January 2024 Licensing Update
It’s a brand new year and we wanted to bring you the news of developments you may not have heard about, but which are important for State Contractors to know about!
Texas Now Accepts Master Electrician Reciprocity from Nebraska
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is now accepting Master Electrician Reciprocity from the state of Nebraska, in addition to a number of other states. Texas offers reciprocity for master electricians with Louisiana (state contractor’s license) and North Carolina (master electrician or unlimited electrical contractor).
In addition, according to the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), if you hold a journeyman electrician’s license in the following states, you can transfer them to Texas:
API Processing Masters AZROC’s Out-of-State Waiver Requests
In Arizona, as in every other state, passing a trade examination is one of the requirements necessary to be approved for a contractor’s license. A trade examination helps the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZROC) assess whether an applicant has the knowledge required to perform the type of work authorized by a license. However, under specific circumstances, the Registrar may decide to waive the trade exam requirement.
API Processing has an extraordinarily high ranking for obtaining approvals for contractors’ Out-of-State Waiver Requests submitted to the AZROC. This is important because Arizona is an unusual state – it has no specific reciprocity agreement. In API Processing’s experience, AZROC has approved every application the company has submitted with an Out-of-State Waiver Request. Thus, most contractors are able to endorse/reciprocate into Arizona without a Trade Exam, as long as they have passed a comparable out-of-state one and have no prior license issues.
New Mexico Is Newest Accepting State for NASCLA GC
The National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) Accredited Examination Programs Committee and NASCLA Staff worked diligently for several years with the New Mexico Construction Industries Division on gaining acceptance of the NASCLA Accredited Examination Programs for both Commercial General Building Contractors and Electrical Classifications. The New Mexico Construction Industries Division Board has approved acceptance of these exams.
The NASCLA Accredited Examination Programs were developed to improve the overall quality and validity of trade licensing examinations, for contractors and tradespeople. New Mexico will join multiple state agencies accepting into both the commercial general building contractor and electrical classifications. These programs allow contractors the opportunity to cross state borders without having to take multiple trade examinations saves time and money. It also offers a shared standard for examinations while still maintaining state sovereignty for its agency’s licensing requirements.
Utah Becomes Best State in Union for Master Electricians Applying by Endorsement/ Reciprocity
Did you know that many states’ Master Electrician License can now endorse into Utah at Master Electrician Level without a single proctored exam. Utah is a two-step state for the Electrical Contractor. The first step is to endorse into the state with an out-of-state Master Electrical License, which can be achieved with a simple application and official license verification from the originating state. This does not require an exam of any kind, including the business and law exams. Utah recognizes and accepts reciprocity from almost every state in America:
Source: Dept. of Professional Licensing, Utah.
Once the Master Electrician License obtained, in order to contract with the public, an Electrical Contractor Application must be submitted as the next step. This means a licensed contractor is not required to take the Trade Exam which saves time and effort. All states in the chart above, except for those in gray, are recognized for endorsement by Utah. Thus, a licensed Master Electrician who passed a trade exam in the states above, other than those in gray, will not be required to take any exams, and can endorse right into Utah as a Master Electrician.
Universal License Recognition Signed into Law in Virginia
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed into law, in 2023, legislation that streamlines and reduces barriers for skilled professionals licensed in other states to enter Virginia’s workforce and fill critical in-demand jobs. The new measure allows the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) to create Universal Licensing Recognition (ULR) for 85 occupations, including construction-related trades such as plumbers and electricians.
Universal Licensing Recognition will make it easier for qualified out-of-state applicants already holding a valid license in another state to more quickly get to work in Virginia while still ensuring the public’s safety. In the past, out-of-state applicants trying to obtain a license in Virginia were often required to take duplicate training and testing or have their experience extensively reviewed by regulatory boards, delaying, or outright stopping their ability to get to work.
Under the new measure, DPOR licensing boards will recognize out-of-state licenses for people: 1) who have held an equivalent license in another state for at least three years, 2) are in good standing in all states where they were licensed, 3) were required to pass a competency exam and met training standards to obtain their original state license, and 4) pay all applicable Virginia fees.
Below are the trades that are eligible for the ULR:
Source: Dept. of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Commonwealth of Virginia.
For information on required qualifications, please click on the Virgina Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to learn more.
Federal Professional License Portability and State Registration in California
The Federal Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) authorizes service members, or their spouses, who currently hold a valid license in good standing in another state, district, or territory to practice in California within the same profession or vocation, if they relocate to California because of military orders.
For individuals who desire to practice in California under the terms of the SCRA, the State of California adopted a state registration process to help implement the license portability provisions of the SCRA.
The requirements to register with the State are compatible with the requirements to practice under the SCRA, but state registration provides important additional benefits to service members or their spouses, namely State verification and recognition that they are lawfully practicing in California.
For licensed professions or vocations regulated by the boards and bureaus within the California Department of Consumer Affairs (Department or DCA), the Department developed a Federal Professional License Portability and State Registration online registration portal to allow for easy submission of the required documentation.
For more information about eligibility and how to register, visit the California Department of Consumer Affairs/Federal Professional License Portability and State Registration at https://www.dca.ca.gov/military/federal.shtml.