LicensebyState

Missouri trade license reciprocity

How Missouri licenses each trade and level, who it reciprocates with, and where a Missouri license goes.

Electricians

Missouri journeyman electrician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Missouri does not issue a journeyman electrician license. The only state-level electrical credential is the voluntary statewide electrical contractor license created by RSMo 324.900-324.945 (S.B. 240, 2017), and the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (OSEC) states that it covers only the electrical contractor, not the electricians the contractor employs. RSMo 324.925.3(8) expressly leaves cities and counties free to license electricians, provided the local license is based on professional experience and passage of a nationally accredited electrical assessment examination given on a routine schedule, and jurisdictions that did not license electricians before August 28, 2017 may not start. Journeyman licensing therefore happens city by city and county by county (Springfield, the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Kansas City and others), each with its own experience rules, exam and fees; there is no statewide reciprocity for journeymen. A journeyman arriving from another state must apply in each jurisdiction where they will work, though the widespread use of ICC, Prometric and other national exams means a previously passed exam is often accepted in place of retesting.

How local licensing works in Missouri

How local licensing works. Missouri has no state electrician license and no state electrical board for individuals. RSMo 324.925.3(8) permits any political subdivision that licensed electricians before August 28, 2017 to keep doing so, as long as the license rests on professional experience plus a nationally accredited Electrical Assessment Examination administered on a routine and accessible schedule. The OSEC FAQ for political subdivisions confirms the statewide contractor license does not extend to a contractor's employees. Requirements below are those verified on the jurisdictions' own pages.

Springfield. Building Development Services certifies Journeyman and Master craftsmen through the Building and Trades Board, which meets the first Thursday of each month. Journeyman Electrical requires 4 years under the supervision of a master in the trade or 6 years of experience in the trade, documented on notarized Applicant Experience forms (one per employer; 1099s for the self-employed). Approved applicants test through ICC (Pearson VUE, roughly $125) and need 75%. Reciprocity from another jurisdiction: submit the same experience forms plus a copy of an exam score notification of at least 75% from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC on the identical exam Springfield requires, and the board can approve without further testing; the application also asks for any other states where the applicant is licensed and requires copies of those licenses. Fees: $25 initial journeyman certificate (covers the rest of the calendar year) and $25 annual renewal.

City of St. Louis. The Building Division's Committee of Electrical Examiners decides, through written and oral examination, whether applicants have the knowledge and experience for electrical certificates and licenses, testing practical installation competency, electrical theory and the St. Louis Electrical Code. Its page does not publish license classes, experience thresholds, fees or any reciprocity terms.

St. Louis County and Kansas City. St. Louis County's Department of Transportation and Public Works runs an electrical licensing program with journeyman applications, and Kansas City's City Planning and Development department licenses contractors and trades inside the city limits; both websites refused automated access during verification, so their journeyman requirements, exams and fees are not recorded here and should be checked directly.

Out-of-state holders. No Missouri jurisdiction found publishes a formal reciprocity agreement with another state for journeymen. The practical path is to present a passing score on a nationally accredited journeyman exam (ICC, Prometric, Prov, PSI or NASCLA) together with documented experience to each city or county; Springfield explicitly accepts identical exams from Prometric, Experior, Block and ICC in lieu of retesting.

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Missouri master electrician · “Statewide Electrical Contractor License (voluntary; master-level qualifier)

State license plus local requirements

Verified September 15, 2026· 10 sources

Issued by Missouri Division of Professional Registration, Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (OSEC)

Missouri's highest person-held electrical credential is the Statewide Electrical Contractor License issued by the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (OSEC) under RSMo 324.900-324.945, in force since 2018-2019. Despite the name it is held by an individual: RSMo 324.920 requires the applicant personally to show 12,000 verifiable practical hours (or 10,000 hours plus a registered apprenticeship, 8,000 hours plus an electrical associate's degree, or 4,000 supervisory hours plus a four-year electrical engineering degree), pass a standardized nationally accredited electrical assessment examination, carry $500,000 of liability insurance and post any bonds required by the local jurisdictions where they pull permits; a company qualifies by employing at least one such licensee at a supervisory level (the 'qualifier' in 20 CSR 2117-1.010). The license is voluntary: RSMo 324.925 obliges every city and county to accept it in place of a local electrical contractor license and forbids any local exam for its holder, but jurisdictions may keep issuing their own master electrician and electrical contractor licenses to people who do not hold it (Springfield certifies Master Electrical craftsmen, and the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County and Kansas City run their own programs). Missouri publishes no reciprocity agreements with other states; RSMo 324.920 lets the Division negotiate them and OSEC says approved states will be posted, but none are. An out-of-state master electrician instead applies directly: OSEC accepts previously passed ICC, NASCLA, Prometric, Prov and PSI master or electrical contractor exams taken for another state board as meeting the exam requirement, and out-of-state hours count toward the 12,000.

