Electrician License from New Hampshire to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does North Dakota accept a New Hampshire electrician license?
Yes — North Dakota has a reciprocity arrangement covering New Hampshire license holders. Apply to the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete North Dakota's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
New Hampshire is on North Dakota's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: North Dakota waives its journeyman exam for electricians who earned a qualifying New Hampshire license by examination, held it at least a year, and meet the experience hours. Two conditions decide whether you actually qualify — your New Hampshire license must have come from an exam, not a grandfather clause, and it must be current. The list is also revocable; the verification date on this page is when we last confirmed New Hampshire on it, and the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) is the live source.
What's different between New Hampshire and North Dakota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Dakota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Hampshire to North Dakota (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
North Dakota to New Hampshire (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: New Hampshire and North Dakota do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from New Hampshire matter?
Coming from New Hampshire matters here: only 13 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into North Dakota.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (24) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
North Dakota's reciprocity agreement list names 13 states, including New Hampshire.
- Application fee
North Dakota lists $50 for an out-of-state applicant; New Hampshire has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Experience hours
North Dakota's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; New Hampshire's is 8,000.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
North Dakota and New Hampshire carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- North Dakota (this move): No ND written exam is required under NERA reciprocity if you passed a state-administered exam in a reciprocal state; applicants from non-reciprocal states must pass the ND journeyman exam
- New Hampshire (the reverse move): No New Hampshire exam is required to license a journeyman by endorsement if you hold a current license in a listed qualifying jurisdiction and have at least 1 year of professional experience in the journeyman category (Plc 313.24); applicants from non-listed jurisdictions must license by examination (verify 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and pass the NH journeyman exam)
What changes, New Hampshire → North Dakota
| New Hampshire (current) | North Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Application fee | OPLC application/license fees are published only on the board's fee page (the application states 'SEE WEBSITE FOR FEES'); the official fee schedule was access-restricted and could not be retrieved as of 2026-07-21 - see https://www.oplc.nh.gov/find-board/electricians-board/electricians-license-fees | $50 ($25 reciprocal application fee + $25 journeyman license fee on approval; master reciprocity is $50 + $50) |
| Processing time | OPLC does not publish a processing time for endorsement/reciprocal applications | NDSEB does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required for reciprocity |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Electricians' Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, active license in good standing, held continuously for at least the 1 year before applying.
- Original license earned by passing a state-administered exam — grandfathered (non-exam) licenses are not eligible for reciprocity.
- Document 8,000 hours of journeyman experience (10,000 hours for master).
- If your state has no continuing-education requirement, complete a ND-approved 8-hour code-related class.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What could disqualify me even though New Hampshire is on North Dakota's list?
A New Hampshire license you were grandfathered into rather than earning by exam, a license held less than a year, or falling short of the experience-hour minimum. North Dakota's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NDSEB — Reciprocal License Agreements & Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NERA — National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (About) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC - New Changes for Reciprocity (Plc 313.24 Electricians' Board qualifying jurisdictions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC Electricians' Board - Journeyman/Master/Reciprocal Application (8,000-hour journeyman requirement; reciprocity section) ↗ (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