Transfer Your Electrician License to Maryland: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor) ↗
Maryland grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 1 named partner state (Virginia). Come from one of them and the Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and meet its experience-hour requirement; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. 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. Fee: $18.5 (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).
Moving to Maryland from a specific state?
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Verdict
Reciprocity with 1 states
Maryland's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state Maryland 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 Maryland accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.
Maryland moved to statewide electrician licensing (journeyperson, master, apprentice) under a 2020 law fully phased in for the 2022-2023 cycle. It is NOT a NERA member; its reciprocity is a set of bilateral mid-Atlantic agreements administered by the board. JOURNEYPERSON reciprocity is Virginia only. MASTER reciprocity is broader — Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia (plus master licenses earned by exam in a Maryland local jurisdiction). Experience is stated in years, not hours: journeyperson requires at least 4 years of regular electrical employment; master requires at least 7 years (up to 3 years credited for formal training) — so education_hours_required is null. Only exam-earned (not grandfathered/reciprocity) licenses qualify for reciprocity in either direction.
Maryland requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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 |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $18.5 (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) |
| Processing time | The Maryland State Board of Electricians does not publish a processing time for reciprocity or endorsement applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid out-of-state journeyperson license obtained BY EXAMINATION (or a Virginia apprenticeship), licensed for a minimum of one year.
- Journeyperson reciprocity is limited to Virginia; from all other states you must apply for an Original License by Examination.
- Submit letters of verification showing license issuance/expiration/examination dates and disciplinary history.
- A Maryland license itself obtained through reciprocity cannot be used to reciprocate into another state — only exam-earned licenses qualify onward.
- Pay the fees ($18.5 (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)) and allow The Maryland State Board of Electricians does not publish a processing time for reciprocity or endorsement applications.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maryland:
Frequently asked questions
Does my electrician license transfer to Maryland?
Maryland grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 1 named partner state (Virginia). Come from one of them and the Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and meet its experience-hour requirement; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. 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. Fee: $18.5 (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).
Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in Maryland?
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 does licensing in Maryland cost an out-of-state electrician?
$18.5 (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) (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).
How long does Maryland take to process the application?
The Maryland State Board of Electricians does not publish a processing time for reciprocity or endorsement applications — The Maryland State Board of Electricians does not publish a processing time for reciprocity or endorsement applications.
Which states does Maryland have electrician reciprocity with?
Virginia (1 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Maryland State Board of Electricians (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor)). The list is bilateral, so a state Maryland recognizes does not necessarily recognize Maryland in return.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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 Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]