Contractor License Reciprocity by State + NASCLA Exam Guide
Contractor License Reciprocity Guide: General Contractor, Electrical, Plumbing & HVAC License Reciprocity by State
Already licensed somewhere? Find out instantly whether your state has a reciprocity or endorsement agreement before you apply in a new one — for general contracting, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and more.
Pick your state above and we'll show you exactly which states it has reciprocity or endorsement agreements with — general contractor and specialty trades alike.
Reciprocity rules change — and they're rarely simple.
If you're trying to get licensed in a new state, our team can confirm exactly what applies to your situation and handle the paperwork for you.
Contractor License Reciprocity by State
Moving your contracting business to a new state — or bidding on a job across state lines — usually means dealing with a new licensing board from scratch. Many states offer contractor license reciprocity or license endorsement agreements that let you skip part of the licensing process if you're already licensed elsewhere in good standing. Reciprocity rules differ by trade: a state with no general contractor reciprocity may still have a full electrical or plumbing reciprocity list, and vice versa. Use the tool above to look up your state, or browse the full state-by-state breakdown below for general contracting, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and roofing license reciprocity.
NASCLA Accredited Examination: Participating States & Reciprocity
The NASCLA Accredited Examination (administered by the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) is a single national commercial-contractor trade exam that a number of state licensing boards accept toward their own licensure requirements — effectively a form of built-in reciprocity for contractors who don't want to re-test state by state. The list below is sourced directly from NASCLA.org's own Participating Agencies page: as of that listing, 20 agencies across 18 states and territories accept the exam. Coverage is classification- and agency-specific, so always confirm directly with your target board — and with NASCLA's current participating-agencies list — before relying on it.
✔️ What NASCLA does not replace
A passing NASCLA score is widely portable, but it's not a universal license. Even where it's accepted, it generally only substitutes for the trade exam — as Florida's board notes, for example, its own Business/Finance exam portion is still required on top of NASCLA. Review each board's listing above, and confirm directly with that board, for what else still applies in your situation.
Browse Reciprocity Rules for All 50 States
Jump to a state for its general contractor, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and roofing license reciprocity status:
Alabama contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Must be a comparable license classification with the same qualifying individual.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas. Handled by the separate Board of Electrical Contractors, not the general contractor board. NASCLA exam also accepted.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Mississippi. Effective January 1, 2026 — the board's only active reciprocal agreement; full mechanics not yet published by the board.
Licensing board: Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors
Alaska contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Alaska doesn't exam-license general contractors — it's registration-only, so there's no license to reciprocate.
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No fixed partner list — Alaska evaluates each out-of-state license and exam for equivalency case-by-case, regardless of which state issued it.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No fixed list — Alaska grants a Reciprocal Journeyman Certificate to anyone with 1+ year active license from any U.S. jurisdiction it determines is “substantially similar,” evaluated case-by-case.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Not confirmed — check with the state directly.
Licensing board: Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
Arizona contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with California, Nevada, and Utah. License must be active 12+ months in the same discipline and practice level. Only the California partnership was corroborated by a second source in this pass — Nevada and Utah could not be independently confirmed, so treat those two as unverified until checked directly with the Arizona ROC.
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No electrical-specific state list. Arizona's ROC waives the trade exam case-by-case (license active 5+ yrs, equivalent classification) plus accepts the NASCLA exam. Nevada's own waiver explicitly excludes electrical. California recognizes Arizona's C-11 as reciprocal to its own C-10.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with California, Nevada, and Utah. Arizona doesn't license individual journeyman plumbers statewide — only contractor licenses. This trade-exam waiver applies to contractors previously qualified in these states within the past 5 years. Nevada itself excludes plumbing from ITS own waiver.
Licensing board: Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC)
Arkansas contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and North Carolina. NC reciprocity is limited to specific classifications (Building, Residential, Highway/Railroad/Airport, Municipal & Utility).
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Journeyman list. Master Electrician reciprocity is narrower — just Iowa, Oregon, and Texas.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Oklahoma, and Ohio. Oklahoma reciprocity (2024) is for journeyman plumbers; Ohio reciprocity (2022) is master-plumber-only. Arkansas's broader 5-state general contractor list does NOT waive the plumbing trade exam.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Handled separately — applicants must meet that trade board's own requirements.
