Electrician License from Tennessee to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Georgia accept a Tennessee electrician license?
There is no Tennessee state license to carry to Georgia: Tennessee issues no statewide journeyman electrician license. Georgia does license this work, so ask the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) 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: Tennessee issues no statewide journeyman or master electrician license, so there is no Tennessee state license for Georgia to verify, endorse or reciprocate. Georgia does license electricians, through the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State), 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 Tennessee license or your documented hours; otherwise plan for its new-applicant route and exam. 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.
What's different between Tennessee 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
Tennessee to Georgia (this page): No state license to transfer.
Georgia to Tennessee (the reverse move): No state license to transfer.
Tennessee issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so neither direction is a state-license transfer.
- Does coming from Tennessee matter?
Coming from Tennessee matters here: only 13 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Georgia.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (37).
- Fee and processing
Tennessee issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no Tennessee state license application fee or processing time to compare with Georgia's.
- Exam rules on record
Georgia and Tennessee 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
- Tennessee (the reverse move): Not applicable — Tennessee issues no statewide journeyman or master electrician license, so there is no state journeyman exam to waive. The state Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) requires passing its exam and is expressly excluded from the Board's trade-exam-waiver reciprocity. Journeyman/master licenses are examined and issued by individual cities and counties
What changes, Tennessee → Georgia
| Tennessee (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | No statewide journeyman/master license fee exists; local authorities set their own fees. The state LLE and CE contractor fees are separate credentials not equivalent to a journeyman license | $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 | No statewide journeyman license, so no state processing time; local code authorities vary | The Board publishes no official processing-time figure for reciprocity |
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Dept. of Commerce & Insurance) — state CE/LLE only; journeyman/master are local | 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
- Review Georgia's requirements on the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) whether it credits a local Tennessee license or your documented experience: Tennessee issues no statewide journeyman electrician license, so there is no state license to verify.
- Otherwise apply as a new applicant: meet Georgia'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.
- 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)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors — Trade Exam Waiver (Reciprocity) with Tennessee ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors — main page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors — Limited Licensed Electrician application ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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