Transfer Your Contractor License to Idaho: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards ↗
Idaho offers trade-specific reciprocity through the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards, covering electrical, plumbing work for licensees from states including Colorado, North Dakota, Maine, Oklahoma, Montana, Oregon, and others. These agreements waive the relevant trade exam — not the business and law exam, bond, or registration. Fee: DOPL reciprocal/initial application fee not verified; site was unreachable on 2026-07-21 and archived FAQs list only a $65 renewal fee. Verify current fee schedule with DOPL.. Select your trade and origin in the checker for the exact answer.
Moving to Idaho from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Read Idaho'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.
No state general contractor license — private-work general contractors only register with DOPL (no exam, no reciprocity); state licensing exists for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Idaho is an electrical-reciprocity (NERA-style) member. The dopl.idaho.gov server was returning connection-refused on 2026-07-21, so the official electrical/plumbing FAQs and the reciprocal-states PDF were verified via the Internet Archive snapshot of those same .gov pages.
Idaho requirements at a glance
| Exam | Idaho (DOPL) reciprocates the journeyman ELECTRICAL license of 12 states if the applicant tested for the current license, held it at least one year, and shows 4 years of schooling plus OJT (Wyoming also master). Journeyman PLUMBING reciprocity is limited to Montana, Oregon, and Washington. HVAC has no reciprocity, and general contractors only register (no exam, no reciprocity). |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | DOPL reciprocal/initial application fee not verified; site was unreachable on 2026-07-21 and archived FAQs list only a $65 renewal fee. Verify current fee schedule with DOPL. |
| Processing time | Not stated on official pages. |
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Have tested for and held the current out-of-state journeyman license for at least one year (electrical).
- Provide proof of 4 years of schooling and on-the-job training.
- Submit proof of licensure and good standing from the reciprocal state.
- Plumbing reciprocity conditions vary: Montana license held 1 year, Oregon held 6 months, Washington current-resident requirement.
- Pay the fees (DOPL reciprocal/initial application fee not verified; site was unreachable on 2026-07-21 and archived FAQs list only a $65 renewal fee. Verify current fee schedule with DOPL.) and allow Not stated on official pages..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Idaho:
All 22 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my contractor license transfer to Idaho?
Idaho offers trade-specific reciprocity through the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards, covering electrical, plumbing work for licensees from states including Colorado, North Dakota, Maine, Oklahoma, Montana, Oregon, and others. These agreements waive the relevant trade exam — not the business and law exam, bond, or registration. Fee: DOPL reciprocal/initial application fee not verified; site was unreachable on 2026-07-21 and archived FAQs list only a $65 renewal fee. Verify current fee schedule with DOPL.. Select your trade and origin in the checker for the exact answer.
Which states does Idaho have electrical contractor reciprocity with?
Colorado, North Dakota, Maine, Oklahoma, Montana, Oregon, Nebraska, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming (verified 2026-07-21 against the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards). Journeyman-license reciprocity per DOPL 'Licenses That Idaho Will Reciprocate'; Wyoming also reciprocates master
Which states does Idaho have plumbing contractor reciprocity with?
Montana, Oregon, Washington (verified 2026-07-21 against the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — Electrical and Plumbing Boards). Journeyman-license reciprocity; MT held 1 yr, OR held 6 mo, WA must be a current WA resident
Does reciprocity waive all of Idaho's requirements?
No. Idaho's reciprocity waives the relevant trade exam only; the business/law exam, financial statement, bond, and insurance still apply.
What does a Idaho contractor license cost and how long does it take?
DOPL reciprocal/initial application fee not verified; site was unreachable on 2026-07-21 and archived FAQs list only a $65 renewal fee. Verify current fee schedule with DOPL.; processing Not stated on official pages..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Idaho DOPL — Electrical Program FAQs (reciprocal agreements) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Licenses That Idaho Will Reciprocate (Electrical & Plumbing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — HVAC Program FAQs (no reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]