Electrician License from Illinois to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Vermont accept an Illinois electrician license?
There is no Illinois state license to carry to Vermont: Illinois issues no statewide journeyman electrician license. Vermont does license this work, so ask the Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board 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 Vermont to verify, endorse or reciprocate. Vermont does license electricians, through the Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board, and it recognizes a journeyman license from any state — 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 Vermont exam is required for reciprocal or universal applicants: an electrician licensed in good standing for at least 3 years in any US jurisdiction is issued a Universal license without examination, and residents of Maine or New Hampshire may license under a narrower reciprocal pathway; applicants without qualifying out-of-state licensure must complete a Vermont apprenticeship or experience and pass the Vermont electrician exam.
What's different between Illinois and Vermont
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Vermont. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Vermont (this page): No state license to transfer.
Vermont 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 Vermont.
The others get: full reciprocity (37).
- 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 Vermont's.
- Experience hours
Vermont'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
Vermont and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Vermont (this move): No Vermont exam is required for reciprocal or universal applicants: an electrician licensed in good standing for at least 3 years in any US jurisdiction is issued a Universal license without examination, and residents of Maine or New Hampshire may license under a narrower reciprocal pathway; applicants without qualifying out-of-state licensure must complete a Vermont apprenticeship or experience and pass the Vermont electrician exam
- 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 → Vermont
| Illinois (current) | Vermont (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | No statewide fee; fees are set by each municipality | $115–$150 (Journeyman $115, master $150 (3-year license fees); exam fees are separate and are not charged to reciprocal/universal applicants) |
| Processing time | Set by each municipality; there is no statewide process | DFS publishes no decision timeframe; applications must reach the Division at least 2 weeks before the Electricians' Licensing Board meeting to be placed on that agenda |
| Licensing authority | No statewide board — electrician licensing is municipal (e.g., City of Chicago Department of Buildings) | Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Vermont's requirements on the Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' Licensing Board 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 Vermont'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.
- VT Division of Fire Safety - Electricians' License Application Instructions (2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- VT Division of Fire Safety - Apply for an Electrical License ↗ (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
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