Licensing board: Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board
California contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and North Carolina. Only classifications on CSLB's official Reciprocal Classifications List qualify.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arizona. Very narrow — CSLB recognizes only Arizona's C-11/CR-11 as reciprocal to California's C-10 contractor license. Individual electrician certification (not the contractor license) has no interstate reciprocity at all.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arizona. Very narrow — of California's general reciprocal states, only Arizona's license classification maps to C-36 Plumbing. The Business & Law exam is always required regardless.
Licensing board: Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
Colorado contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license — licensing is done city/county by city/county (e.g. Denver, Aurora).
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. NERA (National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance) member state.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No named list — Colorado uses a “license by endorsement” standard: your out-of-state license must be held 6+ months and judged substantially equivalent, with experience affidavits still required.
Licensing board: DORA Division of Professions and Occupations
Connecticut contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No exam-based general contractor license — Home Improvement/New Home Construction Contractor is a registration, not a tested license.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed directly by DCP: "Connecticut does not have reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction." An "equivalent out-of-state license" case-by-case pathway exists instead, evaluated against CT's own standards.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No named list — Connecticut matches your out-of-state training/on-the-job hours against its own requirements (576 classroom + 12,000 OJT hours for the unlimited license) rather than naming reciprocal states.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Same as electrical — confirm directly with DCP.
Licensing board: CT Department of Consumer Protection (DCP)
Delaware contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license — contractors get a business license + Contractor Registration Certificate instead, not a tested license.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Maryland, New Jersey, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Maryland and New Jersey qualify with no extra proof; the other 18 states require 5 years of verified employment history. Pennsylvania has no statewide license and doesn't qualify at all.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No named list — a “substantially similar” case-by-case standard applies; applicants from non-similar states can still qualify after 7 years of practice.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Case-by-case. Same "substantially similar" framework as plumbing.
Licensing board: Delaware Division of Professional Regulation (DPR)
Florida contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Florida's reciprocity is really three separate pathways, often flattened into one "reciprocal states" list online: (1) True bilateral reciprocity agreements — confirmed only with Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina; (2) A NASCLA-exam-acceptance pathway — California, Alabama, and Georgia licensees can skip Florida's trade exam if they hold the NASCLA Commercial Contractors exam credential, which is why those states often appear on "reciprocity" lists without being true bilateral partners; (3) A universal pathway under F.S. 489.115 for anyone with 10+ years of licensure, regardless of home state. Tennessee and Virginia appeared on earlier versions of this list but did not corroborate in this pass — treat them as unconfirmed and verify directly with DBPR.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with California, Georgia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. California, Georgia, and North Carolina get full endorsement with no extra exam. Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and NASCLA-exam holders still need one additional Florida exam. Every other state must sit Florida's full exam.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No statewide reciprocal-partner table is published. DBPR evaluates “substantial equivalency” case-by-case for state-level Certified Plumbing Contractors, plus a unilateral 10-year-experience pathway. Florida's countywide journeyman reciprocity only applies within Florida, not across state lines.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Handled county-by-county within Florida, not interstate.
Licensing board: Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) / DBPR
Georgia contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Louisiana, and Mississippi. Residential Basic Contractors also reciprocate with South Carolina. Note: Georgia's reciprocity with North Carolina and Tennessee is currently PAUSED as of this research — confirm active status with the board before relying on it.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. Georgia's own board confirms: "Georgia does not currently offer licensure by Reciprocity at this time." Note: Georgia-licensed electricians ARE recognized by Florida's endorsement matrix, even though Georgia doesn't reciprocate inbound.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. The board's own FAQ states directly: “No, Georgia does not have reciprocity with any other states for Master or Journeyman Plumbers.”
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Louisiana. Agreements with South Carolina and Texas are currently suspended pending review.
Licensing board: Secretary of State — Construction Industry Licensing Boards
Hawaii contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Hawaii has explicitly declined reciprocity with every state, for every license type.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed — no reciprocity for any license type, electrical included.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed — no reciprocity for any license type, plumbing included. Out-of-state experience can count toward required hours, but the applicant must still sit Hawaii's own exam.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered.
Roofing: No reciprocity currently offered.
Licensing board: Hawaii Contractors License Board (DCCA)
Idaho contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Standard contractor registration has no exam at all, so there's nothing to reciprocate. Idaho's separate Public Works license is exam-based but its reciprocity status wasn't confirmed.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Oregon. Journeyman list (NERA member, plus a separate Oregon agreement). Master Electrician reciprocity exists but Idaho doesn't publish a separate named partner list for it.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Washington, Montana, and Oregon. Journeyman-only — no master plumber reciprocity exists with any state.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered. DOPL's own FAQ states there is no HVAC reciprocity.
