Contractor License from West Virginia to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) ↗
Yes — Tennessee has a reciprocity arrangement covering West Virginia license holders. Apply to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; typically you skip the national exam and complete state-specific requirements only.
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Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Tennessee has a trade agreement covering West Virginia — but read it at the trade-and-class level before celebrating. The agreement waives Tennessee's exam for the specific trade and class named in the table below; your other licenses may not be covered. What survives for every applicant: Tennessee's business and law exam, financial statement, bond, and registration. Confirm your exact trade and class against the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) listing.
What changes, West Virginia → Tennessee
| West Virginia (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $59.95 (Contractor Licensing Board examinations are $59.95 each, first sitting or retake, and the Contractor Licensing Act exam is always required. The contractor licence fee itself, and the State Fire Marshal's individual electrician licence fee, are billed separately and could not be verified today — see notes; they are deliberately not guessed.) | $250 (Initial contractor license application fee $250. The CPA-prepared reviewed or audited financial statement is a separate professional cost, and some verifying states charge a fee to complete the Board's license-verification form. Beginning July 1, 2026 exams are administered by Prov.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Contractor Licensing Board nor the State Fire Marshal publishes a processing-time range; set null rather than estimated. | No processing-time estimate is published; applications are acted on at the Board's scheduled meetings. |
| Licensing authority | West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (Division of Labor); individual electricians licensed by the WV State Fire Marshal | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Pass the Tennessee Business & Law exam (required for every classification except restricted residential BC-A/r).
- Submit a reviewed or audited financial statement from a licensed accounting firm, less than 12 months old, to set the monetary limit.
- Have the participating state complete the Board's Request for Contractor License Verification in place of the trade-exam score.
- Be free of disciplinary action, open complaints and felony convictions — these disqualify an applicant from the trade exam waiver.
- Pay the $250 application fee; the license is required before bidding or contracting at $25,000 or more.
- Pay the fees ($250 (Initial contractor license application fee $250. The CPA-prepared reviewed or audited financial statement is a separate professional cost, and some verifying states charge a fee to complete the Board's license-verification form. Beginning July 1, 2026 exams are administered by Prov.)) and allow No processing-time estimate is published; applications are acted on at the Board's scheduled meetings..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a West Virginia contractor license?
Yes — Tennessee has a reciprocity arrangement covering West Virginia license holders. Apply to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; typically you skip the national exam and complete state-specific requirements only.
What still applies even if reciprocity covers my trade?
Tennessee's business and law exam, financial statement, bond, and registration — reciprocity waives the trade exam only, not these.
What does the West Virginia-to-Tennessee move cost and how long does it take?
$250 (Initial contractor license application fee $250. The CPA-prepared reviewed or audited financial statement is a separate professional cost, and some verifying states charge a fee to complete the Board's license-verification form. Beginning July 1, 2026 exams are administered by Prov.); processing No processing-time estimate is published; applications are acted on at the Board's scheduled meetings..
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 Tennessee is one on the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce and Insurance) site.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors — Trade Exam Waiver (Reciprocity) with Tennessee, Rev. 06/2026 (participating states, scope, TN matching classifications) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors — Get a Contractor License ($250 fee, Business & Law exam, CPA financial statement, $25,000 threshold) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Contractor Licensing Board — Candidate Information Bulletin (classification list, Contractor Licensing Act exam, $59.95 per exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Division of Labor — Licensing section (Contractor Licensing Board, HVAC and Plumber certification programmes) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board — Master Electrician Reciprocity Verification of Licensure (requires WV Master Electrician licence from the WV State Fire Marshal plus WV Contractor Electrical Licence) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NASCLA — West Virginia Contractors Licensing Board, commercial-exam participating agency (will not accept exam scores or transcripts prior to 2013-09-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV State Fire Marshal — Regulatory and Licensing Division (individual Master/Journeyman/Single Family Dwelling electrician licensing) ↗ (accessed 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]