Transfer Your Electrician License to Maine: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) ↗
Maine grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 6 named partner states (New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming). Come from one of them and the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the 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. Fee: $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.).
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Verdict
Reciprocity with 6 states
Maine's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state Maine names below and you earned it by exam, the journeyman exam is waived; if it does not, no amount of experience substitutes for sitting the test. Two cautions specific to electrical reciprocity: the list is directional (it names who Maine accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.
Journeyman reciprocity covers 6 states (New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming); master reciprocity is narrower — only New Hampshire and Vermont. The reciprocal applicant must have passed the reciprocating state's written exam and hold a current license there; Maine does not re-examine. Journeyman requires affidavits for 8,000 hours of electrical-installation experience (12,000 for master). These bilateral lists differ from a partner's own list. Per protocol the $21 criminal-records-check surcharge is kept in notes, not the fee range.
Maine requirements at a glance
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 8,000 hours |
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $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 | The board does not publish a processing time; applications show as Pending then Active in the ALMS online license search. |
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current journeyman license from a reciprocal state and have passed that state's written exam.
- Submit affidavits documenting at least 8,000 hours in electrical installations (12,000 hours for master).
- Submit license verification directly from the reciprocating state's board.
- Undergo a criminal history records check (SBI).
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow The board does not publish a processing time; applications show as Pending then Active in the ALMS online license search..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maine:
Frequently asked questions
Does my electrician license transfer to Maine?
Maine grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 6 named partner states (New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming). Come from one of them and the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the 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. Fee: $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.).
Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in Maine?
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 does licensing in Maine cost an out-of-state electrician?
$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.) (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.).
How long does Maine take to process the application?
The board does not publish a processing time; applications show as Pending then Active in the ALMS online license search. — The board does not publish a processing time; applications show as Pending then Active in the ALMS online license search..
Which states does Maine have electrician reciprocity with?
New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming (6 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation)). The list is bilateral, so a state Maine recognizes does not necessarily recognize Maine in return.
How many experience hours does Maine require?
8000 hours of documented on-the-job experience for the journeyman license; out-of-state hours generally count toward this minimum.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]