How local licensing works in Missouri

Relationship between the state and local licenses. RSMo 324.925.1: political subdivisions may establish their own local electrical contractor license but shall recognize a statewide license in lieu of it, and may not require a statewide licensee to pass any examination or proficiency assessment; a jurisdiction that refuses can have its local sales tax withheld. Subdivisions may still require business licenses and permits, inspect work, and license electricians and contractors who lack the statewide license based on experience plus a nationally accredited exam (324.925.3). The statewide license covers only the contractor/qualifier, not employees.

Springfield. Building Development Services certifies Master Electrical craftsmen: 4 years as a certified journeyman in the trade or 10 years of satisfactory experience, notarized employer experience forms, approval by the Building and Trades Board (first Thursday monthly), then the ICC master exam through Pearson VUE (about $125) with a 75% minimum. Reciprocity from another jurisdiction is available by submitting a score of at least 75% on the identical exam from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC plus the experience forms; copies of licenses held in other states must be attached. Initial master certificate $50 (covers the rest of the year), renewal $50 annually. A licensed master must generally be listed on electrical permits.

City of St. Louis. The Committee of Electrical Examiners examines applicants for electrical certificates and licenses by written and oral exam covering practical installations, theory and the St. Louis Electrical Code; classes, fees and reciprocity are not published on its page.

St. Louis County and Kansas City. Both operate electrical contractor and master licensing programs, but their websites blocked automated retrieval during verification; requirements are not recorded here.

Out-of-state masters. The statewide license is the practical route for a master electrician moving to Missouri who wants to contract anywhere in the state: one application to OSEC, acceptance of a previously passed national master/contractor exam, and no local exams afterwards. Someone who only needs to work in one city can instead apply to that city, which will generally accept the same national exam scores.

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HVAC Technicians

Missouri journeyman HVAC technician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 12 sources

Missouri does not issue a journeyman HVAC license and has no state HVAC or mechanical board; the Division of Professional Registration's list of licensed professions contains no heating, air conditioning, refrigeration or mechanical contractor profession, and the only statewide construction credential is the voluntary electrical contractor license. HVAC technicians are licensed, where they are licensed at all, by cities and counties under their own ordinances: Springfield certifies Journeyman Mechanical craftsmen on an ICC exam, St. Louis County licenses mechanical journeymen through its Board of Examiners for Mechanical Licensing, Kansas City certifies trade supervisors and licenses mechanical contractors, and the City of St. Louis licenses mechanical contractors and journeyman pipefitters. Requirements, exams and fees differ in each place and there is no statewide reciprocity. A journeyman arriving from another state must apply in each jurisdiction where they will work; the widespread use of ICC and Prometric exams means a matching passing score is often accepted in place of retesting (Springfield accepts an identical Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC exam score of 75% or better, and Kansas City may accept another jurisdiction's comparable exam). EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is a separate federal requirement that applies statewide.

How local licensing works in Missouri

How local licensing works. Missouri has no state HVAC license and no statute standardizing local HVAC licensing, so each city or county that licenses mechanical tradespeople does so under its own building code and ordinance. The credentials below are the ones published by the largest jurisdictions.

Springfield. Building Development Services certifies Journeyman Mechanical craftsmen. Eligibility is 4 years under the supervision of a master in the trade or 6 years of experience in the trade, documented on notarized employer experience forms reviewed by the Building and Trades board (first Thursday of each month); approval to test is good for one year. The exam is the ICC mechanical exam through Pearson Vue (about $125 paid to Pearson Vue), 75% to pass, after which the city issues the certification card for $25 (renewal $25 per year). An applicant licensed elsewhere may apply for 'Reciprocation' by submitting a copy of their other-state licenses and an exam score notification of 75% or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC, provided the exam is identical to the one Springfield requires; otherwise they test.

St. Louis County. The Board of Examiners for Mechanical Licensing licenses mechanical apprentices and journeymen and certifies mechanical contractors; applications go through the Accela permitting portal. An applicant approved to test must sit the journeyman exam within one year of approval (Rule 4), a temporary six-month project-specific journeyman license is available for a $45 application fee to applicants who meet the regular criteria (Rule 1), and renewal requires 12 Professional Education Units (24 hours) every three years (Rule 3). The board's rules do not provide for acceptance of another state's license; the only testing exemption (Rule 6) is for pipefitting and sprinkler-fitting journeymen licensed under the county plumbing code. The specific journeyman categories (such as HVAC Servicer-Installer) and the experience hours required to test could not be confirmed from the pages that could be opened; contact [email protected].

