Browse trade and professional licensing requirements for all 51 U.S. jurisdictions (50 states + DC) — exams, experience hours, fees, and salary data per trade.
Last updated 2026-05-08
Every U.S. state and the District of Columbia regulates trade and professional licensing independently. This page indexes all 51 jurisdictions catalogued on TradePrepped. Each state page covers every trade we track in that jurisdiction: Application Fees, Experience requirements, Exam format, Renewal periods, Continuing Education Hours, and the issuing Department or Board.
Occupational licensing is reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment. Each state legislature decides which trades require a license, who administers the Exam, what Experience or Apprenticeship Hours are required, how often the license must be renewed, and which Continuing Education topics count. The result is a patchwork: a trade that needs a state license in California may need only a county business permit in Pennsylvania, and a Texas-issued license may not transfer to Colorado without an endorsement and a new exam.
Each state below links to a trade-by-trade breakdown. Click any state to see every licensed trade we track in that jurisdiction, with Median Salary, Exam Application Fee, and Renewal data per trade.
States have constitutional authority over occupational licensing. Each state legislature defines which trades require a license, the Experience and Education thresholds, the Exam format, the Renewal period, and Continuing Education Hours. Some states adopt nationwide model codes (e.g., the National Electrical Code for electricians); others write their own. The result: an electrician licensed in Texas does not automatically practice legally in Colorado without an endorsement or new exam.
California, New York, Florida, and Massachusetts generally have the highest Experience-Hour thresholds and the largest Application Fee schedules. Many southern and mountain-west states have lower experience requirements but stricter Continuing Education for Renewal. The state-specific page lists exact Hours, Fees, and the relevant Board or Department for each trade.
Reciprocity agreements vary by trade and state pair. Most states accept some out-of-state licenses by endorsement after Experience and Exam verification, but the reciprocity scope (which states' licenses count, which trades qualify) is set state-by-state. The trade page for each state lists current reciprocity policy and the issuing licensing Authority.