Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Kentucky's official board.
Statewide licensing via DHBC. Contractors must carry insurance per KRS 227A.060.
| Requirements | Experience: 1 year = minimum 1,600 hours of NEC electrical work in a continuous 12-month period; demonstrable via tax records, apprenticeship, affidavits, or military records. Exam: pass an approved exam with minimum 70% (passing score valid 3 years). |
| Reciprocity | Yes, and the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction names the states in its current application checklists. Under 815 KAR 35:060 §2 a reciprocity applicant must comply with the requirements established in the reciprocity agreement between Kentucky and the state in which the applicant is licensed, and must provide a copy of the out-of-state license and a letter of good standing; the regulation itself names no states. The Department's 'Electrical New Application Checklists' dated 2/4/25 names them: an Ohio ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR licensee will be issued a Kentucky Contractor Electrician and Master Electrician license on a copy of the active Ohio license, a certificate of liability insurance, the completed electrical contractor and electrical license applications, application fees, a passport photo and a good standing letter; and a licensee of West Virginia or the Commonwealth of Virginia holding MASTER ELECTRICIAN or JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN applies with a copy of the active Virginia or West Virginia license, the completed electrical license application, the application fee, a passport photo and a good standing letter. The reciprocity checklists, unlike the standard new-applicant tracks, do not require passing a PROV, NASCLA or Pearson VUE examination. Only Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia appear in the current official checklist. |
| Renewal | Renew before the last day of the licensee's birth month; licenses issued/renewed on or after July 15, 2024 are valid for two years. Continuing education required per 815 KAR 2:010 (per board: ~6 hrs/year NEC for EE/ME). |
| Notes | Statewide licensing via DHBC. Contractors must carry insurance per KRS 227A.060. |
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Sources: apps.legislature.ky.gov, dhbc.ky.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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