Electrician License from Illinois to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Maine accept an Illinois electrician license?
There is no Illinois state license to carry to Maine: Illinois issues no statewide journeyman electrician license. Maine does license this work, so ask the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) whether it credits a local license or your documented experience; otherwise you qualify as a new applicant.
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Verdict
No state license to transfer
The issue on this move is the starting point: Illinois issues no statewide journeyman or master electrician license, so there is no Illinois state license for Maine to verify, endorse or reciprocate. Maine does license electricians, through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation), and it licenses out-of-state electricians by endorsement — but that route starts from a state license. Ask the board, in writing, whether it credits a local Illinois license or your documented hours; otherwise plan for its new-applicant route and exam. No Maine exam is required for a journeyman who holds a current license from a reciprocal state and passed that state's written examination; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify by experience and pass the Maine journeyman examination.
What's different between Illinois and Maine
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Maine. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Maine (this page): No state license to transfer.
Maine to Illinois (the reverse move): No state license to transfer.
Illinois issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so neither direction is a state-license transfer.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois matters here: only 13 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Maine.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (31) and reciprocity agreement (6).
- Reciprocity agreements
Maine's reciprocity agreement list names 6 states (New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming), not including Illinois.
- Fee and processing
Illinois issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no Illinois state license application fee or processing time to compare with Maine's.
- Experience hours
Maine's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; Illinois sets none at state level because it issues no statewide journeyman electrician license.
- Exam rules on record
Maine and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Maine (this move): No Maine exam is required for a journeyman who holds a current license from a reciprocal state and passed that state's written examination; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify by experience and pass the Maine journeyman examination
- Illinois (the reverse move): Illinois has no statewide electrician license, so there is no state exam to waive or transfer; each municipality sets its own exam and licensing rules (for example, the City of Chicago administers its own Supervising Electrician examination through Continental Testing Services)
What changes, Illinois → Maine
| Illinois (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | No statewide fee; fees are set by each municipality | $150 (Reciprocity license fee is $150 for journeyman or master; a separate $21 criminal-records-check fee brings the total 'Required Fee' stated on the application to $171.) |
| Processing time | Set by each municipality; there is no statewide process | The board does not publish a processing time; applications show as Pending then Active in the ALMS online license search |
| Licensing authority | No statewide board — electrician licensing is municipal (e.g., City of Chicago Department of Buildings) | Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Maine's requirements on the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) whether it credits a local Illinois license or your documented experience: Illinois issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no state license to verify.
- Otherwise apply as a new applicant: meet Maine's education/experience requirements and pass the exams it requires.
- Submit the application with fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Maine Electricians' Examining Board — Journeyman Electrician licensing (reciprocity states, fees, experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maine Electricians' Examining Board — Reciprocity License Application (Journeyman/Master), rev. 01/2020 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- City of Chicago — Trade Licensing (Department of Buildings) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- City of Chicago — Supervising Electrician License (municipal exam/licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- City of Chicago — Electrical Contractor License ↗ (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