Transfer Your Electrician License to Minnesota: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — Board of Electricity ↗

Minnesota grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 9 named partner states (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming). Come from one of them and the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — Board of Electricity 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. Minnesota waives its journeyworker exam for a reciprocity applicant who earned a like (or higher) license by state-administered examination in a partner state and held it at least one year; applicants from non-partner states must pass the Minnesota examination. Fee: $50 ($50 application and examination fee accompanies the reciprocity application even though the Minnesota exam is waived).

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Verdict

Reciprocity with 9 states

Minnesota's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state Minnesota 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 Minnesota accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.

NERA member. JOURNEYWORKER (journeyman) reciprocity names nine states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming. MASTER reciprocity is narrower — Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota. This is consistent with (but not identical to) North Dakota's list, since NERA agreements are bilateral. Minnesota states experience in MONTHS not hours — Class A journeyworker requires 48 months (24 months hands-on) and Class A master 60 months — so education_hours_required is null. The originating license must have been earned by exam at the state level, not via a local/subdivision reciprocal.

Minnesota requirements at a glance

Out-of-state electrical license transfer requirements for Minnesota, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	Minnesota waives its journeyworker exam for a reciprocity applicant who earned a like (or higher) license by state-administered examination in a partner state and held it at least one year; applicants from non-partner states must pass the Minnesota examination
Additional requirements	Hold a current, good-standing license obtained BY STATE-ADMINISTERED EXAMINATION (not through a city/subdivision reciprocal agreement), held for at least one year Must not have failed the same or a higher class of Minnesota license examination, and must not be under any Minnesota denial/suspension/revocation order Master-license reciprocity is narrower (Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota); a master from those states may instead obtain the Minnesota journeyworker license Submit the Individual Electrical License Reciprocity Application with license verification
Fees	$50 ($50 application and examination fee accompanies the reciprocity application even though the Minnesota exam is waived)
Processing time	Minnesota DLI does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications

Step by step

Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — Board of Electricity website — rules change.
Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — Board of Electricity (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, good-standing license obtained BY STATE-ADMINISTERED EXAMINATION (not through a city/subdivision reciprocal agreement), held for at least one year.
Must not have failed the same or a higher class of Minnesota license examination, and must not be under any Minnesota denial/suspension/revocation order.
Master-license reciprocity is narrower (Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota); a master from those states may instead obtain the Minnesota journeyworker license.
Submit the Individual Electrical License Reciprocity Application with license verification.
Pay the fees ($50 ($50 application and examination fee accompanies the reciprocity application even though the Minnesota exam is waived)) and allow Minnesota DLI does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications.

Official links

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — Board of Electricity ↗Minnesota application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Minnesota:

Alaska → Minnesota Arkansas → Minnesota California → Minnesota Colorado → Minnesota Florida → Minnesota Georgia → Minnesota Illinois → Minnesota Iowa → Minnesota Michigan → Minnesota Montana → Minnesota Nebraska → Minnesota New York → Minnesota North Carolina → Minnesota North Dakota → Minnesota Ohio → Minnesota Pennsylvania → Minnesota South Dakota → Minnesota Texas → Minnesota Wyoming → Minnesota

Frequently asked questions

Does my electrician license transfer to Minnesota?

Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in Minnesota?

Minnesota waives its journeyworker exam for a reciprocity applicant who earned a like (or higher) license by state-administered examination in a partner state and held it at least one year; applicants from non-partner states must pass the Minnesota examination.

What does licensing in Minnesota cost an out-of-state electrician?

$50 ($50 application and examination fee accompanies the reciprocity application even though the Minnesota exam is waived) ($50 application and examination fee accompanies the reciprocity application even though the Minnesota exam is waived).

How long does Minnesota take to process the application?

Minnesota DLI does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications — Minnesota DLI does not publish a processing-time range for reciprocity applications.

Which states does Minnesota have electrician reciprocity with?

Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming (9 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — Board of Electricity). The list is bilateral, so a state Minnesota recognizes does not necessarily recognize Minnesota in return.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Minnesota DLI — Electrical license reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Minnesota DLI — Experience requirements (electrical license) ↗ (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]