New Mexico Electrician License: EE-98J Journeyman Card, EE-98 Contractor License and the Qualifying Party Rules (2026)

If you searched for "EE98J license," here is the short answer. The EE-98J is New Mexico's journeyman residential and commercial electrical certificate: the personal card that lets an individual do electrical wiring, earned with four years (8,000 hours) of documented experience and three PSI exams, and usable only while working for a licensed electrical contractor.

The EE-98 without the J is the electrical contractor license itself, and New Mexico issues that one to a business entity, not a person. The company holds the EE-98; a certified individual called the Qualifying Party stands behind it. If that sounds like the qualifying agent model, that is because New Mexico writes the concept directly into its statute.

At a glance

• Who issues it: the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD), through its Electrical Bureau
• EE-98J journeyman card: four years (8,000 hours) of documented experience and three PSI exams
• EE-98 contractor license: issued to a business entity, qualified by a certified Qualifying Party who passes a three part electrical trade exam plus the New Mexico Business and Law exam
• Cost: $336 for a new EE-98 license, plus a $10,000 code bond
• Term: three years for both the journeyman certificate and the contractor license

This guide walks the full New Mexico path, from apprentice hours through the EE-98J card to the EE-98 contractor license, with every figure taken from the Construction Industries Division's rules, the licensing act, and PSI's current bulletins, and it clears up several requirements that third party sites get wrong.

Who regulates electricians in New Mexico

Electricians in New Mexico are licensed by the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD), through its Electrical Bureau (2550 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, with offices in Albuquerque and Las Cruces). Applications, experience verification, exams, licenses and renewals are all processed by PSI, CID's licensing and testing vendor, from its Albuquerque office at 9550 San Mateo Blvd NE, Suite F. New Mexico issues both an individual journeyman certificate (the EE-98J) and a business level electrical contractor license (the EE-98), and it is the contractor license that a company needs to bid, contract and pull permits for electrical work.

The electrical bureau is one of four created by statute. NMSA 1978 Section 60-13-31: "There are created under the division the 'electrical bureau,' the 'mechanical bureau,' the 'general construction bureau' and the 'liquefied petroleum gas bureau.'" Policy for all of them, including the definition of every license classification, is set by the nine member Construction Industries Commission under Section 60-13-6.

The code you will be tested on and inspected against is the 2020 National Electrical Code, adopted with New Mexico amendments as 14.10.4 NMAC, the New Mexico Electrical Code, effective March 28, 2023. Every PSI electrical exam reference list names the 2020 edition. Guides that tell you to bring a 2023 code book to the New Mexico exam are wrong.

If your work crosses trades, the same division licenses the mechanical side: see our New Mexico plumbing license guide for the MM-1 classification and the JP journeyman certificate, and our New Mexico HVAC license guide for MM-3, MM-4 and MM-98. For the general building side and the state's licensing system as a whole, start with our New Mexico contractor license page.

Because CID fees, forms and exam details are set by the division and PSI and change, verify the current specifics with the Electrical Bureau or PSI before you file.

EE98J, EE-98, ER-1: what the New Mexico electrical codes mean

New Mexico uses one numbering system for both the contractor license and the journeyman card. The contractor classification is the base code; add a J and you have the journeyman certificate that parallels it (14.6.6.10.A(1) NMAC: journeyman certificates "parallel the electrical license classification numbers and scopes"). So the EE-98J works under the EE-98, the ER-1J under the ER-1, and so on.

Three rules in the same section decide what these codes let you do on a job:

• A journeyman certificate is required of every individual performing electrical wiring (14.6.6.10.A(1) and 14.6.4.8.A(1) NMAC). An apprentice may work only under the direct supervision of a certified journeyman, and a journeyman may work only when employed by a validly licensed entity. A journeyman card never lets anyone contract for work.
• Supervision ratios. One journeyman may supervise no more than two apprentices on commercial or industrial work and no more than three on residential work (14.6.6.10.A(2)).
• The prime contractor rule. An electrical contractor "may bid and contract as the prime contractor of an entire project provided the electrical contractor's portion of the contract, based on dollar amount, is the major portion of the contract" (14.6.6.10.A). That is the honest answer to the common question of whether an EE-98 company can run a whole renovation: only when the electrical is the biggest piece of it, and never on a journeyman card alone.

