Electrician License from Pennsylvania to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Montana accept a Pennsylvania electrician license?
There is no Pennsylvania state license to carry to Montana: Pennsylvania issues no statewide journeyman electrician license. Montana does license this work, so ask the Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) whether it credits a local license or your documented experience; otherwise you qualify as a new applicant.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
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 Montana to verify, endorse or reciprocate. Montana does license electricians, through the Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor & Industry), 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 Montana journeyman exam is required if your existing out-of-state license is substantially equivalent (the other state required passing an electrical exam PLUS an approved apprenticeship, bona fide union/trade training, 8,000 hours of practical experience, or 20,000 hours in electrical maintenance); if it is not substantially equivalent, you must pass the Montana journeyman exam (75% to pass).
What's different between Pennsylvania and Montana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Montana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Montana (this page): No state license to transfer.
Montana 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 Montana.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (37).
- 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 Montana's.
- Experience hours
Montana'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
Montana and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Montana (this move): No Montana journeyman exam is required if your existing out-of-state license is substantially equivalent (the other state required passing an electrical exam PLUS an approved apprenticeship, bona fide union/trade training, 8,000 hours of practical experience, or 20,000 hours in electrical maintenance); if it is not substantially equivalent, you must pass the Montana journeyman exam (75% to pass)
- 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 → Montana
| Pennsylvania (current) | Montana (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 | $190 ($190 application fee for licensure by reciprocity or endorsement (same as by exam); a $50 temporary work permit is available to exam candidates only) |
| Processing time | No statewide license; processing depends on the individual municipality | The Montana State Electrical Board does not publish a processing time |
| 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) | Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Montana's requirements on the Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) 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 Montana'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.
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician Application & Checklist (Rev. 07/22/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician license information ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com