Electrician License from Maryland to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Texas accept a Maryland electrician license?
An electrical license transfers from Maryland to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program, verify your Maryland license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. 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.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Texas publishes no reciprocity list covering Maryland, but the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program licenses out-of-state electricians by endorsement, so this move runs on the board's case-by-case judgment rather than an automatic waiver. If you hold a master license, check the board's separate master-level rules — master electricians typically endorse rather than transfer through journeyman reciprocity. Ask the board, in writing, exactly which exam or experience requirement it will waive before you rely on it.
What's different between Maryland 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
Maryland to Texas (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Texas to Maryland (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Maryland matter?
Maryland gets Texas's most common result: 27 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.
The others get: no state license to transfer (13) and reciprocity agreement (10).
- Reciprocity agreements
Texas's reciprocity agreement list names 10 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming), not including Maryland.
Maryland's reciprocity agreement list names 1 state (Virginia), not including Texas.
- Application fee
Texas lists $30 for an out-of-state applicant and Maryland lists $18.50 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; Maryland has no experience hours figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Texas and Maryland 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
- Maryland (the reverse move): Maryland waives its journeyperson exam only for a Virginia journeyperson whose license was obtained by examination (or a Virginia apprenticeship) and held at least one year; applicants from every other state must sit the Maryland journeyperson exam (Original License by Examination). Master reciprocity is separate and broader
What changes, Maryland → Texas
| Maryland (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | $18.50 (Journeyperson original license fee is $18.50 (effective 7/1/2025); master original license is $25.00. No separate reciprocity fee is charged. Non-reciprocal applicants also pay a PSI exam fee set by the testing service; a Letter of Good Standing is $50 when required) | $30 ($30.00 journeyman electrician reciprocal license fee; the master electrician reciprocal license fee is $45.00.) |
| Processing time | The Maryland State Board of Electricians does not publish a processing time for reciprocity or endorsement applications | TDLR does not publish a fixed processing time for out-of-state reciprocal license applications |
| Licensing authority | Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor) | 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 endorsement 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
Does this route work for a master electrician?
Not necessarily — master licenses move on separate terms. Some boards keep their own master reciprocity list; otherwise they review the master license individually. Confirm the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Electricians program's master-level experience and exam requirements, which are separate from the journeyman track this site's grid tracks.
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)
- Maryland State Board of Electricians — Licensing Applications / How to Apply ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland State Board of Electricians — Fees ↗ (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