Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Coming in from another state

Wisconsin Electrician Reciprocity: Iowa, New Hampshire

The rule that allows reciprocity names no state at all. The states appear only on two DSPS application forms, and there are two of them. Everybody else qualifies here the ordinary way, on hours or an apprenticeship, and sits the Wisconsin exam.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The rule, quoted in full

SPS 305.47 Reciprocity reads: "As provided under s. 101.874, Stats., the department may enter into a reciprocal agreement with another state under which credentials issued to electricians, electrical apprentices, electrical contractors, and electrical inspectors by either state are recognized as comparable credentials by the other state."

Its history note reads "CR 16-093: cr. Register June 2018 No. 750, eff. 8-1-18."

That is an enabling provision. It names no state, sets no conditions, and says "may." Which states are actually recognized appears only on the application forms.

One limit on this page. Wis. Stat. 101.874, the statute SPS 305.47 points at, would not load for us, so everything below rests on the rule text and the DSPS forms rather than on the statute.

Journeyman: Iowa and New Hampshire

Form 3106, Rev. 12/04/2025, Category B is headed Reciprocity, and the conditions are quoted here.

Continuous holding: "The applicant must have held an Iowa Journeyman A Electrician license or a New Hampshire Journeyman Electrician license continuously for at least one year immediately prior to submitting an application in Wisconsin."

Iowa applicants "must have completed either an apprenticeship or the experience hours described." New Hampshire applicants "must have completed an electrical apprenticeship-schooling program with a minimum of 600 hours, 24 hours of which are safety-related."

Verification runs on the experience table: "Fill in your Iowa or New Hampshire license number on Form 3106T to facilitate verification from the relevant state licensing agency."

Read the credential names closely. The Iowa license named is the Journeyman A electrician license, not any Iowa journeyman license, and the New Hampshire license named is the Journeyman Electrician license.

Master: Iowa only, and only one kind

Form 3107, Rev. 12/04/2025, Category C is "Reciprocity for Applicants Holding a Current Master A Electrician License in Iowa."

The conditions are a valid, unexpired "Master Electrician license acquired through a state examination in Iowa," maintained "continuously for at least one year immediately prior to submitting an application in Wisconsin."

Two conditions inside that sentence get missed. The Iowa license has to be the Master A class, and it has to have been acquired through a state examination in Iowa. An Iowa master license obtained through Iowa's own reciprocity or grandfathering does not qualify on the face of the form.

There is no New Hampshire route to a Wisconsin master license.

The credentials with no reciprocity at all

Form 3111, Residential Journeyman Electrician, contains no reciprocity category. Its two routes are experience plus examination, and completion of a residential electrical wiring apprenticeship.

Form 3105, Industrial Journeyman Electrician, contains no reciprocity category either, and offers only the experience route and the apprenticeship route.

Form 3112, Residential Master Electrician, has a Category B, but it is a Wisconsin license exchange rather than an out of state route. Form 3103, Electrical Contractor, and form 3108, Registered Electrician, describe no reciprocity route.

Minnesota and Illinois are not on the list

Nothing we read names Minnesota or Illinois. Any page that lists Minnesota or Illinois reciprocity is wrong against the DSPS forms as they stand today.

That is worth saying because both states border Wisconsin and both send electricians across it. Neighboring does not create a reciprocal agreement.

What an out of state electrician actually does

If you hold an Iowa Journeyman A or a New Hampshire Journeyman Electrician license, held continuously for at least a year, and you meet the hours or schooling condition attached to that state, the route is Category B on form 3106: apply in LicensE, put the out of state license number on form 3106T for verification, and pay the $35 application fee and the $100 license fee.

If you hold an Iowa Master A license acquired by Iowa state examination and held continuously for at least a year, the route is Category C on form 3107, with the $35 application fee and the $200 license fee.

Everybody else qualifies on experience or apprenticeship, applies in LicensE, and sits the Wisconsin exam. There is no Wisconsin electrician credential obtainable on the strength of a license from any state other than Iowa or New Hampshire, on any form we read.

The temporary license form we will not describe

DSPS publishes an Interstate Reciprocity Temporary License Application. We have not fetched it, so whether it covers electricians, what it grants and how long it lasts are all unconfirmed here.

We are not going to describe a document we have not read. If a temporary license matters to your move, ask DSPS directly and get the answer in writing.

Questions people ask

Which states have electrician reciprocity with Wisconsin?

Two are named on DSPS forms. Iowa and New Hampshire on the journeyman form, and Iowa alone on the master form. SPS 305.47 itself names no state.

Does Wisconsin reciprocate with Minnesota?

Nothing we read names Minnesota. The only states named on the DSPS application forms are Iowa and New Hampshire.

How long must I have held my out of state license?

Continuously for at least one year immediately prior to submitting an application in Wisconsin, on both the journeyman and the master form.

Which Iowa license qualifies?

Journeyman A for the Wisconsin journeyman license, and Master A acquired through a state examination in Iowa for the Wisconsin master license. Other Iowa classes are not named.

Is there reciprocity for a residential or industrial license?

No. Forms 3111, 3105 and 3112 carry no reciprocity category, and neither does the contractor form or the registered electrician form.

Do I still pay the same fees on a reciprocity application?

Yes. Table 305.02 sets the $35 application fee either way, with the $100 license fee on a journeyman license and $200 on a master license.

What this page cites

• SPS 305.47, Reciprocity The full rule text and its history note. It names no state and says the department may enter into agreements. source
• Form 3106, Rev. 12/04/2025 Category B, with the Iowa Journeyman A and New Hampshire conditions and the verification instruction. source
• Form 3107, Rev. 12/04/2025 Category C, the Iowa Master A route acquired through a state examination in Iowa. source
• Form 3111, Residential Journeyman Electrician The form that carries no reciprocity category, with two routes only. source
• Form 3105, Industrial Journeyman Electrician The other form with no reciprocity category. source
• Table 305.02 The application and license fees a reciprocity applicant still pays. source