Electrician License from South Carolina to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Georgia accept a South Carolina electrician license?
An electrical license transfers from South Carolina to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State), verify your South Carolina license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. Georgia issues no journeyman electrician license; for its statewide electrical CONTRACTOR license the Board waives the exam only for applicants who hold a Non-Restricted (Class II) license obtained by examination in Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee, with no violations — every other applicant must pass the Georgia electrical contractor examination.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Georgia publishes no reciprocity list covering South Carolina, but the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) 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, check the board's separate master-level rules — 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's different between South Carolina and Georgia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Georgia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
South Carolina to Georgia (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Georgia to South Carolina (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from South Carolina matter?
South Carolina gets Georgia's most common result: 37 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.
The others get: no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
Georgia's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
South Carolina's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (North Carolina and Mississippi), not including Georgia.
- Application fee
Georgia lists $40 for an out-of-state applicant; South Carolina has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Georgia and South Carolina carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Georgia (this move): Georgia issues no journeyman electrician license; for its statewide electrical CONTRACTOR license the Board waives the exam only for applicants who hold a Non-Restricted (Class II) license obtained by examination in Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee, with no violations — every other applicant must pass the Georgia electrical contractor examination
- South Carolina (the reverse move): South Carolina waives the technical (trade) exam for its Residential Electrician / electrical contractor licenses if the applicant is licensed by examination and in good standing in North Carolina or Mississippi (Electrical Exam Waiver Agreement), passed the NASCLA electrical exam, or holds a master certification issued by exam from the Municipal Association of SC / Carolinas AGC; the SC Business Management & Law exam is still required of everyone, and applicants with no qualifying credential must sit the SC technical exam
What changes, South Carolina → Georgia
| South Carolina (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | The LLR does not publish the residential-electrician fee on its web pages; it is stated on the application form only (payable to the SC Residential Builders Commission). Automated fetch of llr.sc.gov was blocked, so the exact fee is not reproduced here | $40 ($30 application + $10 processing (non-refundable) for the electrical contractor reciprocity application; see the Board fee schedule for the license-issuance fee) |
| Processing time | LLR does not publish a processing time for the residential electrician license | The Board publishes no official processing-time figure for reciprocity |
| Licensing authority | South Carolina Dept. of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (LLR) — Residential Builders Commission (residential electrician) and Contractor's Licensing Board (electrical contractor) | Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Georgia does not license individual journeyman electricians — the transferable statewide credential is the electrical CONTRACTOR license (Class I Restricted / Class II Non-Restricted).
- For contractor reciprocity, hold a current Non-Restricted license obtained by examination in AL, LA, NC, SC, or TN, in good standing with no violations.
- Grandfathered, endorsement, conversion, or reciprocity licenses are NOT eligible for reciprocity — apply by examination instead.
- Submit three notarized reference forms (at least one from a licensed electrical contractor).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does this route work for a master electrician?
Not necessarily — master licenses move on separate terms. Some boards keep their own master reciprocity list; otherwise they review the master license individually. Confirm the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State)'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.
- Georgia SOS — Board of Electrical Contractors FAQ (reciprocity states, exam waiver, grandfather exclusion) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — Electrical Reciprocity Application (Form 44) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC LLR — Residential Electrician License ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC LLR — Electrician Instructions (Residential Builders Commission) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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