Licensing board: Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL)
Illinois contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license at all — licensing is entirely municipal (Chicago, Aurora, etc. each set their own rules).
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide electrical license exists at all — licensing is entirely municipal (e.g. Chicago).
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No published named list — 225 ILCS 320/17 sets a case-by-case “substantially equal + mutual privilege” test; the Illinois exam is still required unless both prongs are met.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered. Not licensed at the state level.
Roofing: No reciprocity currently offered.
Licensing board: Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)
Indiana contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No state-level general contractor license — licensing is city/county.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. No state-level electrical licensing — confirmed local/municipal only.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No published named list — the same case-by-case mutual-recognition test as Illinois (IC 25-28.5-1-19) applies.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered. Not licensed at the state level.
Licensing board: Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Plumbing Commission
Iowa contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Iowa uses contractor registration (no exam), so there's nothing to reciprocate for general contracting.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Statutory reciprocity (Iowa Code §103.21) for a license held 1+ year in a state with comparable standards.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with South Dakota. The board's only agreement (since 2016), and only for licenses South Dakota originally issued by written exam.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Not confirmed — check directly.
Licensing board: Dept. of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL)
Kansas contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide contractor licensing authority exists — entirely local/municipal, and each city's license doesn't carry to the next.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. No state-level electrical licensing exists — entirely county/municipal (e.g. Johnson County, Sedgwick County).
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No state-level plumbing license exists — licensing is city/county only. Reciprocity is recognized between Kansas cities/counties but not across state lines.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered. No confirmed state reciprocity program.
Licensing board: No single statewide board — regulation is local
Kentucky contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license — local/municipal only.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Ohio, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia. Confirmed complete via DHBC's own application checklist. Louisiana requires 3+ years active licensure; the others just require an active license.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No published named list — KRS 318.040(6) lets the Plumbing Code Committee recognize a state case-by-case, but only if that state itself has a statewide plumbing code.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. State-licensed but reciprocity partners not confirmed — check directly.
Licensing board: Dept. of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC)
Louisiana contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. The best-documented reciprocity program of any state researched — agreements are published directly by LSLBC and vary meaningfully by trade.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. Only waives the trade exam — business/law exam, insurance, and application still apply. NASCLA exam also accepted.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Texas, and Arkansas. Journeyman-level, via the separate State Plumbing Board of Louisiana — not the general contractor board, which has its own different 5-state list.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Listed as Mechanical/HVAC.
Licensing board: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC)
Maine contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Maine doesn't license general/residential contractors at the state level at all — it's unregulated. A 2025 bill (LD 1226) that would have created a state licensing program died in committee, so this is unlikely to change soon.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming. Journeyman list. Master Electrician reciprocity is narrower — just New Hampshire and Vermont.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. The Plumbers' Examining Board has legal authority to reciprocate, but no active named partner state was found — unlike Maine's electrical board, no plumbing reciprocity application exists publicly.
Licensing board: Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR)
Maryland contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. MHIC's own FAQ states directly: "The Maryland Home Improvement Commission does not offer reciprocity with any other states because each licensee must demonstrate knowledge of Maryland laws and regulations."
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia. Handled by the separate Board of Master Electricians — MHIC's "no reciprocity" policy only applies to home improvement work, not electrical. Delaware requires 5 years' good standing; West Virginia requires 2 years.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Delaware, and Virginia. Handled by the separate Board of Plumbing (MHIC's “no reciprocity” policy only covers home improvement). Delaware reciprocity is Master-level only. Baltimore County and the WSSC are also recognized intrastate.
Licensing board: Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC)
Massachusetts contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. The Construction Supervisor License program shows no reciprocity or endorsement pathway — every applicant sits the MA exam.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with New Hampshire. The only reciprocal state, and only if the New Hampshire license was itself earned by exam (not via NH's own reciprocity).
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No named reciprocal state — Massachusetts evaluates “substantially equivalent” out-of-state licenses case-by-case; the license must have been active 3+ years.
Licensing board: Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL)
Michigan contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No reciprocity for the Residential Builder/Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license — no exam waiver for other states' licenses.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed directly by LARA: "Michigan does not hold reciprocity with any other state/country." A 2009 bill proposing reciprocity was apparently never implemented.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. Michigan's only plumbing reciprocity statute (MCL 338.3543) was repealed in 2017 — no replacement mechanism exists today.
