Low Voltage & Telecom Technician

Alabama does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Where it applies: Contractor licensing above $50,000 (labor + materials) is the dividing line between the AECB Low Voltage Special Systems track (any project size) and the ALBGC commercial Specialty-Low Voltage track (≥$50,000)

Why, and what applies instead: For the license that actually governs most low-voltage/telecom work - AECB's 'Low Voltage Special Systems' classification - there is no reciprocity. AECB's own reciprocal-licensing page lists reciprocal states (Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas) explicitly as '(EC Only)' - Electrical Contractor classification only; Low Voltage Special Systems is not among the reciprocated classifications, so an incoming operator must sit both the Low Voltage Special Systems trade exam and the Business and Law exam from scratch, same as a first-time applicant. Separately, for commercial work ≥$50,000 that instead falls under ALBGC'S 'Specialty' Low Voltage classification, ALBGC does offer real reciprocity: a comparable-classification license held ≥1 year in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, or North Carolina lets the Board waive the trade exam only (Business and Law exam always required, and the applicant must otherwise meet financial/insurance requirements). For alarm/CCTV/access-control work specifically, AESBL (a third, separate board) has its own narrow reciprocity rule limited to Burglar Alarm/Access Control/CCTV license holders from a short list of named states, plus Burglar-Alarm-only reciprocity with South Carolina; AESBL states there is 'No licensing reciprocity with any other state' for other categories. No single answer covers the whole trade in Alabama - it depends which of the three boards' licenses the work falls under. Fee: AECB Low Voltage Special Systems: no reciprocity fee (not applicable - must apply by exam). ALBGC Specialty reciprocity: standard ALBGC application fee. AESBL reciprocity: standard AESBL license fee plus ALEA state/federal background-check fees..

Arkansas does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Arkansas splits this trade between two agencies, and neither offers a route for an out-of-state low-voltage credential. Telecom and data work is not merely unlicensed - it is expressly exempted. Section 17-28-102(a)(3) Exempts from electrician licensing 'the construction, installation, maintenance, repair, or renovation of telephone equipment, computer systems, or satellite systems by a person, firm, or corporation engaged in the telecommunications or information systems industry when such activities involve low-voltage work exclusively for communication of data, voice, or other signaling purposes, including fire alarm systems, security systems, and environmental control systems that are not an integral part of a telecommunications system.' No licence is required for work inside that exemption, so nothing can transfer into it. Arkansas does publish an electrical reciprocity list, but it pairs partner states to a Master or Journeyman electrician licence only - with Oregon and North Dakota the only states reciprocating Master to Master - and no low-voltage or telecom class exists inside the Board's structure for it to reach. 'Low Voltage Circuits, Including Alarms' appears in Arkansas only as one topic area tested within the ordinary Journeyman and Master exams, not as a separate credential. Alarm and security system work is different: it genuinely requires a state licence, but from the Arkansas State Police under a separate statute, with its own credential types - Alarm Systems Company Class E, Agent, Apprentice, Technician, Monitor and Branch Office Manager. That agency'S Rule 2.4 promises reciprocity for applicants qualifying under A.C.A. 17-40-353, but the statute it points to was narrowed in 2015 and again in 2019. Its current text is captioned 'Reciprocity - Private investigator' and reaches only a person 'licensed or credentialed under the laws of another state or territory of the United States as a private investigator.' Alarm systems companies, agents and technicians appeared in the 2012 version of that section and were dropped in the 2015 rewrite. The rule still cross-references a reciprocity pathway that the statute no longer provides for alarm credentials, so an out-of-state alarm installer faces a fresh Arkansas application, examination and background check. Confirm current practice with ASP Regulatory Services Division on (501) 618-8600. One caution for anyone reading other states' lists: Arkansas appears as a reciprocal partner on many of them, which describes what those states grant to Arkansas licensees and says nothing about what Arkansas grants inbound.

