Electrician License from New York to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arkansas accept a New York electrician license?
There is no New York state license to carry to Arkansas: New York issues no statewide journeyman electrician license. Arkansas does license this work, so ask the Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing) whether it credits a local license or your documented experience; otherwise you qualify as a new applicant.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
No state license to transfer
The issue on this move is the starting point: New York issues no statewide journeyman or master electrician license, so there is no New York state license for Arkansas to verify, endorse or reciprocate. Arkansas does license electricians, through the Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing), and it licenses out-of-state electricians by endorsement — but that route starts from a state license. Ask the board, in writing, whether it credits a local New York license or your documented hours; otherwise plan for its new-applicant route and exam. No Arkansas examination is required if the applicant qualifies for reciprocity: they must hold a current, in-good-standing journeyman license from a listed reciprocal state, have held it at least one year, and have been tested (examined) for it in that state. Applicants from non-reciprocal states, or whose license was not earned by exam, must pass the Arkansas journeyman exam.
What's different between New York and Arkansas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Arkansas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Arkansas (this page): No state license to transfer.
Arkansas to New York (the reverse move): No state license to transfer.
New York issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so neither direction is a state-license transfer.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York matters here: only 13 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Arkansas.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (21) and reciprocity agreement (16).
- Reciprocity agreements
Arkansas's reciprocity agreement list names 16 states, not including New York.
- Fee and processing
New York issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no New York state license application fee or processing time to compare with Arkansas's.
- Experience hours
Arkansas's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; New York sets none at state level because it issues no statewide journeyman electrician license.
- Exam rules on record
Arkansas and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Arkansas (this move): No Arkansas examination is required if the applicant qualifies for reciprocity: they must hold a current, in-good-standing journeyman license from a listed reciprocal state, have held it at least one year, and have been tested (examined) for it in that state. Applicants from non-reciprocal states, or whose license was not earned by exam, must pass the Arkansas journeyman exam.
- New York (the reverse move): New York issues no statewide electrician license, so there is no state exam to transfer or waive; licensing is municipal. In New York City the Department of Buildings requires its own written and practical Master/Special Electrician exams and grants no interstate reciprocity; other municipalities set their own exams.
What changes, New York → Arkansas
| New York (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | No statewide license; municipal fees vary and are not published on a single state page. NYC Master/Special Electrician fees set by the Department of Buildings were not captured from an official page here | $25–$75 (Journeyman license fee is $25 per year; a license is issued for 1-3 years depending on the year within the NEC code cycle (about $25-$75 up front), and reciprocal applicants pay no $80 examination fee because they are not examined. Master license fee is $50 per year.) |
| Processing time | No statewide process; timelines are set by each municipality | Board does not publish a processing time; applications must be received at least 5 business days before the monthly board meeting at which they are reviewed |
| Licensing authority | No statewide electrician board — municipal licensing (e.g., New York City Department of Buildings) | Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arkansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Arkansas's requirements on the Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners (Department of Labor and Licensing) whether it credits a local New York license or your documented experience: New York issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no state license to verify.
- Otherwise apply as a new applicant: meet Arkansas's education/experience requirements and pass the exams it requires.
- Submit the application with fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Arkansas Dept. of Labor & Licensing — Electrical Inspection and Licensing (journeyman & master reciprocal partner lists) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners — Administrative Rules (April 2024): fees, reciprocity, experience ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NYC Department of Buildings — Master Electricians & Special Electricians (license types; no journeyman) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NYC Department of Buildings — Obtain a Master & Special Electrician License (experience and exam requirements) ↗ (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