Minnesota Electrician License Reciprocity
By License Tier — Journeyman and Master are genuinely different
Last researched September 4, 2026
Minnesota treats these two license tiers differently — read each section below carefully.
The reciprocity rules for Journeyman and Master electricians are separately sourced and may cover different qualifying states. See each section below for the full, separately-sourced details.
Journeyman Electrician
Reciprocity Available
Reciprocity RulesMinnesota may issue a Class A Journeyworker (AJ) electrician license WITHOUT examination to applicants who obtained their journeyworker license by examination in one of 9 reciprocating states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. To qualify, the applicant must hold the equivalent-class license from the reciprocating state in current good standing, have held it for at least one year, and have passed the license examination in that state (not obtained via a reciprocal agreement with a city or other political subdivision). The applicant must not have failed an examination for the same or greater license class in Minnesota, and if a prior Minnesota license expired more than two years ago, the exam must be retaken. A $50 application fee applies.
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Licensing BoardMinnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Exam RequirementNo Minnesota examination is required for reciprocal Class A Journeyworker applicants: Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, Subdivision 20 explicitly authorizes the commissioner to 'issue a personal license without requiring the applicant to pass an examination' provided the applicant holds a valid comparable license from a state participating in the reciprocal agreement. This is a positively stated statutory exemption, not an inference. For ORIGINAL (non-reciprocal) journeyworker licensure, a written exam ($50 exam fee) is required after accruing the necessary documented electrical work experience (Minnesota Rules 3800.3520, Subpart 1: 'As a precondition to issuance of any class of individual electrical license, an applicant is required to pass an examination').
Source: Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota ↗Experience RequirementFor the RECIPROCITY pathway specifically: hold a current Class A Journeyworker (or equivalent) license from a reciprocating state in good standing, held for at least one year, and obtained by passing that state's license examination (not by a reciprocal agreement with a city or other political subdivision, nor by grandfathering without an exam).
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Application Fee50
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Processing TimeNot yet confirmed
Universal License RecognitionNot yet confirmed
Master Electrician
Reciprocity Available
Reciprocity RulesMinnesota may issue a Class A Master (AM) electrician license WITHOUT examination to applicants who obtained their master license by examination in one of only 4 reciprocating states: Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota — a materially narrower list than the 9-state Journeyworker reciprocal list (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming reciprocate ONLY at the journeyworker level, not master). To qualify, the applicant must hold a current Class A Master (or equivalent) license from one of these 4 states in good standing, held for at least one year, and obtained by passing that state's master license examination. The applicant must not have failed a master (or higher) class examination in Minnesota. A $50 application fee applies.
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Licensing BoardMinnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Exam RequirementNo Minnesota examination is required for reciprocal Class A Master applicants, under the same statutory exemption that applies to Journeyworker reciprocity: Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, Subdivision 20 explicitly authorizes the commissioner to 'issue a personal license without requiring the applicant to pass an examination' provided the applicant holds a valid comparable license from a state participating in the reciprocal agreement. For ORIGINAL (non-reciprocal) master licensure, a written exam ($50 exam fee) is required, alongside one of: an electrical engineering degree, one year of journeyworker experience, or five years in electrical installation/supervision roles.
Source: Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota ↗Experience RequirementFor the RECIPROCITY pathway specifically: hold a current Class A Master (or equivalent) license from one of the 4 reciprocating states (Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota) in good standing, held for at least one year, and obtained by passing that state's master license examination.
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Application Fee50
Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division ↗Processing TimeNot yet confirmed
Universal License RecognitionNot yet confirmed