Connecticut does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Connecticut's statute permits (but does not require) the Electrical Work Examining Board to enter reciprocal agreements with other states, and would require the OTHER state to also grant reciprocity to Connecticut licensees on a mutual basis. As of the most recent official confirmation, the Board has not entered any such agreement with any state - a 2006 legislative research report found 'Connecticut has not entered into an electrician reciprocal licensing arrangement with Massachusetts or any other state,' and current DCP-facing guidance still describes only a discretionary, case-by-case review (documented experience may sometimes substitute for part of the experience requirement) with the statement that Connecticut 'Doesn't allow license reciprocity with any other states' and the DCP 'may require you to pass the Connecticut PSI exam even if some reciprocity is granted.' In practice this means out-of-state low-voltage/telecom credential holders should expect to sit Connecticut's own trade and (where applicable) business/law exams regardless of home-state licensure.

Florida does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Florida's official position is blunt: 'No License Reciprocity.' What exists instead is a narrow endorsement route that recognises a short list of other states' examinations — not their licences generally — as substantially equivalent, letting you skip re-sitting Florida's exam. The list is specific to your classification. For ES, Limited Energy, Florida recognises only Georgia'S lv-t or LV-G exam, North Carolina's Sp-LV exam and California'S C-7 exam. For EF, Burglar Alarm, only Georgia's LV-U. For EG, Fire Alarm, only Georgia'S lv-a. Coming from any other state, or having sat any other exam, you submit your issuing state's statutes and rules plus the exam blueprint from the year you tested, and the department evaluates it case by case with no guarantee of acceptance. One condition catches people: your original licence must have been earned by examination in your home state, not through that state'S own reciprocity or endorsement route. Fee: standard Certified Specialty application and licence fees, roughly $209 to $295 depending on classification and renewal cycle. There is no separate reciprocity fee, but you will need a state-verification letter and a business entity credit report.

Georgia does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Georgia's own Board FAQ states plainly, as of the access date: 'Georgia currently has no active reciprocity agreements with other states. Reciprocity with North Carolina was paused effective November 26, 2024.' Multiple secondary sources (exam-prep sites, licensing services) still describe an active Georgia-North Carolina low-voltage reciprocity arrangement, and some describe a broader 'Limited reciprocity with other states requiring equivalent experience and examination' - both are stale. The only reciprocity that existed (with North Carolina, allowing the Georgia low-voltage exam results to be accepted for a North Carolina Sp-LV license) is now paused going the other direction, and Georgia'S official position is that no state currently has an active low-voltage reciprocity agreement with it at all. Separately, even where reciprocity has existed historically, Georgia's reciprocity checklist explicitly disqualifies an applicant whose out-of-state license was itself obtained by 'Grandfathering,' 'endorsement,' 'conversion,' or reciprocity from a third state - only an original by-examination license qualifies. Net effect: an out-of-state low-voltage/telecom operator must currently apply by examination in Georgia regardless of home-state licensure. Fee: $30 application fee to sit for the exam (standard by-exam route); no reciprocity fee applies since no active reciprocity agreement exists..

Hawaii does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Hawaii's own Contractor FAQ states plainly: 'Does Hawaii have reciprocity agreements with other states? No. All applicants must meet the same licensing and examination requirements.' Confirmed consistently across every source checked, with no narrower carve-out found for the C-15/C-15a/C-15b low-voltage/telecom/alarm subclassifications specifically - the blanket policy applies board-wide. Out-of-state experience can still be used to help satisfy Hawaii'S own 4-years-of-supervisory-experience-in-10 requirement, but this is experience credit, not an exam or license waiver. Applicants must pass Hawaii's own two-part exam (Business & Law, and Trade). Fee: $50.00 application fee per application (may cover multiple classifications); $75.00 examination fee per part (most classifications require two parts)..

Illinois does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Illinois has a reciprocity provision that points at a section repealed more than a decade ago. The Act's general licensing section, 10-20(b), still says 'Application for a license by endorsement shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 10-40'. Section 10-40 reads, in full: 'Sec. 10-40. (Repealed). (Source: P.A. 93-438, eff. 8-5-03. Repealed by P.A. 98-253, eff. 8-9-13.)' The mechanism the statute still cross-references was repealed in 2013 and never replaced. There is no operative reciprocity or endorsement pathway for the Private Alarm Contractor licence — you apply and test like a first-time applicant. One thing does soften it. Under 225 ILCS 447/20-10(a)(6) The Board may accept, in place of part of the three-year Illinois experience requirement, 'Alternative experience working as a full-time manager for a private alarm contractor agency licensed in another state...if the experience is substantially equivalent'. That helps you qualify to sit the Illinois exam. It does not waive it. If your work is plain telecom or data cabling outside the alarm-system definition, no state licence applies and the question does not arise. Fee: standard Private Alarm Contractor application and exam fees. No reciprocity fee exists, because no reciprocity pathway does.

