Contractor License from Texas to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration) ↗
A contractor license transfers from Texas to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration), verify your Texas license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. Vermont has no state general-contractor license — residential contractors merely register with the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation, with no exam and therefore nothing to reciprocate. The Division of Fire Safety licenses electricians and plumbers statewide, and both boards issue licenses without the Vermont examination on two routes: a bilateral reciprocal license for residents of Maine or New Hampshire (electrical), and a 'universal license' for anyone currently licensed outside Vermont at a level equal to the Vermont credential sought, supported by a certified letter of licensure from the issuing state..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Vermont does not have a trade agreement covering Texas for the selected trade, so this move runs on Vermont's case-by-case endorsement process. If you do commercial general-building work, check whether Vermont accepts the NASCLA exam — passing it once can replace the trade exam here and in about fourteen other states. Electricians should check Vermont's NERA status.
What changes, Texas → Vermont
| Texas (current) | Vermont (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $30–$115 (Fees differ by agency and trade: TDLR journeyman electrician $30 and master electrician $45; TSBPE reciprocal license verification $40 non-refundable, plus the IdentoGO fingerprint fee; TDLR ACR out-of-state application $115. There is no state general-contractor license fee because Texas does not license general contractors.) | $90–$150 (Division of Fire Safety trade licenses are 3-year: Electrical Master $150, Electrical Journeyman $115, Electrical Specialist $115 per field; Plumbing Master $120, Plumbing Journeyman $90, Plumbing Specialist $50 per field. Exam fees are not included in the application. The separate OPR residential-contractor registration carries its own fee, which is published only behind OPR's online fee page and is not asserted here.) |
| Processing time | No single figure applies. TSBPE states a reciprocal plumbing license arrives by US mail within 30 days of the completed online application and payment; TDLR publishes no processing time for electrician or ACR reciprocity. | No week range is published. Applications must be postmarked or delivered to the Division of Fire Safety two weeks before the board meeting date or they are held for a later agenda, and incomplete applications are returned. |
| Licensing authority | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (electricians, air conditioning and refrigeration) and Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (plumbers); no state general-contractor license | Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Submit a certified letter of licensure from the issuing state — a photocopy of the license alone is not accepted.
- Maine and New Hampshire bilateral electrical reciprocity is limited to residents of those states; applicants from elsewhere use the universal-license route.
- Universal-license plumbers must document the apprenticeship or schooling required for the out-of-state license plus 8,000 hours (journeyman) or 12,000 hours (master) of experience.
- File the application at the Division of Fire Safety two weeks before the licensing board meeting, signed and notarized.
- Residential contractors on work valued at $10,000 or more must separately register with the Secretary of State's OPR, carry liability insurance and use a written contract.
- Pay the fees ($90–$150 (Division of Fire Safety trade licenses are 3-year: Electrical Master $150, Electrical Journeyman $115, Electrical Specialist $115 per field; Plumbing Master $120, Plumbing Journeyman $90, Plumbing Specialist $50 per field. Exam fees are not included in the application. The separate OPR residential-contractor registration carries its own fee, which is published only behind OPR's online fee page and is not asserted here.)) and allow No week range is published. Applications must be postmarked or delivered to the Division of Fire Safety two weeks before the board meeting date or they are held for a later agenda, and incomplete applications are returned..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a Texas contractor license?
A contractor license transfers from Texas to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration), verify your Texas license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. Vermont has no state general-contractor license — residential contractors merely register with the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation, with no exam and therefore nothing to reciprocate. The Division of Fire Safety licenses electricians and plumbers statewide, and both boards issue licenses without the Vermont examination on two routes: a bilateral reciprocal license for residents of Maine or New Hampshire (electrical), and a 'universal license' for anyone currently licensed outside Vermont at a level equal to the Vermont credential sought, supported by a certified letter of licensure from the issuing state..
What still applies even if reciprocity covers my trade?
Vermont's business and law exam, financial statement, bond, and registration — reciprocity waives the trade exam only, not these.
What does the Texas-to-Vermont move cost and how long does it take?
$90–$150 (Division of Fire Safety trade licenses are 3-year: Electrical Master $150, Electrical Journeyman $115, Electrical Specialist $115 per field; Plumbing Master $120, Plumbing Journeyman $90, Plumbing Specialist $50 per field. Exam fees are not included in the application. The separate OPR residential-contractor registration carries its own fee, which is published only behind OPR's online fee page and is not asserted here.); processing No week range is published. Applications must be postmarked or delivered to the Division of Fire Safety two weeks before the board meeting date or they are held for a later agenda, and incomplete applications are returned..
Would the NASCLA exam help for this move?
If you do commercial general-building work, possibly — about 15 states accept the NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building exam toward licensure. Check whether Vermont is one on the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (electricians and plumbers); Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registration) site.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- VT Division of Fire Safety — Electrician License Application (Master $150 / Journeyman $115 / Specialist $115; Maine and New Hampshire residents only; universal-license route) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- VT Division of Fire Safety — Instructions for Applying for a Vermont Electrical License (fees; two-week pre-meeting filing deadline) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- VT Division of Fire Safety — Plumbers License Application Instructions (Master $120 / Journeyman $90 / Specialist $50; universal-license route and hour requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- VT Secretary of State OPR — Residential Contractors, Apply or Renew ($10,000 threshold, liability insurance, written contract, registration not licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- TDLR — Transfer Your Out-of-State Electrician License to Texas (master and journeyman reciprocal states; $45/$30 fees; hour requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- TDLR — Licensing Reciprocity for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (Georgia and South Carolina license-to-class mapping) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- TDLR — Out of State Applicants, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration ($115 fee; insurance minimums; exam may still be required) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- TSBPE — Reciprocal License Verification Request (Louisiana and Arkansas only; $40 fee; IdentoGO fingerprints; per-state conditions) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- TSBPE — Reciprocal License Agreement with Louisiana (~30 days by mail) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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