Transfer Your Contractor License to Colorado: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board ↗

Colorado offers trade-specific reciprocity through the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board, covering electrical work for licensees from states including Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, and others. These agreements waive the relevant trade exam — not the business and law exam, bond, or registration. Fee: $100–$140 (Plumbing application fee per the DPO Plumbing Licensing Guide: Residential $100, Journeyworker $120, Master $140. Electrical application fees are NOT published on the board's website or in the Electrical Licensing Guide — they are charged by credit card inside the DPO Online Services portal. All fees non-refundable and non-transferable. No state general contractor or HVAC fee exists.). Select your trade and origin in the checker for the exact answer.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Read Colorado's agreements one trade at a time — that is the mistake most contractors make here. A deal that waives the electrical exam says nothing about general building, and a commercial agreement rarely covers residential work. The tables below separate them so you can see exactly which of your licenses travels and which does not.

Colorado licenses NO general contractor and NO HVAC/mechanical contractor at the state level — DORA states plainly that roofers and general contractors are not licensed occupations, and DPO's regulated-programs list contains only Electrical and Plumbing among the building trades. GC licensing is purely municipal (Denver, Colorado Springs, Estes Park, etc.), and those local licenses are not transferable between Colorado jurisdictions, so the general and hvac trade keys are omitted rather than faked. Real state-level portability exists only for electricians and plumbers. Electrical reciprocity is a genuine NERA state-list agreement covering Journeyman Electrician ONLY (14 states); it waives the written exam, not the application, fee, or verification paperwork. Master Electrician, Residential Wireman, and all plumbing classes must use the endorsement path, which requires a state-issued (never city or county) license earned by a comparable state exam on the code Colorado currently adopts. Electrical Contractor and Plumbing Contractor company registrations are separate and have no reciprocity — they require a Colorado-licensed responsible master and workers' comp / unemployment compliance.

Colorado requirements at a glance

Out-of-state contractor license transfer requirements for Colorado, verified 2026-08-07
Exam	NERA reciprocity waives the Colorado written exam for Journeyman Electrician applicants holding a qualifying journeyman or master license from one of the 14 agreement states; the separate endorsement path (electrical and plumbing) also waives the exam where the out-of-state license was state-issued and earned by a comparable state-administered exam on the currently adopted code
Additional requirements	Hold an active license issued and regulated by a state board — city, county, or municipal licenses are not accepted Electrical reciprocity: hold the journeyman or master electrician license for at least 1 year and have passed a state-administered exam (grandfathered licenses are refused) Plumbing endorsement: hold the state-issued license for at least 6 months and verify a comparable state plumbing exam based on the currently adopted Colorado code Submit a Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board Document all practical experience on the board's Affidavit of Experience form, signed by the supervising contractor — applicants may not verify their own experience Answer the criminal history screening questions and disclose any felony conviction
Fees	$100–$140 (Plumbing application fee per the DPO Plumbing Licensing Guide: Residential $100, Journeyworker $120, Master $140. Electrical application fees are NOT published on the board's website or in the Electrical Licensing Guide — they are charged by credit card inside the DPO Online Services portal. All fees non-refundable and non-transferable. No state general contractor or HVAC fee exists.)
Processing time	Neither the State Electrical Board nor the State Plumbing Board publishes a processing-time estimate; DPO only warns that an incomplete application will delay processing

Step by step

Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold an active license issued and regulated by a state board — city, county, or municipal licenses are not accepted.
Electrical reciprocity: hold the journeyman or master electrician license for at least 1 year and have passed a state-administered exam (grandfathered licenses are refused).
Plumbing endorsement: hold the state-issued license for at least 6 months and verify a comparable state plumbing exam based on the currently adopted Colorado code.
Submit a Verification of Licensure form completed by the issuing state board.
Document all practical experience on the board's Affidavit of Experience form, signed by the supervising contractor — applicants may not verify their own experience.
Answer the criminal history screening questions and disclose any felony conviction.
Pay the fees ($100–$140 (Plumbing application fee per the DPO Plumbing Licensing Guide: Residential $100, Journeyworker $120, Master $140. Electrical application fees are NOT published on the board's website or in the Electrical Licensing Guide — they are charged by credit card inside the DPO Online Services portal. All fees non-refundable and non-transferable. No state general contractor or HVAC fee exists.)) and allow Neither the State Electrical Board nor the State Plumbing Board publishes a processing-time estimate; DPO only warns that an incomplete application will delay processing.

Official links

Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board ↗Colorado application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Colorado:

All 24 origin states

South Dakota → Colorado Texas → Colorado Utah → Colorado Wyoming → Colorado

Frequently asked questions

Does my contractor license transfer to Colorado?

Which states does Colorado have electrical contractor reciprocity with?

Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming (verified 2026-08-07 against the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations — State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board). National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) agreement, Journeyman Electrician licenses ONLY — Master Electrician and Residential Wireman are not reciprocal and must use the endorsement path

Does reciprocity waive all of Colorado's requirements?

No. Colorado's reciprocity waives the relevant trade exam only; the business/law exam, financial statement, bond, and insurance still apply.

What does a Colorado contractor license cost and how long does it take?

$100–$140 (Plumbing application fee per the DPO Plumbing Licensing Guide: Residential $100, Journeyworker $120, Master $140. Electrical application fees are NOT published on the board's website or in the Electrical Licensing Guide — they are charged by credit card inside the DPO Online Services portal. All fees non-refundable and non-transferable. No state general contractor or HVAC fee exists.); processing Neither the State Electrical Board nor the State Plumbing Board publishes a processing-time estimate; DPO only warns that an incomplete application will delay processing.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]