Maine does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Maine has real reciprocity for electricians — and it does not reach this trade. The agreements cover the general Journeyman Electrician licence, with New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming, trade exam waived, and the Master Electrician licence with New Hampshire and Vermont. They are specific to those classifications. The credential that actually covers telecom, data, fire alarm and low-voltage work is the Limited Electrician - Low Energy licence, and the agreements do not extend to it. A Maine exam-prep source puts it directly: 'Maine currently does not have reciprocal agreements with any state for [Limited] Electrical classifications.' So you cannot use Maine's general electrician reciprocity list to bypass the Low Energy exam. You apply through the standard path: 4,000 hours of experience, at least 2,000 of them in low-energy installations, and a passing score of 70% or better. Fee: the $171 reciprocity application fee belongs to the Journeyman and Master pathway and does not apply here; standard Limited Electrician exam and licence fees apply instead.

Maryland does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Maryland's reciprocity attaches to a licence you probably do not hold, and the licence you do need is not a state credential at all. State-level reciprocity — Master Electrician with Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia, trade exam waived — applies only to the statewide Master Electrician licence, which authorises all electrical work generically. The restricted and low-voltage licences that govern work at this scale are issued locally. Maryland'S own guidance says so: 'In Maryland the actual performance license to perform electrical work is issued by each of the local jurisdictions... Many of the local jurisdictions do issue additional categories of electrical licenses. All of these licenses are LESSER than a Master Electrician... Not all jurisdictions offer a lesser license. In those jurisdictions that do not, an individual would need a master electrician'S license.' What that means in practice is a patchwork. Some counties — Baltimore, Montgomery, Prince George'S, St. Mary's — issue their own restricted or low-voltage licences with their own rules. Counties that offer no lesser licence require the full state Master Electrician licence, and a low-voltage credential does not qualify as being in the same trade for reciprocity into it. Fee: varies by county for restricted and low-voltage licences — Baltimore County'S new Restricted License fee is $130, for example. The Master Electrician reciprocity fee is separate and set by the state Board.

Massachusetts does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Massachusetts has a real reciprocity agreement, and it does not cover this trade. The agreement covers only the general Journeyman and Master Electrician licences, with New Hampshire alone, and only where the New Hampshire licence was earned by sitting New Hampshire's own exam — a New Hampshire licence obtained through its own reciprocity does not qualify. It does not extend to the Systems Technician (Class D) or Systems Contractor (Class C) licences that actually govern low-voltage, telecom, fire alarm and security work. Multiple sources confirm it directly: 'Systems Technician and Systems Contractor licenses do not have formal reciprocity agreements with any state.' You apply through the standard path regardless of what you hold elsewhere: 4,000 hours under a licensed Massachusetts Systems Technician or Journeyman plus 300 hours of Board-approved education for Systems Technician, with additional experience and education for Systems Contractor, then the PSI-administered exam. Fee: $226 for the Systems Technician application, covering licence and exam. No reciprocity fee applies, since none exists for this classification.

Michigan does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Michigan's own official form states directly: 'The State of Michigan does not reciprocate with any other state/country. To be considered for licensure, you must submit a copy of the out of state/country license that you hold and a copy of that jurisdiction's licensing requirement.' Out-of-state experience can be submitted for credit toward Michigan's own experience requirements, and the applicant may or may not still need to sit the exam depending on LARA'S case-by-case review, but there is no exam-waiving reciprocity agreement with any state. This applies to Michigan's general electrical licensing framework, which is where low-voltage/limited-energy/telecom work sits since no separate low-voltage credential exists. Michigan'S separate Security Alarm Contractor licensing under 1968 PA 330 has NSCA-documented 'Reciprocity: None' as well.