Raceways within or on buildings are EE-98 work; specialty licensees may not install them beyond the narrow exceptions in 14.6.6.10.A(3).

The New Mexico electrical ladder: journeyman, then EE-98

New Mexico's path has two meaningful stages: earn journeyman level experience and the EE-98J card, then qualify a business for the EE-98 electrical contractor license.

Step 1: The EE-98J journeyman certificate

To earn the EE-98J (the residential and commercial journeyman classification), you need:

• Four years (8,000 hours) of practical electrical experience under a licensed electrical contractor, documented on PSI's notarized Electrical Work Experience Affidavit, one form per employer, signed by an employer, supervisor, foreman or other contractor who can prove their position. All of it must have been gained while employed by a contractor licensed in the trade, or as legal work in the state where it was done.
• Experience must fall within the ten years immediately prior to application (14.6.4.8.C(1) NMAC).
• Technical training can substitute for part of the requirement. Per 14.6.4.8.C(1) (and, for qualifying parties, 14.6.3.8.G(1)), training from an accredited college, university, manufacturer's accredited training program, technical vocational institute or accredited apprenticeship program is credited at one half year of experience for each year of training, and "in no case shall accredited training exceed one-half of the total work experience requirement." Two constraints stack: half value, and half the requirement maximum.
• Age 18 or older (14.6.4.8.A(3)).
• A $75 application and certificate fee per classification, paid to PSI. Reciprocity applicants from the ten states listed below skip the experience forms.
• Pass a two part written exam plus a practical exam, administered by PSI. Each part is $68.88, a total of $206.64 for the three (PSI journeyman bulletin, updated April 13, 2023).

Once approved to test, you must test within six months of eligibility; passing scores are valid for one year; and PSI must receive your passing score reports within six months of approving your application or the fee forfeits. The certificate is then active for three years, effective the last day of the month of issuance.

The journeyman certificate lets you perform electrical work; it does not, by itself, let a business contract for electrical work. For that you need the EE-98.

Step 2: The EE-98 electrical contractor license

The EE-98 is New Mexico's residential and commercial electrical contractor classification, and it is the credential that qualifies a business to bid, contract and pull permits for electrical work at 5,000 volts or less. Here is how New Mexico structures it:

• The license is issued to a business entity, which must be qualified by a certified Qualifying Party.
• The Qualifying Party must have the required four years of work experience at the journeyman level (8,000 hours on PSI's schedule), within the ten years immediately prior to application (NMSA Section 60-13-14(B)(8)). The same notarized Electrical Work Experience Affidavit and the same training credit apply.
• The Qualifying Party passes the EE-98 exams through PSI: a three part electrical trade exam, commercial and industrial, residential, and specialties, plus the New Mexico Business and Law exam. That is four exams in total.
• Passing scores are valid for one year, and the trade exam and Business and Law exam must both be passed within one year of each other. A new certificate must attach to a licensed entity within twelve months of the score report.

This is the crucial structural point: the individual passes the exams and becomes the Qualifying Party, but the company holds the EE-98 license. New Mexico designed its electrical contractor license around exactly the arrangement a qualifying agent fills.

The six month clock that ends applications

This one is not widely published and it quietly ends applications that were otherwise on track. 14.6.3.8.D(3) NMAC: all requirements for licensing or certification must be met within six months from the date the application is received by CID or its designee; "any application not completed within the six month period shall expire and any fees paid in connection with the expired application shall automatically forfeit." The journeyman rule at 14.6.4.8.B(3) says the same thing.

So you have twelve months of exam score validity but only six months to complete the file. The shorter clock governs. PSI's instructions add the practical consequence: if your approval to test expires, you file an extension request with a new application and fees, even if your scores are still within the year. Note also the retake limit: no exam may be repeated more than twice in any 30 day period (14.6.3.8.G(2)(d)), and after two fails in a 30 day window you wait 30 days from the first attempt.

One place the NASCLA waiver does work

Unusually, electrical is one of the two classifications where New Mexico will waive the state trade exam for a NASCLA credential. The bureau chief's waiver authority at 14.6.3.8.G(2)(f) reaches "the general construction, electrical, or electrical journeyman" NASCLA accredited examinations, and PSI applies it to GB98 and EE98 only.

