Electrician License from North Dakota to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Colorado accept a North Dakota electrician license?
Yes — Colorado has a reciprocity arrangement covering North Dakota license holders. Apply to the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete Colorado's remaining requirements.
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Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
North Dakota is on Colorado's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: Colorado waives its journeyman exam for electricians who earned a qualifying North Dakota license by examination, held it at least a year, and meet the experience hours. Two conditions decide whether you actually qualify — your North Dakota 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 North Dakota on it, and the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) is the live source.
What's different between North Dakota and Colorado
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Colorado. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
North Dakota to Colorado (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Colorado to North Dakota (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from North Dakota matter?
Coming from North Dakota matters here: only 14 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Colorado.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (23) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
Colorado's reciprocity agreement list names 14 states, including North Dakota.
North Dakota's reciprocity agreement list names 13 states, including Colorado.
- Application fee
North Dakota lists $50 for the reverse move; Colorado has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Experience hours
Colorado's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; North Dakota's is 8,000.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Colorado and North Dakota carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Colorado (this move): No Colorado written exam is required for a journeyman who holds a current license from one of the named NERA reciprocal states, earned by a state-administered exam and held at least 1 year; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify and pass the Colorado journeyman exam
- North Dakota (the reverse 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
What changes, North Dakota → Colorado
| North Dakota (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Application fee | $50 ($25 reciprocal application fee + $25 journeyman license fee on approval; master reciprocity is $50 + $50) | DORA does not publish the reciprocal journeyman fee on a standalone page; fees are set administratively and shown inside the online application. Aggregator figures (e.g. a $100 processing fee) could not be confirmed on an official page, so left null |
| Processing time | NDSEB does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required for reciprocity | The board does not publish a processing time; a reciprocal certificate is issued without a written exam once requirements are met and fees paid |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) | Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active journeyman or master electrician certificate in good standing, held for at least 1 year in the licensing state.
- Original certificate must have been earned by passing a state-administered examination — grandfathered (non-exam) licenses are not eligible for reciprocity.
- NERA reciprocity applies to the journeyman license only; master electricians must instead apply by License by Endorsement.
- Document journeyman experience (Colorado uses 8,000 hours / 4 years as its journeyman standard; 10,000 hours for master).
- 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 North Dakota is on Colorado's list?
A North Dakota 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. Colorado's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado DPO — Electrical Applications and Forms (reciprocity requirements and reciprocal-state list) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Colorado DPO — Electrical Board homepage ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NDSEB — Reciprocal License Agreements & Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NERA — National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (About) ↗ (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