Minnesota does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Minnesota's reciprocity mechanism is real and the low-voltage classification is not in it. Minn. Stat. 326B.33 authorises the commissioner to 'Enter into reciprocity agreements for personal licenses with another state if approved by the board' and, once approved, to waive the exam entirely — a genuine and mandatory mechanism in principle. In practice Minnesota'S Multi-State Reciprocal License Agreement, covering Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, applies only to the Class A Journeyman and Master Electrician licences. The state's own reciprocity application form offers exactly two checkboxes — Class A Master and Class A Journeyman — with no Power Limited Technician option. There is no agreement in force for this classification. You apply through the standard Power Limited Technician path: 36 months of qualifying experience or a four-year electrical degree, then the PSI-administered exam covering NEC Articles 725, 760, 770 and 800, NFPA 72 and Minn. Stat. 326B, with a 70% pass mark. Fee: $35 examination fee, and a $110 biennial licence fee. The $50 reciprocity application fee applies only to the Master and Journeyman pathway, which does not cover this licence.

New Jersey does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Where it applies: N.J.S.A. 45:5A-18(j): electrical work with a potential of less than 10 volts is exempt from the business-permit/licensing requirement - a very narrow threshold. Above 10V generally requires the Electrical Contractor license unless another specific exemption in 45:5A-18 applies.

Why, and what applies instead: New Jersey's Board confirms directly: 'No. The electrical contractor license is the only category of electrical license available in New Jersey' - there is no limited or low-voltage license by which to distinguish reciprocity questions by classification. Consistent with this, 'New Jersey does not maintain formal reciprocity for electrical contractor or alarm licenses. Out-of-state applicants must take the PSI exams and complete fingerprint clearance' regardless of home-state licensure. Most low-voltage/telecom work that ties into the building electrical system (security systems, AV, most structured cabling above the 10V exemption threshold) therefore requires the full New Jersey Electrical Contractor license from scratch; only pure voice/data transmission wiring may qualify for the separate, narrow telecommunications wiring exemption, which is explicitly not a general low-voltage authorization.

New Mexico does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: New Mexico's reciprocity does not reach low-voltage work, and a widely repeated claim about which states it covers is wrong. The Construction Industries Division'S own page states: 'New Mexico has reciprocal licensing agreements, for a journeyman certificate/license only, with the following states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.' Two things follow. Reciprocity is limited to the journeyman certificate, and nothing ties the ES-1, ES-2 or ES-3 low-voltage classifications to it. And the state list is not the one commonly published elsewhere — Arizona, Nevada and Utah do not appear on it at all, and no official page supporting bilateral agreements with those three for low voltage could be found. So an out-of-state low-voltage or alarm credential earns no exam waiver here. The New Mexico Business and Law examination is required of every applicant in any case. Fee: $30 application fee and a $6 filing fee for ES-1 and ES-2 specialty applications, per a secondary source, plus PSI trade and Business & Law exam fees.

Oklahoma does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: For the pure telephone/CATV slice of this trade, no licence and therefore no reciprocity question applies. For the Limited Electrical Contractor and Alarm/Locksmith Industry licence covering broader low-voltage/security work, Oklahoma's own administrative code requires that 'A written reciprocity agreement exists between the applicant's state and Oklahoma for the license the applicant is seeking' before any exam waiver is possible - CIB maintains such written agreements only with a small number of states, with Texas and Arkansas cited for electrical classifications. Critically: 'Alarm Industry licenses do not reciprocate - out-of-state applicants must pass the Prov Alarm Industry examination and submit fingerprints for OSBI and FBI clearance' regardless of home-state licensure. So an out-of-state low-voltage/telecom credential holder gets no exam waiver for the Alarm Industry component under any circumstance, and a waiver for the Limited Electrical Contractor component only when coming from one of the few states with a written CIB agreement. Fee: Standard CIB application fees apply; no separate reciprocity fee where an agreement exists..

Rhode Island does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Consistently confirmed across multiple sources: 'Rhode Island does not have reciprocity with any other state' / 'Rhode Island does not maintain formal statutory reciprocity. Out-of-state applicants must generally sit for the Rhode Island examination.' An out-of-state licence can be submitted as documentation to help satisfy Rhode Island's own educational/experience prerequisites, in lieu of some training hours and with a notarised employer letter - but this is not an exam waiver. Every applicant, regardless of home-state licensure, must pass Rhode Island'S own exam for the classification sought. Consistent with the elevator finding for Rhode Island, where the Elevator Safety Code states outright that licences from any foreign licensing authority do not authorise work in the state. Fee: $72 journeyperson/installer application fee; $240 contractor-level application fee..