Licensing board: LARA Bureau of Construction Codes
Minnesota contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No reciprocity for the general/Residential Building Contractor license.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Class A Journeyworker list. Class A Master Electrician reciprocity is narrower — just Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with North Dakota, and South Dakota. Applies to both Journeyworker and Master Plumber levels; license must be held 1+ year and not lapsed more than 2 years.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered.
Licensing board: Dept. of Labor and Industry (DLI)
Mississippi contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Corrected: this list is now pulled directly from MSBOC's own published reciprocity page (msboc.us/contractors/reciprocity/). An earlier version of this list, reconstructed indirectly from Louisiana's own chart, incorrectly included Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, and Utah — those five are not actually on Mississippi's reciprocal list and have been removed.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Must have held an unlimited license 3 consecutive years to waive the trade exam only — Mississippi's Law & Business exam is still required.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Louisiana is recognized but its plumbing exam is NOT waived. South Carolina's waiver is residential-only. Mississippi's Business & Law exam is always required.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Same as general contractor list.
Licensing board: Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC)
Missouri contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license — entirely city/county (St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield each set their own rules).
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Missouri only created a statewide electrical contractor license in 2019 and has not yet published a reciprocity list — the board's own FAQ says it "will be posting the listing of states that meet the requirements." Most licensing remains local/municipal in practice.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No state-level plumbing license exists — entirely municipal (St. Louis, Kansas City, etc. each license separately).
Licensing board: No statewide board — local licensing only
Montana contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Montana requires Construction Contractor Registration, not an exam-based license, so there's nothing to reciprocate. Note: Montana is rolling out a new Construction Contractor Licensing (CCL) program effective January 1, 2026 — this could introduce an exam-based license (and potentially reciprocity) where none exists today, so re-check after that date.
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No published partner-state list — Montana reviews each out-of-state license case-by-case for "substantial equivalency" rather than naming states.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Journeyman-only — Montana does not reciprocate the Master Plumber license at all, regardless of origin state.
Licensing board: Dept. of Labor & Industry (DLI)
Nebraska contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. General contracting is registration-only in Nebraska, not exam-based.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Journeyman list. The Electrical Contractor (business) license reciprocates with a different, smaller group: Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide plumbing license — Omaha and Lincoln each license independently with their own requirements.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered.
Licensing board: Nebraska State Electrical Division
Nevada contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arizona, and Utah. Arizona and Utah are confirmed. There's a genuine conflict in the sourcing beyond that: NSCB's own "State Equivalency Chart" reportedly lists reciprocity with as many as 9 states, while some secondary industry sources describe only a 3-state list. We weren't able to resolve this discrepancy to high confidence — pull NSCB's live chart directly before publishing anything beyond Arizona/Utah.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arizona, California, and Utah. These three get the trade-exam waiver specifically for electrical. Several other states with partial Nevada recognition for other trades (e.g. Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana) still require Nevada's electrical trade exam.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arizona, California, and Tennessee. California applicants must also pass Nevada's C-4 Boiler/Hot Water/Steam Fitting exam. Louisiana's license counts as experience proof only — Nevada's trade exam is still required.
Licensing board: Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB)
New Hampshire contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license exists.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Full Master + Journeyman reciprocity with Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont; the broader NERA-member states get Journeyman-only reciprocity.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. Reciprocity isn't permitted for plumbers per NH's own licensing documentation — plumbing wasn't included in New Hampshire's newer “substantially similar” reciprocity law rollout as of this research.
Licensing board: Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
New Jersey contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) status is a registration, not an exam-based license — nothing to reciprocate.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed directly: "New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any other state." Applies at both Journeyman and Contractor levels — full NJ licensing process required regardless of out-of-state credentials.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. A real board-reviewed reciprocity process exists (the other state's standards must be comparable AND that state must reciprocate back to NJ), but the specific list of previously-reviewed states isn't published online — contact the Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers directly.
Licensing board: Division of Consumer Affairs
New Mexico contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with No named states — NASCLA-based. NM accepts the NASCLA Accredited Exam instead of its own trade exam if you've held an out-of-state license in good standing for 1+ year.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Journeyman certificate level only — no reciprocity found for the electrical contractor (in-charge) license level.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed via CID's own application form — only the Electrical Journeyman program has reciprocity; plumbing classifications have no equivalent.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No documented reciprocity list found — check directly with CID.