The conditions matter: you must have used the NASCLA scores to obtain a license in another state, held that license for at least one year, and released your NASCLA transcript to New Mexico. The waiver removes the trade exam only; the experience affidavit, the Business and Law exam and every other requirement still apply.

A mechanical or plumbing contractor arriving from a NASCLA state gets no such relief and sits the full New Mexico trade exam. Our NASCLA accredited states guide lists where the exam is accepted.

The PSI exams in detail

Every exam below is 75 percent to pass, computer based at PSI's centers in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Roswell and Farmington (plus Durango, Amarillo, El Paso, Lubbock and Midland), and available only after PSI approves your experience.

Sources: PSI journeyman bulletin 880 (April 13, 2023) and PSI contractor bulletin 828 (April 3, 2026). The EE-98 three part combination is $269.06; a retake of a single EE-98 part is $89.69; the four exams a new EE-98 qualifying party sits total $337.94. Part 3 of the EE-98 is weighted to low voltage and alarms (20 of 50 items), then telephone and computer systems, sound and communication, signs, and cathodic and lightning protection, which is why an EE-98 qualifying party can cover all of the ES specialty scopes. References must be bound and permanently tabbed; loose papers and temporary tabs are removed at the door.

Step by step: from first day on the job to a licensed EE-98 company

1. Work as an apprentice under a certified journeyman employed by a licensed electrical contractor, inside the supervision ratios, and keep your own record of hours by task type (underground installation, rough in and trim out) and of how many were commercial versus residential. PSI's affidavit asks for that breakdown.
2. At 8,000 hours (or sooner with accredited training credit), file the journeyman packet with PSI: the notarized Journeyman Certificate Application, one notarized Electrical Work Experience Affidavit per employer, and $75 per classification.
3. Get approved, then schedule and pass the three EE-98J exams within six months of eligibility. Submit the score reports to PSI. Your card arrives by mail and runs three years.
4. Decide who will be the company's Qualifying Party. If it is you, file the notarized Qualifying Party Certificate Application with a fresh affidavit, $30 plus $6 per classification. If it is someone else, that person files, and your company will attach to their certificate.
5. Pass the EE-98 trade exams (three parts) and the Business and Law exam, or complete a commission approved Business and Law course instead of that one exam. Both must be passed within one year of each other and the file completed within six months.
6. Check the company name with PSI before you register it with the Secretary of State or Taxation and Revenue. A name that duplicates a pending or existing license, or names a trade outside your classification (14.6.3.8.A(4)), is refused.
7. Set up the entity: Secretary of State registration with a New Mexico registered agent for a corporation, LLC or partnership; a Taxation and Revenue registration certificate issued within the last twelve months in the exact license name; workers' compensation coverage.
8. Buy the $10,000 code bond in the exact name on the application, covering the full three year license term.
9. File the Contractor License Application with PSI: notarized, with the Qualifying Party's certificate or passing scores, the Business and Law score or course certificate, the bond, the tax certificate, the corporate registration, and $30 plus $6 plus the $300 EE-98 classification fee. The license issues for three years from the date of issuance.

Bond, insurance and business setup

To issue and maintain an EE-98 license, New Mexico requires the qualified business to have:

• A $10,000 contractor's license bond (a "code bond") in the exact company name, covering the license term. Importantly, in the current CID packet this bond satisfies the "proof of financial responsibility" requirement; there is no separate net worth or financial statement form to chase (see the corrections below).
• A New Mexico Taxation and Revenue business tax registration in the company name, the registration certificate that carries the New Mexico Business Tax Identification Number (the number Taxation and Revenue called the CRS number before 2021).
• New Mexico Secretary of State registration for LLCs, corporations and partnerships, with a New Mexico registered agent at a physical address.
• Workers' compensation coverage. It is required of all licensees, with a possible exemption for a sole proprietor with no employees, and proof is filed with the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration, not with CID. Non compliance can make the license invalid under 14.6.3.8.K(1)(c).