South Carolina does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: For the SLED-regulated burglar/intrusion alarm side: 'South Carolina doesn'T have blanket reciprocity for alarm licenses' - though NTS/ESA national certifications can expedite, not waive, the SC process by satisfying some experience/training prerequisites. For the LLR CLB side (Fire Alarm Contractor and ST-LV Low Voltage Specialty), LLR does operate a general examination-equivalency reciprocity framework board-wide, reviewing whether the home state'S exam is 'equivalent in scope and rigor' to South Carolina's with more favourable treatment for exams administered by national testing providers - but whether that framework has ever been applied to grant an actual exam waiver for the Fire Alarm or ST-LV classifications specifically was not confirmed. Given SLED'S explicit 'no blanket reciprocity' position and the unconfirmed status of the LLR framework for these classifications, recorded as no pending direct confirmation with LLR CLB and SLED.

Texas does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: 'Texas DPS PSB has no reciprocity for the Class B Security Company License. SFMO fire alarm credentials are not reciprocal.' National certifications are recognised credentials but 'NICET certification is portable across states but does not waive state licensure' - it does not substitute for either the dps psb or SFMO requirement. An out-of-state security/alarm/fire-alarm credential holder must apply and test through both Texas regulators from scratch for those scopes. Pure telecom/data cabling work covered by the Class 1/2/3 exemption needs no state licence at all, so no reciprocity question arises for that slice - meaning the honest answer for Texas depends entirely on which half of the trade someone actually does.

Virginia does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Virginia's electrical reciprocity is real and stops short of this trade. The Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation'S own reciprocal-agreements document confirms Journeyman and Master Electrical Tradesman examination reciprocity with the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia, plus Ohio at business-licence level, with the trade exam waived for those general electrical credentials. The source specific to the Electronic/Communication Service classification — the one that actually covers this work — says the opposite: 'Virginia currently does not have reciprocity with any state for this classification.' So a qualifying out-of-state Master or Journeyman Electrician can reciprocate into Virginia's general tradesman licence, while an out-of-state low-voltage or telecom-specific credential gets no exam waiver for the specialty. Separately, Electronic Security Business registrations covering burglar alarm, CCTV and access control are not reciprocal either. Worth knowing that Virginia'S answer differs by trade within the same agency: its elevator mechanics do get a waiver, through the Universal License Recognition statute, which does not list this classification. Fee: $130 Low Voltage Tradesman application fee per a secondary source; security registration fees are separate and require fingerprint-based background checks.

Washington does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: Washington's only confirmed electrical reciprocity agreement is with Oregon, and it is expressly limited to the General Journey Level/Journeyman Electrician credential: 'This agreement is specifically for electricians holding a General Journeyman Electrician (J) license in Oregon or a General Journey Level Electrician (EL01) certificate in Washington... For specialized licenses like a residential electrician, there is no formal reciprocity agreement.' Since EL06 Limited Energy is itself a specialty certificate parallel to the residential specialty explicitly excluded, it is very unlikely to be covered - though that was not stated in those words for EL06 specifically. Washington has no agreement with Idaho at all. An out-of-state EL06/limited-energy credential holder should expect to complete Washington'S own path: 4,000 hours supervised training plus a state exam.

Wisconsin does not offer reciprocity for this trade. An out-of-state credential will not carry across on its own here.

Why, and what applies instead: 'Wisconsin maintains very limited reciprocity for low-voltage credentials. Most out-of-state applicants must pass the PSI examination.' Wisconsin's general electrical reciprocity - which does exist to some degree for Master/Journeyman/Restricted Electrician credentials, evaluated state-by-state and class-by-class by DSPS - is described as not extending automatically to specialty categories, and DSPS states 'Wisconsin does not operate blanket interstate reciprocity for contractor licenses': the REC business registration must always be obtained fresh in Wisconsin regardless of home-state licensure. For work at 50V or less falling within the voltage exemption, no licence or reciprocity question arises at all. Fee: $200 REC registration fee (4-year term); $40 Limited Energy Technician application fee (secondary-source figures)..