Electrician License from North Dakota to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Maine accept a North Dakota electrician license?
Yes — Maine has a reciprocity arrangement covering North Dakota license holders. Apply to the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete Maine's remaining requirements.
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Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
North Dakota is on Maine's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: Maine 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 Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) is the live source.
What's different between North Dakota and Maine
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Maine. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
North Dakota to Maine (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Maine 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 6 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Maine.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (31) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
Maine's reciprocity agreement list names 6 states (New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming), including North Dakota.
North Dakota's reciprocity agreement list names 13 states, including Maine.
- Application fee
Maine lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and North Dakota lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Experience hours
Maine'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
Maine and North Dakota carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Maine (this move): No Maine exam is required for a journeyman who holds a current license from a reciprocal state and passed that state's written examination; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify by experience and pass the Maine journeyman 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 → Maine
| North Dakota (current) | Maine (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) | $150 (Reciprocity license fee is $150 for journeyman or master; a separate $21 criminal-records-check fee brings the total 'Required Fee' stated on the application to $171.) |
| Processing time | NDSEB does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required for reciprocity | The board does not publish a processing time; applications show as Pending then Active in the ALMS online license search |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) | Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Maine Electricians' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current journeyman license from a reciprocal state and have passed that state's written exam.
- Submit affidavits documenting at least 8,000 hours in electrical installations (12,000 hours for master).
- Submit license verification directly from the reciprocating state's board.
- Undergo a criminal history records check (SBI).
- 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 Maine'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. Maine's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Maine Electricians' Examining Board — Journeyman Electrician licensing (reciprocity states, fees, experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maine Electricians' Examining Board — Reciprocity License Application (Journeyman/Master), rev. 01/2020 ↗ (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