virginia to Alabama: master electrician license reciprocity
Alabama has a reciprocity agreement with Virginia: a Virginia master electrician can get a Alabama license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Virginia (electrical contractor)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Alabama Board accepts a current, valid license from the Virginia Board for Contractors that was obtained by passing an equivalent exam. The applicant must pass the Alabama Business and Law exam through Prov before applying, then send the notarized Reciprocal Application for Licensure (ERC-1) with the EC-2 form, the $315 reciprocal fee, and a Verification of License form completed by the Virginia board showing the license date, status, exam date, passing score and disciplinary status; Virginia must also send a letter of good standing and a copy of its rules directly to the Alabama Board. No Alabama trade exam is required, and there must be no previous or pending disciplinary action.
The Board's page names the 'Virginia Contractor Licensing Board'; whether it accepts the Virginia master electrician tradesman license, the electrical contractor (ELE) license, or both was not stated on an official Alabama page.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Virginia license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your Virginia license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Alabama
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($315). Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License fee effective February 14, 2026, non-refundable.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Alabama Electrical Contractors Board Business and Law exam (Prov).
- 3Other. Notarized Reciprocal Application (ERC-1), EC-2 form, Verification of License form (EVL-1) completed by the origin board, letter of good standing and copy of the origin state's rules sent directly by that board.
- 4Business license. Obtain a business license (if applicable). Foreign corporation registration with the Alabama Secretary of State if the business entity was formed outside Alabama.
Published fees on this path total $315, 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.
- Law / code exam
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license · if applicable
How Alabama licenses master electricians
Alabama master electrician · “Electrical Contractor (master-electrician equivalent)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
Alabama's highest person-held electrical credential is the statewide Electrical Contractor license, which the Board's own page says 'may also be interchanged with Master Electrician'. Under Ala. Code §34-36-7(c) it is issued only to a person (never to a firm), and the licensee then qualifies a business through the EC-2 business information form, so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must document 8,000 hours (four years) of experience designing, planning, laying out and directly supervising electrical construction, or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs, and pass the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam or the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam through Prov ($165); the license fee is $150, renewal is $150 per year, the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount, and 14 hours of continuing education are required every two years. The Board has electrical contractor reciprocity with Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas, accepts the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam as a basis for reciprocal licensing, and ended reciprocity with Georgia. Counties and municipalities may also license electrical contractors for work within their boundaries, but a statewide license is deemed qualifying everywhere in the state.
How local licensing works in Alabama
Ala. Code §34-36-13(a) lets a person engage in electrical contracting under a license 'from the board or from the county or municipality where the electrical contracting work is being performed', and §34-36-13(b)(2) preserves local examinations, while a valid statewide license is deemed qualifying in every county and municipality on proof of the license plus the local permit and business license. The former provisional electrical contractor license, which converted a county or municipal license into a geographically limited state credential, can no longer be issued since May 15, 2024 (§34-36-7(d)); existing holders may only renew ($75). The Board's reciprocity covers state boards only, and no Alabama city or county reciprocity rule was verified from an official page.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alabama master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Virginia?
- The trade exam is waived, but Alabama requires a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Alabama master electrician license from Virginia?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 303-X-3 - Licensing (certified rules effective February 14, 2026) · Ala. Admin. Code 303-X-3-.02, -.03, -.06, -.10 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 2026303-X-3-.02: electrical contractor applicants must document 8,000 hours of design, planning, lay-out and direct supervision of electrical construction (or 8,000 hours as a journeyman in charge of jobs); the license is unlimited in voltage and bid amount; (10) the Board may recognize a license from a reciprocating state with equal or greater standards, the list of approved reciprocal states is kept at the Board office and the Executive Director approves or denies reciprocal applicants. 303-X-3-.03: journeyman applicants must document 8,000 hours; (6) same reciprocity language. 303-X-3-.06(2): an electrical contractor by reciprocity must hold a current and valid license in a qualifying reciprocal state with no previous or pending disciplinary action. 303-X-3-.10 (effective January 17, 2026): EC exam $165, journeyman exam $115, EC license $150, journeyman license $35, renewals $150/$35, Reciprocal Electrical Contractor License $315.
- Form ECE-1 - Electrical Contractor Examination Application · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Requires a minimum of four years or 8,000 hours of supervisory electrical construction experience (designed, planned, laid out and directly supervised electrical construction) documented by notarized affidavits from a licensed electrical contractor, inspector or project manager, with W-2/1099 forms; education substitutes up to 2,000 hours; exam choices are the Alabama Electrical Contractor exam (Prov, $165) or the NASCLA Portable EC exam ($165).
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Fees · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Fee table: EC exam $165; journeyman exam $115; EC license $150; journeyman license $35; EC renewal $150; journeyman renewal $35; EC late renewal $50 per year up to 5 years; inactive EC certificate $75; inactive journeyman certificate $15; replacement card $25; Reciprocal License Application Fee $315.
- Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors - Forms and Testing Information (How to Get Licensed; Reciprocal Applications) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Defines the Electrical Contractor (interchangeable with 'Master Electrician') and Journeyman Electrician licenses; exam fees $165 (EC) and $115 (journeyman), license fees $150 (EC) and $35 (journeyman); exams by Prov on the 2023 NEC (2026 NEC from January 1, 2027); NASCLA exams offered. Lists the reciprocal boards: Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Louisiana (EC only) and Texas (EC or Journeyman); states the Board no longer shares reciprocity with Georgia; gives the five reciprocity steps (Alabama Business and Law exam, notarized reciprocity application, $315 fee effective February 14, 2026, Verification of License form, foreign-corporation registration) and that the NASCLA Electrical Contractors exam also qualifies for reciprocal licensing.
- Form ERC-1 - Reciprocal Application for Licensure (Alabama Electrical Contractors Board) · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors · Form · verified September 15, 2026Active Electrical Contractor by reciprocity: $315 effective February 14, 2026. Active contractors must submit corporation documents or certificate of foreign authority, the passing score sheet for the Alabama Business and Law Examination, the EC-2 business information form, and a Verification of License form or NASCLA exam waiver form. A letter of good standing and a copy of the state's rules must be sent directly from each listed jurisdiction's board to the Alabama Board. Only certified/cashier's checks, money orders or cards are accepted.
- Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 36 - Electrical Contractors and Journeyman Electricians · Ala. Code §§ 34-36-3, 34-36-7, 34-36-13 · Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors (compilation of the Code of Alabama) · Statute · verified September 15, 2026§34-36-3 defines Electrical Contractor (a person qualified to plan, lay out and supervise electrical installations with four years as a journeyman in charge of jobs or four years in design and construction) and Journeyman Electrician. §34-36-7(b): the Board may recognize a license issued by any other state with standards equal to or higher than Alabama's and shall actively seek to reciprocate; §34-36-7(c): licenses are issued only to a person, never to a firm; §34-36-7(d): no new provisional (local-license-based) contractor licenses after May 15, 2024. §34-36-13(a): no person may perform work as a master or journeyman electrician without a license from the Board or from the county or municipality where the work is performed; §34-36-13(b)(2): local governments may examine electricians but a holder of a valid statewide Board license is deemed qualified in every county and municipality.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.