Delaware accepts electrician licenses from Maryland and New Jersey, and from 17 more states plus DC once you've worked 5 years after getting licensed. Your license has to be the same type as the Delaware one you want. Reciprocity skips the Delaware licensing exam, but every state you've been licensed in must send the Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners a license verification. Master and Limited applicants (including the Special versions) also need $300,000 in general liability insurance. Residential Electricians get no reciprocity and must pass the Delaware Residential exam. The exam route is in JCR's guide to Delaware electrical license requirements.
| The basics | Delaware electrician reciprocity |
|---|---|
| Who licenses you | Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners, part of the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR) |
| Licenses | Master, Limited, Master Special, Limited Special, Journeyperson, Residential and Apprentice. All are issued to individuals. |
| Accepted with no experience proof | Maryland and New Jersey. The Board rates their rules as matching Delaware's. |
| Accepted after 5 years of licensed work | AR, CO, DC, FL, GA, ME, MA, MI, NE, NV, NH, NC, OH, TX, VT, VA, WV, WY |
| What reciprocity skips | The Delaware licensing exam, given by Prov |
| What you still need | A license verification from every state you've held a license in. Master, Limited and their Special versions: $300,000 general liability insurance. Residential: the Delaware Residential exam (no reciprocity). |
| Best DE license to carry out | Master, earned on the Delaware exam. Maryland, New Hampshire and Utah name it, and Vermont takes it after 3 years. |
Moving to Delaware: electrician licenses Delaware accepts
Your out-of-state license must be current, in good standing and the same type as the Delaware license you want. Your state decides what else you send. This table follows the Board's Master and Limited page.
| State | License Delaware accepts | You still need |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | A Maryland license counts for the same Delaware license type. No experience proof. | License verification from Maryland. Master or Limited: $300,000 general liability insurance |
| New Jersey | A New Jersey license counts for the same Delaware license type. No experience proof. | License verification from New Jersey. Master or Limited: $300,000 general liability insurance |
| 17 listed states and DC | A license from AR, CO, DC, FL, GA, ME, MA, MI, NE, NV, NH, NC, OH, TX, VT, VA, WV or WY counts for the same Delaware type, once you've worked 5 years after licensure. | A Verification of Employment form, sent by your supervisor, showing 5 years of work after licensure. License verification. Master or Limited: $300,000 general liability insurance |
| Any other state | The Board reviews your state's rules first. If they don't match Delaware's, you need 5 years of work after licensure. | Copies of, or links to, your state's electrical law and rules. License verification. Master or Limited: $300,000 general liability insurance |
| Pennsylvania | Not accepted. Pennsylvania licenses come from cities, not a state board. | The Delaware licensing exam |
Journeyperson and Residential follow their own rules
- Finished an apprenticeship anywhere? A completion certificate from a Department of Labor or other approved program in any state gets you a Journeyperson license with no exam.
- Journeyperson by reciprocity: the Board compares your state's law with Delaware's. If no state you're licensed in matches, you need 5 years of full-time journeyperson work under a master or limited electrician. Journeypersons don't need the insurance.
- Residential Electrician: no reciprocity. Even with a residential license or apprenticeship certificate from another state, you pass the Delaware Residential exam. The Board sends the exam sign-up form after it approves you.
Not on either Delaware list, or applying as a Residential Electrician? You'll take the Delaware exam through Prov. JCR's $495 Delaware self-study course follows the 2020 NEC, the edition Prov lists for the Master, Limited and Residential exams. It includes 100 video lessons, a 500+ question practice exam, the 152-page JCR workbook and permanent code tabs.
What the Delaware Board asks for
- Application: apply by reciprocity in DELPROS. You have 6 months to submit once you start.
- Verification: each state where you hold or ever held a license sends it straight to the Board. A business license that covered all employees doesn't need one.
- Insurance (Master and Limited): at least $300,000 general liability with your name on it. Your employer's policy works if it shows you're covered. The Board won't issue the license until it has proof.
- Experience (5-year states): your supervisor sends the Verification of Employment directly. W-2s with a letter, or Schedule C if you're self-employed, can fill gaps.
- Clean record: no fines, reprimands, suspensions, probation or consent agreements on your electrical licenses, per 24 Del. C. §1408(a)(9).
- Fees: applications are $203 for Master, $127 for Limited and $105 for Journeyperson. See the fee schedule.
Taking a Delaware electrician license to other states
A Delaware license belongs to you, not a company, which helps. These states name Delaware or accept any state's license on terms a Delaware electrician can meet.