Licensing board: Construction Industries Division (CID)
New York contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor or trade license exists — licensing is entirely local (NYC, individual counties, etc.), each with its own independent rules and no cross-recognition.
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide license exists — licensing is local (e.g. NYC Dept. of Buildings), and NYC explicitly offers no reciprocity or exam waivers for out-of-state licenses.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide plumbing license — entirely local (NYC, Buffalo, etc. each set their own rules, generally with no cross-jurisdiction recognition).
Licensing board: No statewide board — regulation is local
North Carolina contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. NCLBGC's own site couldn't be directly fetched (robots-blocked) so this list is confidence-tiered rather than a single verified source: South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia are high confidence (Virginia's own primary-source PDF confirms a two-way NC↔VA agreement, so Virginia was added here). Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi are moderate confidence, corroborated by multiple industry sources but not NCLBGC directly. Georgia and Louisiana appeared on earlier lists but are weak/likely-drop in this pass — verify NCLBGC's current official list directly before relying on either.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Handled by a separate board (NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors) with its own list, distinct from the general contractor board's comity list. NASCLA exam also accepted.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Handled by a separate board (Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors) under a discretionary “substantially equivalent” standard — no published named list, unlike the electrical board's 11-state list.
Licensing board: NC Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC)
North Dakota contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: A reciprocity or endorsement pathway exists. No reciprocity found — all contractors, in-state or out, get the standard ND license (Class A–D).
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. NERA member state — licenses from any NERA member are typically approved within 5 business days.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. Confirmed via written agreements — requires a Certificate of Endorsement, not just a license copy.
Licensing board: Secretary of State / ND State Plumbing Board
Ohio contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Ohio doesn't license general/building contractors at the state level at all — only specific trades, via the Construction Industry Licensing Board.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Requires an unlimited license earned by exam (not grandfathered), $500,000 liability insurance, and a $25 application fee.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with West Virginia. Much narrower than Ohio's 8-state electrical list — only West Virginia has a combined plumbing/HVAC reciprocity agreement, requiring a WV Master Plumber or HVAC Technician credential plus a WV Contractor License.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Tennessee, and South Carolina.
Licensing board: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB)
Oklahoma contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. "General Contractors are not currently required to have a state license in Oklahoma" — confirmed directly by the Construction Industries Board.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. License must be held 1+ year and not be a grandfathered license.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arkansas. Only currently-published partner state, effective October 2024. License must be held 1+ year in good standing.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Not confirmed — check directly with CIB.
Licensing board: Construction Industries Board (CIB)
Oregon contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: A reciprocity or endorsement pathway exists. No reciprocity or endorsement program for general contractors — everyone completes Oregon's 16-hour pre-license training and law/business exam. The national NASCLA exam is the only accepted exemption, not other states' licenses. (A widely-shared Washington L&I press release titled "Oregon and Washington create reciprocity agreement for general contractors" is a misnomer — it actually concerns journeyman/supervising electricians, not general contracting.)
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Journeyman-level list, run through Oregon's Building Codes Division. Master/Supervising-level reciprocity is narrower — just Arkansas and Utah.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Idaho, and Montana. Journeyman Plumber level only — no master/supervising plumber reciprocity exists.
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered.
Licensing board: Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
Pennsylvania contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. "No licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors" at the state level — confirmed directly by PA Labor & Industry. Only a Home Improvement Contractor registration exists (no exam).
Electrical: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide electrical license exists — purely municipal (e.g. Philadelphia). A 2025 bill to create statewide electrical licensure was advancing through committee; worth rechecking periodically.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide plumbing license — purely municipal (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, etc. each run their own boards).
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered. Same — local only.
Licensing board: Office of Attorney General (HIC Registration)
Rhode Island contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed directly by the board: "There is no reciprocity for a contractor's registration."
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Handled by a separate Board of Examiners of Electricians. No reciprocity provision was found in the accessible regulation text, but this wasn't confirmed with a direct statement from the board — worth a direct call to verify.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No dedicated reciprocity or endorsement program found — out-of-state applicants go through the same standard application as everyone else, just under an “out-of-state applicant” category.