Reported PSI fees for a new EE-98 license therefore total $336 ($30 application + $6 certificate + $300 EE-98 classification fee), and the license runs on a three year cycle. RLD's own how to page quotes the same $36 application and certificate pair as one figure. Treat every figure here as subject to change and confirm current amounts with PSI and CID.

What the bond actually covers, and the 40 day cliff

The $10,000 is fixed by statute at NMSA Section 60-13-49(B) and repeated at 14.6.3.8.C(1) NMAC, and it is the same $10,000 for every classification, EE-98, MM-98, a two year specialty. There is no tiered or scaled bond in New Mexico.

Its purpose is narrower than most contractors assume. Per Section 60-13-49(B)(1), bond payments "shall only be used to cure code violations caused by a licensee, certified by the division and not corrected by the licensee." This is a code bond, not a payment bond, not a performance bond, not a consumer recovery fund.

• Claim window: within two years of final inspection, or two years of issuance of a certificate of occupancy, whichever is earlier.
• Aggregate cap: total surety liability for all claims is limited to the face amount.
• The 40 day cliff. A carrier cancelling the bond gives 30 days' written notice, and Section 60-13-49(B)(5) provides that "if the licensee has not provided proof of a new bond before the fortieth day after the date on which the bond was canceled, expired or otherwise became ineffective, the license shall be subject to revocation." This is a separate and much shorter clock than the 90 day renewal cliff, and it is the one people miss.
• Term coverage. The bond must be issued in the exact name on the application and cover the entire three year period (14.6.3.8.C(2)).

One protection worth knowing: under Section 60-13-51, "no municipality shall require any person or corporation licensed under the provisions of the Construction Industries Licensing Act to file or obtain as a condition of doing business as a licensed contractor within the municipality any additional license bond as proof of responsibility if the person or corporation has met the responsibility requirements of the commission." Once the $10,000 bond is on file, a New Mexico city cannot make you post a second one.

Accuracy check: what New Mexico does NOT require

Several third party guides list requirements that are not in the current CID and PSI process. Verified against the actual application forms and the current rule:

• No mandatory 20 hour Business and Law course. Under NMSA Section 60-13-16(C), a certificate from a commission approved course is only an alternative to the Business and Law exam. Pass the exam and you have satisfied the requirement.
• No journeyman card is required to hold the EE-98, but one is required to do the wiring. The EE-98 is its own Qualifying Party classification; its exams qualify the license directly, and the QP application only asks whether you happen to be a certified journeyman. The other half is just as important: 14.6.4.8.A(1) requires a journeyman certificate of every individual performing electrical wiring, and PSI's journeyman instructions say it plainly: "even if you have a contractor's license in one or more of those classifications, you must also be, or employ, a certified journeyman to perform the work." An active New Mexico QP can apply for the parallel EE-98J with no new work verification form, for the $75 fee.
• No separate financial statement or net worth form. In the current packet, the $10,000 bond is what satisfies proof of financial responsibility. Older guides mention a CID financial statement; it is not in the current packet.
• No continuing education on the contractor license. NMSA Section 60-13-18(D) is permissive: licensees "may be required" to complete CE, and the sixteen hour requirement it describes applies "when required by rule adopted by the division." 14.6.3.8.I, as amended January 2023, imposes no CE condition on contractor renewal. Guides that assert contractor CE are reading the enabling statute as though it were the rule. Journeyman certificates are different: 14.6.4.8.H requires 16 hours per cycle, at least 8 of which must cover the current CID code enforced by that classification, and it expressly applies to the journeyman electrician (EE98-J) and journeyman lineman (EL-1J).
• No "EE-1," "EE-2," "EE98B" or "EE98-5" classification exists. The real electrical contractor classes are EE-98 (residential, commercial and industrial up to 5,000 volts), ER-1 (residential), EL-1 (above 5,000 volts) and the ES specialty series; the journeyman classes are the same codes with a J. Guides listing "EE-1 (Unlimited Electrical)" and "EE-2 (Limited Electrical)" with dollar thresholds, or an "EE98B master" tier, are describing classifications that do not exist, and no New Mexico electrical classification carries a project value cap.
• No annual renewal and no 2023 code book. Both the journeyman certificate and the contractor license run three years, and the adopted code is the 2020 NEC.

Getting these details right is the difference between a clean application and weeks of avoidable back and forth.

