Electrician License from Pennsylvania to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arkansas accept a Pennsylvania electrician license?
There is no Pennsylvania state license to carry to Arkansas: Pennsylvania 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.
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Verdict
No state license to transfer
The issue on this move is the starting point: Pennsylvania issues no statewide journeyman or master electrician license, so there is no Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania to Arkansas (this page): No state license to transfer.
Arkansas to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): No state license to transfer.
Pennsylvania issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so neither direction is a state-license transfer.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania.
- Fee and processing
Pennsylvania issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no Pennsylvania 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; Pennsylvania sets none at state level because it issues no statewide journeyman electrician license.
- Exam rules on record
Arkansas and Pennsylvania 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.
- Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Not applicable — Pennsylvania issues no statewide electrician license, so there is no state journeyman exam to waive or transfer; each municipality that licenses electricians sets its own exam and standards, and local licenses generally do not transfer between Pennsylvania municipalities
What changes, Pennsylvania → Arkansas
| Pennsylvania (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | No statewide license, so no state fee; municipal license and exam fees vary by city and are not published statewide | $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 license; processing depends on the individual 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 | None — no statewide electrician licensing board (licensing is municipal). State building-code oversight: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Occupational and Industrial Safety (Uniform Construction Code) | 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 Pennsylvania license or your documented experience: Pennsylvania 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)
- PA Dept. of Labor & Industry — Contractor Licensing (Commonwealth has no licensure for most construction trades; keeps no records of municipal licenses) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of Labor & Industry — Uniform Construction Code (home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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