Transfer Your Electrician License to Massachusetts: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Does my electrician license transfer to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 1 named partner state (New Hampshire). Come from one of them and the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) 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. Massachusetts licenses WITHOUT examination (waives its journeyman/master exam) only for a New Hampshire licensee whose NH license was earned by passing the New Hampshire exam; applicants from every other state must pass the Massachusetts journeyman or master examination. Fee: $208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)).
Moving to Massachusetts from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Reciprocity with 1 state
Massachusetts's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.
Massachusetts is NOT a NERA member. Its only reciprocity is a single bilateral agreement with New Hampshire under 237 CMR 15.00 ('Licensure without examination'), and only for NH licenses earned by examination. Because the pathway is licensure WITHOUT examination, a qualifying NH applicant does not sit the MA exam. Journeyman eligibility (for exam applicants) is 8,000 hours of work over at least four years plus 600 hours of Board-approved education; master requires additional journeyman experience plus 150 education hours. Systems technician and systems contractor licenses have no reciprocity with any state. mass.gov blocked direct page fetch (HTTP 403); values were confirmed from mass.gov-sourced search results for the cited pages.
Massachusetts requirements at a glance
| Experience hours | 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license |
|---|---|
| Fees | $208–$310 (Journeyman reciprocity application fee is $208; master reciprocity application fee is $310 (non-refundable, per 237 CMR 15.02)) |
| Processing time | The Board of State Examiners of Electricians does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a New Hampshire journeyman or master license that was obtained by PASSING the New Hampshire examination (not by reciprocity).
- Submit a certified license-verification letter from the New Hampshire electrical board.
- Submit a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) authorization form and a passport-quality photo.
- Apply online through the Division of Occupational Licensure ePLACE portal; reciprocity is limited to New Hampshire under 237 CMR 15.00.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Massachusetts:
Nearby states
Electrician license transfer into the states bordering Massachusetts:
Massachusetts for other professions
- Nursing in Massachusetts
- Cosmetology / Barber in Massachusetts
- Real Estate in Massachusetts
- Contractor in Massachusetts
- Teaching in Massachusetts
- CPA / Accounting in Massachusetts
- Plumber in Massachusetts
- Engineering in Massachusetts
- Pharmacy in Massachusetts
- Physical Therapy in Massachusetts
- Psychology in Massachusetts
- Counseling in Massachusetts
- Social Work in Massachusetts
- Occupational Therapy in Massachusetts
Frequently asked questions
Which states does Massachusetts have electrician reciprocity with?
New Hampshire (1 state, verified 2026-07-21 against the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure)). The list is bilateral, so a state Massachusetts recognizes does not necessarily recognize Massachusetts in return.
How many experience hours does Massachusetts 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.
- Mass.gov — 237 CMR 15.00: Licensure without examination ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Mass.gov — Apply for reciprocity for an out-of-state electrician's 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