Renewal: three years, and the signature you may not be able to get

The EE-98 runs a three year cycle, expiring on the last day of the month in which it was issued. PSI mails the renewal to the address of record; whether or not it arrives, renewing on time is the licensee's responsibility. The renewal has requirements that catch companies out:

• It must be notarized, with the same date on every signature.
• It must be signed by someone with authority to sign for the licensee and by the qualifying party or parties on the license for each classification (14.6.3.8.I(3): "the signatures of all current qualifying parties on each license must appear on the renewal form"). The June 2025 packet adds "NO SCANS/COPIES."
• A new code bond or continuation certificate covering the entire three year term is required at each renewal.
• Originals only, no fax, no email.
• Late 1 to 30 days, $1 per day; 30 to 90 days, an amount equivalent to one year's fee; after 90 days the license is cancelled and the company reapplies from scratch. (The statute at Section 60-13-18(G) describes the fee after thirty days as twice the renewal fee; PSI's published schedule is what the renewal desk applies.)
• A corporation or LLC with a DBA must have the DBA on its Secretary of State registration before the renewal will process.

That signature requirement has a consequence people do not anticipate. If your Qualifying Party has left, or is simply unreachable, you cannot file the renewal. The form requires their signature.

Journeyman renewal and continuing education

The EE-98J renews every three years for $75 per classification. Before renewal you must show 16 hours of commission approved course work, at least 8 of them on the current CID code (14.6.4.8.H).

Renewal forms go out 30 days before expiry; the filing date is the postmark; a late or rejected renewal suspends the certificate. PSI's schedule allows a late renewal for up to six months with a $25 late fee; after six months the certificate is cancelled and you reapply.

Military service members, spouses, dependents and veterans qualify for expedited certification (issued within 30 days on proof of an equivalent license), and service members and veterans pay no certificate fee for the first three years (14.6.4.8.D).

Reciprocity: which states New Mexico accepts

CID publishes one reciprocity rule, and it covers the journeyman card only. In the Electrical Bureau's words: "The only journeyman classification reciprocated in New Mexico is EE-98J, residential and commercial electrical with 8,000 hours of experience. EE-98J reciprocity is accepted from Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming." You file the journeyman application with a copy of your license from the reciprocal state and $75 to PSI, with no experience affidavits; PSI requires that the license has been held at least one year and is active and in good standing.

There is no contractor level reciprocity. An out of state electrical contractor's qualifying party goes through the full New Mexico experience review and exams, with the NASCLA trade exam waiver described above as the only shortcut.

What the Qualifying Party rules actually say

This is the part of New Mexico licensing that decides whether a company can operate at all, and it applies identically to the EE-98 and to every other CID classification.

The statutory definition

NMSA 1978 Section 60-13-2(E): a Qualifying Party is "an individual who submits to the examination for a license to be issued under the Construction Industries Licensing Act and who is responsible for the licensee's compliance with the requirements of that act and with the rules, regulations, codes and standards adopted and promulgated in accordance with that act."

That is personal responsibility for the company's code compliance, written into statute.

Who may serve

14.6.3.8.A(3)(a) NMAC: licenses "are issued only to qualified business entities which employ or are owned by one or more qualifying parties validly certified by CID." NMSA Section 60-13-14(A) restates it: no license issues "unless the director is satisfied that the applicant is or has in his employ a qualifying party."

The CID contractor application prints the relationship as a single choice: Owner, Corp Officer, LLC Member, Employee, Partner, or Other. There is no ownership percentage threshold to qualify a single license.

But the role is not passive. 14.6.3.8.E(2) NMAC: "While validly attached to, and qualifying a license, no qualifying party shall accept or engage in any employment that would conflict with his responsibilities as a qualifying party for, or conflict with his ability to adequately supervise the work performed by, the licensee." And 14.6.3.8.E(4): a qualifying party may only perform the work authorized by the certificate while validly attached to a validly licensed entity.

One person, one license, unless 30 percent common ownership

14.6.3.8.E(3) NMAC: "No individual may qualify more than one licensed entity, other than a joint venture, unless there is at least thirty percent common ownership among the qualified entities. CID may require evidence of such ownership that is satisfactory to the director."