Licensing board: Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRLB)
South Carolina contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Pennsylvania's waiver is limited to the "Reading" exam only. Coverage varies by classification per partner state — check your specific trade.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Massachusetts. Coverage varies — Texas and Pennsylvania reciprocity is limited to specific sub-trades, not full electrical. Everyone must still pass SC's Business Management and Law exam.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Mississippi. Commercial plumbing (PB) reciprocates with Ohio and Tennessee; a separate Residential Plumbing track reciprocates with North Carolina and Mississippi. SC's Business Management and Law exam is always required.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Same waiver-agreement states, where that classification is covered.
Licensing board: SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR)
South Dakota contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide general contractor license.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. NERA member state; whether coverage is Journeyman or Master/Contractor-level varies by partner state.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No named list — SDCL 36-25-21 allows case-by-case recognition of “substantially equivalent” state plumbing codes. (South Dakota's electrical board, by contrast, does publish a 14-state named list.)
Licensing board: Dept. of Labor & Regulation
Tennessee contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Trade-exam waiver only; trades covered vary by agreement (e.g. Ohio/SC cover Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC; Louisiana/Mississippi cover Electrical, Mechanical).
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina. Trade-exam waiver only, not full reciprocity — Tennessee's business & law exam is always required. NASCLA exam also accepted for commercial licensing.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. The Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) credential has zero reciprocity. The separate Mechanical contractor license offers a trade-exam waiver with certain states, but that partner list isn't published — contact the Board for Licensing Contractors directly.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Same reciprocal-agreement states, where covered.
Licensing board: Board for Licensing Contractors
Texas contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Confirmed — Texas has no statewide general contractor license at all. Contracting is regulated locally or by specific trade.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio. Master Electrician list. Journeyman reciprocates with a broader group (adds Alaska, Idaho, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming). TDLR actively added Alabama and Ohio in 2026.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Louisiana, and Arkansas. TSBPE's own form confirms these are the only two current partners — the Louisiana pathway also requires a Gasfitter license. No exam required for qualifying applicants.
Licensing board: Texas Dept. of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR)
Utah contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Equivalency-based — see DOPL's live map. Utah uses "licensure by endorsement," not a fixed reciprocal-state list — only states DOPL's own equivalency map currently deems comparable qualify, and that map changes. This pass could not confirm a specific state roster to high confidence; treat any state-by-state list as indicative only and pull the live DOPL map before publishing specifics.
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No published state list — Utah's "license by endorsement" is a case-by-case equivalency determination; call DOPL directly for the current status on your state. Canadian Red Seal "Construction Electrician" certification (1+ year) is accepted as equivalent to Utah's Journeyman license.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Connecticut, Hawaii, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Master Plumber endorsement list. The Residential Journeyman list is different and includes Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Both require 1+ year of active, good-standing licensure.
Licensing board: Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL)
Vermont contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide examined general contractor license — Vermont has a newer Residential Contractor Registration instead, which isn't exam-based.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Any U.S. state (3+ years licensed). By statute, Vermont must issue a license to any master or journeyman electrician licensed in good standing anywhere in the U.S. for 3+ years, regardless of a formal agreement. Also joined NERA in February 2024.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Any U.S. state (3+ years licensed). Same near-universal framework as Vermont's electrical board — the Board must issue a license to anyone licensed in good standing anywhere in the U.S. for 3+ years.
Licensing board: Office of Professional Regulation
Virginia contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with North Carolina. Covers Residential Building Contractor (RBC) and Commercial Building Contractor (CBC) classes as an exam waiver.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alabama, Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio. Alabama, Maryland, and Ohio are Master-only; DC, Kentucky, and West Virginia cover both Journeyman and Master; North Carolina covers Master plus the Class B Electrical Contractor level.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) only. Unusually narrow — no actual state-to-state reciprocity exists for plumbing at either the tradesman or contractor level. WSSC is a bi-state utility commission, not a state.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Maryland.
Licensing board: Dept. of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)
Washington contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. Washington uses contractor registration, not an exam-based license, so there's no true reciprocity program.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Oregon. Only confirmed reciprocal state, for journey-level electricians. No evidence of additional agreements since 2020.
Plumbing: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Idaho. The only named bilateral partner (since 1996), journeyman-level. A general case-by-case pathway exists for other “substantially equivalent” states, but none are named.
HVAC: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No confirmed statewide reciprocity found.
