Kansas Electrical License Reciprocity (2026): City Rules

Kansas has no statewide electrician license, so it has no state reciprocity. Inside Kansas, state law makes a certificate earned on an approved standard exam good in every city and county that licenses electricians, with no new exam (K.S.A. 12-1526). You still apply to each one, show your experience and pay its fee. Licenses from other states transfer only where a city's own code allows it.

Approved standard exams are the ones written by ICC, IAPMO or Prometric (K.S.A. 12-1525). Today that mostly means ICC's KGD Master, KGH Journeyman and KGX Residential exams on the 2017 NEC. See the Kansas electrician exam guide for the exams themselves.

Moving a Kansas electrician certificate to another Kansas city

How your certificate travels depends on the exam you passed to get it.

Check the exam name on your card. State law requires new licenses to name the testing agency and the specific test (K.S.A. 12-1526(c)). That notation is what the next city looks at.

What the largest jurisdictions ask for

• Wichita and Sedgwick County: MABCD lists the exams it approves. Journeyman takes KGH or 558, residential KGX or 565, master KGD, 554, F16, G16 or T16. Bring an official pass letter, experience letters on company letterhead, the trade certificate application and $35 (MABCD).
• Johnson County: the Class DE electrical contractor license needs a qualifying individual with 75% or better on KGD or another standard exam the review board approves. ICC national exams may be considered, without a guarantee (application instructions, January 2026).
• Kansas City, KS: the building official may issue licenses without an exam to electricians licensed under K.S.A. 12-1501 and the sections after it (Unified Government code, Sec. 8-153).
• Topeka: follows the experience rules in K.S.A. 12-1526 and requires at least 75% on the trade exam (Topeka code 5.63.080).

Moving to Kansas with an out-of-state electrician license

No Kansas law makes another state's license valid in Kansas. It's up to each city or county.

• Kansas City, KS may issue a license to an electrician licensed by another city or state if the building official finds that state's rules equal or stricter, and that state offers similar reciprocity (Sec. 8-153). The code names no states.
• Wichita and Sedgwick County accept only the exams on MABCD's list, so a license from another state doesn't count by itself (MABCD).
• Johnson County asks for a standard exam score of 75% or more, not a license (instructions).

The usual path for an out-of-state electrician is to pass the matching ICC exam, then apply to the city where you'll work with your experience letters.

Using a Kansas electrical license in other states

Because Kansas issues no state license, states that reciprocate state-to-state don't list it.

Check other states in JCR's state-by-state reciprocity guide.

How to get licensed in a new Kansas jurisdiction

1. Call the new city or county building department. Ask which exams it accepts and which form to use.
2. Get your official pass letter. Pearson VUE sends a free duplicate for ICC exams taken there since January 1, 2014 (ICC bulletin).
3. Gather experience proof. MABCD wants hours on company letterhead with a description of the work.
4. Submit the application and fee. Keep up continuing education: at least 12 hours every 2 years, 6 of them on the code (K.S.A. 12-1526(a)).

Kansas reciprocity questions

Does Kansas have electrician reciprocity with other states?

No. Kansas has no statewide electrician license to reciprocate. Cities and counties decide whether to accept an out-of-state license, and most ask for an approved standard exam.

Is my Wichita journeyman license good in Overland Park or Topeka?

If you earned it on a standard exam such as KGH, yes. State law makes it valid proof in every Kansas city or county that licenses electricians. You still apply there, prove your experience and pay its fee.

What if my city gave me its own exam?

That license works only in that city or county. It travels only if the two jurisdictions have a reciprocal agreement.

Does Oklahoma or Nebraska accept a Kansas electrician license?

No. Neither state lists Kansas as a reciprocity partner, because Kansas issues no state license. Plan to take that state's exam.

Can I use my out-of-state license in Kansas City, Kansas?

Possibly. The Unified Government code lets the building official accept a license from a state whose rules are equal or stricter and that offers similar reciprocity. The code names no states.