Qualifying two or more licenses simultaneously requires 30 percent common ownership across all of them plus a filed Declaration of Common Ownership Form. This is the rule that prevents one individual from being spread across unrelated companies. PSI's FAQ adds the lawful alternative: an active qualifying party may remove himself from one company's license in order to qualify another.

When the Qualifying Party leaves: 30 days to notify, 120 days of runway

Search this question and you will find three different answers published as fact: a 30 day grace period, a 90 day replacement deadline, and a 120 day window. The structure is what matters.

NMSA 1978 Section 60-13-25: "In the event the employment or business relationship between the qualifying party and the licensee is terminated, the licensee and the qualifying party shall notify the division within thirty days of that termination in relationship, and the license shall be suspended for one hundred twenty days from the date of the termination of employment or business relationship and then canceled unless another individual who is a properly certified qualifying party is approved as the qualifying party for the licensee."

Both parties owe the notice, the company and the departing individual. 14.6.3.8.A(5) requires it in writing within 30 days.

The rule is harsher than the statute. 14.6.3.8.K(2) NMAC: when a license ceases to be qualified, it "will be automatically cancelled and the licensee may not bid or commence any new work in that classification," and "work in progress at the time of the cancellation may continue for not more than 120 days." After 120 days the permits are automatically cancelled, no inspection will be conducted under them, and continued work is "deemed to be unlicensed activity" prosecutable under Section 60-13-52.

The practical rule: stop bidding and stop starting new work immediately, notify CID within 30 days, and finish work already underway within 120. The 120 days is a completion window, not a grace period for operating normally.

The temporary Qualifying Party, the provision nobody publishes

NMSA Section 60-13-16(D) contains a safety valve almost entirely absent from published guidance. If the Qualifying Party's employment is terminated without fault of the licensee, a member of the trade experienced in the classification who "has been employed for five or more years by the licensed contractor" shall be issued without examination a temporary certificate of qualification, and must pass the regular exam within ninety days.

Narrow conditions, but if you have a long tenured lead who has never sat the exam, this can keep an EE-98 alive while they do.

Certificate lifecycle

• A new certificate that "does not qualify a valid license within 12 months from the date on which the exam score was reported to CID, or its designee, shall automatically expire" (14.6.3.8.K(3)(a)).
• A Qualifying Party who does not qualify a valid license "for any consecutive two-year period shall lose eligibility as a qualifying party and the certificate shall automatically expire," requiring reapplication and retesting (14.6.3.8.K(3)(b)), though the director may waive the exam for an additional 12 months on documentation of equivalent work experience. PSI states the flip side: a QP certificate is valid indefinitely while it is attached to an active license.
• The certificate is not transferable (Section 60-13-16(E)).
• A revoked Qualifying Party "shall not reapply for a certificate for one year" (Section 60-13-16(F)).

The two year rule matters if you are between placements: sit unattached for two consecutive years and you retest.

How long does it take to become an electrician in New Mexico?

Plan on about four years of documented, supervised experience (roughly 8,000 hours) to reach the EE-98J journeyman level, with accredited training buying back up to half of that requirement at half value. PSI quotes 10 to 14 working days to process an experience affidavit, and the three journeyman exams can be scheduled as soon as you are approved. From there, the EE-98 contractor exams and paperwork can move quickly once the experience is in hand, subject to the six month application completion clock. As always, the experience requirement is the real gate, which is why a company that needs a licensed EE-98 now, without waiting years, turns to a Qualifying Party who already holds the credential.

How much does a New Mexico electrician license cost?

Your out of pocket cost is a stack of separate items: the $75 journeyman fee and $206.64 of journeyman exams; the $36 Qualifying Party application and certificate and $337.94 of EE-98 and Business and Law exams; the $336 license issuance; the premium on the $10,000 bond; Secretary of State and registered agent costs; and workers' compensation, each set by PSI, CID or a private provider, not by any one flat number. Pull current figures from PSI and CID before you budget.

If your question is really "what does it cost to get my company licensed when I am not the one who passed the EE-98 exams," that depends on your trades, your states and your risk profile; we break down those drivers on our consultation packages page rather than quoting a figure that would be wrong for most situations.

