Electrician License from Ohio to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board ↗
A electrical license transfers from Ohio to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board, verify your Ohio license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. 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.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Idaho publishes no reciprocity list covering Ohio, but the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board licenses out-of-state electricians by endorsement, so this move runs on the board's case-by-case judgment rather than an automatic waiver. If you hold a master license this is usually your route regardless — master electricians typically endorse rather than transfer through journeyman reciprocity. Ask the board, in writing, exactly which exam or experience requirement it will waive before you rely on it.
What changes, Ohio → Idaho
| Ohio (current) | Idaho (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Training hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | No statewide journeyman/master license exists, so there is no state journeyman fee. The OCILB commercial Electrical Contractor reciprocity application (a different, contractor-level credential) is a $25.00 non-refundable fee per trade; annual license fee applies on issuance. Municipal journeyman/master fees vary by city and are not published statewide | $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 | Not applicable at the state level for journeyman/master (municipal); OCILB does not publish a processing time for the contractor reciprocity application | DOPL publishes no processing-time figure for reciprocal applications |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) — Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance (issues the commercial Electrical Contractor license only; no state journeyman/master license) | 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 endorsement 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 ($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)) and allow DOPL publishes no processing-time figure for reciprocal applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Idaho accept a Ohio electrician license?
A electrical license transfers from Ohio to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board, verify your Ohio license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. 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.
Which exam will I take moving from Ohio to Idaho?
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.
What does the Ohio-to-Idaho move cost and how long does it take?
$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 DOPL publishes no processing-time figure for reciprocal applications.
Does this route work for a master electrician?
Usually yes — master electricians typically move by endorsement rather than journeyman reciprocity. Confirm the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Idaho Electrical Board's master-level experience and exam requirements, which are separate from the journeyman track this site's grid tracks.
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)
- OCILB — Electrical Reciprocity Verification of Licensure (West Virginia, master + contractor electrician) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- OCILB — Contractors and contracting companies (reciprocity applications by state) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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