How this site is built
Every cell is directed
A page answers one question: if you hold a specific license in state A, what does state B require? A honouring B says nothing about B honouring A, so we store and display each direction separately, per trade and per license level.
Four mechanisms, kept separate
- Reciprocity· Exam waivedA signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
- Endorsement· Board reviewThe board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
- Experience credit· Hours transferNothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
- No credit· Start overYour out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
- Not applicable· No state licenseThe destination does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is nothing to transfer into.
Boards use these words loosely. We classify by effect: if the trade exam is waived under a signed agreement it is reciprocity, whatever the form calls it. If the board decides case by case it is endorsement. If only your hours carry over it is experience credit.
How a cell is derived
Each destination state has one default path for any out-of-state applicant, plus explicit agreements with named origin states. A cell uses the agreement if one is active, otherwise the destination's default. If the destination issues no statewide license at that level, the cell says so instead of inventing an answer. If the origin issues no statewide license, we show the destination's default and say plainly that there is nothing to transfer.
Sources and verification
Only official sources count: the licensing board's pages and forms, statutes, administrative rules, and signed agreement documents. Trade blogs and vendor guides are never cited. Every fact links to its source, and the verified date is the day a person last opened that source and confirmed the fact. Dates older than 90 days are flagged amber; older than a year, red.
What we do not do
We do not give legal advice, submit applications, or guarantee outcomes. Boards can and do change rules, terminate agreements, and interpret their own criteria. Confirm with the board before you rely on anything here.