Electrician License from Arkansas to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does North Dakota accept an Arkansas electrician license?
Yes — North Dakota has a reciprocity arrangement covering Arkansas license holders. Apply to the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete North Dakota's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Arkansas is on North Dakota's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: North Dakota waives its journeyman exam for electricians who earned a qualifying Arkansas license by examination, held it at least a year, and meet the experience hours. Two conditions decide whether you actually qualify — your Arkansas license must have come from an exam, not a grandfather clause, and it must be current. The list is also revocable; the verification date on this page is when we last confirmed Arkansas on it, and the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) is the live source.
What's different between Arkansas and North Dakota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Dakota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Arkansas to North Dakota (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
North Dakota to Arkansas (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Arkansas matter?
Coming from Arkansas matters here: only 13 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into North Dakota.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (24) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
North Dakota's reciprocity agreement list names 13 states, including Arkansas.
Arkansas's reciprocity agreement list names 16 states, including North Dakota.
- Application fee
North Dakota lists $50 for an out-of-state applicant and Arkansas lists $25–$75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Experience hours
North Dakota's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; Arkansas's is 8,000.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
North Dakota and Arkansas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- North Dakota (this move): No ND written exam is required under NERA reciprocity if you passed a state-administered exam in a reciprocal state; applicants from non-reciprocal states must pass the ND journeyman exam
- Arkansas (the reverse move): No Arkansas examination is required if the applicant qualifies for reciprocity: they must hold a current, in-good-standing journeyman license from a listed reciprocal state, have held it at least one year, and have been tested (examined) for it in that state. Applicants from non-reciprocal states, or whose license was not earned by exam, must pass the Arkansas journeyman exam.
What changes, Arkansas → North Dakota
| Arkansas (current) | North Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Application fee | $25–$75 (Journeyman license fee is $25 per year; a license is issued for 1-3 years depending on the year within the NEC code cycle (about $25-$75 up front), and reciprocal applicants pay no $80 examination fee because they are not examined. Master license fee is $50 per year.) | $50 ($25 reciprocal application fee + $25 journeyman license fee on approval; master reciprocity is $50 + $50) |
| Processing time | Board does not publish a processing time; applications must be received at least 5 business days before the monthly board meeting at which they are reviewed | NDSEB does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required for reciprocity |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing) | North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, active license in good standing, held continuously for at least the 1 year before applying.
- Original license earned by passing a state-administered exam — grandfathered (non-exam) licenses are not eligible for reciprocity.
- Document 8,000 hours of journeyman experience (10,000 hours for master).
- If your state has no continuing-education requirement, complete a ND-approved 8-hour code-related class.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What could disqualify me even though Arkansas is on North Dakota's list?
An Arkansas license you were grandfathered into rather than earning by exam, a license held less than a year, or falling short of the experience-hour minimum. North Dakota's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NDSEB — Reciprocal License Agreements & Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NERA — National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (About) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas Dept. of Labor & Licensing — Electrical Inspection and Licensing (journeyman & master reciprocal partner lists) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners — Administrative Rules (April 2024): fees, reciprocity, experience ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com