Electrician License from Idaho to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Texas accept an Idaho electrician license?
Yes — Texas has a reciprocity arrangement covering Idaho license holders. Apply to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete Texas's remaining requirements.
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Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Idaho is on Texas's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: Texas waives its journeyman exam for electricians who earned a qualifying Idaho license by examination, held it at least a year, and meet the experience hours. Two conditions decide whether you actually qualify — your Idaho 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 Idaho on it, and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program is the live source.
What's different between Idaho and Texas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Texas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Idaho to Texas (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Texas to Idaho (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Idaho matter?
Coming from Idaho matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Texas.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (27) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
Texas's reciprocity agreement list names 10 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming), including Idaho.
Idaho's reciprocity agreement list names 9 states (Colorado, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming), including Texas.
- Application fee
Texas lists $30 for an out-of-state applicant and Idaho lists $70 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Experience hours
Texas's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; Idaho's is 8,000.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Texas and Idaho carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Texas (this move): Texas waives its journeyman electrician exam for an applicant who holds a journeyman license obtained by that state's examination in a reciprocal state and has held it for at least one year; applicants from non-reciprocal states must apply and pass the Texas journeyman exam
- Idaho (the reverse move): Idaho waives its journeyman electrician examination for applicants who hold a current license earned by a state-administered exam in a reciprocal state and have held it continuously for at least one year; applicants from non-reciprocal states must pass the Idaho journeyman electrician examination
What changes, Idaho → Texas
| Idaho (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Application fee | $70 ($70 processing fee for an initial, reciprocal, or reopen-closed license application (per DOPL); exam fee is statutorily capped at $75 for non-reciprocal applicants who must test) | $30 ($30.00 journeyman electrician reciprocal license fee; the master electrician reciprocal license fee is $45.00.) |
| Processing time | DOPL publishes no processing-time figure for reciprocal applications | TDLR does not publish a fixed processing time for out-of-state reciprocal license applications |
| Licensing authority | Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold the reciprocal-state license, obtained by passing that state's examination, for at least one year.
- Document at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician (12,000 hours for master electrician).
- Submit a letter of good standing / license verification from the reciprocal state.
- Master electrician reciprocity partners differ (Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio) and require prior journeyman licensure for 2 years (1 year for Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio).
- 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 Idaho is on Texas's list?
An Idaho 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. Texas's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- TDLR — Electricians: Out-of-State (reciprocity) applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TDLR News — Texas Expands Electrician Reciprocity with Ohio (2026-06-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Idaho Electrical Board (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — 'Licenses That Idaho Will Reciprocate: Electrical' reciprocal-info (partner states, eligibility) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Apply for or Renew a License (fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NERA — National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (About) ↗ (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