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License reciprocity: which states honor each other

Last verified May 23, 2026

If you hold a Master Electrician license in Texas, can you work in Oklahoma? Sometimes. Reciprocity for electrical and low-voltage licensing is partial in most states and absent in many.

How reciprocity actually works

State-to-state reciprocity comes in three patterns:

  1. Full reciprocity. Pass the home state's exam, get the other state's license without re-testing. Rare for electrical.
  2. Exam reciprocity. Trade-portion test results transfer; you still take the home state's business/law exam and meet that state's other requirements (experience, insurance, fees).
  3. No reciprocity. Apply from scratch.

Known reciprocity clusters (Master Electrician)

  • Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana-Oklahoma cluster: Limited Master Electrician exam reciprocity among these four. Texas TDLR publishes the current list.
  • California-Nevada-Arizona-Utah-Louisiana: CSLB has trade-portion reciprocity with these. California's Law and Business exam is still required.
  • North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia: Limited cross-state recognition; usually requires the state-specific exam.
  • Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota: Some limited-energy exam reciprocity, varying by license tier.

What reciprocity does NOT typically cover

  • Low-voltage / limited-energy specialty licenses. Most reciprocity covers Master Electrician at the journeyman or master level. Specialty licenses (TX ECR, FL ES/EF/EG, NC SP-LV) rarely transfer.
  • Alarm / security licenses. Very limited inter-state recognition; usually each state has its own exam.
  • Insurance and bonding minimums. You'll need to meet each state's separate requirements.

Practical advice

For most low-voltage installers expanding across state lines:

  1. Check the destination state's reciprocity rules with the state licensing agency directly (URLs on each state page).
  2. Don't rely on third-party summaries - rules change, sometimes mid-year.
  3. Plan for at least the destination state's business/law exam even when trade-portion reciprocity applies.
  4. Factor in 60-90 days of application processing.
  5. Confirm your insurance and bonding are also acceptable to the destination state (some states require their own form-filed certificates).

Related state pages

Sources

This article is informational and is not legal advice. State and federal rules change. Verify current requirements with the relevant agency before relying on any specific guidance.