Penalties for working without a license or certificate

NMSA Section 60-13-52 makes contracting without a license a misdemeanor. Where the contracting work is $5,000 or less, the court sentences the person to ninety days in the county jail or a fine of $300 to $500, or both; where it exceeds $5,000, six months or a fine of ten percent of the dollar value of the work, or both.

Working as a journeyman without a valid certificate of competence is also a misdemeanor: ninety days or a fine of $100 to $300, or both. A second conviction doubles the penalty. Section 60-13-14(D) separately lets the director charge an applicant who contracted without a license in the prior year an additional fee of up to ten percent of the unlicensed contract value before issuing a license.

The Qualifying Party is the qualifying agent, and W-2 keeps it clean

New Mexico is a plain example of why qualifying agents exist. The state requires a business's EE-98 license to be qualified by a certified Qualifying Party. When the owner of an electrical business is not that person, because they never logged the journeyman hours, never passed the four exams, or lost the person who did, the business needs someone who is qualified to stand behind the license.

The compliant way to do that is to bring the Qualifying Party on as a genuine, full time W-2 employee of the company. New Mexico's own application asks the Qualifying Party to identify their position, and "Employee" is exactly the arrangement a legitimate placement uses. A Qualifying Party who is a true employee has real responsibility for the company's electrical work, which is what Section 60-13-2(E) intends and what 14.6.3.8.E(2)'s supervision language requires. A name on a form with no real role in the business is what the CID investigates and penalizes, and 14.6.3.8.A(3)(c) puts a licensee that lets another person operate on its license up for revocation.

This is precisely the model The Licensing Company uses: qualifying agents placed as W-2, full time employees only, never as a percentage, flat fee, per project deal or 1099 arrangement. Our founders, Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, built the placement process around statutes like New Mexico's, where the qualifying individual's supervision duty is written into the rule. Start with what a qualifying agent is for the full explanation, read how New Mexico's rule compares to other states on our contractor license pillar, or if you already know your New Mexico business needs an EE-98 Qualifying Party, our hire a qualifying agent page explains how placement works.

New Mexico electrician license FAQ

What is an EE98J license in New Mexico? The EE-98J is the journeyman residential and commercial electrical certificate issued by CID under 14.6.4.8.E(1) NMAC. It takes four years (8,000 hours) of documented experience within the last ten years, a $75 application, and three PSI exams (a 50 question open book code exam, a 50 question closed book theory exam, and a 100 point practical). It lets you perform electrical wiring under an EE-98, ER-1 or electrical specialty contractor, and it runs three years.

What is the difference between EE-98J and EE-98? The J. The EE-98J is a personal journeyman card; the EE-98 is the contractor license, issued to a business entity and qualified by a certified Qualifying Party. A journeyman may work only when employed by a licensed entity, and a contractor may only have wiring performed by certified journeymen and supervised apprentices.

What is the EE-98 license in New Mexico? The EE-98 is New Mexico's residential, commercial and industrial electrical contractor classification, covering work up to 5,000 volts. It is issued to a business entity that is qualified by a certified Qualifying Party who has passed the CID's three part electrical exam and the Business and Law exam.

What is a Qualifying Party in New Mexico? A Qualifying Party is the certified individual who "qualifies" a business's contractor license. The company holds the license; the Qualifying Party stands behind it and is, by statute, "responsible for the licensee's compliance." It is New Mexico's built in version of the qualifying agent model.

How many exams does the EE-98 require? Four, all through PSI: the three part electrical trade exam (commercial and industrial, residential, and specialties) plus the New Mexico Business and Law exam, $337.94 in exam fees. Passing scores are valid for one year, but the application file must be completed within six months.

Do I need a journeyman certificate before the EE-98? No. The EE-98 is its own Qualifying Party classification, and its exams qualify the license directly. But every person who performs the wiring, including you, needs a journeyman certificate; an active QP can add the parallel EE-98J for $75 without a new experience affidavit.

Does New Mexico reciprocate my journeyman license? Only the EE-98J, and only from Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, with a license held at least one year. There is no contractor license reciprocity; a NASCLA electrical credential can waive the EE-98 trade exam only.