| State | Delaware license it accepts | You still need |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | DE Journeyperson or Master counts for Alaska's Electrician Journeyman certificate of fitness (the card Alaska issues to electricians) | License held a full year. Fees are $50 plus $200. A $150 provisional card lasts up to 1 year. |
| Florida | A license to do electrical contracting, such as a DE Master, active at least 10 years, can count for a like Florida certificate. Florida's board decides if it matches. | A 2-hour Florida Building Code course. Proof of financial responsibility and liability insurance under rules Florida's board sets. |
| Louisiana | Any Delaware exam you passed yourself (no waiver or grandfathering) counts for the class Louisiana's contractor board (LSLBC) finds equal | Complete the LSLBC Business and Law course. Commercial applicants also file a financial statement with at least $50,000 net worth. |
| Maryland | DE Master, earned on the Delaware exam and held 5 years, counts for MD Master. DE Journeyperson earned by exam (not by apprenticeship certificate) counts for MD Journeyperson. |
Letter of good standing that shows the exam. Masters must live outside Maryland and carry $300,000 general liability plus $100,000 property damage insurance. No Maryland exam. |
| New Hampshire | DE Master counts for NH Master. DE Journeyperson counts for NH Journeyman. |
1 year of work in that license category |
| Utah | DE Master counts for Utah Master. DE Journeyperson counts for Utah Journeyman. DE Limited counts for Utah Residential Master. DE Residential counts for Utah Residential Journeyman, with extra proof of your experience and exams. Each must be held 1 year. |
Master: the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam |
| Vermont | DE Master or Journeyperson, in good standing 3+ years, counts for the same Vermont license | Vermont's fee. No exam. |
| Virginia | Through Universal License Recognition (Virginia accepts qualifying licenses from any state): a license you tested for and have held at least 1 year. DPOR decides if the scope matches. | The Tradesman ULR application. A Virginia law exam is possible, but only if Virginia applicants for that license also take it. |
| West Virginia | The same or an equal class, without the written exam, if the Fire Marshal finds you can work safely | Good standing everywhere you're licensed. The license fee |
Where a Delaware license doesn't carry over
- Washington, D.C.: its reciprocity covers Maryland and Virginia licenses only.
- Pennsylvania: there's no state license to transfer into. Cities such as Philadelphia set their own rules.
- Kentucky: only Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia licenses get electrical reciprocity there.
- Virginia agreements: DPOR's agreement list has no Delaware entry, so universal recognition is the only route.
- Residential Electrician: Utah is the only state above that names it, and it wants extra proof first.
- Montana: its August 2026 list rates Delaware "No" at all three levels.
- Journeyperson from an apprenticeship certificate: Maryland wants a Delaware license earned by exam.
Check other states in the 50-state reciprocity guide.
For the neighboring rules, read the Maryland reciprocity guide and Virginia reciprocity guide.
For experience rules and the code edition on each exam, read how to get a Delaware electrician license or the state requirements page.
How to apply for a Delaware license by reciprocity
- Find your state in the table above. Check that your license is the same type you're applying for.
- Create a DELPROS account and start the reciprocity application.
- Ask every state where you've held a license to send a verification to the Board.
- From a 5-year state, have your supervisor send the Verification of Employment. From an unlisted state, upload its electrical law and rules.
- For Master or Limited, upload proof of $300,000 general liability insurance.
- Pay the fee and watch DELPROS for status updates.
Delaware reciprocity questions
Does Delaware have reciprocity with Maryland?
Yes, both ways. Delaware accepts a Maryland license of the same type with no experience proof. Maryland accepts a Delaware master license earned on the Delaware exam and held 5 years, and a Delaware journeyperson license earned by exam.
Does Delaware accept a Pennsylvania electrical license?
No. Pennsylvania has no state electrical license, and Delaware won't accept one issued by a Pennsylvania city or other local body. Those electricians apply by exam.
Can I transfer my New Jersey license to Delaware?
Yes. The Board rates New Jersey's rules as matching Delaware's, so you skip the exam and the experience proof. For Master or Limited, you still send proof of $300,000 in general liability coverage.
What is Delaware's 5-year rule for electricians?
If the Board finds your state's rules don't match Delaware's, you need 5 years of work after you were licensed. That covers the 17 states and DC on the Board's list, including Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. Your supervisor sends the Verification of Employment form to prove it.
Do I need insurance for a Delaware electrical license?
Master and Limited electricians need at least $300,000 in general liability insurance, with your name on the insurance document. An employer's policy works if it shows you're covered. Journeyperson and Residential licenses don't have this rule.
Can I get a Delaware journeyperson license without the exam?
Yes. Finish an approved apprenticeship in any state, or apply by reciprocity with another state's journeyperson license. If the Board doesn't find that state's rules a match, you also need 5 years of licensed journeyperson work.
No reciprocity route? Study for the Delaware exam with JCR
JCR's Delaware self-study course is built on the 2020 NEC. Prov sets the code edition for each Delaware exam, so check which edition your exam uses before you order. The method comes from JCR's live classes, with a 93% pass rate for JCR classroom students.
You can start the video lessons and digital practice exams right after you order. The printed workbook leaves the same business day. Most students study for 6–8 weeks, about an hour a night.
Order the Delaware course — $495
Curious where you stand? Take JCR's free 2020 NEC practice quiz.
More Delaware guides
Sources JCR used
- DE Board: Master and Limited licenses
- DE Board: Journeyperson
- DE Board: Residential
- DE Board: exam information
- 24 Del. C. §§1408–1409
- DE Board fee schedule
- Maryland reciprocal licenses
- Maryland electrician licensing FAQs
- New Hampshire reciprocity list
- 26 V.S.A. §906 (Vermont)
- Utah master endorsement map
- Va. Code §54.1-205
- Alaska electrician reciprocity list
JCR checked the Delaware Board's pages and each receiving state's own rules on October 13, 2026. The Board can change its list of matching states, so confirm your state's current status with Delaware's electrical board when you file.