Electrician License from North Dakota to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Idaho accept a North Dakota electrician license?
Yes — Idaho has a reciprocity arrangement covering North Dakota license holders. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete Idaho's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
North Dakota is on Idaho's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: Idaho 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 Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board is the live source.
What's different between North Dakota and Idaho
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Idaho. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
North Dakota to Idaho (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Idaho 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 9 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Idaho.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (28) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
Idaho's reciprocity agreement list names 9 states (Colorado, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming), including North Dakota.
North Dakota's reciprocity agreement list names 13 states, including Idaho.
- Application fee
Idaho lists $70 for an out-of-state applicant and North Dakota lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Experience hours
Idaho'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
Idaho and North Dakota carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Idaho (this move): Idaho waives its journeyman electrician examination for applicants who hold a current license earned by a state-administered exam in a reciprocal state and have held it continuously for at least one year; applicants from non-reciprocal states must pass the Idaho journeyman electrician examination
- 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 → Idaho
| North Dakota (current) | Idaho (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) | $70 ($70 processing fee for an initial, reciprocal, or reopen-closed license application (per DOPL); exam fee is statutorily capped at $75 for non-reciprocal applicants who must test) |
| Processing time | NDSEB does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required for reciprocity | DOPL publishes no processing-time figure for reciprocal applications |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) | Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Idaho sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license earned by a state-administered examination in a reciprocal state, held continuously for at least 1 year.
- Document a four-year apprenticeship plus 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, or 16,000 hours of electrical experience.
- Grandfathered (non-exam) licenses are not eligible for reciprocity.
- Submit the DOPL initial/reciprocal license application with the processing fee.
- 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 Idaho'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. Idaho's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Idaho DOPL — Idaho Electrical Board (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — 'Licenses That Idaho Will Reciprocate: Electrical' reciprocal-info (partner states, eligibility) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Apply for or Renew a License (fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NERA — National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (About) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NDSEB — Reciprocal License Agreements & 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