Texas electrical license reciprocity is a TDLR agreement, not a work permit. If your state and license class are on the live list, you can apply for a Texas journeyman or master license without the Texas exam. You still need the other state's exam, at least one year on that license, the hour history TDLR lists, and the fee. Until Texas issues its license, the home-state card does not authorize the work.
The lists below were taken from TDLR's out-of-state electrician page on October 6, 2026. A February 2026 TDLR summary PDF is already behind that page. Use the live page if the two disagree.
Open calls at Texas locals GoHereBro tracks are on the cards below, and the broader work picture is in the Texas data center electrician guide. The national map of these agreements is the electrician license reciprocity guide.
Which Texas license a traveler is applying for
TDLR's reciprocity page covers two classes:
| Class | Partner states on October 6, 2026 | License fee on the application list |
|---|---|---|
| Journeyman electrician | Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming | $30 |
| Master electrician | Alabama, Arkansas (master electrician), Iowa (Class A master electrician), Louisiana (state contractor license), Nebraska, North Carolina (master electrician or unlimited electrical contractor), Ohio, Tennessee (electrical contractor) | $45 |
TDLR says it has no reciprocal agreements for any other license type. That includes residential wireman, sign electrician, industrial electrician, and lineman. A journeyman agreement does not move those cards.
Journeyman and master are not mirrors of each other. South Dakota, Alaska, Idaho, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming are on the journeyman list and absent from the master list. Ohio and Tennessee are on the master list and absent from the journeyman list. Iowa is on both, with a Class A limit on the master side. Class B will not reciprocate.
Journeyman requirements
For a Texas journeyman license by reciprocity, TDLR requires all of the following:
- You passed the reciprocal state's examination.
- You have held that reciprocal license for at least one year.
- You have at least 8,000 hours under the supervision of a master electrician.
The journeyman packet on the same page is the reciprocity application, the $30 fee, and a copy of the state license. TDLR then contacts that state to confirm three things: you passed the statewide electrical exam, you are licensed as a journeyman electrician, and the license is in good standing. The journeyman checklist does not tell you to enclose a good-standing letter yourself. The master checklist does. Follow the section for the class you are requesting.
Alabama's journeyman agreement was announced March 20, 2026. The June 5, 2026 Ohio announcement still described the journeyman list as Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Montana was on the February 2026 glance PDF and is not on the live page.
Master requirements
For a Texas master license by reciprocity, TDLR requires all of the following:
- You passed the reciprocal state's statewide examination.
- You have held that reciprocal license for at least one year.
- You have at least 12,000 hours under the supervision of a master electrician.
- You have held a journeyman electrician license for at least two years.
The two-year journeyman hold drops to one year for Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and Tennessee.
State-specific master notes on the same page:
- Iowa: Class A master only. Class B will not reciprocate. The journeyman license must have been held at least one year.
- Louisiana: you must be a Louisiana resident. The journeyman license must have been held at least two years. The qualifying license is the state contractor license.
- North Carolina: master electrician or unlimited electrical contractor, with at least two years as a journeyman.
- Ohio: announced June 5, 2026. TDLR treats an Ohio master electrical contractor license as substantially equivalent to a Texas master electrician license. The Ohio announcement also says each state's other prerequisites still apply, including journeyman licensure and Ohio's business and law exam when that exam is part of the Ohio license. The live application list asks for the master reciprocity form, $45, a copy of the state license, a letter of good standing, and proof of at least one year as a journeyman.
- Tennessee: on the live master list as an electrical contractor, with a one-year journeyman hold. The application heading on the TDLR page spells Tennessee wrong. It is still the Tennessee section. Tennessee is not on the journeyman list.
The master fee on every state block is $45. The letter of good standing has to show that you passed the statewide examination. You request that letter from the state that licensed you, then send it with the rest of the file. TDLR's instruction is to send the required items together.
Mailing address: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Electricians Program, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, TX 78711. Phone: (512) 463-6599, or (800) 803-9202 from inside Texas. Office: 920 Colorado Street, Austin.
If your state is not on the list
Reciprocity is closed for that class. Holding a license from California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Washington, or any other state absent from the table does not create an exception.
TDLR's February 2026 "at a glance" sheet describes a separate path, substantial equivalence, where the department reviews education, training, experience, and military service case by case, and may waive a prerequisite when another jurisdiction's license is substantially equivalent. That sheet is not the agreement list, and it is older than the live partner list. Call (512) 463-6599 before you treat substantial equivalence as an exam waiver. If the answer is the exam route, ask which application and which exam edition they want. Do not file the reciprocity form for a state that is not named.
House Bill 11, signed May 29, 2025, told TDLR to keep pursuing agreements. The partner list has already moved twice in 2026, with Alabama in March and Ohio in June, and Tennessee is on the live master list without a matching sentence in those two press releases. Recheck the out-of-state page on the day you apply.
Working in Texas after the license
A Texas license is statewide for the class it names. It is still not a union referral. Locals post their own calls, and a contractor can ask for OSHA 10, a TWIC, a background check, or a plant badge on top of the state card. San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, Amarillo, Austin, and the other halls on the cards above are the places to see whether the work is actually there.
Scout the halls on the job call map and the Hot Spots dashboard before you point the truck at a city. The Iowa electrical license guide is the matching page if you are going the other direction. Texas journeyman and Texas master both have Iowa mappings, and Iowa's board has its own one-year and apprenticeship rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states have Texas journeyman electrician reciprocity?
On October 6, 2026, TDLR listed Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Which states have Texas master electrician reciprocity?
Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa Class A, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. Louisiana applicants must live in Louisiana. Iowa Class B does not transfer.
How long do I have to hold the other license?
At least one year, and you must have passed that state's exam. Master applicants also need 12,000 hours under a master and a journeyman license held for two years, or one year if the partner state is Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, or Tennessee.
What does Texas electrical license reciprocity cost?
The journeyman reciprocity fee on TDLR's list is $30. The master fee is $45. The home state may charge its own fee for a letter of good standing.
Does an IBEW ticket replace the Texas license?
No. TDLR asks the other state board to confirm a journeyman or master license, a statewide exam, and good standing.
Can I work in Texas while TDLR reviews the application?
No. The application is a request for a Texas license. It is not permission to work on the out-of-state card during the review.
Is Montana still a Texas reciprocity state?
Not on the live journeyman or master list checked October 6, 2026. Montana still appears on TDLR's February 2026 glance PDF. Use the live out-of-state page.
What if my state is not listed?
You do not qualify for reciprocity in that class. Ask TDLR whether you are on the exam route or whether a substantial-equivalence review is available for your license. Do not send the reciprocity form for an unlisted state.
Official sources
- TDLR out-of-state electrician page, checked October 6, 2026
- TDLR, Alabama agreement, March 20, 2026
- TDLR, Ohio agreement, June 5, 2026
- TDLR reciprocity at a glance, February 2026
Call (512) 463-6599 before you travel if your license class, hold time, or state is even slightly off the list above.
