Transfer Your Electrician License to Oregon: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services ↗

Oregon grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 7 named partner states (Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, Wyoming). Come from one of them and the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. Oregon waives its General Journeyman exam for applicants who hold an equivalent license from a reciprocal state and passed that state's exam with 75 percent or better; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify for and pass the Oregon exam. Fee: $100 ($100 nonrefundable reciprocal electrical license application fee; same fee for General Journeyman (J) and General Supervising/Master (S)).

Moving to Oregon from a specific state?

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Verdict

Reciprocity with 7 states

Oregon's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state Oregon names below and you earned it by exam, the journeyman exam is waived; if it does not, no amount of experience substitutes for sitting the test. Two cautions specific to electrical reciprocity: the list is directional (it names who Oregon accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.

General Journeyman (J) reciprocity covers Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Master-level General Supervising Electrician (S) reciprocity is narrower — only Arkansas and Utah. Washington applicants must have completed an Oregon or Washington apprenticeship and passed Washington's exam. To originally qualify for Oregon's journeyman exam requires 4 years/8,000 hours of supervised trade experience plus 576 classroom hours; reciprocity instead requires 1,000 hours worked under the reciprocal license. Requirements per OAR 918-030-0045; agreements are bilateral, so partner lists differ from those of other states.

Oregon requirements at a glance

Out-of-state electrical license transfer requirements for Oregon, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	Oregon waives its General Journeyman exam for applicants who hold an equivalent license from a reciprocal state and passed that state's exam with 75 percent or better; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify for and pass the Oregon exam
Training hours	8,000 hours
Additional requirements	Hold an equivalent or higher electrical license from a reciprocal state, current and active with no violations or conditions within the past 3 years Have qualified for and passed that state's licensing exam with a score of 75 percent or better Have worked at least 1,000 hours (6 months) under the reciprocal-state license Not have failed the Oregon licensing exam for that license type within the past 2 years Submit a completed License Verification Form and Affidavit of Employment Experience
Fees	$100 ($100 nonrefundable reciprocal electrical license application fee; same fee for General Journeyman (J) and General Supervising/Master (S))
Processing time	BCD does not publish a processing time for reciprocal license applications

Step by step

Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services website — rules change.
Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold an equivalent or higher electrical license from a reciprocal state, current and active with no violations or conditions within the past 3 years.
Have qualified for and passed that state's licensing exam with a score of 75 percent or better.
Have worked at least 1,000 hours (6 months) under the reciprocal-state license.
Not have failed the Oregon licensing exam for that license type within the past 2 years.
Submit a completed License Verification Form and Affidavit of Employment Experience.
Pay the fees ($100 ($100 nonrefundable reciprocal electrical license application fee; same fee for General Journeyman (J) and General Supervising/Master (S))) and allow BCD does not publish a processing time for reciprocal license applications.

Official links

Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services ↗Oregon application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Oregon:

Arkansas → Oregon California → Oregon Florida → Oregon Georgia → Oregon Idaho → Oregon Illinois → Oregon Maine → Oregon Michigan → Oregon Montana → Oregon New York → Oregon North Carolina → Oregon Ohio → Oregon Pennsylvania → Oregon Texas → Oregon Utah → Oregon Washington → Oregon West Virginia → Oregon Wyoming → Oregon

Frequently asked questions

Does my electrician license transfer to Oregon?

Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in Oregon?

Oregon waives its General Journeyman exam for applicants who hold an equivalent license from a reciprocal state and passed that state's exam with 75 percent or better; applicants from non-reciprocal states must qualify for and pass the Oregon exam.

What does licensing in Oregon cost an out-of-state electrician?

$100 ($100 nonrefundable reciprocal electrical license application fee; same fee for General Journeyman (J) and General Supervising/Master (S)) ($100 nonrefundable reciprocal electrical license application fee; same fee for General Journeyman (J) and General Supervising/Master (S)).

How long does Oregon take to process the application?

BCD does not publish a processing time for reciprocal license applications — BCD does not publish a processing time for reciprocal license applications.

Which states does Oregon have electrician reciprocity with?

Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, Wyoming (7 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services). The list is bilateral, so a state Oregon recognizes does not necessarily recognize Oregon in return.

How many experience hours does Oregon require?

8000 hours of documented on-the-job experience for the journeyman license; out-of-state hours generally count toward this minimum.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Oregon BCD — Reciprocal licenses ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Oregon BCD — Reciprocal Electrical License Application (form 440-4794e: states, $100 fee, OAR 918-030-0045 qualifications) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]