Licensing board: Dept. of Labor & Industries (L&I)
West Virginia contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Tennessee. Narrowed: for the General Building classification specifically, only Tennessee (2020 agreement) currently has reciprocity with West Virginia, and it's broad — covering General Building, HVAC, Masonry, Multi-Family, Plumbing, and Residential. North Carolina, Ohio, and Alabama all have agreements with West Virginia too, but those are limited to specific trades (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, manufactured-home installation) — not general contracting — so they were removed from this list to avoid overstating GC-level coverage.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with All 50 states. West Virginia states it "recognizes reciprocity with all 50 states" for licensed electricians — no fixed enumerated list. Requires a Letter of Good Standing and WV's baseline experience minimums.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. Unlike West Virginia's all-50-states electrical reciprocity, the Plumbing Contractor license has no reciprocity agreements with any state.
HVAC: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Ohio, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Licensing board: WV Division of Labor, Contractor Licensing Board
Wisconsin contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. A general reciprocity/endorsement credentialing framework exists, but no published state-by-state partner list for contractor trades was found — verify directly with DSPS (admin code SPS 305).
Electrical: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. Confirmed NERA member state, so reciprocity is available with other NERA states (roughly 18–19 states including Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Wyoming) — but Wisconsin's DSPS doesn't publish its own named list. Contact DSPS Trades Credentialing directly to confirm your specific state.
Plumbing: Reciprocity status is unclear or case-by-case. No published named list — a case-by-case “substantially similar” standard applies after 5 years of documented out-of-state licensed experience.
Licensing board: Dept. of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wyoming contractor license reciprocity
General / Building Contractor: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide contractor licensing board — licensing is entirely city/county. Wyoming's SF0114 bill, sometimes cited as creating reciprocity, actually only allows reciprocity between Wyoming's OWN local jurisdictions (one Wyoming city/county recognizing another's license) — it's intrastate, not interstate, and doesn't create a statewide license or any out-of-state reciprocity.
Electrical: Reciprocity/endorsement available with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah. Journeyman list, via the Dept. of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety. Master-level reciprocity is narrower — just Idaho, South Dakota, and Utah. No reciprocity at all at the Contractor level.
Plumbing: No reciprocity currently offered. No statewide plumbing license exists — purely local (Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, etc. each set their own rules).
HVAC: No reciprocity currently offered. No confirmed statewide license or reciprocity — defaults to local requirements.
Licensing board: No statewide board — local licensing only
Frequently Asked Questions About Contractor License Reciprocity
What is contractor license reciprocity?
Contractor license reciprocity is an agreement between two states that lets a contractor already licensed in one state skip some or all of the licensing exam when applying for a license in the other state. It usually waives only the trade exam — the business and law exam, insurance, bonding, and application fee are almost always still required.
Does every state offer contractor license reciprocity?
No. Many states — including Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York — have no statewide general contractor license at all, so there's nothing to reciprocate. Others, like Hawaii, Michigan, and New Jersey, have a statewide license but have explicitly declined reciprocity with any other state.
Is reciprocity the same as license endorsement?
Not exactly. Reciprocity usually refers to a named, bilateral agreement between two specific states. Endorsement (sometimes called "licensure by endorsement") is a broader, case-by-case review where a state decides whether your out-of-state license is substantially equivalent to its own — Utah and Arizona both use this model instead of naming specific reciprocal states.
Does the NASCLA exam help with reciprocity?
Yes, in many states. The NASCLA Accredited Examination is a national commercial contractor exam accepted by a number of states — including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arizona — as a substitute for that state's own trade exam, independent of where you're currently licensed.
Which states accept the NASCLA exam?
Per NASCLA.org's own Participating Agencies list, 20 licensing agencies across 18 states and territories currently accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination: Alabama (two boards), Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina (two boards), Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See the NASCLA section above for exactly how each agency uses it — acceptance is agency- and classification-specific, so always confirm directly with NASCLA.org and your target board before relying on it.
Which states have the most contractor reciprocity agreements?
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina have some of the most actively published general contractor reciprocity networks, each recognizing licenses from roughly 8–10 other states. Several electrical boards also belong to NERA (the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance), which links journeyman reciprocity across more than a dozen states at once.
Do I still need to take an exam if my state has reciprocity?
Usually a partial exam, not a full one. Most reciprocity agreements waive the trade-specific exam only — the destination state's business and law exam, financial/bonding requirements, and application are typically still required even when full reciprocity applies.
This guide summarizes publicly available information from state licensing boards as of research conducted in 2026. Reciprocity agreements change frequently and coverage often varies by exact license classification. Always confirm current requirements with the relevant state board, or contact us — we verify this for every client before filing.
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