Trade License Reciprocity Between States
Reciprocity lets a licensed tradesperson from one state get a license in another without starting over. It is set board by board and trade by trade, and it is rarely symmetrical.
What the sources say
| State and trade | Partners named | Route in the source |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut electrician | none named | The DCP license-type and equivalent-experience pages list no reciprocity agreements. |
| Connecticut plumber | none named | The DCP plumbing page lists no reciprocity agreements; it directs licensing questions to DCP.occupationalprofessional@ct.gov. |
| Connecticut HVAC | none named | The DCP heating, piping and cooling page lists no reciprocity agreements. |
| Massachusetts electrician | New Hampshire | Mass.gov: "Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire." Terms are in 237 CMR 15. |
| Massachusetts plumber | none named | 248 CMR 11.02(7): applicants must pass the examination unless Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with their jurisdiction; out-of-state licensees must document requirements substantially equivalent to Massachusetts' and a good-standing statement. No partner states are named. |
| Massachusetts HVAC | none named | An equivalent license from another jurisdiction plus employer documentation of equivalent experience under 528 CMR 11.03 can qualify, with approval by a majority vote of the Bureau. |
| New Hampshire electrician | Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming | Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont: active agreements for master and journeyman licenses (applicants to Massachusetts must also reciprocate the journeyman license). Through NERA, journeyman licenses only: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. |
| New Hampshire plumber | none named | Mec 302.12: out-of-state licensees who show licensure where they worked are eligible for the plumbing and fuel gas exams; Mec 305.01(b)(4) accepts prior journeyman licensure in another state with the 70% exam. No partner states are named. |
| New Hampshire HVAC | none named | Mec 302.12 makes out-of-state licensees eligible for the fuel gas exam on proof of licensure; no partner states are named. |
| Maine electrician | New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming | Journeyman: agreements with New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming. Master: New Hampshire and Vermont. Applicants must have passed that state's written exam and worked as an electrician for at least six years. |
| Vermont electrician | none named | 26 V.S.A. § 906(b): reciprocity where another state's standards are equivalent and it grants Vermont electricians the same; and the Board shall license masters and journeymen who have held a license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years. Service members with 8,000 hours and four years as a 12R electrician qualify for a journeyman license. |
| Vermont plumber | none named | 26 V.S.A. § 2194(a): licenses without examination for holders from states with equivalent standards and a reciprocal arrangement, and master, journeyman and specialist licenses for applicants licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years. |
| Rhode Island plumber | none named | § 5-20-17 accepts a valid journeyperson license from another state with equivalent requirements as a route to sit the Rhode Island exam. No partner states are named. |
| Texas electrician | Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee | Master: Alabama, Arkansas (master electrician), Iowa (Class A master), Louisiana (state contractor's license), Nebraska, North Carolina (master or unlimited electrical contractor), Ohio and Tennessee (electrical contractor). Journeyman: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming. |
| Texas plumber | none named | TSBPE accepts a journeyman license from another state toward the master exam and waives the 48-hour course for out-of-state journeyman and master licensees. No reciprocity agreements are listed on these pages. |
| Florida electrician | none named | § 489.511(5) requires the Board to certify qualified applicants by endorsement; electrical contractors certified that way take a 2-hour Florida Building Code course. No partner states are named in the section. |
| Illinois plumber | none named | The IDPH exam application has a section for out-of-state applicants and charges plumbers registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois a $225 application fee. No reciprocity agreements are named. |
| Georgia electrician | none named | Georgia uses a separate application for licensure by reciprocity; the exam application names no partner states. |
| Georgia plumber | none named | A license verification from another state can document the required journeyman license, which must have been active at least two years. The application names no reciprocity partners. |
Three models
- Named partners. New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Texas electrical boards list specific states. New Hampshire names 13 partner states, the most on this site.
- Endorsement by time licensed. Vermont issues electrical and plumbing licenses to applicants licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years, whether or not that state has an agreement.
- Case-by-case review. Massachusetts plumbing and refrigeration, New Hampshire plumbing and Georgia let out-of-state licensees apply with documentation, but name no partners.
Worked example: a Maine journeyman electrician moving to New Hampshire. New Hampshire lists Maine as a partner for journeyman and master licenses, and Maine lists New Hampshire in return; Maine's own rule for incoming applicants also asks for six years working as an electrician. See New Hampshire and Maine.
Worked example: an Ohio electrical contractor and Texas. Texas lists Ohio among master electrician partners. Ohio's commercial contractor board names no partners in the application read, so the route back is not shown. See Texas and Ohio.
Before you move
Read the receiving state's page for conditions: years licensed, exam passed in the home state, a good-standing letter. The timeline guide shows how much experience each state counts.
Sources
The state pages linked in the table, each with its board page or statute and the date read (2026-10-20).
Questions
If Texas lists my state, does my state accept Texas?
Not necessarily. Each board publishes its own list and conditions. Check both pages; this site shows both directions on each state page.
What is NERA?
New Hampshire's Electricians' Board names it as a multi-state journeyman reciprocity arrangement and lists its member states on its requirements page.
Look up a trade and state. Pick a trade and a state to see the levels, time, exam, fees and reciprocity from the state source. Open the lookup.