What happens if my Qualifying Party leaves? Both you and they must notify CID in writing within 30 days. Under 14.6.3.8.K(2) you may not bid or commence new work in that classification from the moment the license ceases to be qualified, and work already in progress may continue not more than 120 days. If the departure was without your fault and you have a tradesperson with five or more years at the company, Section 60-13-16(D) allows a temporary certificate without examination, with 90 days to pass the real exam. See our contractor qualifier contingency plan for how New Mexico's clock compares to other states.

Can one person qualify two companies in New Mexico? Only with at least 30 percent common ownership among the entities, evidenced by a Declaration of Common Ownership Form, or in a joint venture (14.6.3.8.E(3) NMAC).

Can a company hold an EE-98 without the owner being licensed? Yes, that is the entire point of the Qualifying Party structure. A licensed Qualifying Party, placed as a genuine full time W-2 employee, can qualify the business's EE-98 license. Learn the difference between individual and business credentials in our journeyman vs. master electrician explainer.

Next steps

If you are building toward your own EE-98J and EE-98, document every hour on PSI's Electrical Work Experience Affidavit and line up your training substitutions early; the four year experience requirement is the gate. If you run an electrical business in New Mexico that needs a Qualifying Party to qualify its EE-98, that is exactly what a qualifying agent provides.

Working across trades in New Mexico? Our plumbing license guide covers MM-1 and the JP journeyman practical exam, and our HVAC license guide covers MM-3, MM-4 and the MM-98 decision, all under the same division, the same $10,000 bond and the same Qualifying Party rules described above.

See how New Mexico fits the national picture in our guide to getting an electrical contractor license, compare qualifier requirements across states on our states overview, or talk through your situation via our consultation packages.

Sources

• 14.6.4.8 NMAC, Journeyman certification (experience, ten year rule, training credit, exams, EE-98J and the other journeyman classes, renewal, continuing education) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• 14.6.3.8 NMAC, License and qualifying party requirements (bond, six month clock, qualifying party duties, 30 percent common ownership, NASCLA waiver, renewal signatures, cancellation and 120 days, certificate expiry) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• 14.6.6.10 NMAC, Electrical classifications (EE-98, ER-1, EL-1, ES series, journeyman classes, ratios, prime contractor rule) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• 14.5.5.8 NMAC, Contractor's license fees (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• 14.10.4 NMAC, 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code (adoption of the 2020 NEC, effective March 28, 2023) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13 (Sections 60-13-2, 60-13-6, 60-13-14, 60-13-16, 60-13-18, 60-13-25, 60-13-31, 60-13-32, 60-13-49, 60-13-51, 60-13-52), RLD compiled text (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• New Mexico RLD, Construction Industries Division, Electrical Bureau (offices, EE-98J reciprocity notice) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• New Mexico RLD, Apply for a Construction Industries License (PSI process, fees, test centers) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, State of New Mexico Journeyman Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (bulletin 880, updated April 13, 2023; EE-98J exam outlines, fees, references) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, State of New Mexico Contractor Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (bulletin 828, updated April 3, 2026; EE-98 and Business and Law exam outlines, fees, references) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, New Mexico Licensing Fees schedule (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, Journeyman Certificate Application Instructions (May and August 2025) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, NM CID Qualifying Party Application Instructions (May and August 2025; experience hours, NASCLA waiver conditions) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, How to Obtain a Contractor License and Application for Contractor License (October 2023; packet contents, Owner, Corp Officer, LLC Member, Employee, Partner or Other) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, How to Renew a Contractor License (June 2025; notarization, qualifying party signatures, bond, late fees) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, Electrical Experience Verification affidavit (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• PSI, New Mexico Contractor Licensing Frequently Asked Questions (retrieved 2026-09-24)

Talk to The Licensing Company

If your New Mexico electrical business needs an EE-98 Qualifying Party, or you are about to lose the one you have and the 120 day clock is running, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110. We place certified qualifying agents as full time W-2 employees so the company holds its license the way CID's rules require. You can also start at how to hire a qualifying agent and we will map your situation before anyone files a form.

This guide is for general information. Fees, bond amounts, exam details, continuing education requirements and adopted code editions are set by the New Mexico Construction Industries Division and its testing vendor (PSI) and change over time; verify the current requirements with CID or PSI before applying.

Last reviewed September 24, 2026.