Kansas City. The city does not issue a separate journeyman HVAC card. City Planning and Development licenses mechanical contractors and requires each to employ a full-time supervisor holding a Kansas City certificate of qualification in the mechanical trade, earned by application with notarized references and a passing score from Prometric or ICC ($60 application, no charge for the first four-year certificate, $181 renewal every four years); comparable exams from other jurisdictions may be accepted if the city deems them equivalent or superior. Non-supervising technicians work under the licensed contractor.

City of St. Louis. The Mechanical Contractors Board of Examiners (Ordinance 62579, City Code 25.10) examines mechanical contractors and journeyman pipefitters; mechanical permits are issued only to contractors licensed by the Building Division's Mechanical Section. No HVAC journeyman license or reciprocity is published.

Out-of-state holders. No Missouri jurisdiction publishes reciprocity with another state's journeyman HVAC license. The practical route is to present an identical ICC or Prometric mechanical exam score where the jurisdiction accepts one (Springfield, and case by case in Kansas City), document experience, and apply locally; otherwise take the local exam.

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Missouri master HVAC technician

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 15, 2026· 9 sources

Missouri does not issue a master HVAC license or a statewide mechanical contractor license; the Division of Professional Registration licenses no HVAC or mechanical profession, and unlike the electrical trade there is no voluntary statewide contractor license for HVAC. The master-level credential exists only at the local level under names that vary by jurisdiction: Springfield certifies Master Mechanical craftsmen (4 years as a certified journeyman or 10 years of experience, ICC exam, $50), Kansas City issues a mechanical certificate of qualification to the supervisor who qualifies a licensed mechanical contractor (Prometric or ICC exam, $60 application, $181 four-year renewal), and St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis license mechanical contractors through their boards of examiners. An out-of-state master HVAC license carries no state-level recognition in Missouri, and none of these jurisdictions publish a reciprocity path for it; Springfield accepts an identical ICC, Prometric, Experior or Block exam score in place of retesting and Kansas City may accept a comparable exam it deems equivalent. A master arriving from another state should expect to qualify in each jurisdiction separately and then obtain that jurisdiction's mechanical contractor license to pull permits. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.

How local licensing works in Missouri

How local licensing works. Missouri has no state HVAC license and no statute standardizing local HVAC licensing; each city or county sets its own master, supervisor and contractor requirements.

Springfield. Building Development Services certifies Master Mechanical craftsmen: 4 years as a certified journeyman in the trade or 10 years of satisfactory experience, documented on notarized employer forms and approved by the Building and Trades board; ICC master mechanical exam through Pearson Vue (about $125), 75% to pass; certification card $50 with $50 annual renewal. 'Reciprocation' applicants submit copies of their other-state licenses and an identical-exam score of 75% or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC; otherwise they test.

Kansas City. City Planning and Development licenses mechanical contractors ($55 application, $181 issuance, $181 renewal every four years) whose scope covers heating, duct and ventilation systems, refrigeration maintenance, gas piping to burners and control wiring. Every licensed contractor must employ a full-time supervisor who holds a Kansas City certificate of qualification in the mechanical trade; the certificate requires an application with notarized references and a passing score from a recognized agency such as Prometric or ICC ($60 application, first four-year certificate free, $181 renewal), and the city may accept a comparable exam from another jurisdiction if it deems it equivalent or superior.

St. Louis County. The Board of Examiners for Mechanical Licensing certifies mechanical contractors (a certified contractor list is published) and requires a licensed mechanical contractor bond and, for some applicants, a financial responsibility bond; applications and renewals go through the Accela portal. Master-level exam and experience details are not published on the pages that could be opened.

City of St. Louis. The Mechanical Contractors Board of Examiners (Ordinance 62579, City Code 25.10) reviews each applicant's qualifications for a Mechanical Contractor's license issued by the Building Division; the license is required to pull mechanical permits for boilers, furnaces, exhaust systems and ventilation. Contractors also need the city's graduated business license.

Out-of-state holders. No reciprocity or endorsement path for another state's master HVAC license was found in any of these jurisdictions. The practical route is to present an identical ICC or Prometric master mechanical score where accepted (Springfield; Kansas City case by case), document experience, and apply for the local master certificate and contractor license in each jurisdiction where work will be performed.

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